Yesterday evening, I went along to the showtime coming together of the novel Society of Authors Bristol Group. I’ve been a fellow member of the Society for to a greater extent than than 10 years together with I campaign to hand to their events when I can, but they’re oftentimes inward London, which is a fleck of a trek unless I tin combine it amongst something else. So I’m quite excited at the prospect of something to a greater extent than local.
As ever, it was a fascinating mix of writers from dissimilar fields, amongst several novelists, a author for immature adults, a ghost-writer, i other ELT author similar myself, addition people who’ve written plays, brusk stories together with poetry. The mix, inevitably, makes these events slightly less focused than the ELT groups I’m purpose of, but over the years, in that place cause got been all kinds of useful snippets that I’ve taken away from SoA events together with I’ve got to run into lots of interesting people.
As this was the showtime meeting, it was all nearly discussing how nosotros desire the grouping to work. Three local SoA members, Jonathan Pinnock, Margot Arendse together with Jean Burnett, helped to laid things upward together with Anna Ganley from the SoA came along to speak nearly the function she does helping educate together with back upward other local SoA groups. Rather rashly, I offered to write this post every bit a summary of the showtime meeting. I didn’t accept whatever notes, thus don’t facial expression perfect minutes, but hopefully, I tin simply summarise unopen to of the principal points. Here goes …
Where together with when?
We met at The Square, inward Berkley Square, Bristol, a someone members guild which the grouping has membership of, for the side yesteryear side twelvemonth at least, to allow us to utilization a room in that place for our meetings. They cause got comfy chairs, a bar together with disabled access via a lift.
The initial conception is to cause got meetings every 2 months, amongst the side yesteryear side inward January, in all likelihood at a similar early-evening fourth dimension – nosotros met at seven together with went on until nearly 9.
Who?
The grouping is opened upward to whatever SoA members inward the area. Although it’s been educate every bit SoA Bristol, in that place was full general understanding that nosotros would similar to include members from Bath together with from the surrounding expanse every bit well. Although the bi-monthly meetings volition in all likelihood last inward Bristol for now, nosotros talked nearly the possibility of arranging unopen to meetings or events inward Bath too.
What?
The big query thus remained every bit to what nosotros desire the grouping to do. I won’t campaign to encompass all the specific suggestions here, but every bit nosotros cause got a various membership, nosotros discussed roofing a mix of topics to appeal to everyone. We talked nearly having dissimilar speakers both from local contacts together with organized via SoA HQ. We also spoke nearly how the grouping tin last a hub for people to run into together with thus mayhap adjust their ain smaller groups (formally or informally) amongst a detail especial interest. I’m for sure nifty to instruct together a local Educational Writers grouping inward unopen to form. We discussed how the grouping mightiness move involved inward wider events, such every bit the electrical current Bristol Festival of Literature, or adjust events to involve an audience of non-members, readers, etc. And nosotros all agreed that every bit good every bit speakers together with organized events, the social aspect of the grouping should last primal too. Cheers to that!
Next steps
Based on the ideas already seat forward, the grouping organizers are planning to seat together unopen to cast of questionnaire to ship out to all SoA members inward the expanse to enquire for their input. So if you’re an SoA fellow member in the full general Bristol together with Bath area, exercise facial expression out for that together with delight accept the fourth dimension to create total it out.
In the meantime, there’s already a Bristol Society of Authors Facebook page. It’s a closed group, which way that you lot click on the push to enquire to join. Hopefully, this volition move a house to part non simply intelligence of the group’s activities, but also links to other things going on locally of involvement to members. And if you’re on Twitter, I’ve started a #SoABristol hashtag to utilization together with follow.
I came away excited nearly the possibilities for the grouping together with I’m already planning to run into upward for a java amongst a author I met who lives nearby #lovenetworking
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