Moody Blues and Sunny Days!

Moods have generally been grey around here in empathy with the sky. But the sun shone yesterday and I was out for a writer’s workshop. In the before time (BC=Before Covid), almost all the workshops I attended were in-person. But with the advent of zoom, most are now online. Living in the middle-of-nowhere, I’m grateful for the opportunity to gather and learn with people at a distance.

But it was so refreshing to be in-person, to see local friends I haven’t seen in a while. Yesterday’s workshop, hosted by

Arlen Wiebe

as part of his Owen Sound Memoir Series. The first author wa Ali Hassan who is is touring his recent memoir, Is There Bacon in Heaven?. I had previously purchased a copy at the Eden Mills Writers’ Festival and it was laugh-out-loud funny.

Next to my love of all things writing, is my love of comedy. And while I’m not a memoir writer, I do venture into essays from time-to-time. I went for the comedy writing and was not disappointed. It was a large workshop, but Ali did a great job of leading us through teaching, writing assignments and sharing.

And being in-person led to some great heart-connections among my writer friends. I brainstormed with a friend over her memoir project. From another friend, I was offered a potential workshop to and also given a small writing assignment for her magazine. Then I ran into a writer friend at our local Artist’s Co-op and we had a long chat.

As I roll into my semi-semi-retirement and my children fly the nest, I’ve decided I finally have time to incorporate Julia Cameron’s Artist Dates, into my life. I’m making a commitment to myself to go out with a local artist friend in my area at least once a month, to reconnect and inspire. Here’s to more sunny days!