Meet your fellow writers
A new Substack writer meetup program is here to help
The Substack writer community has been wowing us for years. You show up week in and week out for one another, sharing insights, celebrating wins, and answering questions. To date, most of these connections have happened online. But in the past few months, writers have gathered in person in cities from Paris to Los Angeles. When writers fill a room, there is a palpable energy. More feels possible.
However, finding writers in your neighborhoods, city, and region can be difficult. That’s where our team can help. Today, we’re excited to introduce a new Substack meetup program designed to fuel writer get-togethers around the world.
Although these gatherings feel magical, they don’t come together by magic. We need writer hosts to raise their hand to realize them. If you’re keen to meet other writers in your area and interested in hosting a meetup, please tell us about yourself below.
Hear from a host:
is a photographer and curator based in Amsterdam. He writes Process, a weekly newsletter about photography and finding your creative voice. We asked him about the goals he is working toward for his Substack and his plans for the first Amsterdam meetup he is hosting with on October 18.
What was your goal when you started on Substack?
When I first started on Substack, it was a pre-pandemic era and I was a working photographer with a busy schedule. I felt something was missing. Coming from a family of teachers, I’ve always had a passion for sharing the lessons learned, and I wanted a platform where I could share more deeply.
Social media didn’t seem like the right fit. I wanted a dedicated space where I could share my work, experiences, and lessons, and, most importantly, inspire others to tell meaningful stories through photography.
Through my Substack, I wanted to provide a consistent weekly presence that showcased my work, shared my processes, and encouraged others by essentially saying, “You can do this too! Give it a try!”
What stands out to you about the Substack writer community?
It’s just so dang generous and supportive! It’s not crabs-in-a-barrel in any way, which has been such a nice surprise. People are not shy about sharing best practices, neither proactively or when asked.
Why are you hosting the first Amsterdam writer meetup?
Writing and photography can be quite solitary, and we all need community to keep us going. As creative freelancers, we don’t have that IRL office watercooler, where we can vent and commiserate and laugh and support.
What do you think makes Amsterdam uniquely suited to a writer community?
Something that Amsterdam does really well is create spaces for creative folks to do their thing. There is a long-standing squatting culture, which led to a reactionary anti-squatting movement, which in turn allows creatives to temporarily use empty spaces legally. Sometimes that might mean a school building that is not currently in use being turned into temporary artist studios until the city gets around to re-assigning the building for their own use. Having a third space where people can gather is such a boon to the idea of building community. It’s like there’s all these clubhouse opportunities around.
If you are in Amsterdam on October 18, join Wesley at the writer meetup. RSVP
Keep your eye on
in the Substack app to learn about meetups hosted in your city. If you want to host a meetup, learn more and apply to be a host.
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