Joy of the Pen submissions have been received and we are eagerly awaiting the Joy of the Pen Reception on Saturday, November 14 1-3pm here at the Topsham Public Library. We have been encouraged by the growing number of submissions we receive each year for this program. The number of submissions is evidence of the vibrant writing community that exists in Topsham and beyond.
Are you one of those people who, upon hearing that Joy of the Pen has rolled around again, excitedly dusts off a piece 
of your work and spruces it up to submit? And as you tidy up this piece, ideas and characters pop into your imagination for other pieces, and you tell yourself that this time you will keep writing and get on to paper the worlds that are in your head. At first, you write hurriedly and excitedly because things are so clear and the characters are so alive, but then things become blurry and what was once so clear has become dark and difficulties with timing or plot arise. Or perhaps a story wants to be written one way, but you don’t want to write it that way, so you decide to let it rest for a bit, but you will return to it in a little while – at least that’s what you tell yourself. Then a few weeks pass, maybe a few months, could be a few years later you stumble upon it and guilt floods in. You are a terrible writer – a terrible person – what kind of human being are you?! (My mind pictures over-dramatic damsels lying slumped over the writing table weeping in despair.)
Well no more! No more are we going to languish in self-loathing! No more are we going to keep silent the stories that war in us! Instead, we are going to encourage one another to do what we have dreamed of doing! We are going to help each other overcome the fear of doing something new and slay the dragon that keeps us from telling the story the way it needs to be told. Whether a new writer or an old pro, we can help one another. Beginning November 2015, the first Tuesday of every month (so the first meeting is November 3, 6-7pm) the Topsham Public Library will host Writer’s Meetup. It will be facilitated by Melissa Walsh (she facilitated our writing programs that were part of our summer reading program this past summer), and it is an informal time (with snacks!) to meet new people, make new friends, and talk all things writing. This is a free program and open to the public, so there is absolutely no reason why you can’t join us!