Hang Out & Write – Boston

This writing group helps you meet your weekly writing goals by providing a structured time and place to write. We welcome all genres and styles, from fantasy to poetry to simply doing homework, as well as all skill levels. We focus on putting words on the page, but many of us also come to chat about writing.

Agenda:

11:00 - Get settled

11:15 - Write and Chat

1:00 - Feel accomplished

Location: The Tavern of Tales in Mission Hill (it's a board game bar and cafe). Ask the servers to point you over to the writers group. We're generally in the private rooms.

*We're at a small tavern that can be closed unexpectedly. If you arrive and it is closed, please wait by the door until 11:15am for the rest of us to show up. We'll decide together where to go.

Price: The tavern requires a $10 minimum purchase of food and drink (before tax, tip, and discounts). In exchange, we often get access to a free private room and are usually allowed to linger until 2pm.

Mass Transit and Parking: We’re right on the orange line! Plus, easy access to the 66 bus and the Southwest Corridor bike trail. Parking is free on Tremont St outside. Also try Smith St, Pontiac St, and Parker St.

RSVP: RSVP if you want to be informed of cancellations or changes. Most of our regulars don't RSVP. Generally, about 20 people show up each week. If MeetUp says you're "waitlisted", come anyway because that's a bug.

Will I fit in? In an average meeting, about a quarter of our people are new. Each table has its own personality, but generally, we tend to be quiet and curious. About half of us are fantasy/sci-fi writers, while the other half come from diverse genres like non-fiction, poetry, fan fiction, romance, etc. You will make friends faster if you attend for several weeks in a row, but that's not required. Our regulars tend to sit at the same table every time, so if you didn't click with the people you sat with, then you can try a different table.

Do you do critiques? Yes, once a month. It's fairly informal, and we request that you've participated (in-person) at one of our critiques before submitting your own work for critique. We find that critiques are better when performed by people we know, for people we know.

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RULES

We have people from a wealth of different backgrounds, some with different neurodivergences. These rules are not meant to single people out or make anyone feel bad, but they do need to be said, so we all can have fun:

1. Be a good listener. Plenty of people come here to work, so quiet talking is fine, but talking loudly and constantly is not fine. We enjoy debates, but please be mindful that debates are supposed to be friendly and fun.

2. No ulterior motives. Please don’t treat us as a captive audience for your poetry reading, book selling, or podcast pushing. It’s fine if these come up in casual conversation, but there’s a big difference between light talking and trying to sell us a product.

3. Give the other customers privacy. This is a board game bar, so there will be other customers playing MtG, video games, board games, and role-playing games. It is considered rude to interrupt them or watch them play. If you are interested in learning more about something, please ask the servers for details. They have all the hot gossip.

*I can, have, and will ban people for violating the rules or engaging in behavior that I hadn't thought needed a rule. I'm sorry, but for this, I cannot take into account people's different backgrounds and neurodivergences. Making other members extremely uncomfortable is always an insta-ban.