How to build graphomaniac communities in city spaces.

The Newbookclub, its writers, and the emergence of a collective narrative.

Abstract

This article presents the findings of a longitudinal research study involving over 250 individuals with more than ten years of workshop experience. The Palermo initiative of the Newbookclub, which began as an individual passion, developed a pedagogical design for the construction and development of a growing graphomaniac community. The article aims to provide a clear and concise account of the study's results. To avoid it being an isolated and unpublished case, this contribution serves as a testimony to the process and a set of guidelines for starting new and effective intergenerational writing groups. These groups should meet under the distinctive sign of community writing, a methodology that involves people and stories to increase the sense of belonging, participation, and active citizenship. To outline the unique aspects of building the Newbookclub, a qualitative approach was utilized. This allowed for a cognitive, interpretive, and emotional description through structured interviews with a convenient sample. The interviews aimed to reveal what it means to participate in such an initiative. Additionally, this text will describe the path that led to the formation and development of the project. The community does not consider itself to be unique, but rather replicable in new contexts.