Writers Group

We welcome local writers for free-write sessions at 4 p.m., Mondays, in the Ames Room. The sessions are open to anyone who feels like writing.

Loosely based on the notion of stream-of-consciousness writing described by Natalie Goldberg in "Writing Down the Bones," the sessions are broken into three parts of 5 minutes, 10 minutes, and 5 minutes. A writer selects a topic from subjects previously placed in a box. For the first 5 minutes, write whatever comes to mind. Don't stop to correct, just record whatever pops into your head, even if it's something like, "I have no idea what to write..." Each person shares what they've written, free of commentary or criticism.

Then, for 10 minutes, writers write what comes to mind, perhaps an idea or a subject someone had just read aloud or something you wrote in the first 5 minutes will lead to a focus. The group shares again. Writers write for another 5 minutes and then share.

You'll be surprised at the places you'll go with the topics in these sessions. They give you an opportunity to express yourself, they're therapeutic, and they often lead to a lot to talk about after putting your pens down.