Active Imagination
Meet other local people interested in Active Imagination: share experiences, inspire and encourage each other! Join a Active Imagination group.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! Check out active imagination events happening today here. These are in-person gatherings where you can meet fellow enthusiasts and participate in activities right now.
Discover all the active imagination events taking place this week here. Plan ahead and join exciting meetups throughout the week.
Absolutely! Find active imagination events near your location here. Connect with your local community and discover events within your area.
Active Imagination Events Today
Join in-person Active Imagination events happening right now
Fun social interactions games @ Sofitel Jourdan
**🃏 WHAT WE PLAY**
We focus on **social interaction games** that are **fun, easy to learn, and engaging**.
* **Thursdays** and Saturday nights are for **fun, social games** like Dixit, Coup, Skull, Codenames, Colt Express, Secret Hitler, Exploding Kittens, Bang and more!… Easy to learn, quick to laugh!
* **Mondays** are for **deeper strategic games**, for players who love to plan and outthink opponents.
Of course, these are just guidelines — you’re always welcome to bring and play whatever game you love!
***
**🕖 SCHEDULE**
* We meet at **7:00 PM**, with an **intro round at 7:15 PM**.
* Arriving later? No problem! Just see a host — we’ll do our best to find you a seat. You might need to wait for a game to finish before joining the next one.
**🎉 Good News! BFG is Free Again**
As of July 1st, 2025, BFG is once again **free to join**, just like last year!
The costs of running the group are now shared by the hosts. If you enjoy the events and want to say thanks, you're very welcome to **offer a drink (or two 😉) to a host** during the evening.
A huge thank you to everyone who supported us financially earlier this year — you helped keep the group going, and we truly appreciate it. 🙏
***
**🎒 WHAT TO BRING**
* Bring your favorite games and feel free to mention them in the comments.
* If we’re meeting in a **park**, bring snacks, drinks, and something comfy to sit on — the grass can be damp even in summer!
***
**☕ IF THE VENUE IS A CAFÉ**
Please order **at least one drink** to support the venue, and pay directly at the bar.
***
**✅ REGISTRATION**
Please RSVP to help us plan for space and group sizes.
**⌛ WAITLIST ETIQUETTE**
* If you can’t make it, cancel **before 7 PM the day before** to give someone else a chance.
* If you're **on the waitlist** and your plans change, cancel your RSVP so others aren't left hanging.
***
**🤝 WANT TO HOST?**
Interested in becoming a host or helping out? Let us know — we’d love to have you on board!
***
**💬 FEEDBACK WELCOME**
Suggestions or ideas? Drop us a message anytime — we’re always looking to make BFG even better.
***
### **🌟 Let’s have fun, discover great** **games, and build and make new friends**
***
###
Bhagavad Gita Reading at Gent
You are invited to a book reading event at Kaffie is Kaffie VZW. In this event, the book is Bhagavad Gita as applied to modern problems.
A bit of background on the Bhagavad Gita: It starts with two armies facing each other and the belligerents are none other than their own kin. However, on one side, is the warrior Arjuna, grief struck and is unwilling to release arrows to his own kin. He is being confused by the bondage of biology, culture and superstition.
In what follows is the diagnosis of the helpless condition of the Arjuna by Krishna and a discourse expanding on the non existence of an individual self in the entire activity of the natural processes.
In the event, we will read a few paragraphs from a few chapters and discuss the timeless human condition and how it applies to modern problems.
Developers in an AI world or AI in a developers world
**Welcome to the Sixth BDEN Meetup!**
AI is moving fast, and developers are right in the middle of it.
Some are already experimenting with AI-assisted coding, agents, MCP servers, and local models. Others are still trying to understand what all these new concepts really mean and where to start. This meetup is designed for both.
For our sixth Belgian Developer Experience Network meetup, we will focus on what AI means for developers today: how agentic systems are built, how they can be used safely, and what it takes to bring them closer to production in an enterprise context.
As always, expect more than slideware. We will have explanations, demos, real-world discussion, and enough space for questions and networking.
Mark your calendars for the 4th of June, because it is going to be an evening packed with practical insights into AI, agents, developer workflows, and production readiness.
**Location**
This meetup will take place as part of Red Hat Tech Day Belgium, hosted at The Montil in Affligem.
Red Hat Tech Day is a one-day conference for both technical and non-technical audiences. This year, for the first time, the event will also include a dedicated developer track, focused on the latest technologies and methodologies from the AI and software development communities.
You are also welcome to register for the full event here:
https://reg.experiences.redhat.com/flow/redhat/3977379/fieldeventsregapproveform/page/landingregistrationpage
**Schedule**
17:00 - 18:00
Doors open
18:00 - 18:15
Intro session
18:15 - 19:15
AI agents, skills, demos and sandboxing
19:15 - 19:30
Break
19:30 - 20:30
Panel discussion: putting agentic AI in production
20:30 - 22:00
Networking & food
**Sessions**
**Session 1: AI agents, skills, demos and sandboxing**
**Speaker:**
Burr Sutter, Director of Developer Experience at Red Hat
**Description:**
AI is no longer just about sending prompts to a chatbot. Developers are now exploring skills, agents, tools, MCP servers, and workflows where AI systems can take action instead of only generating text.
In this session, Burr Sutter will explain what skills and agents are, how they work, and why they matter for developers. Through demos, he will show how these concepts are implemented and defined within Red Hat, and how agentic systems can be sandboxed with technologies such as OpenClaw.
Whether you are new to AI or already experimenting with agents in your own workflow, this session will help you connect the concepts to practical developer use cases.
**Session 2: Panel discussion: putting agentic AI in production**
**Panel participants:**
Burr Sutter, Director of Developer Experience at Red Hat
Stephan Janssen, founder of Devoxx and organizer of Devoxx Belgium
One mystery guest, to be announced later this week
**Description:**
Building a demo with AI is one thing. Putting AI, and especially agentic AI, into production is something else.
After a short break, we will continue with a panel discussion on what it takes to use AI safely and effectively inside an organization. We will discuss how to get started, what developers should keep in mind, what organizations need to prepare for, and how to think about governance, security, reliability, and platform support.
The panel will bring together different perspectives from developer experience, AI-assisted software development, enterprise readiness, and the changing role of developers in the age of intelligent systems.
This panel is for developers who are curious about AI, developers already using AI tools, and teams wondering how to move from experimentation to real adoption.
**About Stephan Janssen**
Stephan Janssen is the founder of Devoxx and organizer of Devoxx Belgium. In recent years, his work has focused heavily on LLMs, AI-assisted software development, and Agentic Engineering.
He actively explores technologies such as local and cloud-based LLMs, multi-agent systems, MCP, RAG, Spec-Driven Development, and AI-powered developer workflows. Stephan is also the creator of DevoxxGenie, an open-source IntelliJ IDEA plugin that enables developers to interact with local and remote LLMs directly from their IDE.
Through talks, workshops, and R&D projects, he focuses on how AI agents are transforming software engineering and how developers are evolving from traditional coders into orchestrators of intelligent systems.
More info:
[https://stephanjanssen.be](https://stephanjanssen.be/)
**About Philippe Bogaerts**:
And our next panel speaker is Philippe Bogaerts.
Philippe is co-founder and organizer of BruCON, and an enthusiastic researcher and trainer in the world of building, securing, and hacking agentic systems.
He is also a wonderful public speaker. Philippe has already presented twice at BDEN, and every time he brings exactly the kind of energy we love: hands-on, practical, sharp, and anything but boring slideware.
It is a pleasure to see him explore, break, test, and hack in the agentic AI space. He is one of those speakers who keeps you interested from the first second to the last, because he does not just talk about the topic. He actually gets his hands dirty.
With Philippe joining Burr Sutter and Stephan Janssen, this panel is shaping up to be something special.
Really looking forward to this one.
**Additional note**
***This meetup includes food. Please keep your RSVP status up to date so we do not waste any food. In case you are no longer sure you can join in person, please update your RSVP accordingly.***
Before J&P : Harbour
***Harbour*** is a worker placement game where players move their worker from building to building, collecting and trading Fish, Livestock, Wood, and Stone; and cashing those resources in to purchase buildings (which are the worker placement spots) from the central pool. Once a building is purchased, it is replaced from the deck, and the central pool is a small subset of the deck, and is therefore different every game.
🎬 The Club – Summer Movie Festival (Private Garden)
Small curated movie nights in a hidden garden in Ixelles, next to Place Flagey.
A mix of:
* **cult classics**
* **recent movies**
* **international cinema**
* **comedy nights**
* **karaoke & dubbing chaos nights**
* **comfort food and summer vibes**
**This is not a giant public Meetup** where 40 strangers stand awkwardly around overpriced drinks pretending networking is fun. Humanity already suffered enough.
Our idea is simple:
we gather in a private home and transform the courtyard into a small outdoor cinema.
Sometimes we cook together before the movie:
Italian, Thai, Lebanese, Japanese, Balkan, Greek, Latin American street food etc.
Sometimes people simply grab pizza from the excellent pizzeria next door and join the screening.
Food is intentionally relaxed:
bowls, finger food, street food, popcorn, snacks, comfort food.
**Some nights are more gourmet.**
Some are glorified pizza-and-movie nights.
Both are valid forms of civilization **;-)**
## **What makes this different**
The group is i**ntentionally small**:
usually 6 to 8 people maximum.
**People are introduced properly.**
Nobody gets abandoned in a corner.
The atmosphere stays human, social and safe.
**No heavy drinking.**
**No creepy behavior.**
No random people showing up uninvited.
Smoking is allowed because is outside in the courtyard and occasionally we may have **hookah nights** depending on the movie/theme.
## **Typical evenings**
* Wong Kar-wai + Asian comfort food
* Spaghetti western + Italian street food
* Anime + sushi night
* Greek cinema + mezze
* Balkan chaos cinema + burek
* Cult movie dubbing nights where people voice scenes live karaoke-style
Yes, this is a real thing now apparently.
## **Important**
Because Meetups and public internet are full of bots, spam accounts and socially radioactive individuals, **we do NOT post the exact address publicly.**
To join:
scan the QR code on the image and request access to the private WhatsApp group or send me a DM.
From there:
* we announce movies
* vote on menus
* organize cooking nights
* coordinate places
**If you are new in Brussels, introverted, traveling, recently arrived, or simply tired of giant impersonal events, this may be your thing.**
Cinema Palace : Broken View
**Palace : Broken View**
04/06 @ 19h00
This article was part of FORUM+ vol. 30 no. 1 | 2, pp. 68-79
Broken View.
Congo and the magic lantern.
**As an early projection device, the magic lantern was often used for colonial propaganda. For instance, to showcase and legitimize the ‘good works’ of the church in the colony. But lanterns were also used by missionaries in Africa to evangelize the local people and create a colonized mindset. This text is a reflection on the work process of Broken View, an essay film on colonial images from the Belgian Congo and the magic lantern. Through montage, collage, and assemblage the film examines and recontextualizes these images of the Belgian colonial past.**
Als vroeg projectiemedium werd de toverlantaarn vaak gebruikt voor koloniale propaganda. Bijvoorbeeld om de 'goede werken' van de kerk in de kolonie te presenteren en te legitimeren. Maar lantaarns werden ook door missionarissen in Afrika gebruikt om de plaatselijke bevolking te evangeliseren en een gekoloniseerde mentaliteit te creëren. Deze tekst is een reflectie op het werkproces van Broken View, een essayfilm over de toverlantaarn en koloniale beelden uit Belgisch-Congo. Door montage, collage en assemblage onderzoekt en hercontextualiseert de film deze beelden uit het Belgische koloniale verleden.
[...]
**"I see montage not as a final stage of the filmmaking process, but rather as a way of beginning, montage as a way of writing."**
In trying to find a way to present still images in a medium which relies on movement, I quite intuitively turned towards collage. This way, movement lies in the act of cutting out, in the tension between two arrested movements: the captured ça a été of the photograph and the completed collage-gesture that brings two or more images in the same space. The form gives rhythm to the discourse and engenders it. The cutting out of figures becomes a formal translation of what I try to do in the film discursively, to decontextualize and recontextualize fragments from the past. It performs the question of how to see these colonial images today, if we even should see them?
Perhaps the only way to be able to show these images is when they are set in motion within a poetic space that aims to do justice to the realities of oppression from which they were taken. I am aware that some of the images in the film are hurtful to see. I am aware that some will see the reuse of these images as a continuation of the violence their taking involved, and that my position as a white European man will enforce this view. Though I have seen instances of this reiteration of colonial violence in cultural products that purport to denounce the colonial past, I do not believe that to show these images, even violent ones, even from my side of the colonial heritage, automatically implies continuing the violence they both document and materialize. I think this happens when not only the images themselves but also the spectacle-form and ideological framework in which they were presented are reproduced, in other words, when the effects of their reproduction are either ignored or anticipated and exploited in the service of this or that agenda. I have not treated this lightly. Broken View does not seek out a shock effect, it does not try to sell a product or resort to cynically rousing controversy to gain attention in an increasingly saturated audio-visual market. Nor do I claim a sort of neutral ground or moral high ground. It is the spectacle-form, the milieu in which these images were made and shown, that I hope the film interrogates and deconstructs. I do this knowing that any deconstruction is also a construction, that my film is also a form, and that there is no inherently unproblematic form.
Both the essayistic montage and the collage, the poetics I turned to in this film, bring together elements that often have little to do with one another. They do this, as the writer Brian Dillon wrote about the essay form, ‘in such a way that the scandal or shock of their proximity arrives alongside a conviction that they have always belonged together’.11 So, these images must be accompanied by other images, brought into relation with other, maybe even seemingly unconnected images. These relationships are not comparisons or equations, but the threads of an unfinished fabric, a continuous work of de- and reassembly, a broader, perhaps speculative contextualization. Assemblages are formed in which the figures are brought into each other’s orbit, within a wider frame and into another timeline than those of the photographs they were taken out of, inserting them into new constellations, trying to find new rhythms. In doing so, I hope to make visible some of the brushstrokes with which they were originally made, the power relations these images texturized and helped (helplessly) to fabulate, the purposes they were to serve. The film is an essay, an atlas of sorts, or an album where fragments of images and language exchange their shortcomings, what words can show and what images can say.
But what to say? Who is speaking and to whom? The spoken text is not only a feature of the essay film. Magic lantern projections were almost always accompanied by live narration. In the case of mission photography almost always in the explanatory mode, an authoritative register, a man, a priest, who spoke with full authority on what was being projected. There was no doubt in his voice. There is but one truth, and that is the Christian truth. At this stage in the editing process, I am trying to find a balance between different registers of the voice-over. The challenge is to subvert the authority of the colonial voice, to replace it not with silence, but to find another way of speaking, of giving information, to introduce an element of doubt. This can reside in subtle formal gestures, a tone of voice, an emphasis turning into a question mark, repetition, or wordplay. I am not quite sure yet how, but I want to let this informative, authoritative mode disintegrate into a poetic mode. I mean poetry in the sense that it is the opposite of the direct speech of the colonizer. That it is a tentative way of speaking. An essayistic way of speaking if you will. The text becomes a collage of registers, of sources and tones but spoken by a single voice.
[Cinema Palace](https://www.cinema-palace.be/nl/film/broken-view)
[This article was part of FORUM+ vol. 30 no. 1 | 2, pp. 68-79](https://forum-online.be/en/issues/februari-mei-2023/broken-view-congo-and-the-magic-lantern)
**For Dreamers, Coffee shots, Orezza, eau de Saint-Georges !**
Active Imagination Events This Week
Discover what is happening in the next few days
Read Together!
Need some quiet time for reading? Want to share the experience with others? Join us at the charming venue of The Sister Café to read in the company of others. It’s alone, but also together, get it? We read for an hour and a half, then chat over a drink.
This is a free activity except for the price of the drinks you're consuming.
Swimay Open Water Session
Join us for a relaxed open water swimming session in Hofstade. 🏊♀️
June 7, we're heading to an open-water pool in Hofstade, the perfect bridge between pool and open water. You still have the safety of the pool, open sky, fresh air, and no chlorine.
We’ll help you build confidence in the water, share open-water tips, support your technique, and you might just meet your next training buddy
Tereza opens and closes the session with warm-up and cool-down on land.
To join this session, you should be able to comfortably swim at least 200m continuously.
Entry yours (€6 webshop / €8 door), everything else on us for this first session.
Here you can get your [tickets](https://luwio.sport.vlaanderen/aanbod/aankopen/tickets/strandtoegang?fbclid=IwY2xjawSKKf9leHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETFmNTRkZkZZTElJa2ZUWmc5c3J0YwZhcHBfaWQQMjIyMDM5MTc4ODIwMDg5MgABHlJJQhS17IYNNo9_ukoCd1o2oibiJsffoPlLl58GdbeOiPVEJAsR2KxrgBj1_aem_jUZn3mlFu0Jf6iZj3N2XMg)!
Follow [Swimay](https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61589530959449) on FB or [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/swimay.eu/) so you don't miss full details!
Feel free to join us and invite other swimming or sport enthusiasts.
We’ll share the final practical details during the week, including the exact meeting time and meeting point.
Meditative Silent Walk
Join Us for a Meditative Forest Walk
We warmly invite you to a silent, meditative walk through the forest, where we will move together in stillness for about one hour. This gentle practice helps you reconnect with nature, slow down the mind, and notice the subtle details—both around you and within you. By walking silently, we create space for calm, clarity, and unexpected insights.
Details:
Date & Time: Saturday 6 June
Meeting Point: Herrmann Debroux Metro (exit straight ahead after leaving the platform)
Start Time: We begin walking at 16:10 sharp, so please arrive on time if you plan to join.
Practical Note:
Please wear weather-proof walking shoes, as the forest paths can get a bit muddy when rainy.
After the walk, you are warmly welcome to join for a drink at Rouge Cloître. It’s a cosy, creative space to end the evening together if you feel like staying on.
If you're in the mood for a quiet inward journey, we would be delighted to walk with you this Friday.
For any questions or to let me know you’re coming, feel free to contact me at 0474 60 83 70.
Looking forward to sharing this peaceful moment with you.
Book Reading Weekend in Antwerp, Belgium
Hello friends and folks, you are invited to a book reading event at **Caffe Mundi.**
The books chosen for this event is
**1. Truth Without Apology.**
**2. Bhagavad Gita.**
About *Truth Without Apology*: The book is a mirror to human condition, out of which most of our suffering arises.
Most human suffering is not due to lack of information or opportunity, but due to our stubborn loyalty to lies: the lies we inherit, the lies we tell ourselves, the lies we decorate in the name of culture, ambition, pleasure, relationships, even virtue.
The book lays bare the workings of the mind and the mechanisms of self-deception. From this arises the clarity which is not the product of imagination or tradition to take us on a journey of liberation.
About *Bhagavad Gita*:
Bhagavad Gita starts with two armies facing each other and the belligerents are none other than their own kin. However, on one side, is the warrior Arjuna, grief struck and is unwilling to release arrows to his own kin. He is being confused by the bondage of biology, culture and superstition.
In what follows is the diagnosis of the helpless condition of the Arjuna by Krishna and a discourse expanding on the non existence of an individual self in the entire activity of the natural processes.
In the event, we will read a few paragraphs from a few chapters and discuss the timeless human condition and how it applies to modern problems.
Cheers,
Jay and Suresh
🧺🌍 International Picnic at Parc Egmont 🌍🧺
🧺🌍 **International Picnic at Parc Egmont** 🌍🧺
Join us for a relaxed multicultural picnic at Parc Egmont on:
📅 **Sunday, 7 July**
🕐 **From 13:00**
📍 **Parc Egmont, Brussels**
While nobody can guarantee the weather, I'm feeling optimistic and expecting a pleasant day to enjoy good food, good conversations, and good company outdoors.
The only thing you need to bring is **something to share**. It can be homemade, store-bought, traditional, or simply your favorite snack.
🍉 Fruits and fresh vegetables are especially appreciated.
🥗 Salads, snacks, desserts, and specialties from any culture are welcome.
🥤 All drinks are welcome too.
This picnic is about sharing, meeting people from different backgrounds, and enjoying a friendly atmosphere together. No agenda, no pressure—just a simple afternoon of community, food, and conversation.
Please bring a blanket if you have one, help keep the park clean, and come with a spirit of respect and openness.
Looking forward to seeing what everyone brings to the grass haha! 😊
Let's Write!
Let's meet to write !
Schedule :
11:00 - 11:30 am : Presentation tour. Share briefly with the group about your project and your "goal of the day".
11:30 - 13:30 : Let's write !
13:30 : Conclusion tour. Did you achieve your goal of the day ?
See you soon !
“Listening Within” - an Art Therapy workshop
**“A creative space to connect with your body.”**
In the rush of everyday life, it can be easy to forget to slow down and listen to what is happening within.
Yet this is often where a deeper kind of wisdom can be found. The body is constantly communicating with us - if we give ourselves the space to notice and listen.
This workshop offers just that: a gentle space to reconnect and explore what your body might be asking for.
Join us for a creative journey where we will settle the nervous system through sensorial, tactile exercises that bring you into contact with your body. Laura will then guide you through an inner listening process, allowing your own sensations, images, and insights to emerge.
Everyone is welcome. You don’t need any previous artistic experience - just a bit of curiosity.
**Price: 15 euros per person**
**Please book via the following link:** [https://luma.com/a2xonlhd](https://luma.com/a2xonlhd)
*Clicking 'attending' on Meetup does not secure you a space!*
**What you can expect:**
- a kind, respectful and non-judgmental atmosphere
\- gentle\, guided explorations
\- the use of different media such as paint\, ink\, clay\, drawing or collage
**Practical information:**
- Workshop duration: 2 hours
\- Open to all from 14 \+
\- Language: English but a French translation is possible
\- Please wear comfortable\, loose clothing that allows you to move freely and that you don't mind getting paint on
\- All materials will be provided
\- Please bring something to take your work home in \(a folder\, a plastic sleeve\, etc\.\)
**About Laura:**
Laura is a second year art-therapy student. She previously trained and worked as a puppeteer for her theatre company, Théâtre de l'Heure Bleue, and continues to work as a visual artist.
She is currently developing an art therapy project using shadow puppetry with patients in palliative care, alongside a somatic-based project for people living with trauma or chronic illness. Her creative process is deeply kinaesthetic, translating felt experience into visual expression.
For more information: [www.theatredelheurebleue.com](https://www.theatredelheurebleue.com/?utm_source=luma) or find her on Instagram: theatredelheurebleue
Active Imagination Events Near You
Connect with your local Active Imagination community
Libera Animae - Freeing the Soul
Main Library, Meeting Room 2B
What does it mean to be the salt of the earth and the light of the world?
In this gathering, we'll continue our series on the Sermon on the Mount from a mystical perspective. Together we’ll explore Matthew 5:13–16, looking not only to the passage as moral instruction, but also to the deeper transformation of consciousness that Jesus invites. Together we'll reflect on how spiritual awakening changes the way we see ourselves, others, and the world around us.
Libera Animae is an interfaith community focused on inner growth, creativity, and authentic connection.
All backgrounds are welcome.
Drunken Philosophy: Are you really who you think you are? What is the "self"?
I have been studying the question of "self" online with Prof. Ellie Anderson and so I thought a prompt on the "self" might be interesting. Full confession: I had Claude create this prompt and I like it, so here goes:
Imagine a thought experiment that merges two classic puzzles:
> You undergo a procedure, performed neuron by neuron, in which every biological component of your brain is replaced with a functionally identical synthetic substitute. At each step, your behavior, memories, and personality remain unchanged. When the last neuron is swapped, is the consciousness experiencing the world still you? And — more pressingly — was there ever a continuous "you" to begin with?
### Questions to Wrestle With
* If consciousness is purely physical, does the *gradual* nature of the replacement matter, or is it equivalent to being destroyed and rebuilt?
* Could there be a "self" without continuity of experience — even moment to moment, while you sleep?
On a more practical level, consider the simpler case first: **hemispherectomy** patients — people who have had an entire cerebral hemisphere surgically removed — often retain a strong sense of personal identity and continuity. This suggests "you" are not rigidly tied to specific physical material. But does that vindicate the synthetic neuron case, or merely show that identity is more *flexible* than we thought — not that it can survive *complete* substrate replacement?
I used Claude so I could get this out today and let everyone have some time to consider it. Hope to see you at the Oracle. Sorry about the location change two weeks ago. That's what I get for trusting local weather predictions!
Psychic Development Series II - Pueo Group
Private Group. Closed to the Public
Knowing ourselves and understanding our abilities is the first step toward wielding our gifts with control and accuracy.
In subsequent classes we will verify and hone our talents with activities and discussion. These are hands-on workshops and participation is expected.
The goal of our series will be to develop expertise in areas of particular interest such as mediumship, channeling, divination, healing and, etc.. Our ultimate directions will be determined by class members as we evolve.
I look forward to sharing and discovering with you. - Cynthia
You Exist Too Much by Zaina Arafat
[Columbus library link to book](https://cml.bibliocommons.com/v2/record/S105C3351321)
Location: The Goat River South
219 S High St, Columbus, OH 43215
Street parking is free on Sundays
[Menu](https://static1.squarespace.com/static/686d3ed16745133042482c5f/t/68ff654dbb03b96875430bde/1761568077220/all_brunch-20250311.pdf)
Book summary:
On a hot day in Bethlehem, a twelve-year-old Palestinian-American girl is yelled at by a group of men outside the Church of the Nativity. She has exposed her legs in a biblical city, an act they deem forbidden, and their judgement will echo on through her adolescence. When our narrator finally admits to her mother that she is queer, her mother's response only intensifies a sense of shame: 'You exist too much,' she tells her daughter. Told in vignettes that flash between the U.S. and the Middle East--from New York to Jordan, Lebanon, and Palestine--Zaina Arafat's debut novel traces her protagonist's progress from blushing teen to sought-after DJ and aspiring writer.
Shut Up & Write!™ Easton Town Center
We'll meet at The Capital One Café, 167 Easton Town Center, Space A-103. This is in the main mall where the Microsoft store used to be, on your left if you're standing at the bottom of the AMC Theater escalator.
Join us on Saturday for an hour of uninterrupted wordmaking!
• What we'll do
Join us for an hour of writing! We’ve discovered that it’s strikingly helpful to write with other writers. See if it’s true for you at 10AM on Saturday mornings.
Be it a book, blog, script, essay, dissertation, resume, melody, poem or just plain work stuff, you are invited to write it with us. No one will see what you've written or give you unsolicited advice. Instead of just thinking about writing, come and get some real writing done.
SCHEDULE:
10:00 - SESSION 1: quick intros.
10:10 - timer starts: write for 1 hour.
11:10 - chat / take off / keep writing.
OPTIONAL SOCIALIZING happens at 11A-11:30ish. Writing is very solitary. Connecting (and sometimes even commiserating) with other writers is a cool thing.
BEING LATE IS OKAY: just show up and get settled, then check-in with me after the session. (I’ll be the person with the Shut Up & Write! sign.) If you were on time, please be willing to make room for the friendly latecomer.
Happy writing and I look forward to seeing you!
• What to bring
Whatever you need to be able to write!
Bring earbuds/earplugs if you want to block noise or the occasional conversation by other patrons. Electrical outlets are limited, so charge your devices before whenever possible.
See you at The Café on Saturday!





















