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"If you wait for inspiration, you're not a writer, but a waiter..."  - Anonymous

Welcome to Pen to Paper, a writers' group based in southeastern Michigan. Founded in 2000 by Jackie Gamber, we remain a small group of adults interested in the craft of writing. Pen to Paper offers advice, resources, exercises, and friendly encouragement.  Please scroll to "Guidelines" to learn more about our meeting format and membership expectations. 

Purpose

Our meetings offer a variety of activities, from flash fiction and "found" poetry to writing from prompts and playing word games. We are not limited to any one genre nor do we focus solely on critique. Everyone actively participates, including on occasion offering presentations on subjects of interest to the group.

Inspiration

"So why does our writing matter? . . . Because of the spirit, I say. Because of the heart. Writing and reading decrease our sense of isolation. They deepen and widen and expand our sense of life: they feed the soul. When writers make us shake our heads with the exactness of their prose and their truths, and even make us laugh about ourselves or life, our buoyancy is restored. We are given a shot at dancing with, or at least clapping along with, the absurdity of life, instead of being squashed by it over and over again. It's like singing on a boat during a terrible storm at sea. You can't stop the raging storm, but singing can change the hearts and spirits of the people who are together on that ship" (p. 237).

Anne Lamott, Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life

Coming Up for P2P

November 4th:  Election Day!  Exercise your right to vote!  Meeting, 6 PM

November 9th:  "Writers on the River, " Ellis Reference & Information Center, 3700 S. Custer Rd., Monroe, MI          12 - 3 PM 

November 18th:  Meeting,      6 PM 

   December 2nd:  Meeting,      6 PM

December 16h:  Holiday Meeting and Party 6 PM.  Reading of the annual Christmas stories.

MEMBER BIRTHDAY!!!    January 2nd, Jennifer 

January 6th:  Meeting, 6 PM.

January 20th:  Meeting, 6 PM.

Please be patient, good things are in the works.
Read more...
 

jim-book-cover.jpg

The novel is suspenseful, described as "a tense and all-too possible tale of madness, murder and mayhem in Pittsburgh, Pa."  It portrays how two women, a mild housewife and a veteran news reporter bring down a psychopath.  Diane Duval's husband is missing.  Shortly afterwards she begins receiving frightening calls during one of which the caller tells her she is to be murdered.  She doesn't know it then, but he has even set the exact date for her demise.  The police consider the calls as the work of a prankster and there is no danger, but Diane is dissatisfied with that.  Then, a female reporter she met at the police station has come across information that suggests Diane may indeed be in serious trouble  The women then set out on a deadly path to find when, why , where and how she is to be murdered and who will do the murdering.  What they discover leads them down a terrifying and murderous trail   "It's the type of novel readers will find difficult to put down," one critic said.

                                VISIT JIM FALK'S WEBSITE AT www.jamesfalk.net