My writers’ group, Kittens with Typewriters, has always met in coffee shops, which hasn’t been possible since the COVID-19 pandemic began. We’ve tried online meetings, but they aren’t very satisfying, since our meetings mostly consist of people writing on their own projects, with occasional conversation in between.
Recently we’ve begun holding outdoor meetings. Until today, they were in the parking lot of the main branch of the public library. The library is closed, but supposedly wifi would be available on the grounds. Unfortunately, we have not been able to get a signal in the parking lot, though maybe we just weren’t close enough to the building. Lately, some coffee shops have opened, with distancing measures in place, so we could probably find an indoor venue now, if we wanted to. But most of us just don’t feel that it’s a good idea, with the pandemic experiencing a resurgence.
So today we tried something different. I offered my nicely shaded backyard, and we met on my patio, with everyone wearing masks and staying more than six feet apart. In addition to having wifi that actually worked, we had access to a bathroom, something sadly lacking in the parking lot of the closed library. We also were visited by many chipmunks. Not sure what they were writing.
I think the general response to today’s session was thumbs-up, all around. I hope we can do it again next week.
