ABOUT

THE 24-HOUR ROOM | A virtual writers space where Members write in silence and read to each other for inspiration.

YOUR HOST | ELIZABETH GAFFNEY | Author of Metropolis, When the World Was Young and many stories; translator of four books from German; and NYU, A Public Space and Queens University of NC faculty member; Elizabeth Gaffney is a former Managing Editor of The Paris Review and the current Editor-at-Large of A Public Space.

ORIGIN STORY | The 24-Hour Room began in the isolation of lockdown as a balm for writers bereft of their coffee shops, writers rooms and artists colonies. We’ve stuck around to connect and inspire writers whether they’re in their pajamas or on lunch break, before work or late at night. We’re open for inspiration anytime, anywhere, all across the globe.

One impetus for gathering online came from writers who had been part of The Novel Workshop at A Public Space. With a season of critiques and craft discussions behind them, and at the exact time were were all going into isolation, they yearned for an ongoing community with the common belief in the importance of literature in general and their own literary visions in particular. So did I.

Among the things I missed most about the literary life in the time of isolation — and still miss: book parties, writer's groups, readings, seminars, lectures, writers' rooms, and meeting friends to see plays in parks. A particular absence for me as a writer has been the indirect public gaze that has always fired my writing, whether I was working in a women-only writer's space in downtown Brooklyn, or at Yaddo, MacDowell or the Blue Mountain Center, the Main Reading Room of the New York Public Library or the all-night study area at college. The 24-Hour Room is named for the space in Vassar's Thompson Memorial Library where I first experienced that synergy.

Maybe one night you won't be able to sleep because you have a compelling dream, a worry or a totally new idea for the structure of your book. It's late, and your partner (or pet) will groan when the blue light from your laptop spills across the pillows. Instead of doom scrolling, you'll remember that The 24-Hour Room is always open and click on the Lounge. With any luck, someone else will be there, too, and you can write and drink herbal tea together, apart. If no one's there, you might decide to try out a craft prompt that seemed tedious or facile by the light of day — and it might be the one that makes all the difference. Or you'll take the plunge and decide to read at an Open Mic night in the Lounge a few nights from now. Or post an invitation in the Forum, inviting the Members to hear you read a new chapter.

Just as our bodies need a constant air supply, a work-in-progress requires continuous attention to flourish and come to fruition. The 24-Hour Room is here to rally that attention — both from you and from The 24-Hour Room community.

An incubator for stories and a safe harbor for storytellers, The 24-Hour Room offers fellowship, structure, solutions, motivation and intellectual sustenance.

The 24 Hour Room. A literary community. Your new place for good writing.

Join us.

Elizabeth Gaffney

Founder