I ask many groups of writers: What makes someone a writer? The answers over the years have followed a similar theme, falling into the mythologies of who can claim to be a writer. The answers include ideas about solitary creation, being depressed, a life of desolation, achieving an academic degree, being paid for one’s work, being published, being acknowledged by publishers, the world, and forgoing all other endeavors. The following words often arise in these discussions: dedication, discipline, lonely, thick-skinned, deeply sensitive, introverted, impoverished, troubled, addicted, knowledgeable about everything, intellectual, precise and grammatically correct. The contradictions in many of these concepts is evident. For some people, only when their writing has earned a paycheck and/or affirmation by an outside agency such as a publishing house can a person claim the title Writer. These are daunting criteria and false premises in the inherent definition of what is and who can create Art.
This year I asked a room full of teens the question: Who is a writer? The very first answer was: You have to be a person. The other teens nodded in easy agreement. The second person to answer said, You have to believe in your writing. From there the group erupted with answers like: Don’t try so hard to be original, just say what you want to say. Pay attention to the world around you and write about it. Be serious or silly, but say it like yourself. These extraordinary statements hold empowerment and the recognition that everyone has a voice, a life to be told, a poem to sing, and a language with which to express them. These young writers have already claimed their voices. They offer hope and model what it means to be a Person!
Publications
Maud & Addie has been named a finalist in the Middle Grade category for Fitzroy Books, an imprint of Regal Publishing. Publish date is 2021. The following links are my author page and a blog post about the book on the Fitzroy website.
http://fitzroybooks.com/maureen-buchanan-jones/
http://fitzroybooks.com/blog/h
Upcoming Events
August Retreat Hawley, Massachusetts: August 11 – 14, 2019 Four days of writing bliss. The setting is perfect for letting your writing emerge! https://www.writingfulltilt.com/retreats/
February Retreat Malibu, California: February 3 – 6, 2020 All writers welcome, no matter the genre or experience level. This is your time to celebrate your writing! https://www.writingfulltilt.com/retreats/
Weekly Workshops Amherst, Massachusetts: Thursday Evenings & Friday Mornings, beginning September 19 & 20, 2019 https://www.writingfulltilt.com/workshops/
Online Weekly Workshops: Monday Evenings beginning September 16, 2019. https://www.writingfulltilt.com/online-workshop/
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