Writers Can Be Friends, Too
Writers Can Be Friends, Too
Thank you to my friends at The Southern Collective Experience for the opportunity to share a little about myself and my friends. The full interview can be found in the Blue Mountain Review at: Blue Mountain Review May 2023 by CollectiveMedia – Issuu (See page 87).
Writers, a world of introverts. Writing a competitive career where sometimes colleagues do not like to share.
As a new writer, I appreciate the genuine help and support from two groups of friends. One group, I casually call my Beaufort, SC family. This started in February 2021 when I read Cassandra King’s memoir about her life with Pat Conroy, Tell Me a Story. Her work touched many aspects of my daily comedic married life and my “rules” for family cooking. It also reminded me of how Mary Lucia and I have supported each other through some rough times, including Breast Cancer and losing loved ones, and good times.
The most significant part of her work, learning about the Pat Conroy Literary Center in Pat Conroy’s hometown, Beaufort, SC. During my initial visit to the Literary Center, I had the pleasure of meeting Cassandra and Pat’s sister, Kathy Harvey. They and the many learning offerings at the Literary Center got me off to a fast start. Later, I met the executive director, Jonathan Haupt, and his brilliant interns carrying on Pat Conroy’s legacy. From there, I met many supportive and encouraging authors, who have become friends, Bren McClain, Estelle Ford-Williamson, and Rebecca Bruff.
Finally, a special moment occurred in Beaufort when we reconnected with Maxine and Benton Lutz. Benton, the former pastor at St. Stephen Lutheran Church in Williamsburg, VA, baptized Mary Lucia; and it was Benton’s first baptism as a newly ordained pastor.
The second group, The Southern Collective Experience.
Part of being a writer is your fear of being vulnerable by putting yourself “out there.” I did that with the help of The Southern Collective Experience.
Clifford Brooks and his corps of talented writers and artists embraced what I was attempting; a story about families and the early southern textile mills. After months of help and support, I am ready to publish my first work, Life Close to the Bone (Fall 2023). This novella is a tribute to the many generations of my family who worked in the mills after having to leave their farms. The sequel to Life Close to the Bone is a coming-of-age story, No Greater Nakedness, a story about the generations after the textile mills and how their past follows them.
