Community Agreement

Here's what we aim for in the Bee Balm Arkansas community. This is our space, and we all create it together.

• Practice Mindful Listening: Try to avoid planning what you’ll say or do as you listen to and watch others. Be willing to be surprised, to learn something new. Listen with your whole self.

• Try It On: Be willing to “try on” new ideas, or ways of doing things that might not be what you prefer or are familiar with.

• Understand The Difference Between Intent and Impact: We aim to speak with kindness and respect, but sometimes conflict arises. Understand that other people may perceive your words differently than how you intend them, and think about the impact of your words.

• Giving Feedback: We treat critique as an extension of collaboration, which means we want to help each other improve because we're all here to grow together. As you critique, be respectful of each other's vulnerability. Don't share anyone’s work outside the workshop or reading without their permission.

• Move Up / Move Back: Notice the space you take up with your voice. We want everyone to have an opportunity to talk. Take note of who is speaking and who is not. If you tend to speak often, consider “moving back.” If you don’t often speak, consider “moving up” and sharing your work.

• Be Sensitive to Others' Experiences: Life can be full of difficult experiences, and writing is a place we often explore that. If you're going to share a difficult experience in your writing, please give a trigger warning to the group. Because of this, our events are for adults ages 21+. There are lots of great examples of how to write about difficult experiences–Julia is happy to point you toward some of those examples.

• Anti-discrimination Policy: Bee Balm Arkansas is an inclusive space for folx of all races, ethnicities, genders, sexualities, and abilities. We work together to make the space inclusive for all writers. We do not tolerate discrimination, and Julia will ask you to leave if you bring racist, transphobic, or other violent comments into our space. If you paid for a workshop, your money won't be returned.