Beyond the Type-In
Pop-Up and Type-Away!
Type-In events have been a core part of the “typosphere” for more than a decade. They bring many of us typewriter aficionados together in one room—sharing with young and old, inexperienced and veterans alike—the wonderful world of these mechanical marvels, helping to keep them alive in the 21st century.
Until recently, Type-Ins have been the primary avenue for the ABQwerty Type Writer Society to spread the message of analog-writerly goodness into the local community. Through them, a number of people have become more active within our Society, organizing and running events, all while keeping the behind-the-scenes gears well-oiled and turning. One of those members is Matthew Bouchard.
Matthew first discovered the ABQwerty Type Writer Society through Type-In events. Less of a mechanical tinkerer and more of a writer, he jumped at the chance to become our official Event Manger, rolling out some outreach events, namely the Typewriter Pop-Up and Type-Away—activities that would have been difficult to navigate at a conventional Type-In.
Maybe you’ve enjoyed organizing or attending Type-Ins in your community but want something more. We’ve got some ideas of what to do next—beyond the Type-In.
Matthew first implemented the Typewriter Pop-Up, a casual gathering, usually hosted at a local coffee shop. These events allow for more informal socializing (and actual typewriting!) outside the busy nature of a Type-In. Pop-Ups are held once a month, allowing our members to meet more frequently and form genuine, tight-knit connections.
At Pop-Ups, members bring a typewriter and sometimes a writing project, but the main purpose is to spend time with like-minded typewriter aficionados. These events are also a great opportunity to show off a newly-acquired typewriter or discuss a nagging mechanical problem.
For a Pop-Up, the venue is key. While typing is music to our ears, not everyone agrees, so we opt for a location that is already lively and has spacious seating for everyone to be able to sit together. (Tip: If you are unsure if the noise may be an issue for other patrons, check with the establishment’s management beforehand.) Other considerations for a place to gather is choosing a locale with a varied beverage selection or even a full menu.
And it’s always fun when non-members at our venue of choice for any given gathering show interest in the machines, presenting the perfect opportunity for further outreach in our community. These more-relaxed events, where we eat, drink, and chat—with a bit of writing thrown in—encapsulate what we mean by “Society” in our group’s name.
Matthew also introduced the Type-Away—quiet, dedicated time and space to work on writing projects without distraction. These once-a-month gatherings take place in a library meeting room, as opposed to a coffee shop, to provide an atmosphere for focused writing.
Type-Aways typically commence with 15-minutes of set up and conversation before the writing begins. This is followed by a full hour of silent, concentrated writing—only the sound of typewriters putting ink to paper. We wrap up with a final 15 minutes to reflect on or share (completely optional) our writing before going our separate ways.
Inspiration for Type-Aways came after Matthew attended “Shut Up and Write” events geared toward helping writers reach their goals without the distractions of a typical writers workshop. While he benefited from those events, he knew a typewriter would be a distraction for the general writer, hence the desire to create a typewriter-centric writing event. Once we held our first Type-Away at the Tony Hillerman Public Library, we knew Matthew was onto something important with these writing-focused events.
Type-Aways capture the vision of the ABQwerty Type Writer Society, expanding beyond the mere nuts-and-bolts hardware-oriented nature of typical Type-Ins. Type-Aways embrace the creative writing community’s needs and couple it with the uniqueness of the typewriter experience.
We look forward to even more Typewriter Pop-Ups and Type-Aways and are always open to new opportunities, such as typewriter-poetry busking (which Society member Woz Flint has done around town), group letter-writing projects, and repair & tinkering sessions—to just name a few.
If you are currently involved in or hosting typewriter events in your local community, consider including both members-only social meet-ups and also dedicated creative writing events to grow your outreach into your local creative community. You may be surprised with the results!
Until next time,
-The ABQwerty Type Writer Society