Communal Pen is a community writing initiative that showcases the dynamic stories of South Carolina. The annual Holiday Hangout will take place virtually on Saturday, December 13, 2025. SC Humanities supports the Communal Pen through our partnership with the South Carolina Arts Commission.
The Communal Pen Holiday Hangout is open to both longtime participants and first-time guests to gather in the spirit of reflection and storytelling. The holiday season can stir a mix of emotions, and this workshop offers a welcoming space to pause and put those feelings into words.
Through prompts and shared conversation, attendees will explore how holidays connect us to place, community, and tradition. Whether your holiday reflections are lighthearted, bittersweet, or somewhere in between, participants will have the chance to write them down, share them, and preserve them.
The virtual program will take place on Saturday, December 13 at 10:00 a.m. The program is free and open to the public. Register here: https://communalpen.com/event/holiday-hangout-2/.
Communal Pen workshops were developed by the South Carolina Arts Commission, in partnership with South Carolina Humanities, to connect the Smithsonian’s traveling exhibits, Museum on Main Street, with their host sites through storytelling. In 2023, The Communal Pen became a partnership between the Athenaeum Press at Coastal Carolina University and the South Carolina Arts Commission, supported with funding from SC Humanities.
Communal Pen workshops are intended for people of all levels of writing experience. The atmosphere is open and supportive. Each workshop has a facilitator team and thoughtful prompts with the goal of creating community connection.
More information about the Communal Pen, as well as a digital record of some of the stories shared over the years can be found at: https://communalpen.com/.
The mission of SC Humanities is to enrich the cultural and intellectual lives of all South Carolinians. Established in 1973, this 501(c)3 organization is governed by a volunteer Board of Directors comprised of community leaders from throughout the state. It presents and supports literary initiatives, lectures, exhibits, festivals, publications, oral history projects, videos, and other humanities-based experiences that directly or indirectly reach more than 250,000 citizens annually. South Carolina Humanities receives funding from the National Endowment for the Humanities as well as corporate, foundation and individual donors. The National Endowment for the Humanities: Democracy demands wisdom.