I’ve been writing professionally for more than two decades, so what took me so long to discover the St. Louis Writer’s Guild? Established in 1920, this group has more than 320 members—the most famous one was playwright Tennessee Williams (The Glass Menagerie) who won the short story contest in 1935.

So one recent Saturday morning, I dragged myself out of my warm, cozy bed, even though the streets were still snow covered from the night before and the mailbox was frozen shut. Who in their right mind would sit in a classroom for two hours on a bitter cold weekend, I thought, besides me? I must be crazy. But my purpose was two-fold. One, I wanted to see for myself what the St Louis Writer’s Guild was all about, offering monthly workshops, open mic nights, and an author speaker series to support local wordsmiths. And two, as a co-producer/director of the 2^nd annual Listen To Your Mother, I wanted to promote this opportunity for local writers to read their original stories about motherhood in front a live audience.

I expected only a few people at the meeting, and I got there late. To my surprise, after I rushed to the second floor of Kirkwood Community Center, I noticed the room was packed with men and women, dressed in slushy snow boots with their heavy coats and scarves draped on the back of their folding chairs. Everyone eagerly took notes and seemed engrossed in the topic of conversation: “Love Scenes: When to Turn Out the Lights,” presented by local author Lynn Cahoon.

Let’s put it this way. It might have been freezing outside with icicles hanging in the windows, but it sure got hot in here.

Continue reading →