Week of 11/17-11/22

Written By Kate Senecal

Hi Book Buddies!

Reminders!

Beautyland Salon is December 7 (Sunday) from 11-5: My studio mate, Candace, and I are hosting a little art salon during open studios at Cottage Street Studios in Easthampton. Rachel, Elizabeth, Chris, and Aimee are reading and there will be music! Stop by if you’re local! It’ll be a blast.

Book Club is Monday December 8 from 7pmEST - 8:30: We’re reading Emily Everett’s All That Life Can Afford and she is coming to hang with us.

11/25 Tuesday and 11/29 Saturday Gen Writings will happen as usual, no holiday disruption!

Here’s what’s on the docket this week (Monday 11/17 - 11/22).

Feedback Group Submission Schedules!

11/19 IRL Group Wednesday night @ beautyland 6:30-8:30: Genna and Aimee

11/20 Thursday 10am - 11:30am (Thanksgiving reschedule for Thursdays at noon!): Sara

11/20 Weirdlings Thursday 12pm - 1:30pm : Erika

11/20 Kool Kids Thursday at 7pm : Kristin and deep talk about beginnings and endings

11/22 Saturday besties 12:30pm - 2: Georgia and Nora

No feedback groups will meet next week due to Thanksgiving. Meeting Schedule reboots as follows:

12/4 Weirdlings Thursday 12pm - 1:30pm: Elizabeth (pls sub pages by Sunday 11/30)

12/4 Kool Kids Thursday 7pm - 8:30pm: Morgan (pls sub pages by Sunday 11/30)

Gen Writing Prompt

November 18 and 22, 2025

Meet Cute

Many of you who have known me for a long time are aware of my enormous fangirl-ing of Rufi Thorpe. Last year we read Margot’s Got Money Trouble in book club and one of my favorite books of all time is The Knockout Queen. If you haven’t read either, I am jealous - would love to experience both of those books for the first time again. What a treat! Anyway, I’m talking about Rufi because a few days she posted a headline on her Instagram from a local newspaper that reads: “Couple robs bank together on first date” and then challenged her audience to write that short story. Of course, I thought, WHAT A GREAT PROMPT! So this week I want us to write stuff about first dates going sideways, for better or worse. Let’s GOOOOOOOOO!

Begin a new piece in the medium of your choice about a first date between two people who have either never met or barely know each other. No previously friend zoned pipeline to couplehood for us today, the stranger danger is part of the charm. The first date should involve one of the following things: 

  • A bank robbery (either executed or experienced by the pair)

  • A kidnapping (either executed or experienced by the pair)

  • The return of a lost animal

  • An explosion

  • The revelation that not one but BOTH parties is operating under a secret identity

  • A spontaneous vacation/trip abroad

  • A ghost/possession/exorcism

  • A surprise mutual Ex

  • An injury

  • A challenging physical activity 


Kate Senecal