Inkwell Beijing
Inkwell expands to Beijing!
As Inkwell continues to grow, we have decided to launch Inkwell Beijing. As an affiliate organization, they will be able to better serve the literary community of Beijing and continue Inkwell’s mission of creating better writers, developing a literary community, and offering educational and literary opportunities to both writers and the general public.
To join the WeChat group, scan the QR code on the poster, or add Ry on wechat at Texaswriter, and he will get you added to the group.
To better get to know Lauren Elizabeth, the leader of Inkwell Beijing, Inkwell sat down with her and chatted.
Tell the Inkwell Community a little about yourself.
Hi, I’m Lauren! I have been in Beijing for 3 years and counting, and have been writing for as long as I can remember. By day, I am an English for Academic Purposes Lecturer with a focus on speaking and writing, though I do not get a chance to practice creative writing with my first year university students. I organize and host a couple of recurring writing events in Beijing, but they have all been independent of the literary communities here.
Why did you want to start an Inkwell?
I noticed a void in the existing literary communities for more writing based events. A quick search on WeChat led me to Inkwell. My discovery of Inkwell made me realize what could be in Beijing. In Shanghai, for example, there are tons of interesting events on the calendar each month. There are events here as well, but they seem to be more focused on the stage and workshops. I saw an opportunity to extend the Inkwell community to the capital.
Your first event is a brainstorm. Tell us a little about your first event.
Since this will be the first meetup for the Beijing chapter, I think it’s essential to introduce Inkwell and highlight a bit if its beginnings, where it is today, and discuss the direction for Beijing. Depending on the turnout, everyone would break off into smaller groups and brainstorm what they would like to see in Beijing, things that don’t currently exist here that we could potentially try. I think from there the discussion will grow organically (fingers crossed). I have some ideas of successful events from other Inkwell chapters, but also would love to hear from others.
Who should join Inkwell?
All writers or lovers of words, from avid writers to those who have their Notes app full of incomplete stories and poems that come to mind when least expected. Writers of all languages and genres. Writers at all stages of development. The primary language of communication will be English but we welcome both native and non-native speakers. Our aim is to build an inclusive literary community.
How can I join Inkwell Beijing?
Scan the QR code on the poster and please make it a point to attend the brainstorming session to have your voice heard!
What if people can’t make this first meeting. Can they still join?
Join regardless. Since this is all so new to everyone, including myself, it will be difficult to set expectations for the first gathering. Perhaps we will need a second one.
Any final thoughts?
For anyone hesitant on joining, just know that you will be in good company and are not required to come prepared with anything other than a positive temperament and open mind. For those who already have ideas in mind, please do bring those! Let’s also make sure to support the venue since it will most likely be our permanent home for future events. 😉
[events_list scope=”monthly” country=”China” city=”Beijing”]<p>#_EVENTLINK will take place at #_LOCATIONLINK on #_EVENTDATES at #_EVENTTIMES</p>[/events_list]
If you’re interested in starting an affiliate Inkwell in your city, please contact Ry (wechat is Texaswriter) for more details. Prompts, lesson plans, and publicity materials can be provided to help you start your Inkwell successfully.
如果你也希望在自己的城市里创建同盟协会，请与Ry沟通了解详情。我们将会提供指导、课程计划以及宣传资料来帮助你顺利开展协会创建工作。