Inkhaven 2 is awesome, but notably different than Inkhaven 1. Everyone’s louder and a bit less rationalist and posting closer to the deadline.

Also there are too many meta posts. (And now there’s one more. Whoops.)

Mingyuan (from cohort 1, like me) has a good post about the differences between the Inkhavens and their causes. I agree with essentially all of that post. I’m just here to add my personal experiences and opinions to the internet. Here are some of them:

1. I picked a good week

I came week 3 of Inkhaven, which had a few advantages. First, I overlapped with most of the other returning alumni. The writers of the new cohort are awesome and I’m really glad to be able to get to know them, but I think it would have been a harder task to just meld into the group without the other alumni here.

Second, everyone already had established their routines. This means that people knew how much of their time they could devote to social activities versus writing. Also this meant that there was an existing social dynamic that I could just become a part of.

Third, I was here for Bodega Bay, which was my favorite weekend of last Inkhaven. We all packed into a bus and headed to a retreat by the beach while a group with a much higher budget takes over Lighthaven. Our cohort was very quiet at Bodega Bay, and this one is very loud. It’s fun.

The one main disappointment is that I’m not able to be here for the showcase, which sounds exciting and fun.

2. Nostalgia is good, but novelty is great

If Inkhaven 2 were exactly like Inkhaven 1, I’d be happy about it. Inkhaven 1 was magical and unique and one of the best times of my life. Going back there for a week would be amazing.

But at least right now I feel happier that I’ve experienced a month of one Inkhaven and a week of another, rather than 5 weeks of the same one. My brain loves new inputs, and having 55 new people to live and work with for an entire week is the best kind of novelty. And as with last time, if you come here thinking you might have 30 posts in you then you have at least 30 interesting things to say.

3. Assorted notes

This time around, like last time, I managed to get a day ahead and stay that way. I think more people went that route this time, which is weird because more people are also posting in the last 10 minutes before midnight. Maybe people are bimodal, or maybe it’s just that there are more people.

1 week is long enough to feel like I’m in the flow of things without disrupting my life schedule too much. I expect to take at least two other ~1 week trips this year, and I look forward to being able to write about them here.

Fewer of my posts were explainers this time. Inkhaven 2 just feels to me like a place for writing personal essays, probably because I’m surrounded by such a big social group. I intend to go back to explainers next week.

And that’s great because I’m beginning to run out of post ideas for “Going Back.” If I get the chance to visit another Inkhaven sometime (and I hope I do!), expect something new.

Coming soon: The strange story of waxy corn