Anne Holland was a business journalist working from home when she thought of creating a gathering place for writers of all sorts – journalists, novelists, poets, editors, narrators and others. Thus, the nonprofit What Cheer Writer’s Club was born.
She founded it last year and rented some long-vacant office space on Westminster Street in downtown Providence.
She wanted to have a place where local writers could work, network and collaborate. The club has about 50 members.
The name comes from an old Providence motto that, legend has it, started in Colonial times when the Narragansett Indians hailed settler Roger Williams with the phrase, “What cheer, netop?” Netop was their word for friend. The club is on the second floor at 160 Westminster St. It also has a website.
One way the club generates revenue is by renting out meeting space. Writer-level memberships cost $10 a month. General memberships are $5 a month.
The goal, Holland said, is for writers to have “a place to sit down and get your work done.”
Scott Blake is a PBN staff writer. Email him at Blake@PBN.com.