Writing is solitary work, increasingly done at kitchen tables as opportunities in our field continue to shrink. One of the best things writers can do for one another is simply gather and nourish our work and ideas.

Whether you are a novelist, newspaper reporter, freelance critic, essayist, or a writer for your local museum (or wish to be any of these things), you are warmly welcome to join us at this salon-style gathering.

A handful of participants will share arts writing that has stayed with them over the years. Others will read from works in progress. Everyone is invited to bring a copy of a recent essay on a cultural theme for a participatory essay exchange. Please bring a printed copy of a short culture essay you love (old or new) authored by anyone. Everyone will drop theirs into a box on the way in and pick up a new one to take home.

Participating writers will include: Jorge Arango, a critic for the Portland Press Herald; Melaine Ferdinand-King, a cultural strategist, arts writer and 2026 winner of the Rabkin Prize based in Rhode Island; Jori Finkel, a contributing writer for The New York Times and 2023 Rabkin Prize recipient; Nyamuon (Moon) Nguany Machar, a spoken word poet, a teacher with the Telling Room and a mental health advocate; and Devon Zimmerman, curator of modern and contemporary art at the Ogunquit Museum of American Art. Facilitating the discussion is Jameson Johnson, founder and editor-in-chief, of the Boston Art Review.

Bold Magazine Shop will be on hand with a table of wonderful titles to peruse. Nibbles and drinks will be provided, too. 

The event is a collaboration between Surf Point, the Dorothea and Leo Rabkin Foundation and Mechanics’ Hall. It was inspired by Jori’s presence in Maine for a residency at Surf Point, which is sponsored by the Rabkin Foundation.