If you’ve been around the Tavern for a while you’re probably aware that it has been without a full-time writer or two since December 2023. Back in November, the Tavern’s last standing writer, Sarah Gooding joined her predecessors Jeff Chandler and Justin Tadlock in announcing her departure. 

Matt Mullenweg later put the call out for those interested in becoming full-time writers. Hundreds applied and from that list, earlier this February, seven were chosen to participate in a public trial. 

Each travelled by train to a meeting where they were introduced to each other and then dropped into the middle of an arena with the only rule being to survive.

It may feel a bit like the Hunger Games have come to WordPress. But, behind the scenes, it’s a ton of enthusiasm and collaboration. After all, tt’s for a platform and community we are all passionate about.

Hitting publish is stressful (at least for me), but, we’re excited about this chance. We’re eager to bring our unique views to Tavern readers and the wider WordPress community.

Each person in the trial has two weeks with full access to the Tavern to create content. The trial contributors have not been given any restrictions on how much content they can contribute, the format of that content, or the subject matter of the content.

Unlike the Hunger Games, we’re each other’s biggest fans and supporters as we go through this process. 

The availability of trial contributors varies so for about a month, each of the seven will have staggered start dates. You’ll see content from each appear over time as they begin their trials. 

So what’s it like day-to-day to run the Tavern?

It’s everything you would imagine an industry journal would have. We’re collaborating in a private Slack channel, sharing ideas and figuring out how to create the content we’re passionate about. Early on the crew self-organized around a content calendar. 

We’re sharing article drafts for feedback from each other. Giving way to each other when we have similar ideas for articles. Challenging ideas and pushing each other to be better. All to create the best experience for Tavern readers. 

We’re still figuring things out. For example, we need to find the right images to use. We also need to reconnect the X/Twitter account so articles are broadcast from it. And, we need to clean up comments on existing articles. The day-to-day things that keep the Tavern humming along.

We’re keen to engage with Tavern readers

We’d love to hear your thoughts on what we’re creating. All of us are in the Make WordPress Slack so feel free to ping us with your thoughts and feedback. We’re keen to grow and improve throughout this process so if a story resonates with you (or not) we’d love to hear about it.

This is a unique season for the Tavern. While eventually there will only be two primary voices, for now, there are seven. Seven different perspectives and lived experiences shaped by WordPress. Enjoy it, get stuck in and tell us what you think.

We haven’t all gone public yet but as our content hits the Tavern’s pages, say hi, tell us your story and help us share the awesomeness of WordPress with others.