I was seven years old when I wrote my first poem. A neighbor�s flower garden had captivated my attention. Yellow Black-eyed Susans cavorting with purple Russian Sage and white Daisies tittering amongst each other had beckoned me merrily to come closer. As I watched butterflies dance in and out and around the flowers, a bubble of unexpected joy expanded within me, and suddenly I knew that I must capture that feeling before it burst.
34 years later I still marvel at those two verses:
The flouers are lauffing; the butterflyes are dancing.
My heart is ful becuz the world is romanzing.
Even at that tender age, I had learned the power of words, albeit misspelled. I wanted to convey my emotions, and the written word became my medium. In that moment, the words Maya Angelou would one day speak: �There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you,� became my reality.
As writers, we write for many reasons. Some write so our ordinary lives will be extraordinary. Others write to impact the world around us. A few write for the money. Many write as a way of bringing meaning to our world. Most of us, though, write simply because we must.
Aimless thoughts ambling about our minds become coherent strands, weaving an articulate argument, only when our pens hit the paper. Random images fluttering here and there turn into scenic descriptions, enchanting the mundane, once typed into our computers. Hurts and disappointments evolve over time, creating stories of strength, mirth, or truth, as we journal in our diaries.
No matter why you write, we offer you an opportunity to enjoy the benefits we provide as a writers� collaborative. Craft workshops, creative writing groups, author events � our hope and desire is that you will find a supportive community that encourages your personal writing endeavors, whatever they may be. As French novelist, Ana�s Nin, once said: �We write to taste life twice, in the moment and in retrospect.� We invite you to savor all that writing can be.
Paula Castner
