Communal Pen Guidelines

The below guidelines are universal to every Communal Pen workshop. The most important among these is that everyone is a writer with a story to tell. These guidelines were adapted from Write Around Portland by Laura Green and Eboni Ramm, and then further tweaked by the Athenaeum Press team.

1. There is no right way to write. ​
   We are here to build community through writing. Spelling, punctuation, grammar and handwriting do not matter. ​
2. It is okay to write whatever we want. We will be writing freely from our experience. However, we will refrain from sharing hate speech or any language/viewpoints that are harmful to others. ​
3. We will be respectful when we share, being open to perspectives that are different from our own.​
4. We will respect confidentiality. What’s said in the workshop stays in the workshop.​
5. We are encouraged to share our writing, but sharing is always optional and our own choice. ​
6. When sharing and offering feedback, we will keep our focus on the writing.  ​
7. We believe that everyone is a writer, with important stories to share. ​
   Some people come in with more or less experience, but all stories are valid. We will not compare our own writing to someone else’s.