Attend
The Minneapolis Writers Workshop meets every Wednesday at 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. via Zoom. If you are interested in attending, please read the information below.
Open Read Night
The First Wednesday of the Month
Maybe you would like to visit our group a few times before joining. Perhaps you are a daredevil that wants to jump in with both feet.
The first Wednesday of every month is Open Read: Nonmembers are welcome to read an unpublished piece of their writing for the workshop to critique (10-minute limit).
But remember: Visitors are welcome to attend (though not read) any Wednesday. Visitors also can give critiques. We welcome your feedback.
Verbal reading of manuscripts takes place each Wednesday at 7:00 p.m. Screen-sharing is encouraged, although not required. Please make sure your view setting is large enough for the others to read easily.
Meetings last approximately two hours. There is typically time for 6 to 8 readers. Those who sign up the previous week will get the option to read first. Time allotment is up to 15 minutes, at the discretion of the monthly moderator, who is subject to benign influence.
Following the author’s reading, members of the group are invited to comment on the work either verbally or in writing or both. Comments are intended to be constructive and deal with the mechanics of the writing and its marketability rather than approval or disapproval of the subject matter. They can put their comments in the chat on Zoom for later perusal. Readers are encouraged to download the chat for their own reference to use in editing.
There is no censorship at the Minneapolis Writers Workshop.
During the critique period, the writer cannot respond to comments unless a question is specifically directed to that writer.
How Regular Meetings Are Conducted
Members who would like to read write HAT in the Zoom Chat. (Carryover from in-person meetings.)
The moderator will keep track of the names from the Chat and invite the writer to read their original [unpublished] piece and screen share if desired. Each member is allowed 13 minutes. The audience makes comments for the next 3 minutes. The writer is not allowed rebuttals except at the discretion of the moderator. (Remember, we can mute you, although that is only for extreme rowdiness or barking dogs.)
Between 6 and 9 people can read their work on a given evening. If there are too many names in the Chat, those left out will have the first option to speak for the meeting the following week.
If you would like to attend one of our Wednesday night Zoom meetings, please fill out and submit the form on our contact page. We will get back to you with information on how to attend.