Who are we?
We're a very friendly bunch of writers with a wide range of backgrounds and experience, united by a love of writing - from genre to comedy to literary fiction to poetry and beyond. It's not a class. It's not a course. Think of us as your local literary support group: a place where you can share not just your work, but also those moments of triumph, despair and 'Meh...' that go with being an aspiring writer. When the going gets tough, when the words won't come, when your characters are revolting, we've got the Chocolate Hobnobs of hope.
What do we do?
At most of our sessions we'll spend 30 to 40 minutes writing on a particular theme or topic. Facilitator Jon will always prepare exercises and prompts in advance so no one has to climb the icy precipice of a blank white page. Unless you want to. Those who'd like to share their work with the group are welcome to do so. But if you don't feel like sharing, that's fine too.
We also run critique sessions. Members are invited to submit around 2,000 words in advance - it might be a short story or an extract from something longer - and the rest of the group will offer feedback.
Visiting authors
We regularly get established novelists along to chat about their work and creative process. Recently we've had David Aaronovitch (Rivers of London), Laura Purcell (The Silent Companions, The Corset), Matthew De Abaitua (The Red Men, If, Then, The Destructives, Self & I), James Oswald (The Gathering Dark), Nick Clark Windo (The Feed), Ben Platts-Mills (Tell Me The Planets) and poet Charlotte Geater (The Emma Press).
Who can come and what do I need?
Anyone can come. You don't need to bring anything. Not even a pen. Unless you've got a special one and you literally can't write without it. In which case bring that. The writing group is free to attend. Everything in libraries is free. Apart from printing. That costs 10p per page.
Who runs it and why would they do that?
The group was set up in 2017 and is run by staff at Hackney Libraries.
HI there! are you still meeting online or now in person? When's the next meeting? Can't wait to join you all!
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