Spaces that give writers/artists the chance to engage with one another are so interesting. It's easy for the solitude to morph into a sense of loneliness and isolation, so chances to engage with other creatives can be really life-affirming - they reconnect us to humanity! Of course, periods of solitude can be really positive too though. I guess it depends on each personality and their unique circumstances. Not having recited my work in public for years, I'm going to an informal open mic literary event in London later this week. Curious to discover what its like! We'll see...
So true. This conference I went to wasn’t “generative,” or for writing new work. It was only for feedback and sharing. I guess it’s useful to have those modes differentiated so you can focus on one or the other. Good luck with your reading!
What was the workshop you attended in Utah? I attended the Tin House Summer workshop and found the experience helpful and I did keep in touch with some of the people I met for a couple of years, but they are now more social media connections than people I exchange work with.
I don't know exactly why I withheld the name of the Utah conference. It was a Writing x Writers Manuscript Boot Camp. This year it was at Sundance but it moves around. There are definitely different levels of connection too. Exchanging work afterwards can be a big ask: we all had complete MSS so I offered to re-read some workshoppers' revisions but understood that many people don't have the bandwidth to reciprocate. We'll see if that actually happens anyway. But, yes, there's social media too -- or coffees when you meet at another conference....
It's interesting to think about what works and doesn't work for "building a literary community." I've been part of plenty of poetry workshops that didn't lead to connections beyond the duration of the workshop, but then one writers' conference that I went to in 2007 ended up turning into something that I think does count as my literary community. It may be worth noting that I went back for a couple of years before I really felt I was making friends there, and it was several more years before I found others to stay in touch with regularly in between the annual conference. So it can take a while for that kind of thing to build, and to stick.
Yes, I think finding community takes awhile and requires a certain amount of repetition. Talk to a bunch of people; keep in touch with a few. Some people will cross paths again over time. I noted at Bouchercon how that long-lived conference had really fostered long friendships.
Spaces that give writers/artists the chance to engage with one another are so interesting. It's easy for the solitude to morph into a sense of loneliness and isolation, so chances to engage with other creatives can be really life-affirming - they reconnect us to humanity! Of course, periods of solitude can be really positive too though. I guess it depends on each personality and their unique circumstances. Not having recited my work in public for years, I'm going to an informal open mic literary event in London later this week. Curious to discover what its like! We'll see...
So true. This conference I went to wasn’t “generative,” or for writing new work. It was only for feedback and sharing. I guess it’s useful to have those modes differentiated so you can focus on one or the other. Good luck with your reading!
Thanks!
What was the workshop you attended in Utah? I attended the Tin House Summer workshop and found the experience helpful and I did keep in touch with some of the people I met for a couple of years, but they are now more social media connections than people I exchange work with.
I don't know exactly why I withheld the name of the Utah conference. It was a Writing x Writers Manuscript Boot Camp. This year it was at Sundance but it moves around. There are definitely different levels of connection too. Exchanging work afterwards can be a big ask: we all had complete MSS so I offered to re-read some workshoppers' revisions but understood that many people don't have the bandwidth to reciprocate. We'll see if that actually happens anyway. But, yes, there's social media too -- or coffees when you meet at another conference....
I have not heard of that one but it looks like a great program!
It's interesting to think about what works and doesn't work for "building a literary community." I've been part of plenty of poetry workshops that didn't lead to connections beyond the duration of the workshop, but then one writers' conference that I went to in 2007 ended up turning into something that I think does count as my literary community. It may be worth noting that I went back for a couple of years before I really felt I was making friends there, and it was several more years before I found others to stay in touch with regularly in between the annual conference. So it can take a while for that kind of thing to build, and to stick.
Yes, I think finding community takes awhile and requires a certain amount of repetition. Talk to a bunch of people; keep in touch with a few. Some people will cross paths again over time. I noted at Bouchercon how that long-lived conference had really fostered long friendships.
Thanks for this comment!