MEDIUM PUB CRAWL 2024
Medium Pub Crawl: A Novice Writer’s Take — Curiosity, Empathy, Connection, and Fulfillment
What did I expect and what actually transpired?
I am glad that I was part of the Medium Pub Crawl 2024. It gave me new places to write on Medium (which was expected) — I also made some new friends and had great informal conversations with both editors and writers.
What did I think of it when I signed up?
I have been part of many networking events and a gazillion leadership conferences. The majority of those had been good learning experiences — always adding value to my professional expertise and rapport.
I was super curious! Will it be more of the same? Will I walk away with a few writing tips from editors and convince a few of them to let me write in their pubs?
I checked the box on my first expectation of improving as a writer and connecting with editors — what happened next was beyond expectations! Little did I know that my curiosity had led me to a journey filled with empathy, connection, and fulfillment.
Let go of all ropes — we begin our voyage!
Early Trouble but we survived
We had a bit of a bumpy start, but isn’t life all about bumpy rides?
I am in a bit of a love-hate relationship with technology, and the start of the Pub Crawl reminded me why.
The curse of technology struck right after Tony Stubblebine’s talk. Adrienne gave us hope as the Medium team worked tirelessly in the background to get the speed networking breakout rooms going on Zoom. All this time Adrienne’s generous smile and reassuring tone convinced me that everything would be okay and we would start the event soon.
Breaking the Ice
I ventured into my first breakout room where we had two editors, Robert and Robin representing Aha! and Pearl Street.
I looked on as the two editors hesitantly began describing their pubs. Within a few seconds, I realized that it was not a sales pitch that I had expected. Robert graciously declared that more people would be interested in Robin’s pub — Robin was quick to brush away the claim.
Here we had two competing editors looking for increased readership and writers, yet both were willingly ceding the spotlight to one another.
Despite not being a great fit for either of the two publications, I was enjoying what I was hearing. With a desire to be involved, I asked a few questions on chat and Robert made them a part of his conversation. Had my question been unanswered, I might not have engaged at the event to the extent I did.
Uncharted Territory — To click or not?
Before the Pub Crawl, I had marked a few publications that I wanted to explore, but boy was I spoilt with choices at the expo. Quite a few pub titles intrigued me — I took Shakespeare’s Lane, better to have clicked and lost, than never to have clicked at all!
Some of the Pub titles and descriptions that inspired me to take a detour and explore them included: RE-Thinker, The Penny Pub, Age of Empathy, The Memoirist, and Engage.
I enjoyed hearing David W Litwin speak about his publication Re-Thinker. I liked his publication because he emphasized thinking differently, having different perspectives, and sharing them with people. Here’s what it means to be a Re-Thinker:
The Next stop was The Penny Pub — represented by Kim Kelly Stamp. Her publication is a place like Cheer’s (our favorite 80’s show).
We had an engaging conversation about writing. I was interested in the monthly prompts. I feel the prompts are an excellent tool for new writers, especially when we run out of ideas.
The publications’ inclusivity, especially for non-binary and neuro-divergent people struck a chord with me. I felt that The Penny Pub was THE SAFE PLACE! I plan on submitting a draft soon.
Henry India Holden💖made a quick appearance and spoke some inspiring words (which led me to Engage — Henry is one of the editors.)
Kim had a great conversation on how we approach writing, and how it might be different for everybody — for some writing might be a full-time gig while an instrument to be heard for others.
The Next stop was Engage. Rui Alves’s phrase “People are our niche” resonated with me deeply.
Borrowing Rui’s words “A writing chain is only as strong as its weakest link; thus, it helps when we support each other.”
He had to leave soon but still took the time out to hear all my questions and comments. He even read my work on Medium and ended up adding me as a writer for Engage on the spot. Man of action!
I met Henry again and also interacted with others including Margie Pearl, Andre Begin, Angie Mangino, and Dada Nabhaniilananda. The following points especially stood out during the interaction:
- Being a gracious learner, and willingness to adapt and improve are vital for new writers.
- The Engage Team will go to the moon and back to help your writing journey and will take precious time out for editing your submissions.
- If you are not a native English speaker, do not lose your distinct tone in writing. People want to hear that!
Familiar Waters — Connecting with Pubs that I was already a part of
Finally, I dropped by to say hello to the editors associated with publications that I write for on Medium.
I stopped by the DEP booth and said hello to Dr. Gabriella Korosi.
My last stop for the event was at My Fair Lighthouse represented by Willow Schroeder. This quick drop-by and hello session turned into an almost 40-minute plus engaging conversation with 10+ participants at the booth.
Willow was the editor who published my first-ever post on a Medium Pub. She explained her inspiration for starting My Fair Lighthouse on Medium a few months ago. She took suggestions for improvements or topics for future prompts.
This booth had a larger than expected number of participants (since it’s a relatively smaller and newer publication) and I found it to be very engaging. I felt it embodied the community spirit that Medium promotes.
The conversation was immersive— all of us talked about our writing journeys, and what thoughts come to our minds when we think about nautical stuff and lighthouses.
We also discussed how some writers use their real names on Medium while others prefer a pen name. I think often it takes time for someone to build trust and eventually share their identity with fellow community members.
Thank you Sally Prag and KiKi Walter for your inspiring conversation at Age of Empathy and The Memoirist.
Wishes that did not come true
Some of the pubs that I write for and was looking to meet face-to-face were Globetrotters, Travel Memoirs, Midform, and Illumination.
It would have been awesome to put a face and a personality to Anne Bonfert, JoAnn Ryan, Michele Maize, Adrienne Beaumont, Darren Weir, Dawn Smiles, Linda Locke, and Dr Mehmet Yildiz.
Maybe another time!
Conclusion
The Medium Pub Crawl in my opinion was a journey that began with a bit of curiosity. The shared empathy I felt with everyone around me enabled us to make deeper human connections — eventually leading to a feeling of satisfaction and fulfillment.
Thank You Medium!
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