Writer. Educator. Artist.
FIRST FRIDAY OPEN MIC NIGHT! AT 108 S. MAIN ST. WARRENTON NC
Join us in an evening of readings and who knows what or who, may appear to perform! Gabe is preparing some foods especially for us! plus lattes, etc. coffee, teas & cold drinks. Come out to read or just listen! A NEW TRADITION-WE’RE STARTING AT 7 PM! Sterling will present selected music for added ambiance.
FIRST FRIDAY OPEN MIC NIGHT! AT 108 S. MAIN ST. WARRENTON NC 7PM–
Join us in an evening of readings and who knows what or who, may appear to perform? Gabe will be offering foods, coffee, tea & cold drinks. BRING A FRIEND. Keep our literary tradition alive! Come out to read or just listen!
Source: WHY TELL OUR STORIES?
WHY MEMOIR? WHY TELL OUR STORIES?
As tribal grandmothers and grandfathers gathered the children around the campfire to tell the stories of their existence, how they came to be, the children learned of their heritage. They learned of the struggles and joys of their parents and those who came before. As they grew into adults, the children could lean on those stories when they faced difficulties in their own lives. Stories passed down to them were the rocks they could revisit for answers to their questions.
It is the same with us today. When we tell our stories, and tell them honestly, we not only leave a legacy for those who come after us, but we offer help and information for those who are seeking answers for problems. How many people read the personal stories in Chicken Soup for the Soul and find encouragement, direction, and a way to go forward?
Another important reason for us to tell our stories – it is good for others to know the true us, the us that isn’t always revealed in our daily lives. What we think, how we feel, the difficult times we got through, our misunderstandings that caused family separations, and the joys we celebrated, these are life lessons offered to help any reader. They come from us, the everyday person who is not featured in the headlines in the newspaper or on the Big News feed. Our stories are so important!
FICTION: Maddy chose to be a stay-at-home mom instead of having a business career. She’s good at it and is revered for her wisdom, positive thinking, and generosity. At times she feels as though her husband and daughter take her efforts for granted. When she leaps off the roof of the library where she volunteers, the town is shocked. Her husband Brady and daughter Eve wonder what they have done to make Maddy do such a thing. Maddy doesn’t quite leave them. She watches from above and tries to guide them toward happiness by choosing Rory to fill her place. This is a riveting story full of wisdom about life, death, and love. Highly recommend it!
To learn after 30 years of marriage that your husband is gay must have been a devastating revelation for the author. She writes of it in order to help other women that may face the same situation. She shares with us her loneliness and sadness, shock, and disorientation she experienced. She struggled through, eventually sorted out her own life, talked with others in the same situation and managed to return to being a wholesome, happy woman. This is a good book to read to understand the lives of others, especially when they are so different than our own. I highly recommend it!
This memoir of a young girl, surviving the blitz of London during WWII, the death of her father, Illness, and poverty gives insight to another time and another life. She gets a chance to convalesce in the beautiful Alps of Switzerland. She faces people she has never met in a country she’s never been to, and doesn’t have a clue about the language they are speaking. This gentle and touching story gives the reader a something a bit different from the usual WW II memoirs. Her life is redirected, opening vast opportunities to her in later life by a couple whose generosity is very welcome. It’s wonderful to read about good people doing good things in life that benefit others.