February 4, 2026 Recap

This week we had a pretty full house - which felt like a small miracle in February - and the room settled into that rare, lovely quiet that only happens when everyone is pushing toward something they might actually share. Julia brought romance prompts (the good kind: playful, open, a little dangerous), and for long stretches it was just pens moving, keys clicking, and the collective sound of people trying to figure out what their story wanted to be.

A few highlights from the night:

Brad, who was very responsibly working toward another goal, officially committed to doing and sharing next time - which we are holding him to with warmth and enthusiasm. I only got partway done, but I’ll keep working on it and finish it, and Julia wrote by hand, which somehow felt both romantic and mildly intimidating. Cheryl’s piece was double-entendred as usual, because of course it was.

Steve shared - I believe for the first time - and the world-building was incredible (we want to hear more, Steve! Just not reading *certain* types of book - for Julia’s sake). Michelle was also a first-time reader and showed real confidence and proficiency in the genre, which is always such a joy to witness. And Krista… well, Krista’s prompt was quite literally written for her (fate intervened), and the resulting story had that familiar Krista-brand twist that lands just right.

Fun times were had. Laughter happened. Words were written.

Krista won’t be joining us next time (something about her birthday being that day - priorities, honestly), but we’re very much looking forward to Brad’s story, more excellent sharing, and whatever strange magic happens when we all sit down together again.

Couple of quick housekeeping notes:

• Reading is always optional, but moments like last week are a reminder of how powerful it can be when people take that small risk.

• More good prompts, good company, and good writing to come.

As always, thank you for showing up - to the page, to the room, and to each other. It really does matter.