BARN (Bainbridge Artisan Resource Network) is located at 8890 Three Tree Lane NE on Bainbridge Island. They have a lovely new building and teaching rooms for several types of artistic endeavors, including jewelry making and electronic technologies, and right now one of the wood working groups is busy making kayaks.
And, as you probably know, there are classes and meetings and rooms for writers to concentrate and write, too. This is a nonprofit, educational community center and you can view their full list of offerings and events at www.bainbridgebarn.org.
And writers, they have so much going on all the time with speakers, and workshops and meetings-to-get-to-know-other-writers, so check that out, too. BARN is in the middle of a membership drive, so why not consider joining?
I want to give a shout out and thank you to the KLAW (Kitsap Literary Artists and Writers) and the Bremerton Kitsap Access television show. It airs on Comcast on Channel 12, in Poulsbo on Channel 3 and is on YouTube. I was interviewed last week and the show will air at 6 p.m. July 15. On July 8 and July 22, you can see Brenda Fantroy-Johnson, author of “Imagine Me.” It was so enjoyable to talk writing and about my books with Mark Miller, and about my teaching, and about writing this column. It was a good interview and conversation.
Now, for you writers that are thinking of joining a writing/critique group, don’t forget that picking a group is a very personal thing. Don’t be discouraged if the first group you attend does not fit your needs. There are a lot of writing/critique groups in Kitsap County, all with different styles and members with different writing abilities.
Consider finding a group that is not all one genre. Mixed genres bring about different styles of writing and makes for really good conversations about styles, character handling and settings. Check out the event calendar at BARN to see when they will have the next Writers Meeting Writers regarding forming a critique groups. That’s where I found most of my group.
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Here’s a suggestion for a summer read: F. Scott Fitzgerald’s “This Side of Paradise.”
Here is a quote from the book: “I’m not sentimental; I’m as romantic as you are. The idea, you know, is that the sentimental person thinks things will last; the romantic person has a desperate confidence that they won’t.”
This book was written in 1920 when Fitzgerald was only 23 years old. I read this many years ago and now I’m re-reading it. Just as good this time around.
Quote for this week: “Silence is of different kinds, and breathes different meanings.” – from “Villette” by Charlotte Bronte.
— Donna Lee Anderson teaches writing and is the author of two novels and one reference book for writers. You can contact her at welltoldtales@aol.com.
