We look forward to seeing you at this event in March

February 18th, 2026

Welcome back. 

Here we are nearing the end of February, and our winter season is drawing to a close. We may have another cold snap or two, but spring in Florida comes early, especially on the southern Gulf Coast.

It is with deep sorrow that we mourn the passing of one of our founders, Susan Haley. Susan was instrumental in forming our group along with a small cadre of fellow writers, all of whom are no longer with us. Her poetry was inspiring and sometimes brought us to tears, but it addressed the issues important to her life. She was a loyal friend and supportive to all of us who knew her. May the Writing Dieties embrace her and welcome her to the afterlife.

Stories abound all around us. The baseball teams are in town for their annual Spring Training. Tourists flood the highways, and each one of them has a story to tell. Take time to look and listen to those old men gathered in the coffee shop, the women chatting as they get their hair done, and young couples walking on the beach. They are all stories. Use your imagination. What do you see? What do you hear? That old man with the walker may have been wounded fighting in Asia or Europe. That woman with the freshly coiffed hair, was she a nurse responding to the Twin Towers? Maybe she said she was from ‘New Yawk.’ Ya’ll are writers, so write.

 

Of the twelve persons attending this meeting, ten of us had work to share. 

Opening up the reading portion of the meeting was Ernie Ovitz. Ernie writes under the name E.G. Ovitz. You can find his work on Amazon. If you are a fan of historical fiction, especially the Roman Empire, his trilogy, Emperium Books I, II, III, will give you a glimpse of what it was like in the court of Constantine, the first Christian to rule Rome. Ernie shares his latest work with us tonight, delving into international financial espionage, crime, and violence. No stranger to the genre, the working title for this work is The Crucible, a follow-up novel for The Penitent Man. The characters are strong, driving these books through the maze of international money traps and government interference aimed at undermining the stability of Western Financial Institutions. Follow Lee Santino, Marco Rossi, and Lee’s beautiful wife, Maryam, as they spar with Yan Qing and his Chinese Secret Agency while under the threat of the Chiago mobsters. This book has it all–Mob ties, Spies, Corrupt Politicians, and Murder.

 

An expert in exotic plants, especially bromeliads, Dennis Cathcart is writing a memoir following his previous two book editions Koule’v–a Haitian word meaning ‘Snake’. He includes observations of his life with his lovely, vivacious wife, Linda. He has titled it The Edge of the World. While traveling in Ecuador, the couple encounters rare plants, some of which are unclassified. When Linda asks, “What is that plant?” Unfamiliar with the genus or having never come across a similar species, Dennis answers, “I don’t know.” Observing a crestfallen expression on Linda’s face, he asks, “What’s wrong?” She answers, “I thought you knew everything.” How does a man handle such a blow to his ego? Linda rebounded from her disappointment and made up for it by gifting the children and the people they encountered with lollipops and small, useful gifts for the remainder of their travels.

 

Roberta Molaro is a poet and a fiction writer. Tonight, she graced us with two poems. When We Were Only Kids highlights the 'different kid' in the neighborhood, the one who rarely comes out to play, the one who rides the special bus to school, the one who can’t tie his shoes. The ‘Special Kid,’ whom those of us who are older remember, how often we ignored that kid, and sometimes we made fun of them. Now we embrace them, as Roberta does, and we support the Special Olympics. Her second poem is very personal, a remembrance of a child taken from her, as she reads, Legacy, what a way to remember a love of your life.

 

James Harold Kelly continues the MacKenzie family story. This edition is titled The Tip of the Spear. Tonight, he reads from Chapter 13, “The Quiet Sector.” Newly minted Lieutenant MacKenzie arrives in France in 1918 and is assigned to lead his men into the trenches of an area designated The Quiet Sector. Arriving at his destination, they find the remnants of a village with only a few standing buildings, none of which are undamaged. Only a few residents remain; the rest have left or have succumbed to the intense barrages of Bosch artillery. The French and German forces have come to a stalemate in this sector. The troops MacKenzie’s men are replacing have enhanced the trenches into an almost permanent home. But will General Pershing allow the stalemate to continue?

 

As another poet takes the floor, Don Westerfield remembers in a piece he titled “Me”. The poem speaks of memories. Memories that become golden as the poet ages. A second piece titled “Another Me” explores the person within. The person whom the poet wishes to be but cannot find in the instant, the suave, witty, and debonair person, is desired. Maybe someday.

 

Bruce Haedrich is attuned to the world and watches its development, or at least that which is deemed “progress” by many. Robots? Are robots going to take over for mankind? In the story Bruce is composing, “Nadia,” society faces a flood of humanoid robots becoming increasingly human-like. Nadia started out as a replica of a beautiful, intelligent woman, a companion to a socially inept man who purchased this machine to fulfill his desire to have a companion in his life. However, after an upgrade or two, the company recalled the model for reprogramming. Now Nadia is nearly human and almost impossible to classify as a robot. The government has deemed them to be “Terrestrials,” another form of life. Some groups, the oligarchs of society, are set on eliminating these beings from the earth and have empowered humanoid robots with the authority to destroy those terrestrials they find. To combat detection, terrestrials are enrolled in schools to teach the skills needed to survive in a hostile environment. But what about the men and women who the terrestrials replace as lovers, boyfriends, girlfriends? Will they survive the wrath of the jilted?

 

Is AI dangerous in the wrong hands? Ursula Wong thinks so. A program written by a programmer in the USA, designed to help handicapped persons, has been corrupted by an unscrupulous and ambitious Russian agent who sees himself as the next ruler of his nation. He has used the program to alter speeches and comments made by the Secretary General of NATO in an attempt to discredit the powerful organization. Will it work?

 

Don’t Tell Me No! is the poem Anne Moore reads tonight. Don’t tell anyone they can’t do something based on their race, sex, or physical makeup; that’s the message this powerful poem, Anne will be reading to a group that has invited her to share it. Great job, Anne.

 

Bill Elam says there is something special about being High. Oh, no, not high as in intoxicated or stoned, but high as being at 20,000 feet looking down on the clouds. Above the earth is a special place that draws millions of people into its mystery. From the heights, a person can see things they miss by being too close to what’s happening. Being on high gives us a different perspective on the mundane and ordinary. If you can, give it a try, start with an easy way. Go to the top of the tallest building you have access to.

 

Some critics say every chapter of a story must drive it toward a conclusion. Probably a good idea for most chapters. However, writers must show, not tell, their characters’ personalities, and a short chapter that describes the feelings and emotions of important characters can do so. Rod Digruttolo brought such a chapter to read this evening. His newest work, The Garden’s Secret, Chapter 41, reveals the human side of a minor character as the protagonist assesses the man’s words. A character who has been seen as a resentful person shows his true self by forgiving those who injured him by accepting his role in the incident.

 

Well, I guess that about does it for this session. Stay tuned for more insights into the minds of writers, poets, and everyday people. Take time to read. Take time to write; stories, letters, poems, or anything that meanders through your mind. Readers are always looking for something new to read. SO–KEEP ON WRITING! We hope to see you again at the Firehouse on March 4^th. at 6:30 PM. 

February 4th, 2026

 

It’s good to see all of you again. It has been a little too chilly for my liking, but it’s nothing compared with the temperatures north of Tampa, you know, in that part of the country called Canada. Why, it even got chilly south of Fort Myers, you know, in Cuba. Oh well, spring will be here soon.

We opened the meeting with a question: “Do You Title Your Chapters?” Some do – some don’t, about fifty-fifty. Why?

1.         1.  More information for the reader

2.         2. To let the reader know what’s happening in the chapter

3.         3. To set a time frame

4.         4. It allows the chapter to tell its own story

5.         5. To allow a table of contents

6.         6. How about both? Chapter 1, Bob meets Sally

All good reasons. It boils down to a matter of personal preference. Do you like titles, or will numbers do the job? I have used both methods, Titled and Untitled, but always with Chapter Numbers. 

I’ve even gone so far as to have it look like this, Chapter One, Bob meets Sally, June 5^th, 2025. To be honest, do whatever you wish in this instance; there are no complex rules unless your agent or publisher sets them. Bestseller lists break down into three major categories.

1.         1. Chapter (sometimes called parts) Numbers but no titles

2.         2. Chapter titles but no numbers

3.         3. Combined numbers and titles

Remember, you are the writer, the author of a story. If you want titles on your chapter, if you want a Table of Contents, it’s your choice. Oh! Don’t forget, what are your chapter headings going to look like? Please be consistent; style all your Chapters the same in your book.

1.         1.  1,2,3

2.         2.  I.II.III

3.         3.  Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3

4.         4.  Chapter I, Chapter II, Chapter III

5.         5.  One, Two, Three

6.         6.  Chapter One, Chapter Two, Chapter Three

Note: Chapter numbers are rarely followed by a period unless a chapter title follows on the same line.

 ***  

As we moved into the reading portion of the meeting, Don Westerfield led off by reading two poems, The Park Bench Poet, and The Park Bench Poet II. Sitting alone on a park bench, our poet watches the world go by. People, creatures, the weather; nothing escapes his attention. As he ages, his view of all changes he may be a bit more understanding of faults, of the good, of the strengths he sees, but he is constantly aware.

 

We live in a world that is constantly changing. Politics, Social changes, and greed work their way into our daily lives. Every few decades, we go to war with people of different ideologies. Who would know more about this than a soldier? James H. Kelly writes of a family, the Mackinseys, who are soldiers. His latest chapter, of Advance the Line, follows the Mackenzie boys to France during 'The War to End All Wars,' WWI. A charge forward as the troops go over the top, rising from the trenches to assault the enemy, fear, religion, panic, and every emotion screams in the minds of the men as they face death or worse on a battlefield.

 

From a battlefield filled with men facing the worst moments of their lives to an equally stressful situation for a young woman. On the day of her graduation from the University, Jennifer’s parents gave her a nondescript manila envelope. Inside are the adoption papers and birth certificate she had never known existed. Why did they wait until today? Do they still love her? Do they want her to find her Birth Mother? Roberta Molaro gives us this story to ponder in Chapter One of The Reluctant Heiress.

 

Remember? In an essay about the music of past decades, Bruce Haedrich asks us to remember what many consider the Silent Generation, those born between 1925 and 1945, and their music. Among many of the great songs written during that era, 1940’s thru 1960’s, he focuses on a particular song that topped the charts in 1962. Where Have All the Flowers Gone, by Pete Seeger. Have you ever pondered the meaning of this lyric?

 

To open a novel about international intrigue, runaway Artificial Intelligence, and soul-crushing government, Ursula Wong starts her latest story in a setting where young immigrants live, meet, court, and marry without ever leaving the neighborhood. How does this take us to Russia and the former Soviet Bloc, where an AI program developed by an American is creating chaos in the delicate political balance of the region?

 

Gary Conkol is a technical powerhouse. Most of his writings are technical and very precise. However, he has now ventured forth into the world of Science Fiction. Tonight, he brings us Chapter XXX, Nancy’s Brother, from his new novel. A group of free-thinking scientists formed a group they call “Emerging New Age Technology Assisted Utopia” ENATAU, which has enabled faster than light space travel and established a colony on Mars. Earth is ruled by an Emperor/Dictator who has issued a proposal and sent an ambassador to negotiate who will rule the colony. The Ambassador has chosen the name, Hunttu. He is a ruthless man known to have caused the death of numerous citizens of Earth, including Nancy’s brother. What will happen? Stay tuned. I’m not sure this is all fiction.

 

When Bill Elam took the floor to read his Untitled poem, which became his mantra for entrepreneurship, we listened intently. The attributes of Honesty and Reputation took the forefront in how you must do business.

 

Anne Moore took a break from her interviews of mature women to delve into poetry. Reading her favorite poems, The Cows Are All Gray. The Twenty, and Then the Bird

Anne will be reading on Feb 16, 7-8 pm, Florida Studio Theatre https://www.floridastudiotheatre.org/

Doors open at 6:30.

Several of us were selected to read a favorite poem; mine’s “The Night House” by Billy Collins.

 

Feb 22, 5 - 6 pm, Arts and Central Restaurant https://artsandcentral.com/happenings/

I’ll be one of two poets, plus a visual artist, speaking at their monthly arts reception. I’ll read four or five original poems.

Can I bribe you with (the restaurant’s) free wine and appetizers? And if you’d like to stay afterwards and enjoy dinner with a 15% discount, let me know before February 15th so I can include you in the reservation.

 

I hope you can join me at one, or both, events.

And if you can’t make it, I know you’ll be there in spirit.

 

Well! There you go. That’s about all I have to say today. We had a great time as always, and I learned something, as always. I hope you can join us at our next meeting on February 18^th, at the firehouse. Until then, READ, Read, read some more, and WRITE, Write, and write some more.