A Virtual Writing Community with IRL Vibes
The Reed, Write, & Create Sanctuary officially opened its doors in January 2023. The original concept for The Sanctuary was to create a community for BIPoC women writers who wanted to get their work published and into the world. Knowing that women writers are more productive, more successful, and more confident when they write in community, the mission was clear from the start, especially because I was creating this community for the people who are most overlooked and undervalued in the mainstream publishing industry, BIPoC women writers.
Because I live in Spain, our community operations manager lives in Portugal, and the majority of our members live all across the United States, making The Sanctuary a virtual community seemed like the only plausible option for a framework. And so far it’s working. We are now a community of over 100 members, who live in North America, Europe, The UK, Africa, and Asia. But I’m not going to lie, for all of the benefits of having a virtual community, nothing beats meeting up in real life.
Virtual Vibes are Good, But …
Inside the Sanctuary, we have events scheduled almost every day. From daily co-writing sessions, to monthly feedback circles, to writing workshops and quarterly planning meetings, it’s almost impossible to go a day without connecting with a fellow sister scribe in our virtual sanctuary. And that’s how relationships are built and maintained. Members show up for each other at 6am co-writing sessions, checking in when a regular doesn’t show up. Members show up for each other to provide feedback in monthly feedback circles to help get work ready for submission. And members get to know each other through our virtual community bulletin board where people can share their good news, struggles, and questions, and expect to get thoughtful and earnest responses. For a virtual community, the vibes in The Sanctuary operate at an exceptionally high frequency. And yet, the Sister Scribes in The Sanctuary still want more.
Real Life Vibes are Better
Writing in community is good for BIPOC women writers.
Even though we are a virtual community, there are pockets in the United States where we have a significant amount of members. So, whenever possible, we have spontaneous Sanctuary Meet-ups. In addition, if any Sanctuary member is visiting a city where other Sister Scribes live, meet-ups frequently happen. And then there is always cause for a get together when literary events happen - think author readings and book festivals. Most recently, a few Sister Scribes met up at a Tayari Jones Kin reading, while myself and two other Sister Scribes had a glorious gathering at the 2025 Black British Book Festival in London.
There is something so heartwarming and affirming when you can throw your arms around your literary sisters in real life, after months of meeting in a virtual room. And the joy is intensified when you realize that despite the distance, the bonds are real and the connections are strong. That’s why we decided to host a Global Meet Up Day in April, 2026, so we could harness even more of these special IRL vibes.
The Sanctuary Global Meet-Up Day
Because we are a global community, we decided to be ambitious and host a Meet-Up Day in four different cities on the same day. We will be meeting in Atlanta, Philadelphia, Seattle, and Malaga, Spain on Saturday, April 25 to coincide with World Book Day Festivities and Independent Book Store Day. Next year we hope to meet in even more locations so even more people can participate.
The thing is, writers don’t have to meet up in person to write. As Virginia Wolf so famously said, all a woman needs to write is money and a room of her own. But we can see in real time how inspiring and motivating it is to be able to sit and talk about your writing life in a room full of writers who know you, know your work, and want to see you win. Having a strong community can make all the difference for a woman’s writing life, so we’re here to make it happen.
By the way, the doors to The Sanctuary will be open to new applicants from April 23 - 27th, 2026. If you’d like to apply or learn more about our community, get on the Tell Me More waitlist.