As writers themselves, Jillian Winters and Jodie Vinson always wanted to create a co-working space for writers. But after talking to many writers in the Ocean State, they quickly realized that the writing and curating community was looking for so much more — not just a coworking space, but a community where this massive group could meet one another and discuss their lives and work.
Born from this vision was a nonprofit community called the What Cheer Writers Club. Located at 160 Westminster St., the space features coworking, meeting rooms and a podcasting studio, as well as writer networking and business events.
Working writers and organizations (as well as patrons) can join for small monthly fee. The organization also has two weekly newsletters and a podcast to give advice to writers and the rest of the creative community.
Rhode Island Inno caught up with Winters, the general manager and co-founder of What Cheer Writers Club, and Vinson, the program manager, to discuss how their new venture is going thus far.
Rhode Island Inno: How long have you been up and running? What progress have you made and what programming do you offer? Winters: We beta launched in June of 2018 while we finished renovating our club space, and officially launched in November of 2018. The response has continually been enthusiastic and eager. To date we have around 175 members. Those include writers, journalists, podcasters, booksellers, writing organizations, illustrators, poets, filmmakers, musicians, nonprofits and more. We’ve seen a growing interest in our meeting space rentals, and our next goal is to focus on expanding that interest and becoming an on-demand rental space for people across Rhode Island. We also officially opened our podcasting studio a few months ago, and interest and reservations for that are rapidly growing.
Vinson: We offer programming on the business-end of content creation. Because our members are working across a variety of mediums: the written, spoken and illustrated word — our monthly programs cover a range of topics. One month we might have a workshop on how to get a grant to fund a creative project, while the next event might cover finances for freelancers, or book publicity for authors. We recently had a podcasting expert in to discuss interview tips and tricks. We also offer a monthly podcasting 101 class every third Thursday to orient members — and the public — to the club’s podcasting studio. And because even introverted writers have social needs, we hold a monthly member meet up every first Thursday in the club salon.
RII: Tell us more about the space, and what it offers? W: The club is designed as a coworking space with the writer in mind. What you’ll find when you come here are two different open-work areas — the salon for those who want lots of light and open space, and the library for those who want to hide away in a writing nook. You’ll also find various meeting rooms from a board room to a classroom complete with projectors and whiteboards, as well as our sound proofed podcasting studio with in-house recording equipment for up to four guests. Plus, we wanted to make the space inviting and inclusive, so you’ll find a wall showcasing member work, wheelchair accessible outlets, a local artist’s one-of-a-kind mural of Providence and a staff member always at reception for assistance.
Q: What are both of your backgrounds? W: I went to university in Providence for psychology, but quickly became involved with local nonprofits through volunteering. I served a year with AmeriCorps at the Providence Children’s Museum, and then stayed on to assist with their volunteer program and museum coordinating. I also spent time working for an education nonprofit based in Rhode Island that worked with K-12 teachers and did some freelance grant writing work before getting started with the club.
V: I have a degree in English Education and an MFA in non-fiction creative writing. I spent a decade working in bookstores across the country, served as managing editor for an online travel book company and as a marketing writer in the travel industry before moving to Providence six months ago and joining the club as program manager.
RII: Since launching, have you noticed anything interesting like collaboration, partnerships or insights about the creative community? V: As a newcomer to Providence, I was thrilled to discover a thriving literary community with a lot of momentum here. The rapid growth in our membership speaks to how many creatives are among us, and how much they want to meet and collaborate. The club provides a physical venue for these partnerships, a way for writers to discover each other. We have podcasters who have found producers, screenwriters who have found script readers, freelancers who have found editors, poets who have found venues to read their work, writers who have found publishers and much more. The joy of working here is watching these connections form, and the community continue to build.
Editor's Note: What Cheer Writer's Club was featured in "Take a Look Inside Some of Rhody’s Most Enviable Offices."
