Speaking Easy at The Write Thing

by Barb Lehtiniemi

The Collectif’s latest Write Thing event on February 25 presented a twist on the usual.  Instead of being held in a local eatery, this event—dubbed The Write Thing SpeakEasy—was held in the basement of The Collectif president, Bobi.

With snow piling up outside, the audience of fourteen comfortably settled into Bobi’s bright and spacious rec room.  An aroma of freshly brewed coffee wafted around the room as folks exchanged greetings and introductions.  

The roster for the evening sported a line-up of three writers and one musical duo, who would collectively provide ten performances during the evening:  seven readings and three musical pieces.  (One additional reader had been scheduled but couldn’t make it due to snow issues.)  There were three readings for the “twisted” theme.

Acoustics in the room were good and the audience gave enthusiastic applause to each performance.  With fewer readings than in previous events, writers were invited to return to the microphone at the end to provide additional readings.

After the final reading, there was a general discussion on the venue.  Most agreed the SpeakEasy (great name, by the way:  Speak.  Easy.) venue had a great vibe, was cozy, and promoted social interaction.  Some concerns were raised about accessibility (there is a flight of stairs to negotiate) and whether people outside the Collectif would feel comfortable attending an event in a private residence. 

Some audience members lingered afterwards  to enjoy coffee and a wide array of snacks, while others left before the still-falling snow made road conditions much worse.  Judging by the smiles and laughter throughout the evening, everyone seemed to enjoy this SpeakEasy version of the Write Thing.