Scribere est vivere · founded 1924
Write by candlelight.
A society of readers and writers who meet on Thursday evenings in an old library. Ten weeks a term, one book, one candle, and the work you bring.
Michaelmas term
This term's syllabus.
- I. On the first lineHow openings work, with Woolf, Calvino and our own draftsWeek 1
- II. Letters never sentAn evening of writing to someone who will not read itWeek 3
- III. The unreliable narratorLying on the page, and why readers forgive itWeek 5
- IV. Night walksA walk through the old town, notebooks outWeek 7
- V. The readingEvery member reads five minutes of new work, by candlelightWeek 10
An evening
Thursdays, seven to ten.
- 01
Read
One member reads a page of the term's book aloud.
- 02
Talk
We argue about it, politely, over tea or something stronger.
- 03
Write
Forty silent minutes with a prompt and a candle.
- 04
Share
Those who want to read what they wrote. No one has to.
Membership card
Twelve seats a term.
Send us a page of your writing and a line on the last book that kept you up at night. We read every letter and answer by post or by mail.
- Term fee
- €60
- Seats
- 12
- Closing
- 1 September
“A room without books is like a body without a soul.”Written above the library door
Members
From the guest book.
I wrote my first finished story in that room, in one term.
Margot L.Member since 2019
The only evening of the week I turn my phone off without thinking.
Elias W.Member since 2022
Strangers in week one, my closest readers by week ten.
Ines C.Member since 2024
Questions
Before you write to us.
- Do I need to be published?
- No. Most members are not. We want people who read a lot and write often.
- What language do we write in?
- English and German both. Readings are in whichever you wrote.
- Is the candle real?
- Yes, one per table, and the fire officer has signed off on it.
Bring a notebook.
Applications for the autumn term close on 1 September. Twelve seats.
hello@inkwell.example
Apply for autumn