WILLIAMSBURG — Meripoint Books has opened a new Writing Corner, offering space for writers to work, workshops — including one on artificial intelligence — and shelves of used and locally authored books for sale.
Owner ML Brei, a writer and former educator, said the concept grew from her longtime desire to own a bookstore and create a dedicated space where writers could gather and focus away from home distractions.
Brei graduated from Smith College as part of its first class to earn a degree in computer science. She later moved into teaching before deciding to pursue writing full time. Two years ago, friends asked for her help self-publishing their books, which led her to found Meripoint Books.
Brei said she and her husband later began discussing how to combine her large collection of used books with her love of teaching and leading talks. The result was the Writing Corner, a space designed for writers to work, attend workshops and purchase used books that help sustain the shop.
“That was the whole idea, to create a different place not like their own homes,” said Brei.
All books sold at Meripoint Books and the Writing Corner are secondhand and donated. The shop continues to accept donations and provides donors with a voucher for a percentage discount on Writing Corner rental time.
The Writing Corner
The Writing Corner at Meripoint Books includes several rooms and spaces, with designated quiet hours throughout the week. During those times, writers can reserve a room to work.
The Writing Corner includes several themed rooms with designated quiet hours each week, when writers can reserve space to work. An adjacent area also offers additional writing spots.
Workshops will be held in “The Math Room.” Brei said several groups have already arranged to meet there monthly, and she and other publishing colleagues plan to host mini conferences and workshops on topics such as starting a novel, writing a memoir and using AI in writing.
“I want to teach writers how to use Artificial Intelligence correctly,” said Brei when asked about the inclusion of AI in the workshops.
Brei says that AI responds to how the user speaks to it, because it has been trained on written language. It is for this reason Brei thinks those who have been trained as writers should control AI rather than machine engineers or the language processing engineers.
Asked whether writers risk making themselves obsolete by using AI, Brei said the opposite is true. She said writers can use it as a personal assistant and treat its “soulless” output as a tutor rather than a replacement.
“I look at it as an amazing tutor. I have learned so much. People are using it to help them with research, to help them explore different pathways for their story lines,” Brei explained.
Brei offered an example of using AI to explore “what if” scenarios. A writer can prompt the tool to respond as if it were one of the story’s characters, she said, but should not use the dialogue it generates in the final work.
“Writers write because they want to express themselves. What I try to show them in my workshops is [writers] need to take control of this beast, or it will take control of the whole world,” Brei said. “If we as writers claim it and take over and say ‘this is what we’re going to use it for’ and ‘we’re not going to allow it to be used for this or this’ then I believe that AI will go in a better direction.”
Brei has written a book called “Conversing with AI: A Handbook for Writers.” In the book, she talks about the “right” uses for AI as well as copyright issues, intellectual property, data protection, when to cite AI, and using AI responsibly and ethically.
Bookstore Boom
Over the last several years, Williamsburg has had several independent bookstores open for business. Meripoint Books and Writing Corner marks the fourth in the area, following this pattern. Brei has a theory about why.
“I believe it’s a backlash from all the technology, is that people like that tactile feel of books and they miss it,” she theorizes.
Meripoint Books and the Writing Corner will initially be open from 1:30 to 6 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays.
Meripoint Books and Writing Corner is located at 1309 Jamestown Road, Suite 101, in Williamsburg. For more information, visit meripointbooks.com.
