Draft:Caversham Writers

Caversham Writers. is a local writers’ group for anyone interested in writing and meeting other writers in the Caversham and wider Berkshire area. As well as hosting regular meetings at Fourbears Books, a local, independent bookshop in Caversham, the group also holds online meetings. The online meetings started during the Covid Pandemic Lockdown, but have continued due to the interest from global members who have taken part from as far away as the USA, Myanmar (Burma), Nigeria, France and Ireland.

History

Caversham Writers was started in September 2018 by Crystal Bourque, a self-published author from Toronto, Canada who has published three fantasy novels in the Book of Eve Series. Since leaving England to return to her native Canada, the group has been run by local writer Adrian Raffill.

Demographics

The only requirement to be a member of Caversham Writers is that if you write, you are a writer. The group’s membership is made up of all kinds of writers from poets and fiction-writers to playwrights, script writers and non-fiction writers. The group’s motto is “If you write, you’re a writer". Some of the members have an ambition to be published, others are just writing for their own pleasure.

Gatherings

Caversham Writers varies the type and style of their meetings. One of our regular online meetings is Bookshare Night, in which members share their favourite books with the group and talk about how these books may have influenced their writing. Prompt Night, where Adrian sets a prompted writing challenge, and the sessions where you can read your work to the group ad hoc are also popular. They also offer a chance to attend Feedback sessions where members can submit their work in advance of a meeting and receive more detailed feedback regarding works in progress, and some sessions members just meet up to talk, before taking an hour out to work on their own work in progress, whatever that might be. This has given members space to keep going with their own writing during their busy lives and encouraged them to do this.

The group have also performed live at the local East Reading Festival, reading their poems and shorter pieces for two consecutive years and will be doing so again in 2024. They have also, in collaboration with local bookshop Fourbears books held author talks with their own members and with external authors and editors including Rupal Patel, Will Carver, Anita Frank and Kate Poels. Adrian Raffill also hosted an event for Fourbear’s literature festival Fourbears Fest in May 2024

Notable writers from Caversham Writers

As well as founder Crystal, a few other writers who have attended the group have been published. One notable member is Curtis Chin who attended Caversham Writers virtually from the USA during the Covid-19 pandemic after securing a publishing deal from Little Brown with his memoir Everything I Learned, I Learned in a Chinese Restaurant. Author Gillian Passman has self-published a book which she started during one prompt night, The Wall and long-time member Louisa Guise’s first non-fiction book How to Leave a Group Chat is due to be published by the Book Guild on the 28th June 2024. Children's author and illustrator Nicolette Carter is also a regular member.