On a breezy Saturday afternoon, a group of 30 writers, ranging in age from 10 to 68, gather at Aaromale in Film Nagar for the biweekly meet-up of Write Club Hyderabad, the largest community for and by writers in the city. Between 2pm and 5pm, the writers go through a short warm-up exercise and a longer writing sessionon a pre-decided theme and finally read their work aloud before closing the session with a collective peer review.

Thirty-three-year-old Sravanthi Talluri founded the club on a similar Saturday afternoon in 2015 at Lamakaan in Banjara Hills. What started that day as a gathering of 9-10 people has now become a haven for writers across the city. “We aimed to facilitate a writer’s journey by creating a supportive and symbiotic community. In nine years, the writers who first joined us at their nascent stages are now published authors,” she says.

So far the club has had nearly 600 meet-ups and published four anthologies — Of Blood and Ink, Encounters, 3 PM Tales, and The Lamp-Lit Parchments — which include stories written by the participants over the years. They have also hosted writing workshops for children and participated in the Hyderabad Literary Festival’s 2022 edition.

Later, Aditya Undru, Shiv Bansal, and P Sai Tej Kumar joined the club as organisers.Sravanthi says that their outreach relies on word-of-mouth or social media announcements. “Now more people know about the club due to our club’s presence on Instagram. Hyderabad is a city of culture with an abundance of writers always looking for stimulating activities. Most of our participants help spread the word about the club. There is no registration fee or profits of any kind ; writers can simply walk in and join the community with no restrictions on age, language, or writing format,” she adds.

Professional writer Shiv Bansal who has been associated with the club since 2017 recalls, “When I started writing, I had no academic background or training and I was desperately searching for a community of writers. I honed my skills and got writing opportunities through this club. It helped me build my career and now, as one of the organisers, I wish to aid other aspiring writers kickstart their journeys.”

Collaborative community

Apart from providing a platform to hone one’s writing skills, the club also serves as a community for those who feel lonely in their craft. “Participants review each other’s work, with no singular feedback or judgment imposed, which distinguishes the club from a traditional class. It is a self-sustained community which allows for open dialogue, helping writers break out of their creative blocks or any other hurdles they struggle with,” says Sravanthi, emphasises the club’s collaborative role.

Twenty-three-year-old software engineer Bhargavi, who has been a regular at the club for over a year, emphasises that the club brings together writers of different genres, including students, screenwriters, journalists, copywriters, or anyone employed in a different industry but passionate about writing. “Writing amid 30 other writers who not only come from diverse backgrounds but also approach the craft very differently helps you transcend your peripheral vision about your own work and the art of the writing itself,” she says.