Writers Guild plans open mic

An Open Mic is being planned for Tuesday, December 16 from 10:00 to 11:15 a.m. at the Gene Salem Senior Center. Members of the Point Pleasant Writers Guild will read aloud selected stories, poems, essays, songs or other forms of creative expression and invites others in attendance to join the fun and do likewise. Members of the Guild met in October and shared their writings on various subjects. On “Fears and Phobias”, one member wrote about how she gets panicky when driving too close to other cars in narrow spaces. Another member wrote on her experience, at the age of 5, of hearing her grandfather as he lay dying in the next room. Not understanding fully the situation, she believed she would share the same fate unless she held a hand over her heart all the time. The impossibility of doing such a thing led to her first panic attack. Another writer described her character as someone who dreaded fall because it brought the mice indoors, and she feared mice with a passion. Another fear shared by a fourth member was that of having an accident while riding in or on a moving vehicle. A fifth member wrote about her fear of ponies and roosters as a result of her visits to her grandfather’s farm as a child. A discussion on the difference between a fear and a phobia ensued. Nearly everyone fears something but they deal with it and lead a normal life. A phobia, on the other hand, can seem to have no basis, and can have crippling effects on a person. For example, Agoraphobia, Fear of the Market Place, keeps a person from venturing beyond his own home. Poet Emily Dickinson suffered from this phobia. Using the theme of “Wild Man on a Mountain”, one member wrote about a survivalist and his wife who lived a rather primitive life on a mountain until he had to decide between his life style and his wife, who wanted to move into town. On “Seasons” a couple of members wrote about the beauty of the fall season and the holidays that lead up to Christmas. One member wrote that winter is the rudest of seasons. Just when it seems to be over and done, it fools the first flowers of spring into blooming, and then kills them with its bitter cold. Another member read the beginning of his poem, “Blue, the Season”. “What Happened to Cinderella?” was the title of one story, a parody of the well-known fairy tale, in which the prince and Cinderella (“Harry and Cindy”), go through life like most “ordinary royalty” do…getting married, having children and even having disagreements from time to time. Perhaps the title should be “Cinderella---the Rest of the Story” and the ending should read “And they lived happily ever after….for the most part.” Following the readings, an exercise was carried out which involved impromptu writing. One person started a story with one sentence, and each of the other members added a sentence of their own. When completed, the story was read aloud. Guild member, Marilyn Clarke, has finished her 8th book, which is entitled “Every Other Wednesday”. It is about the lives of six ladies who have been friends since high school and who meet for lunch every other Wednesday. Of interest to the Guild, is the front cover which shows the old Wahama High School before it was replaced with the current building. Clarke hastened to explain that the stories within the book are not autobiographical. “Every Other Wednesday” will be available soon. Her newest book in print, “Sons and Daughters”, is available on Amazon.com, as an e-book at Barnes and Noble, and also for local purchase at the Mason Jar in Point Pleasant.