By Linda Donaldson

A reminder – our June meeting on the 17th falls on Father’s Day. We start at 1 pm and meet till 3 pm. Please bring 10 copies of any work you’d like to share up to 3 pages long, and remember to put your name and email on your work for further feedback.

Anne Kaler began our May Writers Guild meeting by announcing our Literary Journal plans for this year. The former Fall 2017 issue, with the theme of “Justice and Mercy,” will be posted mid-June as the Summer 2018 issue. The Editors have chosen the theme “Transformation“ for the Winter 2018 issue with the deadline of October 31, 2018. Submission guidelines will be posted soon on the blog.

We had six selections to read and discuss at the May meeting beginning with Melissa Triol’s exciting novel excerpt about a wife confronting her husband and killing him. Comments were wide-ranging and covered the mechanics of such a physical struggle, and whether this was the middle or the end of the story. Listeners wanted more story, and I’m happy to report that Melissa is now considering many new possible plotlines.

Jane Bleam brought a well-written essay about vaccinations and the duty of parents, medical professionals and news media to educate the public about their importance. She described two separate episodes of the results of the failure to immunize. Most comments thought one episode was stronger, and felt the Florence Nightingale quote she included, should appear near the beginning.

We read the latest introduction to John McCabe’s novel about his nuclear irradiation during tests in 1962 in the US while serving in the Army. Listeners agreed the soldiers’ dialogue needed speaker name attribution to keep the exchange straight. Our discussion sparked my recollection of a list I had seen online that might help. Here is a link to 270 Ways to Say Said  so you all can use this tool.

Reading the opening story of his latest new series, was Bob McCrillis. He introduced two men, Ben, and his son-in-law Jerry, who, when they pull up to Jerry’s home to watch a ball game, see a strange gorgeous leather-clad woman in a black-shaded helmet speeding away on a motorcycle. Bob sure had us guessing – not to mention Ben and Jerry – who the sexy lady was. Stay tuned.

Paul Teese, with tongue firmly planted in cheek, entertained us with his wry wit and clear outdoor botanical expertise in his humorous essay titled “Connecting with Plants.” Indirectly, while amusing the reader, Paul seeded his narrative with lots of facts and good advice for the timid outdoorsperson. Paul makes the reader want to venture out and see Nature in all her glory.

In the next chapter in his story about a gang war, Joe Vitella writes about a police interview with the protagonist, a middle-aged private investigator, who has helped a group of young neighborhood gang members survive a shootout with a rival gang. The great dialogue and pacing in this questioning sequence makes us eager to see how it all turns out.

See you all in June!