Jersey City Writers

Your body and mind are your most essential workspace. Start the week with this 65-minute workshop that gets your physical and mental muscles moving.

7:00 – Login, greetings
7:15 – Movement and stretching
7:35 – 30-minute silent writing sprint
8:05 – Done!

• No special equipment or clothing is needed for the gentle movement and stretching.
• No talking during the 30-minute writing sprint.
• Participants will be muted to minimize background noise.
• Feel free to use the text feature anytime.
• Please arrive on time.
• If you must leave early, please go in silence; you may say goodbye via the text feature.

Nancy Méndez-Booth, your host, is a Jersey City-based writer/editor, educator, and performer. Her work has appeared in print and online, including Poets & Writers and Salon, and she has performed at venues including Cornelia Street Cafe and The Moth. (Select performances can be viewed on YouTube.) Nancy's athletic experience includes a 20+ year yoga practice, eight-time marathon finisher, collegiate rower, cycling, and swimming. Follow her on social media (@nmenbooth Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn; Nancy Mendez-Booth Facebook author page), visit nancymendezbooth.com, and contact her at nmenbooth@gmail.com for information on academic tutoring, writing coaching, workshops and presentations, and writing/editing services.

Supported by public funds from the Jersey City Arts and Culture Trust Fund.

NO ENTRY AFTER 7:15 PM!

Job History
by Annie Proulx

Get the story here from our shared drive:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1OPUuG-JK6MY5gB800Kdj8OIQ5tshFiyu/view?usp=drivesdk

Join us for a good old-fashioned Parisian salon…in Jersey City!

Once a month we gather to do a deep dive into a famous, not-so-famous, or even notorious short work of fiction. Our salon is a guided discussion intended to deepen our collective understanding of effective storytelling.

What you need to know:

• All short pieces for the salon are published pieces. Unpublished works are for JCW workshops.
• Please read the story before the salon! We will NOT be reading it out loud.
• We will NOT be providing printouts. Feel free to bring your own.
• Wine and beer only. Please no spirits.
• We would love a donation but it’s not mandatory to attend.
• All writers are welcome. All writers are to be respected. Be kind.

Monthly Schedule for Tuesday:

• 1st Tuesday of the Month: JCW Short Story Salon

We give the salon treatment to a famous, not-so-famous, or even notorious short work of fiction every month.

• 2nd Tuesday of the Month: Roundtable Workshop

Constructive criticism of unpublished work from JCW members. MUST SUBMIT IN ADVANCE.

• 3rd Tuesday of the Month: Power Prompts

Constrained writing at its quirkiest.

• 4th Tuesday of the Month: Roundtable Workshop

Constructive criticism of unpublished work from JCW members. MUST SUBMIT IN ADVANCE.

JCW follows current CDC COVID-19 mandates. Until further guidelines are announced, proof of vaccination and masks are not required for in person workshops. We do ask, however, that you respect your fellow writers by staying home when you are feeling unwell.

Calling all poets!

This workshop begins with critiques of two poems, each by an author who signed up ahead of time. The workshop ends, if time permits, with a 10-15 minute writing prompt (an idea to incorporate into a poem written on the spot).

Please note that if you have never attended Jersey Plums before, you must attend at least once before you may schedule a poem for critique. To get on the schedule, please speak to a moderator at the workshop.

While critiquing poems, we will mind our P’s and Q’s by first discussing what works in the poem, and then asking questions for clarity, understanding, and figuring out how the poem can be stronger or improved. This helps to keep the feedback positive and constructive.

Please reach out to David, the event organizer, on meetup if you have questions.

NOTE: The workshop begins with an explicit framing of expectations about how to participate in the workshop. New members will not be admitted after the opening of the workshop has concluded, so please be prompt.

Supported by public funds from the Jersey City Arts and Culture Trust Fund.

Jumpstart your creativity!

Writing Prompts will utilize three upcoming writing contests or member-supplied prompts as the focus of each prompt so writers can get a jump on getting published.

We'll offer three separate prompts and approximately 10 minutes of free writing time to work on each one. We then share (if you wish) each piece with the rest of the group.

The goal of prompts is to move writers from their comfort zone and try a new genre, voice or character.

What to bring: Notebook, laptop and pen, and your imagination!

We're located at 157B First Street, Jersey City NJ. A keycard is required to get into the building, so we will look for people downstairs until 7:15 at the latest, so please be on time!
If you know you're going to be later than 7:15, please comment below and I will make arrangements to meet you downstairs.

Supported by public funds from the Jersey City Arts and Culture Trust Fund.