I returned to my old stomping grounds this weekend to do a writing workshop with Leaving Gee’s Bend author Irene Latham. Springville Road Library in Birmingham is where I looked up everything for my senior research paper on how The Great Gatsby was influenced by The Waste Land (I still think it’s a fascinating topic to this day!). Irene and I went to high school together and were even in the same service club, but we never knew each other very well. She graduated a year ahead of me, even though I’m actually a year older than she is (she’s one of those grade-skipping smartypants types!). I do remember a service club slumber party at her house where we toilet papered the yards of new members, which was so much fun! Then, what do you know, twenty years later, we both had teen novels come out within a few months of each other! It’s so great to be back in touch with Irene; she’s such a sweet person and so generous about helping aspiring and emerging writers.
Adding to the fun was the fact that I brought along two of my best friends, Jody Evans and Cita Smith, who are both excellent writers. I fully expect to be posting info about their debut novels someday.
Thanks to (unfortunately camera-shy) librarian Rochelle and the book seller from St. Vincent’s Hospital for putting together an event that I hope was inspiring and educational for those who attended.
Jody gets down to business.
Jody, Me, and Cita
Workshop participants hard at work
A good crowd!
