Wednesday Clubs everywhere

Is there a Wednesday Club in your future?

When my novel Wednesday Club was in an early draft I sent it to a small group of readers: fellow writers and friends who I trusted to be honest and insightful. And to a couple of family members who I knew would be kind and encouraging no matter what.

One reader friend surprised me one day by telling me that she had been inspired to start her own Wednesday Club.

Relatively new to a town in Utah, Cathie saw a Wednesday Club as a great way to make some new friends. And though she kept the meetings on Wednesdays, she layered her own unique qualities to her gatherings. A modern day Wednesday Club, it was nothing at all like my grandmother’s club, except in the way she brought together women to connect and create special bonds.

Cathie’s Wednesday Club

Cathie deliberately brought together women from different generations, so her group included a woman in her teens, 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s, 60s, and 70s. What a cool idea! And in some ways similar to the characters in my novel, who range in age from 16 to 55.

Cathie kept the group small enough to gather around her dining room table. And she opted to always have an “open seat” so that if someone had a friend or family member visiting, they would be a welcome guest with a place at the table.

Because Cathie was eager to entertain in a new town, she chose to provide all the food herself. But she kept it casual. One month she did a lasagna and another month she ordered in take-out food — and it took her awhile to convince the women to just bring themselves. The main idea was simply to get together, share a meal, and see where the conversation took them. There was no structure and no specific agenda. Just an opportunity for women to regularly gather.

Birth of a movement?

I was delighted and honored that Cathie had been inspired by my novel to start her own Wednesday Club, and it got me thinking: don’t we all need those regular in-person connections? There’s a line in my book where the character Ella says to Ivy, “Every woman can use a Wednesday Club in her life.”

This notion expanded my thinking about the novel and I started to imagine how I could help women around the country to connect with one another. I knew how invaluable my grandmother’s club was to her and the other members of her Wednesday Club in providing friendship and support.

In short, Cathie’s idea sparked a larger idea that I could get behind to encourage and hopefully launch a movement. A Wednesday Club movement.

I’ve thought a lot about how you can start a Wednesday Club and I’ve put together 10 tips for making your club unique and successful. Just join the mailing list and I’ll send them to you.

And because women are amazing and endlessly clever, I know you’ll have your own great ideas. I hope you’ll share your stories with me and others on my Facebook page: Wednesday Club. See you there!