Chris began our meeting by reviewing the progress we have been making toward the publication of our next chap book. The deadline for entries has passed, but a few more might be dribbling in. Chris listed the pieces that she has received. She has been communicating with Michael Czarnecki about the final selection of the type of book we wish to publish. Questions remain as to an effective title. All ideas are welcomed. We would love a very clever and enticing title. We also need ideas for the cover. This could be a photo or a sketch of the area. Do bring your ideas to the next meeting.
Michael Czarnecki will be coming to the Indian Lake Library on the evening of June 11 for a reading. He is on another road trip, this one on Route 28 from beginning to end. He is giving readings along the way and we are on his agenda. Mark your calendars and do plan to come and hear our inspiring poet and publisher.
Nancy S. encouraged all of us to come to the Adirondack Museum this summer where she will be working four days a week, leaving Wednesdays free, of course, so she can attend our Writers’ Group meetings. Nancy also reported that she has been in touch with the president of the Penny Readers, Dennis Wilson. He has agreed that several members of the Penny Readers would be delighted to come to our next meeting and read pieces we have selected for our chap book. This will give each of us the opportunity to “hear” our pieces read by a professional reader. This is a first, and should be a very entertaining meeting. (see end of this newsletter for details)
Our shared writing included a wide variety of topics as usual. We first heard the poetic description accompanied by a drawing of a weathered shack we might see along Big Brook Road, a modern retelling of the Biblical tale of Jesus meeting the woman at Jacob’s well, titled, Jake’s Place, and a visit to an attic in Shelter Island filled with memories of relatives who participated in the Spanish Civil War, We visited a hospice run by a nun who loved Italian music by Dean Martin. We also heard childhood memories of visiting a family camp on Long Lake, and a reaction to the commemoration of the 9/11 memorial at the World Trade Center Museum. Finally we had two eleven year old memoirs, one eleven year old who won a contest including movie tickets and a submarine sandwich, and the other who loved the year her family spent in Binghamton where she caught the attention a young boy’ s “cold blue eyes”.
***NEXT MEETING —- WE WILL MEET AT THE LIBRARY ON JUNE 18, from 10:30 until 12:30 instead of our regular meeting time. This will give us the use of a quiet library as we listen to the PENNY READERS, who will be reading selections that we have previously sent to them. The Town Hall was unavailable and Nancy Berkowitz arranged this time especially for us. Hope that this time will work out for us all. Listening to a “professional” read your own piece may be a powerful experience, one you don’t want to miss.
***IMPORTANT —In order for this to be effective we must each select one or two pieces that we have planned to incorporate into our new chapbook and send them asap to:
Dennis Wilson
274 Stagecoach Road
Chestertown, NY 12817
*** Keeping in mind a time commitment, please keep your combined entries relatively within a four to five page maximum.
Among the invisible tools of creative individuals is their ability to hold on to the specific
texture of their past. Their skill is akin to that of a rural family who lives through the
winter on food stored in their root cellar.
Vera John-Steiner