SHOWING THEIR ‘WRITE STUFF’
By Geoff Moore/ Correspondent

Lincoln Journal, MA
June 15 2006

On June 8, 13 local writers, collectively known as the Lincoln Public
Library "Write Stuff Group," invited friends and relatives to a public
sampling of the fruits of their writing labor.

On what was an appropriate, if cliched, "dark and stormy night,"
26 people gathered in the wood-paneled Tarbell Room to hear five of
the writers read works ranging from memoir to mystery.

The depth of these talents was to the fore at the first public
reading of the group as Henry Haroian read movingly from the final
chapter of his recently completed memoir. In it he describes his
family’s harrowing and fortunate escape from the Armenian Genocide
that began in 1914 and their new life filled with hope and growth in
the United States.

Dancing Candles, a thriller by Kathy Deickler and set in an old
Victorian mansion, told of a woman’s fear, alone with an intruder
during a storm and power outage that was as chilling as the weather
conditions outside.

Of a gentler nature was the short essay from Wesley Frost recalling
the journey of a durable cast iron cider press from Vermont to Codman
Farm through 60 years of use by three owners, including Frost himself,
who also rebuilt its oak frame.

Intrigue returned with a "twist in the tail" story from Palmer
Faran. Set in an art gallery, two women discuss an abstract painting
that reminds one of them of her artist sister and her death as a
result of using poisoned finger paints.

Geoff Moore read a scene from his mystery novel, in which Scotland
Yard detective Harry Flash, on assignment to Boston Police Department,
is embroiled in a seemingly random act of road rage, which has fatal
and far-reaching consequences.

The evening ended with an inventive piece of fiction from Neil
O’Hara, describing a hedge fund manager’s ingenious, if shocking
plans to mitigate his funds losses after a terrorist attack blocks
the Panama Canal.

What inspires a group of people to come together and share their
creative thoughts and inner feelings in written form? Some are seeking
a nurturing environment for their first foray into writing for an
audience. For others, as at ease with their words as they are with
their lives, it is an extension of a love for the written word that
began a lifetime ago.

>From diverse backgrounds and with differing ambitions, these writers
have many things in common. One of them is a willingness to share
their work, be it a memoir, essay, editorial commentary, short story,
poetry or mystery novel. Another is their commitment to read each
others work, first perhaps for enjoyment, but then again as writers,
looking to provide comments on plot, style, structure, dialogue,
theme or any of the many skills that make up a good writer’s toolbox.

The Write Stuff group was established in October 2004 and is led
by Lincoln Reference Librarian Jeanne Bracken, herself a published
writer. It meets at 7 p.m. on the second and fourth Wednesday of each
month during the summer. New writers of all interests and abilities are
welcome to attend and further public readings are planned in the fall.