Announcing the 2025 Winter Potluck and Blind Book Exchange!

 

Image: A white tile background with assorted illustrations around the edge. Starting in the upper left corner: A brown gift tag with a white snowflake on it; A green curly-cue; A light beige card with a tree on it that looks like it's taped in the upper right corner; The left half of a scribble star; 3/4 of a mug of cocoa with marshmallows on top; a smaller scribbled star; The PCSockmonkey Writers logo with Polly Esther and Pierson; A larger scribbled star; Words in green "Sat Dec 6th 1 - 3 PM"; A smaller scribbled star; A present wrapped in green starry paper with a white ribbon and a brown gift tag; A smaller scribbled star. Brown capital letters in the center, from top to bottom, read: "Winter Potluck & Blind Book Exchange"

Hello Sockmonkeys!

We've reached the end of November already, so, whether you've been working on a November Novel or any other writing or editing projects (or even if you haven't), I hope you'll join us for our Winter Potluck and Blind Book Exchange.

What: Winter Potluck and Blind Book Exchange

When: Saturday, December 6th, 1 - 3 p.m.

Where: Parkland/Spanaway Pierce County Library

You are welcome to attend even if you're not able to bring food to share, so please join us. If you plan to attend, please RSVP using this Google form. If you plan to bring something to share (even if you're not sure exactly what), please sign up on this Google form - it just lists general categories of food.

Not sure what a Blind Book Exchange is? You may have seen them in libraries or bookstores as "Blind Date with a Book": The book is wrapped and there is a note or tag on the outside with a sentence or less as a hint to what the book is about. This post from just prior to our event last year has links to some of our other social media posts if you're still not sure how this works and would like some ideas. In our case it can be a new or gently used book, and you're not checking it out or buying it, but you do get to keep it when the event is over.

Also, if you have it and would like to, please wear your funny or festive holiday attire!

Masks are welcome, but not required. For the health of all, please do not attend if you or anyone in your immediate household is ill or has been recently exposed to a cold or other contagious illness.

If you have any questions, feel free to reach out using the contact form on the blog or via email to the PCSockmonkeywriters (at) gmail.com email.

I hope to see you then!

2025 Midway Pie Day and Mug Exchange Potluck is Coming Soon!

 

Image: A beige background with a two touching branches with fall leaves on them across the top, three falling leaves along the outside edge and a fall themed holiday tableau along the bottom with green and yellow leaves in the back and an orange pumpkin in the middle with mushrooms, apples and black hats with buckles on them on either side. The PCSockmonkey Writers logo with Polly Esther and Pierson is in the right hand corner on top of the hat on that side. Different fonts in brown or orange in the center read: Midway Pie Day Potluck and mug exchange. Sat. Nov 15, 2025 1 - 3 p.m. See the post on our blog to sign up and for more details: writinginpierce.blogspot.com. Hope to see you there!

Hello Sockmonkeys!

Very sorry we ended up having to cancel the 4th quarter potluck. We ended up not only without power, but also with such limited cell service I could barely get texts out to ask for help posting to let everyone know we couldn't get together. Thank you so much to Jen (@Jexx) for posting here on the blog and in as many places as possible to let people know about the change.

Here's hoping the weather cooperates more for the Midway Pie Day and Mug Exchange! 

New to the region and/or group and not sure what that means? Well, it's a fun event that was started to help celebrate reaching the middle of November novel writing and, even though the event that prompted it is no longer going on, it's a fun tradition we're trying to continue. If you'd like to see a bit more about it, feel free to click here to see other posts with photos and descriptions from past events.

You are not required to bring a mug, there are usually a few extra, but it is fun if you can. You are also not required to bring food. This is just meant to be a fun event for our community.

Date: Saturday, November 15th, 2025

Time: 1 - 3 p.m.

Place: University Place Pierce County Library Meeting Room

To give us an idea of how many to expect at the event, please at least RSVP on this Google form if you plan to attend.

To sign up to bring a dish, pie, snack or drink to share, please sign up on this Google form.

For those who are ill or otherwise unable to attend, if you'd like to attend virtually, the event will be video streamed into a dedicated channel in our Regional Discord server. Masks are welcome and encouraged but not required.

Numbers for the mug exchange are drawn about halfway through the event, so even if you arrive a little after the start of the event you'll still be able to participate.

I hope you'll be able to join us for some or all of the event.

P.S. I did also mention this in the last event post, but I'll post another reminder before the official post is up: Our Winter Potluck and Blind Book Exchange is also already on the calendar. It is set for Saturday, December 6th from 1 - 3 p.m. Location and signups can be found on our Google calendar on that date if you'd like to sign up in advance of the blog post going up.

Sockmonkey 4th Quarter Potluck and Mini Preptober Invite 2025

Image: Dark blue sky background with a few yellow stars in the middle and lighter blue clouds at the bottom. PC Sockmonkey Writer 4th Quarter Potluck! is at the top. Text at the bottom in black reads: Sign up form links and more info can be found on our blog. Image in the center looks like a torn out sheet of lined paper with the PCSockmonkey Writers logo in the bottom center and the words "Whether you're writing, editing, plotting or letting a story sit for a bit, please join us so we can connect." above it in black. Upper left corner of the paper a yellow box with the words We're trying something new and this is our fourth in 2025! Right corner of the paper has a red paper clip. Lower left corner has an open book and lower right corner has a two tone ballpoint pen.

Hello again, Sockmonkeys!

I know the last one was only a month ago, but, due to the other special events we like to hold as a group at the end of each year, October is the only month for this. It also works as a mini Preptober, for any who plan to start a new novel or project this November. There was only one library room available for the time frames we usually aim for, so I signed up and it is reserved for the event. I hope you'll stop in and say hello if your schedule allows.

Whether you're able to bring food or a drink to share or not, please RSVP on this Google form to let us know you plan to attend and use this potluck form to let us know the general food item(s) you're thinking of bringing if you're able to do so. (If you have any problems accessing or responding to the forms, please e-mail or message me and let me know and I'll try to get that fixed ASAP.)

 

You're welcome to join us whether you're able to attend the entire time or not, so I hope you'll join us!

 

Event Details:

 

What: 4th Quarter Sockmonkey Writer Potluck and Mini Preptober Get Together

Where: Sumner Pierce County Library Meeting Room

When: Sunday, October 26th, 2025

Time: 2 p.m. - 4 p.m. 

If you have any questions, feel free to put them in the RSVP form or send an email to PCSockmonkeywriters(at)gmail.com and I'll try to get back to you as soon as possible.

 

3rd Quarter Potluck Update plus Future Event Announcements

Image: An off-white background with assorted fall leaves and plant matter scattered on it. A blurred leaf shape is in the middled with the words "Sockmonkey Writers 3rd Quarter Potluck Update" on it in white. There is a yellow rectangle in the upper right corner that reads "Plus upcoming event dates!" in black. The PCSockmonkey Writers Est 2009 logo with Polly Esther and Pierson is in the lower left-hand corner.

Hello Sockmonkeys!

It's hard to believe it's October already. How is it October?

In any case, there are more event posts and other things in the works, but first, time to do a quick update on our most recent potluck event.

Image: A white wall, with a white board on it that has Sockmonkey Quarterly Potluck Autumn 2025 written on it, behind a table of food that is close to the right corner of the room. Closer to the camera on the left side of the photo is one of the Sockmonkey writers who was in attendance wearing a purple shirt and holding Polly Esther and Pierson in her arms.

We had a small group at this gathering, probably due to both other events elsewhere in the region as well as the late notice to the group, but we had plenty of good food and drinks. The librarians at the Graham library were very helpful and we even had a surprise visit from a library patron who chatted with us from the doorway when he heard part of our conversation. Everyone seemed to have a good time and it felt like the two hours was over far too quickly.

Image: Polly Esther on the left and Pierson on the right with a Sockmonkey bucket full of mini Sockmonkeys in disarray in it between the two of them sitting on a wooden stand with the words "Thank You" in white visible beneath them.

Our mascots enjoyed themselves during their jaunt to the library, as can be seen in the above photos. While they haven't been able to see quite as many Sockmonkey writers as they would have liked, they understand that these quarterly potlucks are a new thing to the group and it may take time for Sockmonkey writers to add them to their calendars and join us.

That said, while the full details for each event will be coming out in separate posts, in order to give everyone a bit more notice about what's happening now that I could finally reserve a room for the final event, here are the dates and times for the last three events of 2025:

• Sockmonkey 4th Quarter and Preptober Potluck - Sunday, Oct 26th, 2025 2 - 4 p.m.
• Midway Pie Day Potluck and Mug Exchange - Saturday, Nov 15th, 2025 1 - 3 p.m.
• Winter Potluck and Blind Book Exchange - Saturday, Dec 6th, 2025 1 - 3 p.m.

I hope you'll mark your calendars and plan to attend at least one, if not more, of our ending events for this year.

Looking forward to see you soon!

Sockmonkey Hosted In Person Writing Group Looking for Input and More Local Writers

 

Image: An orange/beige background with a circle frame in the center that has a small spray of different colored leaves on the upper left and lower right portions of the circle. The PCSockmonkey Writers Est 2009 logo with Polly Esther and Pierson is in the lower left corner. Brown all caps text in the center of the circle reads: Sockmonkey Hosted Writing Group In The Proctor Area Looking For Input.

Hello there, Sockmonkeys!

I hope you're all doing well. This post will be a quick one, but if you live in or near the Proctor area of Tacoma and you'd like to get together with some other local writers at a cafe, please read on.

One of our members posted the following announcement in our Sockmonkey Discord looking for suggestions:

Image: Screenshot of white text on a black background that reads: Hey folks! My writing group is gearing up for some extra writing meetups in November. We have our usual 'shut up and write' style meetings every Thursday at 5pm at Knapp's Restaurant in Tacoma (in the Proctor neighborhood), but we want to host a few extras, maybe on weekend mornings. Anyone have a suggestion for a day or time when you'd like to attend an in-person meetup?

So far, I have seen no replies to this question, so I reached out to the author and asked if I could share it with the rest of the group at large. The reply was yes; thus, this post.

To make it simpler for interested parties to reply, and easier to collate responses over a variety of potential social sites where people could leave comments, I have created a one-question Google form you can look at and select options on, if you think you'd be attending something in that area this November. Based on her post, and past experience hosting November events, I limited the choices to Saturday and Sunday mornings. You are free to click on as many as might work with your schedule. I will close the form the last week of the month (or sooner, if asked to) so that the organizer can use the information to plan events and I can get them on the calendar. If you don't live in or near Proctor or are not interested in attending in-person meetups in that area, please disregard this post and ignore the form.

I am not collecting emails, so I will not be contacting you directly with updates. Keep an eye on the blog and the Google Calendar for more details.

Here is the link to that form if you're hoping to attend and want to let the organizer know which days/times might work best for you: Proctor Writing Meetup Google Form .

If you have specific questions not answered by this post, please contact the organizer via our Sockmonkey Discord.

September 2025 Quarterly Potluck and Write-In Announcement

 

Image: Dark blue sky background with a few yellow stars in the middle and lighter blue clouds at the bottom. PC Sockmonkey Writer Third Quarter Potluck! is at the top. Text at the bottom in black reads: Sign up form links and more info can be found on our blog. Image in the center looks like a torn out sheet of lined paper with the PCSockmonkey Writers logo in the bottom center and the words "Whether you're writing, editing, plotting or letting a story sit for a bit, please join us so we can connect." above it in black. Upper left corner of the paper a yellow box with the words We're trying something new and this is our third in 2025! Right corner of the paper has a red paper clip. Lower left corner has an open book and lower right corner has a two tone ballpoint pen.

Hello again, Sockmonkeys!

It's been a few months since the last one, and we're almost at the end of the quarter, but that's okay. The library room is reserved and I hope you'll stop in and say hello if your schedule allows.

Whether you're able to bring food or a drink to share, please RSVP on this Google form to let us know you plan to attend and use this potluck form to let us know the general food item(s) you're thinking of bringing if you're able to do so. (If you have any problems accessing or responding to the forms, please e-mail or message me and let me know and I'll try to get that fixed ASAP.)

 

You're welcome to join us whether you're able to attend the entire time or not, so I hope you'll join us!

 

Event Details:

 

What: 3rd Quarter Sockmonkey Writer Potluck and Get Together

Where: Graham Pierce County Library Meeting Room

When: Saturday, September 27th, 2025

Time: 1 p.m. - 3 p.m. 

If you have any questions, feel free to put them in the RSVP form or send an email to PCSockmonkeywriters(at)gmail.com and I'll try to get back to you as soon as possible.

September Write Time Writing and Co-Working Session

Image: Beige background with a fall leaf graphic along the top and the bottom. September 2025 is typed above the Write time swimming Dinoshark confetti image. Below that reads Write Time at Electric Coffee Cafe over a red box with 9/21 3 - 6 p.m. in it in white text. Below that in smaller letters are the words See WritingInPierce.Blogspot.com for more info.

Hi Sockmonkeys!

Just a quick note to update everyone that the monthly write in that's hosted by one of our Sockmonkey Writers on behalf of A Good Book Bookstore at the Electric Coffee Cafe in Sumner is tomorrow, Sunday, September 21st from 3 - 6 p.m. Feel free to stop in at any point during those three hours to write, plot or work on another creative project while you chat with other Sockmonkeys in a cozy coffee shop setting.

I know this is short notice, although the event has been on our Google calendar for some time, and I know this post is short as well. But, it's much easier to post the info here on the blog where it isn't behind a login (which some Sockmonkeys may not use) and then link it to our various social sites.

Happy writing, editing or creating!

 

Cancelled This Week: Saturday Zoom Write-In

 

Image: Deciduous trees with brown and orange leaves on them and on the ground around them in the background. An outlined cream square with Sockmonkey at the top and other words blocked by a brown cloud with the words "Cancelled This Week" in it over an underline with the smaller text "No sprints, mostly quiet" under it. The PCSockmonkeyWriters Est 2009 Polly Esther and Pierson logo is in the lower right corner.

Hello Sockmonkeys!

I hope you're all doing well. Just a quick note to let you know I was recently informed that the host of the weekly Saturday Zoom writing session will not be able to host it this Saturday, September 6, 2025.

They are planning to resume hosting the following Saturday.

If you'd ever like to join the session, the Zoom link is posted in both our Discord and our Facebook group or you can email me at the PCSockmonkey gmail and let me know you'd like it and I'd be happy to send it to you.

Hard to believe it's September and we're about to enter Fall, isn't it?

An announcement about our 3rd Quarter Potluck and Write-in will be posted very soon.

April 2025 Quarterly Potluck and Write In Announcement

Image: Dark blue sky background with a few yellow stars in the middle and lighter blue clouds at the bottom. PC Sockmonkey Writer Second Quarter Potluck! is at the top. Text at the bottom in black reads: Sign up form links and more info can be found on our blog. Image in the center looks like a torn out sheet of lined paper with the PCSockmonkey Writers logo in the bottom center and the words "Whether you're writing, editing, plotting or letting a story sit for a bit, please join us so we can connect." above it in black. Upper left corner of the paper a yellow box with the words We're trying something new and this is our second in 2025! Right corner of the paper has a red paper clip. Lower left corner has an open book and lower right corner has a two tone ballpoint pen.

Hello again, Sockmonkeys!

I know, this is a bit soon after the last one, but that's how timing worked out getting a room for the first one and I wanted to hold this one near the end of a traditional "camp" month when more tend to join in, so it's only a month later. The library room is reserved and I hope you'll stop in and say hello if your schedule allows.

Whether you're able to bring food or a drink to share, please RSVP on this Google form to let us know you plan to attend and use this potluck form to let us know the general food item(s) you're thinking of bringing if you're able to do so. (If you have any problems accessing or responding to the forms, please e-mail or message me and let me know and I'll try to get that fixed ASAP.)

 

You're welcome to join us whether you're able to attend the entire time or not, so I hope you'll join us!

 

Event Details:

 

What: 2nd Quarter Sockmonkey Writer Potluck and Get Together

Where: Parkland/Spanaway Pierce County Library Large Meeting Room

When: Sunday, April 27th, 2025

Time: 11 a.m. - 1 p.m. 

If you have any questions, feel free to put them in the RSVP form or send an email to PCSockmonkeywriters(at)gmail.com and I'll try to get back to you as soon as possible.

March 2025 Potluck and Write-in

Image: Photo in the center with (L to R) Polly Esther next to the Sockmonkey Bucket full of small Sockmonkeys and Pierson on the other side on top of a wooden shelf at the South Hill Pierce County Library. The frame around the photo is white with some faded balloon in two corners. March 2025 is above the photo and Sockmonkey Writer Potluck and Write-In is under the photo.

We had a small but enjoyable group at our 1st Quarterly Potluck and Write-In. And even with a small group, we had plenty of food to eat. Here are a few photos from the event:

Image: Photo of table with 4 bags of chips, some cups and two bottles of pop at the back. In front of that are plates and napkins, dips, a meat and cheese tray, a veggie tray and two pots of red beans. Assorted bags are on the floor next to the table.

Image: One Sockmonkey Writer busily working in notebooks and on her laptop at one table. An open laptop on another table.

Image: One Sockmonkey Writer turned crafter and their ride at another table.

I hope that more Sockmonkeys will join us at future Potluck and Write-in events.

Happy writing, editing or creating!

Our 1st Quarterly Potluck and Writer Get Together of 2025!

 

Image: Dark blue sky background with a few yellow stars in the middle and lighter blue clouds at the bottom. PC Sockmonkey Writer Quarterly Potluck! is at the top. Text at the bottom in black reads: Sign up form links and more info can be found on our blog. Image in the center looks like a torn out sheet of lined paper with the PCSockmonkey Writers logo in the bottom center and the words "Whether you're writing, editing, plotting or letting a story sit for a bit, please join us so we can connect." above it in black. Upper left corner of the paper a yellow box with the words We're trying something new and this is our first in 2025! Right corner of the paper has a red paper clip. Lower left corner has an open book and lower right corner has a two tone ballpoint pen.

 

 

 Hello Sockmonkeys!

 

Sorry, I know it's been a while since my last update, but here goes.

 

I mentioned at both of our potluck events last Fall that I was hoping to start quarterly get-togethers, like the ones in the fall, in the new year to give us more chances to visit in person. It's taken me a bit longer than I hoped to get this first one set up, but the library room is reserved and I hope you'll stop in and say hello if your schedule allows.

 

Whether you're able to bring food or a drink to share, please RSVP on this Google form to let us know you plan to attend and use this potluck form to let us know the general food item(s) you're thinking of bringing if you're able to do so.

 

You're welcome to join us whether you're able to attend the entire time or not, so I hope you'll join us!

 

Event Details:

 

What: 1st Quarter Sockmonkey Writer Potluck and Get Together

Where: South Hill Pierce County Library Large Meeting Room

When: Saturday, March 29th, 2025

Time: 2 - 4 p.m. 

If you have any questions, feel free to put them in the RSVP form or send an email to PCSockmonkeywriters(at)gmail.com and I'll try to get back to you as soon as possible.