After an inquiry into what our writers are doing, we found all are making some progress on current projects. Twelve of us were on hand this week, including two first-time attendees. Lisa Ketner and Suzanne Allen. Welcome, we hope to see you back many times. Being the first day of the month, it seems as if this meeting got here before we were ready. Our next meeting is on the 15th, right smack in the middle of June. Hope we see you there. Think about this, HOW DID COVID AFFECT YOUR WRITING? We want to thank Scott Anderson for asking this question.
We moved into the reading portion of the meeting as Ernie Ovitz led off. He read a chapter from his third book of a trilogy tracing the life and times of Emperor Constantine. He offered a change from battles and issues besieging the burgeoning Christian Church by introducing a stirring romantic interlude. Yes, children, the Romans were human too.
Taking his turn at the podium, Don Westerfield brought us two poems written in his powerful style, turning words into pictures in our minds. In his work, My Seasons, Don walked through life as we might experience the seasons of a year. The spring of youth blossoms into the summer of manhood and matures into autumn's contentment. Now, easing into life's winter, we know times might be bleak but revel in the memories of past seasons. A continued look at life revealed in The Realist expresses Don's thoughts proving how the Dreamer fills the sails, but the Realist steers the boat in life.
Having returned after a hiatus of four weeks, Peter Frickel shared his musings put into words with us. Dreams are only our dreams. They move forward and back; they are not here, but I know not where they may be. Silence, Solitude should not frighten us as hope throbs and gleams through silence. Time moves on, revealing the cracks and damage in our world.
Scott Anderson threw us a curve as we expected another of his thought-provoking poems. Instead, he introduced a question: How did covid affect your writing? In Scott's case, the pandemic dampened the poetic muse in him but released the desire to follow another path. Scott read an article published in the Lepidopterist quarterly, Butterfly Gardener, a delightful piece describing a sojourn into a nearby sanctuary filled with wildlife, including a plethora of butterflies.
From Plumber to Teacher is the story of John Hearon's journey to a lifelong career dedicated to teaching and helping students achieve their goals. Tonight's reading concluded an essay John began several weeks back. Starting college at age forty-one was hard. Studying and attending classes on evenings and weekends while still running his plumbing business to support and maintain his family caused much anxiety, stress, and a nagging doubt about whether he was doing the right thing. But, perseverance paid off. In the end, John is enjoying a career spanning nearly two decades. Congratulations, John. We commend you.
Lisa Ketner joins us for the first time. Lisa read an untitled lyrical poem highlighting the yin and yang of life. Two opposing forces, the Fox and the Hen, face uncertainty but journey together. A burgeoning poet, Lisa received several valuable tips from four accomplished poets in our group and was lauded for her work.
These Sacred Lands is the newest of James Kelly's work on the saga following the Mckinsey family and Shadow Hawk of the Lakota people. Set in the post-civil-war era of the West, Wyoming, Dakotas, and Montana, the conflict between the native population and the encroaching settlers bursts to the forefront as a marauding band of Native Americans attack an outpost, killing all on-site. Only a group of children hidden in a ravine survive. Jim's book will soon be available from Amazon in paperback and hardback. Look for it!
With a few minutes left to fill, Rod Digruttolo read from Snakes, Spiders, and Palmetto Bugs, a story entitled The Great Mouse Escapade. Three boys concocted a scheme to make money over the summer by trapping mice and selling them to a reptile farm. Two years older and a cheerleader at their school, a neighbor girl mocks them and even releases a week's catch of their precious rodents. Time passes, and the boys plan revenge. Now, with Junior High starting, find out what happened. See Rod or purchase the book on Amazon, hard copy, or Kindle.
Well, that's about it for this post. We hope to see you at our next meeting on June 15th at the Nokomis Fire House. Until then, KEEP ON WRITING.
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