Local Writers. Local Support.
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Berea Writers Circle meets the third Saturday of every month from 1:30 pm - 3:00 pm at the Madison County Public Library, 319 Chestnut Street, Berea, KY 40403. Programs include workshops, speakers, panels, and discussion on the craft.
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Every month on the third Thursday, we co-host Spoken Word at 7:00 pm at the Berea Arts Council gallery at 444 Chestnut Street. Bring a few poems, flash fiction, or a five-minute excerpt to share or lend your ears and enjoy the company of other writers. Bar sales benefit the Berea Arts Council.
Fellow Writers,
Well, we’ve waited a long time for this, but Mary Owens is now back in Kentucky and will talk about her new memoir on Saturday, July 19th from 1:30 PM to 3:00 pm at the Berea branch of the Madison County Public Library in the community room. Mary’s memoir covers over 100 years of her family’s history in America, ranging from the mid-1800s through the 1960s. Mary has included many pictures and historical notes relevant to her story. The memoir is unique because it contains essays, poems, prose, and even plays, and makes use of creative nonfiction to round out corners and do justice to this family story. You’ll want to come and hear how Mary came to write this memoir and, especially how she came up with the title, “Hold My Foot.” Join us on Saturday, and as usual we will have refreshments. From 3:00 pm to 4:00 pm we will hold and open mic session, so bring a short piece – poem, essay, chapter, part of a short story, your choice – to read.
This month we will hear from a panel about the usefulness of writing about the small moments in life. We will hear from panel members who have successfully used this strategy to write fine pieces by focusing on some of these little moments that many might even fail to notice. Panel members will include Mary Owens, Sheila Wade and Cat Covell. We will listen to panel members presenting examples of pieces that have used these techniques, and the panel will talk about how they have turned these seemingly unimportant events into fine writing. We will discuss this method, and if there is time, we will have a writing exercise. The meeting will be held at the Berea branch of the Madison County Public Library at 1:30 pm until 3:00 pm. We will have refreshments. From 3:00 pm until 4:00 pm we will have an open mic session for any writers who would like to read a short piece of their own writing, and hear the reaction of their fellow writers. Please join us for an informative afternoon this summer.