Our History and Mission

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​Since 1981, the privately funded Sitting Room, with its collection of several thousand donated volumes, unusual magazines, and small press books, has been "a place of solace and comfort in a brash and busy world."  Check out the Events and Workshops.  There is always a lot going on and we continually update the website to keep you informed. (Events may cancel, so always check in).  The Links page will take you to key local literary sites of interest to writers, along with reputable places to learn about women's history and writers.  The SR is near Sonoma State University. (See Map)
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You can reach us via Sonoma County Transit. Line 44 drops you right at our doorstep (Curtis Drive) and we are just .7 miles from Sonoma State, which is served by lines 10, 12 and 14. Check http://sctransit.com/for details.

Please check Parking rules so as not to disrupt our neighbors.

We have a twice-yearly newsletter.  Click to download the latest.  This downloads a PDF you can copy.

Though the library emphasizes women's issues and achievements, the Sitting Room is open to all members of the community who love writing and reading.  The cozy rooms offer a quiet place to browse, research, read, write, and converse--yes, here you can talk, and even eat, without any reprimand!   We now have an on-line catalog, Sappho.

The Sitting Room also sponsors special events, such as readings and conversations with writers, along with on-going writers' workshops and book discussion groups. However, the individual reader is always welcome here no matter whatever is going on.  A Writer's Room offers refuge for those seeking quiet from the meetings and talk.   The Jane Flood Poetry Room provides hundreds of publications, including rare chap books and self-published works.

Your Sitting Room is open access from 9 am to 5 pm, every day but Sunday, and by appointment.  In any case, you need the key code, which is given to you when you take a brief tour of the premises. To schedule an appointment, email J.J. Wilson.

And there are many excellent books designated for Circulation on the honor system. Find them in the bookcases along the entry hallway.

It seems to work, the easy balance of congeniality, privacy, and trust unique to our The Sitting Room.   You may wonder about our curiously loose organization. 

How to Join?   This and other information are now on our FAQs page.

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