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New Books, New Life
Jun. 21st, 2017 10:43 amA couple of months after failing to save her life, I realized that I needed to start doing things to save my own. My first thought was to maybe find a local writers' group like the ones I'd belonged to in the past.
But a quick scan of local internet sites confirmed what I had previously surmised: that the digital horizon was now littered with the unattended and lifeless remains of all but one of the groups that I'd been acquainted with in the past.
Moreover, there were no new ones that looked to be viable or of interest and I knew that the single one remaining was not a good fit, for who or where I was in my life or for what I wanted to do as a writer.
So I turned my attention to the other side of the literacy experience and began looking for reading groups. I sort of liked the idea because it was something I'd never tried before and such novelty is often at the heart of an effective diversion.
The first one that I looked at, and subsequently participated in, was in a lakeside village to the northeast of the city. It actually met in the public library which had sponsored one of the writers' groups that I'd been part of some years earlier.
And, in fact, it turned out to be a nice experience. But the very next month, the group was scheduled to take its month-long summer break and I really wanted to maintain the momentum I'd gained through this new interest.
Then my daughter suggested that I might try a library which is located just over the hill from us, in the suburbs southwest of the city.
And when I checked out its internet site, I found a full summer schedule, an interesting selection of books to be read and discussed, and a location much closer than any of my previous options.
Having said all of that, and having mentioned the role of the internet in the process of searching out these opportunities and choosing from among them, it's probably a little ironic that two of the groups not selected actually offered something not found in either of the two that I finally settled on.
One was the previously-mentioned writers' group and the other was a second book club in the northeastern village where I attended my first meeting.
What they both offered was a page where members and prospective members could list their reading or writing interests as a way of determining how well the group might fit the needs of current or prospective members.
In the case of the book club, they had a page for members to list the books they'd read over the past year. And I think that's what I'd like to close this entry with.
You know, like the momentary glitter of hopeful lights in a dark place or maybe a storm-tossed flotilla of lifeboats on threatening waters. You choose.
Anyway, that's what I'm gonna do as soon as I figure out how to put the list under a whadda-ya-call-it. Because, you know, computer literacy is not one of those that I claim as my own...
LPK
@Dreamwidth
6.21.2017
But a quick scan of local internet sites confirmed what I had previously surmised: that the digital horizon was now littered with the unattended and lifeless remains of all but one of the groups that I'd been acquainted with in the past.
Moreover, there were no new ones that looked to be viable or of interest and I knew that the single one remaining was not a good fit, for who or where I was in my life or for what I wanted to do as a writer.
So I turned my attention to the other side of the literacy experience and began looking for reading groups. I sort of liked the idea because it was something I'd never tried before and such novelty is often at the heart of an effective diversion.
The first one that I looked at, and subsequently participated in, was in a lakeside village to the northeast of the city. It actually met in the public library which had sponsored one of the writers' groups that I'd been part of some years earlier.
And, in fact, it turned out to be a nice experience. But the very next month, the group was scheduled to take its month-long summer break and I really wanted to maintain the momentum I'd gained through this new interest.
Then my daughter suggested that I might try a library which is located just over the hill from us, in the suburbs southwest of the city.
And when I checked out its internet site, I found a full summer schedule, an interesting selection of books to be read and discussed, and a location much closer than any of my previous options.
Having said all of that, and having mentioned the role of the internet in the process of searching out these opportunities and choosing from among them, it's probably a little ironic that two of the groups not selected actually offered something not found in either of the two that I finally settled on.
One was the previously-mentioned writers' group and the other was a second book club in the northeastern village where I attended my first meeting.
What they both offered was a page where members and prospective members could list their reading or writing interests as a way of determining how well the group might fit the needs of current or prospective members.
In the case of the book club, they had a page for members to list the books they'd read over the past year. And I think that's what I'd like to close this entry with.
You know, like the momentary glitter of hopeful lights in a dark place or maybe a storm-tossed flotilla of lifeboats on threatening waters. You choose.
Anyway, that's what I'm gonna do as soon as I figure out how to put the list under a whadda-ya-call-it. Because, you know, computer literacy is not one of those that I claim as my own...
LPK
@Dreamwidth
6.21.2017
