Our book club for writers has turned into a networking competition where everyone recommends their own work or their friends' work and no one will give honest feedback anymore because we're all trying to maintain professional relationships. The conversations feel performative and I miss when we could actually disagree about books but now there's too much at stake professionally.
More people experience this than they realize.
Your writers' group stopped being honest because everyone's busy protecting professional ties.
“Where Are You with Media — Publishing & Professional Writing?”
If this sounds familiar, the Library can help you find the bigger picture.