The Circle meets on the second Saturday of the month from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. We will meet on April 8 for our read-around at Chester Springs Library.
One of my favorite writing prompts begins like this: On this day …
Here’s something I wrote to the prompt.
On this day I listen. He talks about the women he’s met of late. In a room steeped in angst and cigarette smoke, his disappointment is palpable. “These women” cheat on husbands and boyfriends, he says. They phone him at midnight leaving rambling drug-intoxicated messages; desperate texts begging, “Please, I miss you! I need to see you again.” Oh, my poor son, I wish we could both be young again. Remember when I let you skip school for the day so we could pick pumpkins and eat lunch at a diner where the waitresses wore name tags and the open-faced turkey sandwiches simmered in homemade gravy?
On this day I think back to when I was young and in love. I recall Joni Mitchell’s lyric “tethered to a ringing telephone line.” I was that sad girl who waited for the call that never came. A man was supposed to pursue me! Is this role reversal of the sexes—woman as predator and pursuer —some bizarre end product of feminism, calling a man at midnight?
On this day I’m wearing comfortable, cotton pajamas and a bathrobe. I close the door behind him as he waves goodbye. A sliver of pink magnolia peeks through the kitchen window. I pour a hot cup of coffee. A whole day to myself waits.
“A word after a word after a word is Power.” ~ Margaret Atwood
Guidelines for Read-Around
Each writer gets 5 minutes. She may use this time however she pleases; to read or to read and get feedback on her work. Please practice your reading before you come to read-around. It helps those listening to your work and provides for more valuable feedback.
The Women’s Writing Circle is a supportive place where we share our love of writing and our work in a spirit of camaraderie and goodwill. The read-around is a lovely exercise of reading aloud what you wrote in an intimate setting while “test-driving” your voice and your work. We also discuss writing techniques. There is a $10 fee to attend the Circle for time spent in organizing and a donation to the library. For more information, contact Susan Weidener at: sgweidener@comcast.net or susanweidener711@gmail.com
Along the Writer's Way 