Kristin Drouin '08

Students gather in a circle, sipping coffee, nibbling cookies, and sitting in silence. All attention is focused on the author reading her story or piece of poetry to this enraptured audience. This is the writers' group started this year by Albany Road Editor-in-Chief Mary Catherine Curley '06. The group, an outgrowth of Deerfield's literary magazine, allows poetry and prose enthusiasts a weekly chance to share their work with other writers in a receptive, respectful, and friendly environment.

Convening every Sunday from 4 to 5 p.m. in the parlor of Ephraim Williams, the writers' group has a loose structure in which everyone may read what they have been working on, ask for help, and receive constructive criticism.

Curley, an accomplished writer who attended the New England Young Writers' Conference last year at Middlebury College, has worked hard to start the group this year. She was inspired by the fact that her "favorite moments at Deerfield have been during or after a coffeehouse, when everyone seems so genuinely engaged or inspired by something a student wrote, and we're all discussing it excitedly." Clearly, the writers' group has made her enthusiasm contagious. "I wanted kids who were interested in writing to have as many ways as possible to discover those kinds of moments," she explained.

The group has held four meetings, and as many as fifteen students have attended, as well as Wilson Fellow Lewis Robinson, who hopes to "participate in discussions, help keep the flow of ideas going, and possibly introduce new topics on occasion."

The group already seems to be a hit among those who have attended. Laura Rios '06, who hopes to build a foundation for writing in college, said, "I have always enjoyed writing and the writers' group is a good place to get feedback from other people. Being in an environment shared with writers inspires me, gives me ideas"

No year-end publication is planned and no guest speakers have been invited at this time. The point of the group is merely to bring writers together. Curley explained, "You want to create something that can be shared, appreciated, enjoyed. The writers' group creates a little community of people who all write, and all care a lot about the process of writing; how hard it can be and how rewarding, and gives them a space to share their work in front of a smaller audience."

Though most students in the Deerfield community write for class, writers' group participants agree that extracurricular writing is far different from working on something for school. Sam Raredon '07, an Albany Road art editor, believes, "This group is important because it provides a non-academic forum where people can write work that won't be graded."

Juliana Saussy '09, "Getting feedback from a small circle of fellow student writers is definitely much less intimidating than reading work to one's English class, or in some cases even showing work to a teacher."

"At DA. we have groups that cater to every field of interest. Why not one for those who enjoy writing?" said poet Kadie Ross '08. With a laid-back, open microphone structure, all those who enjoy words are invited to attend.

The purpose and necessity of the community is clear. "I hope the writers' group will evolve into a place where you show up, read something if you're working on it, and listen to people's reactions," Curley said. "Or you might just show up to be a listener, to give feedback. [The group is] just writers supporting each other."

As published in the November 9, 2005 issue of the Deerfield Scroll, the monthly newspaper of Deerfield Academy.