As we celebrate Follow Your Art Community Studios’ 5th birthday this year, we want to highlight some of the artistic communities that have been part of the Big Yellow House since we opened our doors in 2019.
Nestled on the second floor of the Big Yellow House, the Writers Studio is a space created by and for writers and currently home to 19 writer-in-residence members. I spoke with Elizabeth Christopher, who volunteers as the writer-in-residence coordinator about how and why it got started and how writers of all flavors can find a place at Follow Your Art.
Q: Since writers can theoretically write anywhere, what’s the value in having a dedicated “studio”?
For most busy adults, writing (and doing anything creative) often gets shuffled to the bottoms of our to-do lists, if it makes our lists at all. So, having a dedicated space where you make time to write (a room of one’s own, as Virginia Woolf famously said) is essential.
So, at its most literal, the Writers Studio at FYACS is a comfortable room with a beautiful view on the second floor of the Big Yellow House. But the Writers Studio is also much bigger than just a room—it’s designed to give writers space, time, community, and learning opportunities—all the things they need to be creative.
One of the best things about the Writers Studio is that writers can take risks and try something new here. Writers can share work with each other. They can publish their pieces on the blog Palette. They can facilitate a class or participate in a reading or exhibit. There’s a lot of opportunities for community and to step out of your comfort zone, both of which I think can fuel creativity.
Q: What kinds of things do writer-in-residence members do at the Writers Studio?
Our regular meetups are the primary way we check in with each other and hear what we’re working on. It’s also an opportunity to share knowledge. For example: This summer, poet Kerry Kurdziel led us through poetry prompts. At our next meetup, novelist Kip Wilson is leading a discussion on outlining.
We started a Short Story Club to practice reading like writers. We meet about once a month to discuss a published short story, paying particular attention to the author’s craft moves. The goal is to try to understand why a story makes us react to it the way we do. For example, if a story has us sitting on the edge of our seats, we might ask ourselves, “how did the author evoke that feeling? What language did she use? How did the way she structured events in the story create that tension?”
Most recently a few members of the Writers Studio decided to form a Thespian Group to do dramatic readings of plays. They’ve read and performed two 10-minute plays by Tug Yourgrau, a playwright and writer-in-resident member of the Writers Studio. Tug also led us through a quick playwriting session. I never thought I could write a play until Tug’s prompt enabled us to write a scene in about 30 minutes. It was such fun.
We’ve also held a writing retreat, attended a play together, and met for Night Writing sessions to motivate each other to get off the sofa and write. The really great thing about the Writers Studio is that if a member wants to share their interest with the group or try something out, they can.
Q: What other learning opportunities are there for writers at FYACS?
Writer-in-residence members of the Writers Studio have free access to the 90-minute writing sessions that FYACS offers as part of their regular catalog. In addition, we’ve organized eight author talks and book launches over the last five years. These events are great ways to learn directly from local authors about writing and publishing.
Q: How did the Writers Studio get started?
When the non-profit arts center was being formed in 2018-2019, Executive Director Kris Rodolico called out to community volunteers for ideas and support. There were a lot of us who saw the house and thought that the room that is now the Writers Studio, with its floor-to-ceiling bookshelves, fireplace, and bank of windows overlooking Main Street, would be the perfect spot for writers. Those months before the doors opened were hectic—we were busy fleshing out how membership would work, creating an application process, outfitting the room with furniture and books, and getting the word out about the new space—all while building renovations were going on around us.
It was a thrilling time—we didn’t know if people would want to join a Writers Studio or not. But they did! I think we had 11 members in a matter of months. And somehow we all got along—we even agreed on the paint color for our walls. And I’m so thankful to Tug, Matt Butterfield, and my husband Michael, who volunteered their time over a weekend to roll Benjamin Moore’s Adirondack Green onto our walls and make the studio the cozy room it is today.
When COVID hit, we weren’t sure if the studio would survive, but in fact we gained more members because people were looking for somewhere—anywhere—to go and write during that time of isolation. I think a lot of creativity was fueled during that time.
Q: You mentioned the bookshelves. I’ve noticed they are now filled with books. What kinds of books are on the shelves?
We have more than 600 books that have been donated or lent to us. Our library is designed for writers, so we’ve got a number of writing guides, but also a lot of standout works in the genres members work in: novels, short story, creative nonfiction, autobiography, memoir, poetry, plays, and young adult fiction. We also have a growing volume of books by local writers, including several written by our writers-in-residence.
Anne Macdonald deserves a huge shoutout for keeping our library organized. Anne is a local author and writer-in-residence who volunteered to re-organize our library a couple of years ago and has kept it beautifully maintained and inventoried ever since. It would be a chaotic mess without her!
Q: What’s your favorite thing about the Writers Studio?
I shared this question with other writers-in-residence and here’s what they said
“The writers’ studio works magic for me. I sit down and the rest of life falls away so I can write.” —Nancy Werlin
“I love how the Writers Studio allows me to lock in and get right to work on my current project. As an extra bonus, it’s awesome to often be able to share the space with like-minded word nerds.” —Kip Wilson
“I appreciate the camaraderie of a group writing in different ways, whether poetry, short stories, novels, plays, or non-fiction.” —Anne Macdonald
“My favorite thing about the WS is the chance to interact with other writers. The different genres they work in expand my understanding of what writing can achieve.” —Tug Yourgrau
I feel the same way as they do—I love the quiet space and the community that comes with being a member of the Writers Studio. I am one of those people who are much more productive when I step out of my house and into a space just for writing. I also love that the Writers Studio has connected me with so many other writers in the area. But what’s really special is being part of a community arts center along with other creatives. Our annual Art of Words exhibit (on view in Follow Your Art’s Gallery until Oct. 31) with the artists-in-residence is one of the most inspiring activities we do all year.
Q: Some people might feel intimidated by the idea of joining a Writers Studio. Is it just for established writers or can anyone join?
The only thing you need to become a writer-in-residence is the desire to write. There are some members who have published books, but there are many others of us who have not. I think a great way to get the most reward from the studio is to add a little discipline to that desire to write. I try to go into the Studio at least one or two times a week just to write, and I’ve been able to produce more creative work since joining the Studio than I have in my entire adult life.
Q: What is your hope for the future of the Writers Studio? How do you hope it evolves?
When we started, we didn’t know if the community at large would be interested in writing at FYACS. Over the last five years, we’ve seen just how large interest in the written word is, in Melrose and beyond. The volunteers who organize writing activities at FYACS have piloted and incubated two Writing and Teaching Fellowships, eight author talks and book launches, monthly writing sessions, and collaborations with outside groups like the Milano Center and the Room to Write. I’d love to see FYACS build on these efforts and explore others.
Writers I’ve spoken with have told me they’d like to see a greater variety of writing classes added to the FYACS catalog, including opportunities to receive critiques, revise work, and learn about different genres such as playwriting and kidlit.
Above all, I’d like it to be feasible for more writers to join and benefit from the Writers Studio. With more members, I believe there would be more opportunities to collaborate, implement ideas, and grow an active and thriving community of writers. There is so much creativity out there; I’m looking forward to seeing what the next chapter holds for writers at FYACS.
To learn more about joining the Writers Studio or trying it out as a guest, check out our web page.
Elizabeth Christopher volunteers as the coordinator of the Writers Studio and is focused on building a supportive community of writers-in-residence at Follow Your Art Community Studios. Her stories, articles, and creative non-fiction have appeared in Prime Number Magazine, Solstice Literary Magazine, The Boston Globe Magazine, HuffPost, Ed., The Writer, Bacopa Literary Review, Passengers Journal, The Penmen Review, and elsewhere. Following a long career writing for the tech industry, Elizabeth now freelances for social sector organizations and universities. www.elizabethchristopherwriter.com