The Grotto is a cooperative writing space that we founded in 1994. It is for writers of any sort, but only for writers who are committed enough to their writing that they are willing to shell out rent money for space. There is no official organization, no taxpayer ID number--it's just like roommates renting an apartment. There is no way to join--nothing to join--and no wait list for spots. Maybe once or twice a year somebody vacates a spot and we hustle to find someone new.
In 1996 we were evicted by our landlord who doubled our rent, and found a new space South of Market, increasing from 6 to 9 writers. In early 2000 our landlord tripled our rent and pushed us out, yet again. We were really lucky to take over an old dog & cat hospital in the civic center, with space for now 21 writers and filmmakers.
We like it because it gets us out of the house. We like it because these days, editors don't have the luxury of holding our hands or bailing us out of our crises of confidence, so we support each other. We read each other's work, we pass along contacts, we cooperate on projects. We do not compete with each other.
active Grotto members include:
Laura Fraser, author of Losing It
Sally Lehrman, Stanford Knight Fellow
Lisa Margonelli, contributing editor to P.O.V., contributor to Jane, and creator of web sites about bugs.
David Munro, independent film director, screenwriter, and lead vocalist for the hillbilly thunder band Joe Buck
Todd Oppenheimer, contributor to The Atlantic Monthly and author of the forthcoming The Computer Delusion
Caroline Paul, author of Fighting Fire
Mary Roach, senior editor of Vogue and Discover
Ethan Watters, author of Therapy's Delusions and Making Monsters
Members in perpetuity include: