This is What It’s All About

When I first moved to New York City, I was searching for a writing community. In that first month, I went to every one I could find but none of them felt right. Many of the spaces I visited were either too unserious or as my friend Yeng puts it, too boomery.

Yesterday, I hosted the Olive Tree Writing Club’s end-of-year party and open mic. And what I loved most was how the lineup of readers reflected the diversity of the club itself.

By coincidence, the lineup was by genre. Emily, Tommy, and Ori shared moving pieces of creative non-fiction. Sakib and Manan followed with poetry. Grayson read an excerpt from his upcoming sci-fi novel. Atty gave an ode to fan fiction. And Evan closed the night with a LinkedIn post, not a LinkedIn post like what you’d think, but an inspiring story of his time as an NFL coach.

After the final round of applause, we lingered and chatted, people congratulated the readers. A few members pulled me aside to share what this club has meant to them.

Aamir asked me, “How does it feel now that it’s over?”

I told him that it was a relief but I felt a deep sense of fulfillment. I joked to Ranuak that for my next free Sunday morning, I’m going to the spa.

As I looked around the room, at the hugs, the laughter, the shared joy, I thought to myself: This is what it’s all about.