- Purpose:
- to discuss and network with other writers about the writing process
- to have our work critiqued and to critique the work of other writers
- to present our original work to the public at readings several times a year
Current Group Structure:
Since May 2019 Writers in Stuttgart has been managed by a Steering Committee.
- Steering Committee:
- The Steering Committee is based on active member volunteers. These volunteers are identified in the Members Roster. Any member whose dues are paid and current can volunteer for the steering committee.
- All decisions other than financial are made during the monthly meeting according to a majority of the members’ present.
- Financial decisions are made by a majority vote of the steering committee.
- Treasurer: (volunteer determined at each annual meeting)
- Responsible for managing the bank account.
- Collecting the annual membership dues.
- Paying member approved invoices.
- Keeping a paper file of all invoices.
- Maintaining a spreadsheet that shows invoices paid and money collected
- Providing the membership with an annual accounting based on the spreadsheet.
- Webmaster (volunteer with web maintenance experience)
- Managing and maintaining the current website.
- Updating the monthly minutes and Sending out a notice of minutes’ postings and news based on decisions from the last meeting dates.
- Updating the monthly meeting dates.
- Updating the Home Page showing the next public reading.
- Maintaining the Membership Roster.
- Maintaining information identified by the menus defined.
- Making membership determined changes.
- Vetting Committee
- Vetting committee manager – follows up with prospective new members.
- Vetting committee reads submitted writing applying to join the group.
- Applicants are approved by a majority of the vetting committee and notified by the vetting committee manager.
- Public Reading Manager:
- A Public Reading manager is selected for each public reading.
- Responsible for coordinating the place and time for agreed venues
- Establishing the reading order for each reader.
- Coordinating the entertainment for the venue.
- Finding and Coordinating volunteers to create a program for each reading.
The monthly meeting:
The current meeting structure
Each meeting is managed by a volunteer chair-person (the chair).
The chair of the next meeting is defined at the end of the current meeting.
The chair’s responsibility:
- If meeting at the DAZ, Pick-up and return the key for the meeting from the DAZ.
- Manage each meeting according to an agreed upon time schedule.
- Make sure that meeting minutes will be taken.
- For simplicity and consistency, minutes for each meeting will be taken according to a defined template.
- Minutes will be posted on the group website as soon as possible following the meeting but prior to the next meeting.
The current meeting structure:
10:00 – 10:15 – The meeting is opened and the writing prompt is defined by the chair.
10:15 – 10:30 – Attendees write their interpretations of the prompt.
10:30 – 11:00 – Attendees read their prompt interpretations.
11:00 – 12:30 – Readers read their essays/stories for group critique. The allotted time for each reader is determined by the number of readers that have writing to be critiqued.
12:30 – 13:00 – Immediate business that needs to be discussed is addressed.
Members that intend to read at a meeting must be on time and stay until all readers have read and been critiqued.
Non-monetary decisions may be made based on a majority vote of the members present and will be noted in the minutes.
Items requiring monetary decisions will be tabled until they can be voted on by the steering committee. The person requesting the monetary based decision will contact the steering committee to obtain a vote. The steering committee decision will be sent to the webmaster to be posted on the Website.
If the business that needs to be discussed will require more than the 30 minutes allowed (unless agreed upon by the members present) will be moved to the next meeting.