Dibujo Nº 8, 1965 Emilio Renart
Salon - experimental writing group
writing tracing — tracing writing
Together, we have explored so much; each room we inhabit bursts at the seams with our ideas, our explorations, and our passion; bursts until leaking, some, as it always will, evaporating into the air — but why not take a chance at rendering these airborne trajectories, these flight lines and flows of thought, concrete?
In order to improve the practice of writing, in order to improve the practice of thinking, and it order to leave our traces and to share them with the world?
This group is focused on the production of texts and other written artefacts as material evidence. Tracing, writing, creating, concretizing - writing as a way of fidelity to thought, as an experiment in restriction, regimentation, creation.
Let us leave remains behind, even as we trace out our futures.
Our Motto & Commitment:
Everything must be written, though it is not the case that everyone must be writing, or writing at the same time.
What We Aim at Doing:
This Writing Group is conceived as an exploration of a periodical, all-day collaborative writing project. Once per month, we will meet at the home of a member (or, perhaps some quiet, collaborative third space) for a minimum of 4 hours and a maximum of 6 hours, in order to form writing groups, engage in collaborative writing projects, and to write and report on our collaborative processes of writing. These days will involve the creation of writing groups according to a well-defined writing project.
Ideas for writing projects ("types of writing") include:
Philosophical Dialogues; Sets of Aphorisms; Philosophical Glossaries; Blog Posts or Prose Reports (Thoughts, Blurbs); different types of Notes and Entries; Structured Summaries; Experimental Translations; Brief Essays; Poetry and Pieces at the Crossroads of Philosophy and the Arts; Academic Texts, Philosophical Travelogues, Choreographies of Concepts, Experimental Archives, and so on…
Projects:
While arising spontaneously through dialogue and discussion, each project must involve the formation of a writing group around a more or less clearly defined project.
A project can be any of the ideas above, or more. What is essential as a shared process involves the founding of a writing group around a well-defined project. A well-defined project consists of a writing proposal with a specific goal, a specific format, specific standards, a specific topic, a specific group of people working on it, and a specific deadline.
It is hoped that commitment to a project will be high, but in principle, writing groups form spontaneously and can dissolve spontaneously. Hence, tracing rather than capturing; collaboration rather than a hierarchical system of production - it matters most that the traces are there, whatever they trace, not some end-point or imitation of ‘completion’. There will always be evidence, traces, footprints on paths we can come back to.
Reports:
In addition to these writing projects, we will additionally generate reports as yet another aspect of the creation of material traces of our thought.
There are, so far, four types of reports:
- the general meeting report;
- the writing group report;
- the conversation report; and
- the walk report.
For each of these reports, there is a corresponding template. These reports track the various activities that are encouraged during the day. While there is no explicit standard for filling out the reports, and the templates are recommendations so that reports can be collated and comparable, the game is to record everything, to write everything down.
Roles:
Here are some ideas about what roles there could be (rotating):
Host
Each meeting will need host. It would be the host who welcomes the group into their home (or vouch for and organize an external location), organize lunch and coffee (this does not mean to cook or buy everything, but to have an acceptable plan), and to present some ideas about how best to use the space.
Secretary
In addition to the host, a secretary is also necessary. It is the task of the secretary to keep track of and write down the general summary of themes and progress, the structure of the day, and how it went, as well as organize the next meeting.
Writer
Then there are, of course, writers. Ideally, everyone would be a writer (but this is not necessary—see observer). Writer is the role that one takes on upon engaging with a project, not given in advance, a space of risk in which one puts forward an attempt, with others (though possible to do it alone).
Observer
Observer is also a role that fits into the conception of the group. An observer is someone who, in virtue of being present, makes themselves available for participation in a writing group while not actively participating in any group in particular, at that time. The point of the writing group is, of course, to write. However, the point of the writing group is that we are all there for and with each other, all parts of a bigger story in which we have all already left traces in the thoughts, and therefore writings, of all the others.
Join!
If you would like to join, please send us an email at berlin.cafe.philosophy@gmail.com with the Subject: "Joining Salon", including :
- A Writing Sample
- Motivations for Joining
- Tentative Project Proposals or Indication of Interest
- Any Other Words
Or fill out this form: Salon — experimental writing group
Moving with but beyond Derrida:
“That which you cannot [stop] speak[ing] about, write it.”