Pat Stuart

It seemed like a good idea.  It still does, actually.  I was at a Sip and Paint with a group of friends, laughing as we sipped our wine, nibbled on cheese and crackers, and played with splashing gobs of pastels across canvas.  Painting isn’t really my thing, though.  I like it, but the end product never looks the way it did in my minds’ eye, so ... .  So, I went along for the camaraderie, paid my $35, and got “every penny worth of my money” as they used to say (not that pennies are worth anything anymore).

Obviously, writing, not painting, is what I like best.  Which is why a few weeks later when the Friends of the Powell Library were kicking around ideas for fundraising events for the library expansion I thought, “Why not a sip and write?”  I’d never heard of such a thing, but ... why not?  The world is full of writers’ groups.  Surely, other people have taken inspiration from the sip and paint people and added the “sipping” element to their writers’ groups?  

And as a fundraiser?  Sure.  We’d do it at the library, use lines from favorite books as cues for writing exercises, sip a drink, eat a few snacks, enjoy a lot of camaraderie, and ... we’d stretch our brains while maybe producing something worth keeping.

So, I pitched the idea at a Friends of the Powell Library meeting.  They liked it, did some brainstorming, and came up with dates for a series of four Sip and Writes.

Cool!   Several days later, wondering about how the format would actually work, I searched Google.  To my surprise, Google redirected me to a bunch of Sip & Script notices.  Sip & Script?   Script, as in fancy writing.  Who knew there was such a thing.  Trying again, the bots gave me one Sip & Write hit, a program used as a therapy.  That was it.

Undeterred, I pulled up my friend, ChatGPT, and it didn’t let me down.   While “Sip and Write” is not a recognized term, Chat said, the purpose was clear:  a gathering where participants meet like-minded people, make new friends, practice their writing skills, and engage in discussions about literature, creativity, and life in general.

How does it work?  Chat stressed some very neat and necessary elements, most particularly the need for a cozy and welcoming ambiance with a collaborative and creative atmosphere and time for participants to share a bit about themselves and their writing projects, if any.

I liked that a lot, imagining a group of writers gathered in front of the library fireplace.  But ... weren’t these and the rest of its list of activities all elements pulled from normal writers’ groups?

ChatGPT had done it again.  Used what it knew about one part of the question and made the rest up.  Oh, well.

Still, Chat had provided a nice review of the best elements of writers’ groups.  That made it easy.  Participants would bring their own beverage — beer, wine, or soft drinks.  We would supply snacks.  We’d start with an icebreaker ... doing a quick word sketch based on a prompt drawn from a hat, then having time to write, followed by sharing and feedback on the new write or an individual’s own writing projects.  

The prompts would stay with the library theme, using lines or ideas from well-known books, like:

— “Why, sometimes, I’ve believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast.”  Carroll

— “When you play the game of thrones you win or you die.” MartinSound good to you?  Want to support the library rebuild?  Join us.  There’s a sign-up sheet at the library and a fee of $15 for each of four sessions (Oc. 18 and 25 and Nov. 1 and 8 from 5-7 p.m.) for a limited number of participants.