Feedback so far

Here's the latest in a series of thanks--to everyone for the deluge of emails and awesome input. Here's what we've learned in the last 12 hours.

• Several folks asked: "What the hell does 'office' mean?" Wow, that's a good one. Please take a look at our new survey and help us figure it out.

• Souk and CubeSpace here in Portland are renting office spaces. I've heard great things about them and I can't wait to meet folks in both places. But I think these are different from a writers' room. Writers need an awesome creative space, that old Victorian house style, with books to the ceiling, people reading on couches, and literary rock stars sipping java over their dog eared manuscripts.
  
  
• Location was high on the comment list. People might be interested depending on the location. We're investigating places. It will be something close to downtown, in a funky nook of Belmont, Hawthorn, N. Mississippi... with parking and public transportation nearby.
  

Membership might include

• 30 or so cool, partitioned desks, first come basis
• T-1 Internet access
• Quiet space
• Computers, printers, copy machines, fax, Web server
  
• Storage for laptops and materials
• Kitchen/lounge
• Library with hundreds of hard-to-find books
• Living room for reading
• Garden
  
• Telephone room
• 24/7 access
• Discounts on literary events
• Free access to monthly workshops
  
• Discounts to professional services like legal and accounting
• Connections to network of editors, literary agents and authors

The Cost Q

There would need to be some kind of nominal fee structure. People need to value the space and their time there. We're really just looking to cover basic costs. Of course the price of membership has a lot to do with it. Right? Well, we don't think so. Can we just say, you'll get more than you expected?

The cost will be commensurate with the phenomenal value. Five or six members who are renting one of the five or six office/room suites for the year would pay more, perhaps $400 or $600 or even $1200 a month. These are professional authors who want a killer, creative, quiet writing environment among peers, to get out of the house each day and feel inspired. But members would pay a nominal monthly due that would include access to some equipment, resources, and the community.

Other cities have writers rooms

Here are just a few links to other writers rooms. A little online searching reveals dozens more. Only, not in Portland.

Minneapolis
www.loft.org/

Santa Monica
www.theofficeonline.com

Chicago
www.uptownwritersspace.com

Boston
www.writersroomofboston.org

New York City
www.writersroom.org

Please pass along to Portland writers

We need your help. Please answer the poll, shoot me an email, or just share a comment.

A writers' room: Mostly it's a quiet space with great energy for writers. I imagine an old Victorian house with shared office space somewhere close in on the East side, like Hawthorne or Belmont. It's a little funky, Zen-ed out with a garden, books crammed to the ceiling, and a living room with comfy chairs. Here established literary artists rent one of the cool offices, and many other members use the smaller areas and pay monthly dues for shared space.

Membership includes access to all office equipment like online computers and copy machines and printers, endless coffee, publications, a library, networking, discounts to events, support, and editorial assistance.

What would you pay?