Our 2nd Birthday

Post date: Mar 11, 2020 3:7:8 PM

A little belated all around, but the Hannibal Writers Guild turned two this year.

Our first meeting was January 9th, 2018. It was at the Mark Twain Brewing Company right under a thundering loud speaker playing classic rock music. There were around 8 people in attendance, including myself, a reporter from the Courier, a representative from an Iowa writers guild, and a college English professor. We talked about what we liked writing and what direction we hoped the guild would take.

Ironically, our first birthday party in January 2019 was cancelled due to weather conditions, and our January 2020 birthday party had the same exact problem! Something about the first couple weekends of January is just a little unkind to us, it seems.

We've had a lot of changes since we got started. We've bounced around locations, trying to find somewhere quiet but also free to have our meetings. We've had two elections for officers to fill the positions. We've participated in two Steampunk festivals and successfully generated donations to the guild.

With the turn of a new year, the guild celebrated its second birthday. We had our official birthday party on February 22, 2020 at the Riverside Restaurant. For a casual event, turn out was great, with 9 people. The food was great, the company even more so. I only regret that I forgot to take pictures of the event!

We've grown a lot in two years. With steady members, quality speakers, a full officer roster, and now a potential permanent meeting location at the Riverside Restaurant, I feel like we're in a great spot to launch into the future. And we couldn't have done it without you! It's the members of the Hannibal Writers Guild that make it what it is.

Where will we be in another year, I wonder?

-Dana Lockhart

Hannibal Writers Guild President