By Linda Donaldson

Spring has arrived in full bloom at Green Hills Farm. A host of daffodils lining the driveway greets visitors. Amidst this splendor, our Writing Center was hosting two groups, so the Guild met downstairs this Sunday in the lounge, where all attendees could sit in comfortable high-backed swivel chairs.

Reminder to all that the PSB Literary Journal’s Spring 2017 issue’s deadline has been extended to May 15. A link to the Submission Guidelines can be found here. The theme of this issue is Renewal or Re-birth.

Four excerpts were shared beginning with a story by John McCabe entitled “The Irishman.” John’s hero is the victim of mistaken identity, and discussion ensued around how subtly the issue was introduced. Two members each identified a different passage that struck them as “quotable” quality prose.

Next was Meredith Betz’s self-proclaimed “work in progress” entitled “Other People’s Shoes.” Not only were her characters evocative, many from the group became instant fans of Alfred, Harry or Evelyn, and were happy to explain why. Meredith’s treatment of “what is art” brought suggestions from nearly everyone present on how to expand this into a book length piece.

Jane Bleam returned to her adventures of Snooks with her story “Snooks Loved the Cottage.” Reminiscing about post WWII summers at the water’s edge, Jane recounted many adventures including several involving canoes. Suggestions were made to expand her experiences with canoeing into a separate story.

Finally, we read an untitled reflection on getting started as a writer by Huldah Taylor. Beginning with the Virginia Woolf quote, “In order to write, a woman must have money and a room of her own,” Huldah describes, with touching self-analysis, her first steps. She has left us anticipating more stories.

Our next meeting is Sunday, May 21^st at 1:30pm in the Cultural Center upstairs as usual.

Please remember to bring 10-15 copies of any excerpt of up to 3 pages that you wish to share. Include your email address at the top of your selection.

Keep writing!