October Events:

new writing and drawing nights + a half-day workshop

Hi friends,

Somehow it’s almost October, and after what felt like an especially long summer I’m ready for sweater weather and soups that take all day to make.

This month, in addition to four Drink ‘N Drafts around the city, we’ll be running a drawing night at Interference Archive in Park Slope as well as a new Stage Dive (where a performer’s story serves as your writing inspo), this time featuring literal rockstar Charlene Kaye.

I’ll also be returning to Center for Fiction for another round of Writing Without Thinking on Saturday, October 12th. The class is sort of like a compressed version of our retreats, so if you can’t do a whole weekend this is a nice alternative.

Scroll for more info on all our upcoming events and to see this month’s creative prompt, which is one part photography, two parts improv/theatre, and a perfect after-dinner-party game.

—Josh

We’re thrilled to be partnering with Interference Archive this month for a drawing night in Park Slope. From their website:

The mission of Interference Archive is to explore the relationship between cultural production and social movements. This work manifests in an open stacks archival collection, publications, a study center, and public programs including exhibitions, workshops, talks, and screenings, all of which encourage critical and creative engagement with the rich history of social movements.

We’ll be using their extensive collection of visual media related to the history of activism and social movements from around the world as prompts for a night of visual art-making. We’ll provide the exercises and materials and you’ll have the chance to explore your practice, without any prior drawing experience required.

Drawn Together at Interference Archive, Park Slope
Thursday, October 24th from 7-9pm (RSVP)

Writing Events

We’re hosting a new Stage Dive in October, featuring Charlene Kaye. Charlene is a literal rock star who also just returned from Edinburgh Fringe Festival where she performed a sold-out run of her one-woman-show, Tiger Daughter—Or How I Brought My Immigrant Mother Ultimate Shame. You won’t want to miss this!

Book Club Bar, East Village
Wednesday, October 2nd from 8-10pm (RSVP)

We're also hosting four Drink 'N Drafts this month—

Book Club Bar, East Village
Wednesday, October 9th from 8-10pm (RSVP)

Center for Fiction, Fort Greene
Sunday, October 13th from 5-7pm (RSVP)

WORD Bookstore, Greenpoint
Tuesday, October 22nd from 7-9pm (RSVP)

Land to Sea, Williamsburg
Date coming soon! (Watch here for updates.)

October’s Prompt

I started Little Nights about six months before the pandemic, though it looked a little different than it does now. The idea then was small, 10-person events built around unique ways to gather and make something together. One night the ten of us took turns drawing portraits and modeling for each other. Another time we hosted a family recipe potluck where everyone brought in a dish from their childhood. But my favorite —and the basis for October’s prompt—was Slideshow Roulette.

To play, each participant collects five photographs they’ve taken, the more random the better. Then, once you’re all together, number the collections and put those numbers in a hat. When it’s your turn, pull a number from the hat and present the corresponding collection of photos as though they’re your own, without ever having seen them before. (This works best with a projector.) As each new image appears, share the memories—real or invented—connected to each one. When you’re done everyone else is invited to ask you questions about the specifics of each photo or memory.

Here’s a short one from that night to give you an idea:

I saw someone do this many years ago at my friend Aviv’s birthday party, using the photos as an outline for a sort of wandering speech dedicated to them. I immediately loved it. In a lot of ways it’s the perfect model for everything I want out of a Little Nights event: you don’t have to be a writer or an artist (and being one doesn’t necessarily give you an advantage) and there is no wrong way to do it, no pre-existing version to measure your performance against. 

It’s also often pretty silly. But I’ve found it uses all the same muscles as making a first draft—trusting your imagination, giving yourself permission to fall forward, staying open to outside inspiration. 

This benefits from being done in a group, but can also be done in pairs, either for its own sake or as a warm-up for other work.