The Writers Forum encourages folks to find a local writers group for support in your writing endeavors. Our last monthly meeting was devoted to examining writers groups: how to find them, how to get the most out of them, and common mistakes with writers groups. You can find some local groups, or form your own group, by clicking on the ‘Critique Groups‘ button above. Here is a request by one local poetry group looking to add members.

Please remember that each group is a voluntary gathering of writers. Writers Forum does not monitor each group, and none of the groups are official extensions of the Writers Forum. Therefore, Writers Forum does not endorse any individual writers groups.

The Seventh Sense Poetry Group was formed in Redding in 1981 when seven women answered a newspaper notice entitled “Closet Poets, Come on Out!” and out they came with their shoe-boxes of poems and other writings; the kind of box that each would grab, along with family photos, in case of fire or flood.

The name “Seventh Sense” created itself when we noticed something important was lacking when one of us couldn’t attend our weekly, writing “session.”  We finally realized that the seven of together created another “sense” beyond our recognized five senses and even beyond the sixth sense many of us possess. Together we formed a “Seventh Sense” hence the name.

Each week we would gather at someone’s home, take out our writing tablets (made out of paper), be given a “title” and then have 20 minutes or so to write, ending up with seven different perspectives of the same title.

The titles were thought up by our Title Lady (me) and over the years, we’ve been challenged (good for the brain) by the titles:  Mojave Telephone Booth, The Back of Grandpa’s Neck, I’ll Plant Flowers, The Night the Moon Fell Down, That Far-Away Look, Bessie’s Bra, The Poet With No Readers and on and on.

Another unique part of us writing together was that no critiques could be offered unless someone asked for it. No one did. We could go home and clean up the messy lines and scratched-in changes on our paper but the essence of what flowed out of us in those 20 minutes or so, remained intact, uncluttered by praise (although we didn’t object to it) nor by a disapproving eyebrow (we turned our eyes away).

Now, 35 years later, only four of the original seven remain but we still call ourselves the Seventh Sense Poetry Group out of respect and love for the original group; everyone’s still together in our hearts. We stopped our writing sessions for several years because life sent us in too many directions but just recently we started writing again, this time once a month.  In spite of being called “elderly” we’ve found out that amusing and amazing stories and poetry still fly out of our shriveling brains and we’ll probably all be together until we’re not.

If you are interested in coming to our next meeting, Nov. 5th (Sat.) at 10:30, send me an e-mail at itsamejan@hotmail.com and type Seventh Sense in the subject line and I’ll send driving directions to our meeting place.

Thanks.

Jan Saremi, Title Lady