Autumn Society is a writing and social group for Black writers in New England. We hold monthly Field Days and annual writing retreats to develop craft, build community, and tell stories rooted in the landscape we call home.
Autumn Society is part of Straw Dog Writers Guild.
Autumn Society grew out of Valley Society, expanding our reach while maintaining our commitment to creating safe space for Black writers to hone their craft and collaborate on writing about the Black experience in New England.
Mission
- Provide a safe place for Black writers to hone their craft.
- Collaborate on writing about the Black experience in New England.
- Develop attention to landscape through walking and observation.
- Create community through shared practice and ritual.
Writing
Autumn Society’s Black writing group meets monthly as part of our Field Day series—an intentional rhythm of walking, sharing food, and writing in community.
Each Field Day follows this structure:
- Morning Hike – A reflective walk using Grinnell field notes to develop attention to detail and place.
- Brunch – A shared meal to build community and connection.
- Writing Group – An in-person writing session using the Amherst Writers & Artists method, creating safe space for generative writing.
Schedule: Sundays, once per month
Time: Hike begins in the morning, with brunch and writing session continuing into early afternoon
Retreats
Annual AWA writing retreats in Massachusetts offer extended time for craft development, deeper community building, and focused generative work,
Night Jars
Each year, Autumn Society produces Night Jars—small art installations created from poetry we’ve read throughout the year or written at the Autumn Retreat. These ritual objects mark our annual practice and leave traces in the landscape.
Investigative Reports
Autumn Society produces long-form investigative reports that uncover buried histories and challenge official narratives. These place-based investigations focus on stories that have been suppressed, mishandled, or forgotten—particularly those involving racial injustice and marginalized voices across New England.
Our first report, Remember Seta, examines the 1978 death of Seta Rampersad, a Black student at UMass Amherst, and the flawed inquest that followed. Through extensive research and archival work, we piece together what official records obscured.
These investigations don’t exclusively report on Black people, but they center stories that resonate with Black experience—stories of lives dismissed, voices suppressed, and justice denied. Our work combines deep research, heavy bibliographies, and a commitment to preserving what others would prefer remain forgotten.
Urban Exploration
Autumn Society conducts field research at sites significant to Black history and experience across New England. These explorations document forgotten places, suppressed stories, and landscapes that hold cultural memory—from abandoned institutions to overlooked historical sites.
Exploration serves our writing practice. We walk with field notes, training our attention to place and detail. We research archives, interview witnesses, and piece together narratives that official histories have obscured or erased. This fieldwork becomes the foundation for our investigative reports and creative work.
Participation in exploration missions requires demonstrated proficiency with Grinnell field notes. This isn’t about access restrictions—it’s about safety and methodology. Field notes discipline keeps you observant, present, and accountable to what you’re actually seeing rather than what you assume.
If you’re interested in joining exploration work, start by attending Field Days and developing your field notes practice.