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 condensed by The Athenaeum Press team.

1. Everyone is a writer with an important story to share.​
   Some people come in with more or less experience, but all stories are valid. We are here to build community through writing. Spelling, punctuation, grammar, and handwriting do not matter. ​
2. We will share and listen respectfully.
   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. The beauty of Communal Pen is that we encounter experiences and perspectives that are different from our own, so we work to listen with an open mind and heart.
3. We are encouraged to share our writing, but sharing is always optional.
   Some stories are meant to be shared only in the workshop. Some stories need to be shared anonymously. Some stories only need to be written down and not shared at all. While sharing helps us build community, you do not need to share to be an active participant in Communal Pen.