From looking at my calendar on my phone, I see I’ve been a Writer in Residence since the first Monday in February this year. I’m enjoying my time there, almost all of the time, with only one little blip that wasn’t quite so wonderful …
It was a learning experience, and a lesson that I know understand, and so I hope that particular thing won’t happen again. Being a writer in residence on a regular basis, especially if the venue you are ‘in residence’ at, is a small one means you are quite ‘up close and personal’ with the owner/manager of that venue, and if there is trouble, the owner may have to think hard about whether or not you are of value to their business.
I’ve fallen foul of this ‘up close and personal’ issue in the past, and so took lessons from that experience, and tried to be careful not to fall foul of the same thing that went wrong last time, somewhere else.
The ‘trouble’ this time, was of a different kind, and it has been sorted out, and I am still welcome to be at this venue. I am glad of this, and happily drive off to the Gallery 14 cafe in Hamley Bridge every Monday morning that aren’t Public Holidays. It’s a nice cafe, in a nice town, the coffee is good, and I can set up my books there, and write or chat, as I wish, getting a free coffee whenever I ask for one!
The coffee is good, the ‘feel of the place is friendly and creative, and I have had some lovely conversations with people who have expressed interest in what I am doing there. I’ve sold a few books there too, and shared information about my writing group (Adelaide Plains Poets) and our activities, with people, and that information has been almost always been received with pleasure.
Yes, there was one person not so thrilled with me being there, a complaint was made, but the owner and I have talked it through, and all is fine now. I’m taking care to stick to my own small table though, and not get involved in other people’s conversations, unless they begin the conversation with me.
It is easy for me to stick to writing, and just be present, taking things in, perhaps, but keeping quiet, and writing … This can lead to creative writing happening, and having someone else make the coffee for me as I write, what a fine thing that is! And if I need some sweet food inspiration to go with the coffee, I’m in the right spot for that too, this cafe bake their own delicious items at home and bring them along for us to buy, and devour, with delight!
I certainly like writing at home too, of course, but being somewhere else brings along new ideas and thoughts, and as a creative writer, new ideas are always welcome, to bring new interest to my writing, for me, and I hope for my readers too.
I don’t know how long I will go on being the writer in residence at the Gallery 14 cafe, but I certainly hope it will go on for the rest of this year, and into 2022, because I like it there! It’s a mostly pleasant drive from my house to there, easy to park close enough nearby, and the staff and other customers seem to be fine people.
And my writing group, is going to hold an event at Gallery 14, as a part of our Gawler and Adelaide Plains Festival of Words (Recovery) this year on 23 July, where we will have lunch at the cafe, then hold a “Show and Tell” session, where writers will be able to read from their own writing, for an interested audience, which I think will be an interesting ‘new’ thing for the cafe, and the writers!
Having a Writer in Residence spot in a library would by good, too, especially if that library had a cafe there too, or a cafe nearby, anyway. It’s not that I’m a coffee addict, and usually only have one or two of those free cups of coffee, and Gallery 14, because I know what too much caffeine does to my brain when it’s time to go to sleep at night!
But I do feel that coffee is an important part of my creativity, or at least it’s something I like to have when I’ve settled down to do some writing, anyway … And if there is some yummy food available too, that is a bonus! I may be trying to lose a little bit more weight, but I can adjust what I have for my evening meal if I splash out for something yummy over lunch!
Today I met some new people and we had a lovely chat, and I also chatted with a regular customer I often meet at the cafe, and he sat and chatted with me about various things. It was all pleasant, and while I didn’t actually write a lot, and didn’t sell any books, it was still a worthwhile visit, spreading the word about who I am, and what I do …
So if anyone reading this ever gets the chance to be a Writer in Residence, I say go for it, be aware of any ‘things’ happening, and work on being of value to the venue you’re in residence at!
Carolyn Cordon - Creative 
I also like to do some of my writing away from home, even though I love where I live. However, being somewhere else for a while stimulates my imagination. I often write some poetry while drinking coffee at a near by service station. People come and go, the radio is playing, goods get delivered and vehicles drive past. These may seem like ordinary events but they have fired up my imagination resulted in poetry I would not have written at home.
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Yes, being somewhere ‘else’ gives things a different vibe, somehow, I think. I find being at home can limit my thoughts, unless I’m able to get into that magical ‘flow’ state, where the world stops, and the words and ideas take over!
Being at ‘our’ hotel on Thursday afternoons works well for me, because it has the ‘safe’ feeling of home, but it is the place I’ve done many creative writing things in the past, and know I will again in the future!
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