BIG CYPRESS — Following its first poetry reading of the year Aug. 21, the Florida Indigenous Writers Group is putting pen to paper to lay out future goals for the group.

Elgin Jumper and Krystle Bowers run small group meetings about once a month, and they are aiming to get more events scheduled.

The next reading is scheduled for Sept. 18 at the Willie Frank Memorial Library in Big Cypress. Jumper said they are working to involve more participants.

Jumper and Bowers both shared poetry and short story readings at the Willie Frank Memorial Library. Bowers read a few poems from a book of various authors, and Jumper read some original work in addition to pieces from other writers.

“I think [the event] was pretty good. I got into the reading. I didn’t realize I was going to read that much, but it was good. I haven’t done a reading like that in a long time. I think I read like 30 minutes,” Jumper said.

Their first poetry reading this year was also their first meeting at the library. The group previously met at the Ah-Tah-Thi-Ki Museum. The two collaborated about three years ago to bring together their ideas for the group.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Bowers started a virtual book club that eventually merged with Jumper’s ideas for a collaborative writing group.

Bowers said she was looking to do something in person, and Jumper was starting a group with the museum at the time, so they started working together. Jumper’s inspiration for a group stemmed from wanting feedback on his writing.

“During the pandemic, I did a lot of writing. I think that’s how I dealt with it, you know, being enclosed and not going anywhere,” Jumper said. “I wrote a lot, and … I sent it to some people, … and I didn’t get any feedback. One person gave me feedback. So that made me want to start a writing group for writers to share their work, if they want to share, if they want to get together and write. … Here it is three years later.”

Jumper and Bowers said there are a lot of benefits to meeting as a group and doing readings. Bowers said one of the goals is to “create better [and] more Seminole writers.”

Sharing in front of a group helps with public speaking skills, gaining confidence and feeling appreciated, Jumper said.

“The main thing is to become better writers. That’s all. That’s the central idea, the main goal,” Jumper said. Jumper said they are going to schedule more events in the coming months at the library, and they are hoping to get some guest speakers in the future to talk about writing.

The group “wears a lot of hats,” Jumper said, since it also doubles as a book club on top of writing workshops and poetry readings. At the meetings, Jumper and Bowers said they read some of their work, discuss favorite authors, share their writing background and complete writing prompts and activities.

The events are usually once a month on a Wednesday, and there is a sign-up sheet in person. The events are open to anyone who wants to attend, he said.

“It’s all good, sharing your writing with like-minded people,” Jumper said. “I enjoy it. It’s not work.”