If you’re looking for a way to meet fellow writers, share your words, get on stage, get comfortable public speaking, meet interesting people, adjust to a new town and make new friends, why not start a writer’s group?

A few years ago I started something called a Writer’s Cafe and had a blast! A group of us, usually different, but with a few regulars would meet at a local coffee shop and read from works in progress,  inviting critiques afterward.

We heard stories of a lifetime spent wine-making and working in the Hollywood lighting biz, a zen poem from a photographer, snippets of Proust from a twenty-something student, tales of home repair from a retired accountant, new age shamanistic writings from an Irish fiance, a spacecraft script from an animation teacher, wonderful musicals from a playwright, composer who would bring her guitar or play the piano to accompany all of us as we read from her script, tales of war from a sociology professor and once a guest appearance from a published poet who sang and played guitar. I used to read  'Lefty' poetry which accompanied my left handed drawings and then have folks re-create a Lefty pose, give themselves a funny name and write it on a Polaroid I snapped using their non dominant hand (see below)! All in all it was a great experience and I highly recommend it  for that extra oomph to help push your writing/speaking to new heights.

Read the Press Enterprise article in full here.