Writing for life

Evelyn C. McDonald
Arts & Culture Reporter

February 17, 2016 9:00 p.m.

WritingIt is surprising how many people turn to writing when the pressures of work life have eased. Some want to record the things that have happened to them for grandchildren. Others want to create fiction, short stories or perhaps a novel, or nonfiction. A few are poets. Not all of them want to publish though that is likely the hope in some cases.

Fernandina Beach is fortunate to have several writers’ groups that provide support to our writing community. These groups offer individuals the chance to read their works and get feedback from other writers. Aspiring writers can exchange ideas and techniques, and talk over writing problems with each other.

I belong to two of these groups. One is a small group that meets monthly to read and comment on each other’s work. Works discussed include short stories, novel chapters, and memoirs. We are not out to be literary critics so our critiques tend to reflect our reactions to the works.

As to the second group, I have a confession to make. The second one is a poetry group. Yes, I write poetry. Okay, stunned silence. I assume a few will stop reading but while I still have you, let me say that this is an interesting group.

Poetry gets a bad rap. Some of that may come from being forced to learn poems by heart when we were in school. For those of you who saw the movie “Inside Out,” this is not unlike the advertising jingle that keeps popping up throughout the movie and driving everyone crazy. You find fragments of poems you memorized careening through your mind at the least likely times.

The Poetry Canteen was established by Nola Perez (Fernandina’s poetess laureate) and Marilyn Wesley (poetess in residence) about two years ago. The group meets the second Tuesday of each month at 6 pm in the community room at the downtown library. We read poems that we have written or poems written by other people that are personal favorites. Our critiques also focus on what we liked about the poems.

The group varies in size from 6 to 10 people, both men and women. The styles are as varied as the members. Some like to produce rhyming works, others are into free verse, even haiku. Some write about life-changing events, others comment on the natural world. Many poems reflect the issues particular to our stages of life.

If you feel a desire to write but don’t quite know how to get started, look up local writing groups and visit their meetings. You may not be the next John Grisham but you might really enjoy expressing yourself in writing.

Evelyn McDonaldEvelyn McDonald moved to Fernandina Beach from the Maryland suburbs of Washington, D.C. in 2006. She is a chair of Arts & Culture Nassau, a city commission charged with support of the arts in Nassau County. She serves on FSCJ’s Curriculum Committee for the Center for Lifelong Learning. She is also the chair of the Dean’s Council for the Carpenter Library at the UNF. Ms. McDonald has MS in Technology Management from the University of Maryland’s University College and a BA in Spanish from the University of Michigan.

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Claire S. Poulsen
Claire S. Poulsen (@guest_46813)
8 years ago

Please list the names and contact information for the writing groups. I write fiction.

Thank you,
Claire
C.S.Poulsen
M.C.Syben