Substack Writer Meet-up – London
Another evening of connections and general loveliness.
I am buzzing.
Last night was the second Substack London Writers Meet-Up that I’ve attended and it was such a triumph!
Once again top marks to
and for picking such an ‘obvious’ venue, by which I mean, I found it first time, without having to pull-over on the pavement to consult with Google maps, or ask a courier for directions, as usual.
No less than FOUR huge banners on the side of the building indicating ‘Hay’s Galleria’, it could not have been more obvious had there been an ‘Oi Kate, this way!’ at the top! 👏
A warm welcome
I was feeling fairly confident this time, having met both the co-hosts last time, which really takes the edge off that ‘walking into a room full of strangers anxiety’.
This time I was a few minutes late and there were already about eight Substackers gathered by then, what a punctual bunch we are!
Michaella immediately bounded over and gave me a huge welcome, and I exchanged a ‘yes, of course I recognise you from last time’ smile/nod with
, establishing us as ‘the veterans’, who’s job it was to welcome the newbies so they have a lovely time.No sooner had I reached the bar, I was greeted by…
“Are you Kate Darracott?”
I must admit, I love this question for several reasons.
It’s the easiest question to answer, because obviously I very much am.
It immediately gives me intel on the person asking, as they must read my Substack, and so therefore they must have a good sense of humour. Tickety-tick.
It makes me feel a little bit famous. Tee hee.
This time the question was proffered by none other than
, who I’ll admit is a bit of a Superstar in my book. Not only had we bonded over some Anne Boden chat in the Comments on one of her posts, but her Substack The Wobbly Middle has produced the top number of Recommendation subscribers to my own Substack with a whopping 17… and she’s only posted three times so far! Unbelievable!I’m thinking our audiences must be so attuned with each other and therefore we must clearly be ‘separated at birth kindred spirits’, I could not wait to meet her properly!
She did not disappoint, ordering up a pint of Amstel to kick things off with before moving on to a Sauvignon Blanc spritzer (with soda, no ice) to match my own highly sophisticated drinks selection.
Patsy also eagerly joined in with the ‘pretending to be interested in the football’ ruse, so the bar manager had a great excuse to keep popping back into his office to check on the score, which he was clearly desperate to do.
We may have overdone it a tad, as he even offered us the option to come and watch the England penalty if we liked? Blimey! I’m not sure our faux enthusiasm could have lasted an entire corner, so we politely declined.
After which, he came charging back out of his office with one finger on each hand upright, which we took to mean England had equalised!
Huzzah! We exclaimed, pretending to give a shit.
Off on a tangent
This oddly reminded me of my old French teacher who used to make horns coming out of her head with her index fingers and then bring them out in front of her to form the number 11… horns = onze = eleven.
It clearly worked if I can still remember it… you should see her soixante-neuf.
Back to the event
This time there was around 30 people, it’s all very relaxed, no one cares if you’re late or have to leave early, we’re just glad you came, and no doubt so are you.
Lots of real connections being made all over the room, as everyone finds out about each others specialist subject.
The thing about a Substack meet-up which I cannot stress enough, is that no matter who you talk to, they are interesting!
Although we all have this amazing thing in common, in that we are all Editors in Chief of our own publications, the subject matter is massively varied.
Which is why this piece has taken an absolute age to write, as I’ve been totally distracted with checking out some of their Substacks:
The Curious Magpie – a cosy nest for curious creatives. – a culinary journey of Sri Lankan food. The Angle – personal musings from an overthinker. The Lellogram – friendship, ‘90s life, midlife, relationships. You Are In Love – a newsletter and podcast about everyone’s love life. – musings on life, love and the journey back to yourself. Writing a Better World – uplifting observations from an award-winner. Your Medical Data Scientist – holistic health and well-being. Book, Coffee, Cat – all about books, coffee and cats. The Navigation – navigating modern life as a millennial woman.And revisiting the ones I met last time too:
– it’s a cartoon jazz cow. First & Fifteenth – technology, Black studies, data justice and more. Mirror of the Self – understanding creation of more meaningful things. Bluejeans & Moonbeams – deep and meaningful about art and culture.
Do keep your eyes on our hosts’ Substacks for future events in London… and maybe Italy… hopefully it will only be a few months until the next one. 🤞
If you want to host your own event, here’s how.
A big thanks
I feel very grateful to have found this Substack community. Just at the point in my life when I thought my social circle would be getting smaller, it is in fact widening out in many directions.
I had no idea this would be one of the outcomes I would experience when I started my Substack eight months ago, but the (many!) IRL new connections I have gained through it are simply wonderful.
Long may they continue, and I shall keep my side of the bargain, and keep turning up.
See you all soon!
K8x
PS: Be sure to follow Writers IRL to hear about new events.
Please ‘❤️’ below if you enjoyed this post, it not only steadies my nerves, but also helps others find it.
A lovely summary here Kate - and thanks for the handy list of Substacks!
Same here - at my age I tend to lose friends and rarely make new ones so I completely agree with what you say about these events widening our social circles ☺️