Why not join the "Shut Up & Write! Geneva" group on Thursdays?

: Published: 20 September 2026

When we were contacted by Haseena Milea and Daniel Vorbach about "Shut up and Write! Geneva", we had to ask a few questions and understand what the group does.

Why did it start?
Shut Up & Write! began in San Francisco in 2007 when science fiction writer Rennie Saunders had the same problem every writer has: life kept getting in the way. His solution was simple to the point of being obvious: pick a café, pick a time, invite some writers, and write. No workshops, no critique, no performing. Just time on the page together. People kept coming back. Then they started doing it in other cities, because the format worked and anyone could run it. Haseena brought the concept to Geneva in 2018, when she was working on her dissertation, while adjusting to life in Geneva and with two children in middle school. Life always got in the way of writing, but as an organiser, she had to show up!

Writing is solitary work, and solitary work is easy to skip. Sitting down with other people who are also writing changes that.

Was this a long-held idea, or did it come together recently?
Haseena had been running the Geneva group for a while before COVID shut it down. After a few years' pause, she restarted it with co-organiser Daniel, and we're growing slowly and steadily with a group of regulars who come every week.

What has been the biggest obstacle?
Getting back into a rhythm after the pandemic takes some patience. The main challenge now is just reaching the writers in Geneva who don’t know we exist yet. Once people try a session, they usually come back because it's amazing how much you can get done in 90 minutes when you are completely focused in the company of others doing the same.