Litterbox is a writing group founded in 2022. Spread across Belgium and the Netherlands, the group consists of Joana Estrela, Kasandra Y. Sharac, Klau Stępień, and Stella Stergiou.
You can find us on Instagram and Mastodon.
THE LITTERBOX MANIFESTO ˗ˏˋ ★ ˎˊ˗
0. Introduction
We are a writing circle, a circle that writes, a writing group, a group of writers. We have three pillars: give the pen back to the people, embrace cringe, and cancel the devil.
I. Give the pen back to the people, or about littering literature
We litter words on paper, not paper on the streets. Literature is one of the last strongholds of the free will in the era of late capitalist decline. So we litter. And we litter and we litter. We litter ourselves on prose, we litter the prose into the world.
If you are on the toilet, take your notebook and write. Don't just read while pooping, write while pooping. If you find a pen on the street, it is not trash. Pick it up. Give it to someone. Give the pen back to the people.
We are one with the pigeons, the worms and the rats. Awaiting the era in which 'late capitalist' refers to a dead capitalist, we remain with all we have left: our language and the right to litter it.
We are Litterbox.
II. Embrace cringe, or about collective play
We are Litterbox, we write with one and we write with all. We write to play. Writing does not have to be a lonely soul with a cigarette at midnight.
We meet up once a week for collective writing exercises and writing games (cigarettes and midnight optional). Examples of games are: writing as different seasons, inserting line breaks in each others' pieces, replying to each others' emails. All these games are timed. Whatever comes out of it within the set time, comes out of it.
We give constructive criticism. Sometimes we finish each other's work, we finish each other's sentences. Mostly, we just come together as friends who like to have fun with words.
There is no cringe in play, and if there is, embrace it. Embrace cringe.
III. Cancel the devil, or about safe spaces
Since there is no cringe, almost anything goes in play. If you enter our group, you should feel safe to write about whatever you want, while staying respectful and mindful of the others.
Most of the texts published here, including this manifesto, are in English. For all of us English is a second or even a third language. A safe space is also a space for mistakes, a space for bad grammar. Perfectionism is the devil, narrow-mindedness is the devil.
Finally, literature is a tool to fight evil. Read a book. Read a blog post. Read a Wikipedia page. Write a funny little poem and share it with your friends, or burn it ritually. Whatever works best for you. Cancel the devil.
Helpful guide: https://www.wikihow.com/Write-a-Manifesto
0. Introduction
We are a writing circle, a circle that writes, a writing group, a group of writers. We have three pillars: give the pen back to the people, embrace cringe, and cancel the devil.
I. Give the pen back to the people, or about littering literature
We litter words on paper, not paper on the streets. Literature is one of the last strongholds of the free will in the era of late capitalist decline. So we litter. And we litter and we litter. We litter ourselves on prose, we litter the prose into the world.
If you are on the toilet, take your notebook and write. Don't just read while pooping, write while pooping. If you find a pen on the street, it is not trash. Pick it up. Give it to someone. Give the pen back to the people.
We are one with the pigeons, the worms and the rats. Awaiting the era in which 'late capitalist' refers to a dead capitalist, we remain with all we have left: our language and the right to litter it.
We are Litterbox.
II. Embrace cringe, or about collective play
We are Litterbox, we write with one and we write with all. We write to play. Writing does not have to be a lonely soul with a cigarette at midnight.
We meet up once a week for collective writing exercises and writing games (cigarettes and midnight optional). Examples of games are: writing as different seasons, inserting line breaks in each others' pieces, replying to each others' emails. All these games are timed. Whatever comes out of it within the set time, comes out of it.
We give constructive criticism. Sometimes we finish each other's work, we finish each other's sentences. Mostly, we just come together as friends who like to have fun with words.
There is no cringe in play, and if there is, embrace it. Embrace cringe.
III. Cancel the devil, or about safe spaces
Since there is no cringe, almost anything goes in play. If you enter our group, you should feel safe to write about whatever you want, while staying respectful and mindful of the others.
Most of the texts published here, including this manifesto, are in English. For all of us English is a second or even a third language. A safe space is also a space for mistakes, a space for bad grammar. Perfectionism is the devil, narrow-mindedness is the devil.
Finally, literature is a tool to fight evil. Read a book. Read a blog post. Read a Wikipedia page. Write a funny little poem and share it with your friends, or burn it ritually. Whatever works best for you. Cancel the devil.
Helpful guide: https://www.wikihow.com/Write-a-Manifesto