Cycle of Support
Pen Parentis believes every writer should have an equal opportunity to succeed in their creative career.
To that end, our most successful program is the Pen Parentis Cycle of Support which is made up of three efforts:
Mentorship
Currently in beta testing mode, any Pen Parentis member can sign up to be a mentor or a mentee on our secret FB group and be connected. Just log on FB, join the group “Pen Parentis Behind Closed Doors", and find the tab marked “mentorship”.
No cost to apply. — https://www.facebook.com/groups/penparentis/
Membership
See our main website for information about joining Pen Parentis as a sustaining Title member, or just sign up as a Basic member at no cost.
https://www.penparentis.org/where-you-come-inbecome-a-member
PERKS OF MEMBERSHIP
For Basic Members
Active Facebook Group (800+ writers!)
Active LinkedIn Group (500+ writers/journalists)
Lots of free resources to help you stay on creative track
Access to list of free virtual write-ins & parent-friendly writing retreats
Subscription to our monthly Newsletter
For Title Members (monthly or annual donation)
All of the above plus:
Promotion on our website
Promotion of your writing-related side-gigs
Free tickets to Pen Parentis Salons
Free entries to the Writing Fellowship for New Parents
Free participation at Accountability Meetups
Access to National Writer-Parent Meetups at AWP conferences
For professionals who are also Title Members
Opportunity to join leadership committees for programs
Opportunity to read at Pen Parentis Salons
Opportunity to host accountability meetups in your area
Invitations to Participate on Pen Parentis Panels
Professional Referrals upon request
Meetups
Our accountability meetups are the heart of the Pen Parentis practice.
Once per week, small groups of writers who are also parents join together online in zooms led by other writers who are also parents. Following a proven method, each writer is given a chance to set goals, creating an accountability circle that both supports and encourages, building small local communities that befriend each other and frequently spin off into workshop groups, editing partnerships, private write-ins and other helpful means of furthering a writers’ career. We currently have four weekly meetups going at capacity. If you are interested in joining a meetup, we would love to hear from you. Please fill out this form so that we can be in touch as soon as we establish new weekly meetups:
NOW:
We are actively seeking to train new Meetup Leaders. You should be a writer with kids who is familiar with the Pen Parentis Mission and believes in the cause. Meetup Leaders are responsible for ensuring that everyone in the group has a voice. The only other thing you need is a one hour of training (run by M. M. De Voe, free to you) and the commitment to run a group for a trial run of three months of weekly one-hour sessions.
All Meetup Leaders are automatically bumped up to the next level of Title Membership (so if you are a Basic member, you become a Laundry Marker Level—if you are already a Laptop Level, you become a Sharpened Pencil, and so forth) this level remains for the duration of your leadership. There is also a small (think coffee not college fees) incentive paid at the end of every month.
Please fill out this form if you are interested in hearing more about becoming a meetup leader.