By Linda Donaldson

Rarely has one Zoom meeting woven so many threads together from our shared life experiences as did the March meeting of our Writers Guild. We explored the stories and how they impacted us, while discussing the selections provided by our writers for critique.

Cindy Louden started off introductions by sharing the origins of the Writing Center at Pearl S. Buck, the brainchild of Anne Kaler and herself, two retired educators volunteering at PSB. It seemed to them that the home of a famous writer should have programs celebrating the collaboration between Buck and her editor husband, Richard Walsh.

In 2010, they began the Writing Center, which has evolved to include the Guild, workshops and classes on all forms of writing, our online blog and the biannual PSB Literary Journal. And lastly, the Writing Center Press which evolved naturally, offers assistance in self-publishing. Currently WCP can boast 17 softcover books in many genres: memoir, fiction, non-fiction, poetry, plus two children’s books.

The other members in turn gave a short bio with info on any writing projects in progress. Two new members each revealed that they both served in the Peace Corps, one in Liberia and another in Ukraine.

The themes of war, nuclear bombs and fallout dominated three of the six stories: Prologue by John A. McCabe (from his new book The Girl from Japan, A Soldier’s Story), Chapter One (A Memoir) by Richard Fitzgerald, and The Mushrooms of August by Anne K. Kaler.

Loss and the effects of grief were examined in Arm in Arm in Walmart by Karen Edwards. Native American history and archaeology featured in Hidden Treasures by Jane Bleam.  Finally, a novel excerpt that meshed a film noir-style detective story with a memorable cast of quirky fantasy characters in Hard-Boiled Dragon by Bob McCrillis added much needed comic relief.

Our next Zoom meeting is Sunday, April 24^th from 1-3pm (one week later than usual due to the 17^th being Easter Sunday). Links are sent out in advance to all registered members of the Writers Guild. To register, contact Cindy Louden at clouden@pearlsbuck.org and give your name, address, Cell phone number and Email address. You will be called for your Credit Card information.

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