29 Mar 2017

 In a bid to improve and refine the writing talent and culture in and around Mahalapye, seasoned author Lauri Kubuitsile has formed Mahalapye Writers Club.
In an interview recently, Kubuitsile said she came with the decision to form such a club after being a deputy chairperson of Writers Association of Botswana (WABO), complaining that everything had to take place in Gaborone due to lack of funds.
“Everything about WABO took place in Gaborone, which was costly for me living in Mahalapye and also meant many writers could not participate because of similar reasons,” she explained.
She said upon leaving WABO, she promised herself she would start something for writers in Mahalapye and she finally did.
Quizzed on the main purpose of the club, she said it was to improve the standard of writing among other writers and also help where she can since she is quite experienced.
She also said she wants writers in the Mahalapye area to get to know each other and talk about their writing and what they are reading.
“I also want them to share and critique each other’s work as this sort of interaction is very important in their growth as writers,” the author of The Fatal Pay-out said.
She said since the group is about writers, everyone who has interest in writing or has written something before are free to join.
She also said aspiring members should attend their meeting on the 8 April at 2pm at the Mahalapye Brigades to fill in membership forms.
As for the joining fee, Kubuitsile said it was free and only wants people who were serious and disciplined about their writing.
She also said upon joining one could bring or share their 500 word writing sample and since reading was a school to the writers, they could also bring the book they  were currently reading.
The award winning author also said they would be meeting once a month.
She said how the club would proceed was fluid as she sees it as a place to share writing and get help from other writers in the group.
She added that she also wants it to be a place where members could read and discuss.
“We will read good stories and pick them apart to see how they work so we can learn from them, it will be practical but also focused on the art of writing,” she said.
Kubuitsile said she hopes passionate writers would join the group and also hopes to see some vastute writing coming out of the group.ENDS