Warning: Below you will find a long and fascinating account of the Community of Markham Writer’s journey. Key words: Fascinating and LONG. You have been warned! Feel free to skim or skip at your desire.
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As my earlier post indicated, I was apprehensive returning to the CMW after my long hiatus. Prior to last week’s meeting, there were plans of newsletters, anthologies, writer’s brunches, and contests for the CMW. The plans were great, but the amount of footwork required seemed gargantuan without a support base or some funding. The more we thought of ways to grow the group, the more we added to our plate, and the larger our apprehensions grew. Questions were sprouting left and right, “Can one or two people really handle all of this? Is there any interest beyond our consistent three or four members? Is it worth it? Is the direction we’re taking right? And if it is, how come it feels so off?”
I finally came to the conclusion that at the Informational Meeting, I would lay down the facts for CMW members: This is what our group is, this is what it’s been, and this is what needs to be done in order to take it in this particular direction. If the manpower, money, and interest just couldn’t be mustered, then it seemed we would be unable to continue. Our earlier plans made it feel like a go big or go home kind of deal – a thought that depressed me because the CMW had always seemed, at heart, like a good thing – a right thing – and yet things just weren’t flowing.
Before heading out to the meeting, I yet again weighed pros and cons, planned out what I’d say and how I’d say it (especially if it came to the point where the CMW would be discontinued), and especially tried to recall why the CMW had been a good idea in the first place. That’s when I realized that perhaps it doesn’t have to be an all or nothing deal.
Back in the olden days, when people were passionate about something, they found others with similar interests to hold their topical discussions. Film clubs in Paris, for example, began simply because people who loved film congregated together as friends to share interests. Eventually, because the time was right or because the opportunity arose, they branched out. As a result of these early gatherings, film clubs like Objectif 49 began and, after years, led to magazines like Cahiers du Cinema, which housed the work of influential filmmakers and critics like Bazin, Godard, and Truffaut. Passionate discussion therefore led to renowned film organizations, which eventually led to world famous film journals and even more famous filmmakers and film movements. That being said, the basic unit of that growth began from everyday people who gathered as friends with similar passions; it didn’t start because people got together one day and said, “Let’s establish a film journal.”
Anyways, long tangent aside, a few minutes before our final meeting, I realized that I’d forgotten the whole point of the CMW. The CMW was originally founded so young adult writers could find others with whom they could discuss things that their friends and family members didn’t necessarily understand or care about. I’d also forgotten the implications of the CMW’s target audience: young adults, most of who are in school with limited income and mobility, won’t necessarily have money to pay for workshops or membership fees and can’t be expected to commit themselves completely when finals, midterms and unexpected assignments are constantly popping up. The most important thing at this stage, I think, is the writing and the knowledge that you aren’t alone in your writing.
That being said, I drove over to Angus in a post-epiphany glow and, after a brief discussion with the three other dedicated members of the CMW, agreed that we’d lost focus somewhere along the way. Right now, we shouldn’t be worrying about creating an institution. We should be enjoying what we’re doing. Writing, especially writing as a passion, is not a chore – it’s an adventure, a privilege. By becoming befuddled with the business side of it all, we made writing suddenly less fun for ourselves.
In conclusion, the CMW lives on, though in an altered (and better) form. And a lot of changes are being made. Even the name, “The Community of Markham Writers”, seems a bit pretentious for our aims. The purpose of our group is not to “get you published”, but to provide a supportive place where you can write, share your writing, receive feedback, and find support in whatever direction you wish to take, whether it be for pleasure or publication. Furthermore, we’re scrapping this “meeting” concept. When you hang out with friends, you don’t say, “I have a meeting at the movies tonight,” you say, “I’m going to go hang out” or “I’m seeing the girls for some girl-talk” or something. With the goal of creating a positive, friendly space in mind, you can now find us carousing about in coffee shops or visiting readings and events (talking about all those fun things and visiting all those fun places that your less exciting friends avoid).
Do you love writing? We do, too. Feel free to join us, meet some new people, make some new friends, or talk about that new poem you recently fell in love with but can’t talk about because others just wouldn’t understand or care.
Feel free to contact me at [email protected] if you want to know where we’ll be next. Trust me, it’s not scary at all.
P.S. Guess I have to change the “About” section again! Keep posted for those changes in a week or so.