Hemingway Mornings

A structured 75-minute breakfast format with a ‘what’s on my plate’ opener and an ‘ask and offer’ close.

Format type	Structured breakfast
Group size	8 on one table (ideally round where possible)
Time of day	Early morning, 8-8:30am start
Duration	75 minutes
Cadence	As part of the core rotation (every 2 months)
Pricing	Paid – members cover their own breakfast
Lead effort	Low to medium once the venue is set.
Ambassador/volunteer role	Co-run and step in on days when lead can’t make it.
Best for	Cities where evening commitments are tough. Mornings tend to work better for parents too.

These are the things that make this format distinctively Hemingway:

Same venue every time, so it becomes the Hemingway breakfast spot in that city.
Round table, where possible, so that everyone can see and hear each other.
Opener: each person shares one sentence on ‘what’s on my plate this week’ (not their job title – this isn’t a place for elevator pitches.)
A 10- minute ‘what I’ve been wrestling with’ from one member, followed by a table discussion on the question they raised.
Closing: a single ‘ask and offer’ round – one thing I need, one thing I can give.

8am	Arrive, order breakfast/coffee
8:10am	Opener: ‘what’s on my plate this week’
8:25am	Member presents a 5-10-min ‘thing I’ve been wrestling with’ (rotates each session)
8:35am	Open table discussion on the question raised
9am	Closing: ask and offer round
9:15am	End

Find a good venue where you can make this a recurring spot. Ideally somewhere that has round tables so that everyone can hear each other. Even a café that has good spaces for groups works!
Three weeks to go: publish on Luma and ask if there is anyone who would like to volunteer for ‘the one thing I’ve been wrestling with…’
Two weeks out: confirm and brief the speaker – keep it informal. This isn’t meant to be a talk but a conversation.
Week of: send the speaker’s question to attendees so they arrive having thought about it and ask them to also think about an ask/offer (no pressure if they don’t have any.)
Day of: chapter lead/ambassador moderates the discussion, keeps time, takes note, and makes sure the bill is split and paid.

Members to cover their own breakfast on the day.