MILLEDGEVILLE, Ga. — Writers can come together and express their creativity during a writer’s workshop called 'The Write Space' in Milledgeville.
The workshop is hosted inside Allied Arts of Milledgeville, a group making art accessible in Milledgeville since the 70s.
The Write Space began meeting a few days before the World Health Organization officially declared COVID a global pandemic, and has been a virtual space for writers to gather and share their work since fall 2020.
Now, the group offers a hybrid space for those who would like to come in-person. It's facilitated by author and Fulbright Scholar, Kerry Neville.
This year, their goal is to make a small, local literary journal to publish works from the group and the Central Georgia community.
Acting Executive Director Leslie Peterson says art can sometimes be isolating and even if a writer chose not to share, they still get to have a space to meet up with other people like them.
“People can feel like ‘Oh, my stuff isn’t very good’ because they don’t have anybody to give them confidence and advice on what they’re writing,” she said.
Peterson says publication is important because many literary journals will not publish a new artist unless they have been published in a previous journal.
“That’s a big hurdle for a new writer,” she said.
How it's all going to come together is still being worked out, but Peterson thinks the journal could inspire a sense of community pride and bring artists together.
“So often communities feel kind of fractured, so being seen in a local community, having something that they can say ‘Hey this is part of Milledgeville. This is something that our community does,’” she said.
Peterson says one of the important parts of 'The Write Space' is the human connection people experience.
“It’s just a wonderful way for people to connect and see where people are similar so they don’t feel like outsiders, but also enjoy the differences that everybody has and kind of learn from those differences,” she said.
The Write Space has a rolling registration and members can join and leave as it fits their schedule. They group meets every Tuesday from 12:30-2 p.m.
Peterson says all writers of any discipline are welcome to join and share with the group. It's free to join and you can register on the Allied Arts of Milledgeville website.
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