Introduction

As the adult services librarian at Riverview Library, I was interested in starting a new program in early 2023, in addition to a book club. That January, I came up with a few different ideas for programs and set up a posterboard in the library, encouraging patrons to use dot stickers to vote on their top choice. After about a month, the clear winner was a writing group.

The next step, of course, was figuring out how to start a writing group. While I have a limited background in creative writing, including a course in college and a few published poems, I’m more of a reader than a writer. I looked at what New York Public Library had for writing groups. A couple of NYPL branches had writing groups with descriptions that matched what I envisioned – not a formal class, but an opportunity to drop in and write. I decided to call it West Side Writers. I also wanted to hold the event during the day. I already had two recurring evening programs and the groups I borrowed from at NYPL also met during the day.

The first meeting was on Wednesday, March 1, 2023 from 2-3. No one came. One person came the following week and never returned. I set up a tea station and a few youth who happened to be at the library came downstairs to try tea – they hated it. Before the writing group, I would go upstairs and invite every adult to join. Most patrons paid little attention. One day, I happened to invite a patron who said he couldn’t make it that day but would be back the following week. This patron was Steve, who through a stroke of luck is a published novelist.

Around this time, Public Art St. Paul held its biannual sidewalk poetry contest. For about a month, Steve and I would write poems to submit. It wasn’t until April 5 that more than one person came to a meeting. My original idea was to provide prompts for people to write, but I learned early on that people had time to write – they needed an audience.

The group became a place for people to share their work and receive feedback. From the beginning, I tried to gather email addresses from everyone who came, which helped me coordinate who was going to bring something to read. Sometimes I was able to plan weeks in advance, and other times I wasn’t sure what was going to happen until the meeting started, but it’s always worked out.

Over time, more and more people started to show up. Most lived in the neighborhood and happened to see the flyer while they were at the library. At the time of this writing, over 25 different people have attended. Everyone has a different writing background, from a historian and a technical writer to a poet and a children’s author. This variety makes the group special.

Over two years later, West Side Writers has proven to be a remarkable success. A couple of regulars have had pieces they workshopped at the group published, and another won a prize for a piece she read. More importantly, members have become friends. The group will continue as long as people come.