A new year has begun. I hope it proves to be a better, more productive year than previous times. I regret to pass on the following. As I sat down to write this blog, I learned that our good friend and mentor, Peter Frickel, passed away this morning, January 21st. A stalwart within our group, he will be sorely missed. Peter joins a list of notable authors who graced us with their presence and now watch over us from where the pain of life does not exist.
With some cool weather upon us, I find it difficult to stay indoors and concentrate on writing. I guess that is one disadvantage of living in Florida. With temperatures hovering in the 60 to 80 degrees F. range, the sunny outdoors beckon. I think a notebook and laptop will be my companions at the park for a while. Oh, by the way, I leave my cell phone at home on these sojourns.
We hosted twelve attendees at our meeting this week. We welcomed Bill Elam back as he has returned from colder climes. Jeffrey Kutcher introduced us to his daughter, Sunny, who did a masterful job reading Jeff’s work. Seven of us presented work to the group in the reading session.
As writers, we may embrace, or at least tolerate, different points of view expressed by others. Our participation must remain limited to the art of writing, not to criticize the content or thoughts presented. Each work has qualities we can evaluate based on the craft, not the ideas.
Leading off was our co-host, Ernie Ovitz. Ernie is working on a trilogy of historical novels set in the era of Constantine’s rule of the Roman Empire. His handling of the supposed personal conversations and actions brings history to life. After all, Romans were humans encompassing all the failings and superstitions of their society. Subterfuge and discontent fueled the activities of political and religious entities as the Emperor moved the seat of Roman power away from Rome to the new city of Constantinople. At a celebration of the Emperor’s victory over rebel forces, where statues of Constantine and his son Crispus arrive for presentation to the people, the cart transporting them suffers a broken axle. The Statues spill onto the pavement but are not damaged. Did the Emperor’s enemies sabotage the axle?
Bill Elam strayed from his usual presentation of prose to bring us a poem written in his days of youthful manhood. The transition of a worrisome image from the stark image of a leafless tree to an embodiment of salvation. Upon his approach, the tree transforms into a Cross.
Remembering her father, Jaquelin Sullivan, recalls her shock as her father reveals he is diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. A firefighter in Boston’s busy Ladder 7 station, the busiest Firehouse in the nation, he was a hero but now, he will be unable to recall even the basic details of his job as he falls into the depths of dementia. Writing about such times is traumatic and challenging, but oft-times therapeutic. Jaquelin, we know it’s hard, but stay the course. Your story honors your father and gives us a chance to peek into a hero’s world.
Jeffrey Kutcher has led a life filled with change. As he writes his autobiography, he reveals thoughts and feelings from deep within. As a writer, Jeffrey is talented, but his reading of his work sometimes suffers as he tends to rush through the story. Tonight he solved that problem. His daughter, Sunny, read the chapter with skill and clarity. Her acting training gave us a dramatic and authentic impression of what it is like to be in sales at a significant stockbroker’s office in New York. The pressure and background politics of such an office are overwhelming for those without the psyche needed to handle such pressure. What happens next, Jeffrey?
Gaia 2, that’s what Bruce Haedrich is writing now. Earth (Gaia) speaks to us, explaining what has happened, is happening, and will happen in the future in the form of a letter to humanity. Unused to dealing with such short periods as the human lifespan, Gaia tells us of eons of change and life cycles on her surface. Is the human population declining? Will humans become extinct like the dinosaurs? Will Gaia live on into eternity? Will she answer these questions?
“Mindless Drivel” is how Richard Cope describes a few short pieces he has written. He includes In Cahoots, Salty Sailor Talk, and I’m Growing a Beard in that category. Richard’s work is thought-provoking, humorous, and relevant to the times. It is always a pleasure to hear his reading.
When Don Westerfield took the floor, we expected to hear at least one of his excellent poems. Not so this time. He brought the opening scenes from a story entitled; It’s Only Business. A young man returns to San Francisco after graduating from Yale. The great earthquake of 1906 was still fresh in people’s minds, and rebuilding was underway. Our young man finds out he is to take over the operation of his Aunt’s thriving enterprise, Landis House, the most successful brothel in all of San Francisco.
Well, I guess that’s about all for this meeting. I’ll see you at the next meeting on February 1st at the Nokomis Fire House. We call to order at 6:30 PM. Until then, KEEP ON WRITING.
No comments:
Post a Comment