Could Hudson be home to a Writers Room – a space dedicated to the art, craft, and business of writing? A quiet space with semi-private workstations that — in addition to providing such essentials as a desk, lighting, coffee, printing, and storage — would encourage the solitary – and sometimes lonely — pursuit of writing in a somewhat communal setting (more than a home office but less than a noisy café), while at the same time helping to foster a genuine community of serious writers?
Posted below is a query letter from the folks behind Writers Room DC about a potential Writers Room in Hudson, N.Y. The folks behind Writers Room DC say that all we need is a strong level of interest in such a venue from 35 people to take it to the next step. So please read the query below and please respond to info@writersroomdc.com (a cc: to me at seth@rogovoy.com would also be greatly appreciated). They are looking to establish these places all around the country and would help implement and manage such a space.
“You may have heard about an affordable workspace in our nation’s capital designed for writers of fiction, non-fiction, and poetry — Writers Room DC. Members get free coffee, free printing, free storage, and freedom from distractions. Just the presence of other hard-working writers in the same space seems to do wonders for members’ motivation and focus.
Our success in DC has got us thinking. Would a dedicated space for writers in Hudson meet a need? If you find the idea intriguing, we’d be grateful if you would do two things.
First, check out the website for our existing Washington DC space. The pictures, testimonials, and press links will give you an idea of what a space in the Berkshires would look like, and what it would be like to work there.
Second, once you’ve checked out the website for the existing DC space, answer the questions below. Assuming we uncover real interest and go ahead with our plans to establish a space, we will happily give you a free week of membership in return for making time to respond. Please respond, either as an attachment or cut-and-pasted into an email, to info@writersroomdc.com
· Would you or anyone you know benefit from a writers’ space in Hudson? How?
· Do you reside in Hudson year-round or for extended periods? If so, during what seasons might you want such a space available?
· If you are someone who comes to Hudson mainly for short stays, such as weekends, how many days a year might you use such a space, and in what seasons? (We want to design membership plans that meet Hudson writers’ needs specifically, not simply to replicate the model we use in DC.)
· Our space in DC is accessible to members 24/7. Would this be an advantage from your standpoint?
· If you’d be willing, we’d be very interested in hearing about your current or planned writing project, for what this might tell us about making such a space more useful.
Please help us get the word out.
One last thing: if you’d be good enough to forward this letter + questionnaire, or a link to this page, to all your writer friends in the area, and if they do the same in turn, etc., we will very quickly get a clear sense of the interest level and could open that much sooner.
To open a writing room like the one we have in DC (free coffee, nice quiet space with twelve comfortable work stations, good light, free printing and lockers) we need about 35 people. Might there be that many takers within a reasonable range of Hudson?”