The
third Wednesday of May has come and gone. The Sarasota Writer’s
Group met at the Nokomis Volunteer Fire Department and sixteen people
attended. Ten of the attendees read some of their work and it was
exciting.
Rod,
the chief cat-herder, pulled an old switch-a-roo; he turned the
sign-in sheet upside down and instituted a bottom’s up reading
order.
Last
to sign in and first to read was Bruce Haedrich. Normally a writer of
prose, and darn good at it, Bruce read a poem entitled Mary’s
Big Imagination.
It was a fun piece aimed at a youthful readership and the entire
group agreed it would be a wonderful illustrated children’s book.
Chris
Burton was back after a long absence. We are glad to have her back
and in good health. She explained, while undergoing some
unpleasantness, she had little time to write but when she did, it was
limited and her mind was in a strange mode. She presented two poems,
both were excellent and I may have made an error in the first title
Hours are
Flowing, but
the second I confirmed is I
Dream a Lime Sky.
When
Joanne Dunlap takes the floor we never know what to expect and she
did it again. Reading a poem that drew laughter from the group and a
wince of pain from husband Joe, she was constantly surprised at “How
much that man could eat.”
At
her last meeting until next October, we’ll miss you, Kathleen
Schwartz, author of Stay
the Night,
available on Amazon, read a touching remembrance of her Brother
Jim his love of
art and adventures in a world filled with temptation was a realistic
and honest depiction of a fun-loving man who was loved by the author
who wrote this mainly for her family and in tribute to her brother.
Wendy
Dingwell read the opening of her third travel mystery. The action
begins in the first sentence and promises to continue throughout.
We’re looking forward to seeing Toxic
Cruise soon.
Dusting
off an older piece, George Collias shared his story, My
Accent, Lost and Found.
This launched the group into a half-hour discussion on writing with
dialect and patois inserted. While most appreciated the realistic use
of dialect, within limits, it was noted that its use is strictly up
to the author. I have a feeling we’ll hear more on this subject as
Rod challenged the group to write a few lines using dialect or accent
for discussion at the next meeting. We’ll see!
Don
Westerfield’s, The
Demise of the Star Venture
came with copies handed out and a critique requested. We hope the
group responds as enthusiastically as usual. It was a fun piece.
In
her usual thought provoking manner, Kerri Dieffenwerth presented a
follow up to the memoir she’s been working on for four years, as
she pointed out. She read some interesting definitions of things from
her work, threads throughout the work the reader can follow. Her
points brought some extended discussion and the group could see light
bulbs coming on throughout the room.
Jim
Kelly brought a Poem entitled The
Big Apple to
us. As usual it was full of imagery and entertained us thoroughly.
Peter
Frickel closed the meeting with a group of vignettes, samples of his
writing that come from extraneous thoughts jotted down while
relaxing, having a glass of wine or just watching the world from his
patio. As usual they were beautiful examples of literary art that are
poetry in prose and with his reading prowess, a joy to hear.
Our
next meeting is June 3rd,
here at the Nokomis Fire House. Looking forward to seeing all of you.
Rod
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