Kafka said, “Writing is utter solitude, the descent into the cold abyss of oneself”, and we often imagine
writers as secluded eccentrics. Yet writers are anything but solitary. History shows us many famous
writing groups, like Tolkien and Lewis’ Inklings. Frankenstein only exists because of a challenge issued by
Byron one wintry night to a group a of writers. Today’s writers are no exception; writing groups still exist
in local and digital communities. As a fiction writer myself, I understand the need for a community. I
wanted to explore the ways these communities support writers. Looking at Twitter’s
#writingcommunity, I am researching the ways in which writers interact in a digital community and what
they get out of it. As a scholar of librarianship, I see the trend for libraries to focus on readers and I hope
to find ways that the library can better serve writers.
Currently I am a PhD candidate in LIS. Apart from my studies and research, I have a passion for bookbinding. I currently study under a local teacher and recently earned my certificate in book binding through the Canadian Bookbinders and Book Artists Guild (CBBAG).
