Our reading/writing group meets more or less every fourth Wednesday of the month. The next one is coming up on the 16th of October. We are a growing bunch of yes-we-are, would-be, have been and would-have-been writers of various ages and "ethnic backgrounds". We call it a readers' group because some (many) of us shy away from criticism and just want to enjoy each others' tales and because some of us haven't necessarily written anything new in a long time and don't feel like having the old stuff rehashed yet again. For some reason I am reminded of children's hour at the library where kids sit in a circle on little chairs around the friendly adult who reads a page and then holds the book up and shows the pictures. We each get a turn to be librarian, clearing our throats, looking around the circle of faces before we begin. We read bits of our memories, stories, poems, even a letter. We know each other outside of our little reading group. We can puzzle or say aha about the sides of each other we didn't know, the feelings revealed, the delicacy hidden behind a gruff voice.
We meet at Caftan Rojo which has within its walls and its courtyard an art school and various changing art exhibits as well as an English language book exchange and a Spanish book collection which you can borrow from. On the Jewish holidays, it has celebrations which the small Jewish community of Xalapa and Coatepec attends. We attended the memorial of a friend there a year or so ago. Sometimes someone from the area gives a presentation as was the case when a former professor from the US gave a talk on peak oil which he hoped would alarm us more than it did.
If you are in Coatepec, wander in, have a seat if you want to rest your feet. Look around. You can find current information at www.caftanrojo.org. Here are the phone number, address, etc:
Para más información puedes llamar al teléfono 01 o 52 (228) 816-3151 de lunes a sábado, de 9 de la mañana a 3 de la tarde, o visítarnos en la 3ª calle de Xicoténcatl nº 44, en Coatepec, Veracruz, México.