The Room to Write

We had a great time at the Middlesex 4-H Fair in Westford, MA on Sunday, August 28th. The weather was perfect with some sleepy morning clouds breaking way to blue skies and sun that gave us a good excuse to get one of those shaved ice treats they were serving at one of the tents.  Yum!  David Watts, Jr. and Neil Lander , of the Boston Pen People , invited The Room to Write to share their table this year at the fair. They brought their amazing pens and were joined by another pen aficionado named Karen about halfway through the day. She added some glass dip pens and glitter to their already amazing collection. We sat, we ate, kids dipped into various colors of ink and wrote, then typed and went away smiling. It's always fun to present writing and creative drawing through a few more unexpected avenues than young people are always used to. My daughter, Alice, helped out at the table and enjoyed trying out the various pens and typewriters as well. As people tried out the pens we ...

We are so grateful to the Town of Hamilton's Holly Erickson , Wenham Museum's Kristin Noon , and The Room to Write's Linda Malcolm for the generous collaborative spirit that made The Room to Write's July Writers and Illustrators Meet & Greet a success.  Pictured (left to right): Colleen Getty and Linda Malcolm, The Room to Write; Holly Erickson, Town of Hamilton's Patton Homestead; Kristin Noon, Wenham Museum; and Sandra Haupt and Robert Pushkar, writers in attendance. Twelve creative minds came out to gather, connect and enjoy an absolutely beautiful summer evening in the lovely and historically significant Patton Homestead. The inspirational space was made even more interesting by the invitation to take a glimpse into the Archives. Kristin Noon and Maj. Paul Cancelliere answered questions and pointed out highlights.  Learning about the Patton family's military history, vast equestrian knowledge and involvement, passion for sailing, as well as their connec...

The Journey of a Story went "on the road" to meet children's picture book author Valerie Bolling in Connecticut to discuss her journey to publication. Valerie explains the need for a Submission Package, shares the value of setting incremental goals, and the perspective that sometimes poor cell service is good for the creative process. Her writing journey begins with love and is grounded in community, giving way to her debut picture book Let's Dance , her recently released Together We Ride and more planned publications to come. Learn more about Valerie and her books Let's Dance , Together We Ride , and all the wonderful projects she's working on by clicking here ! Watch her video interview below:) Thank you so much to Wakefield Community Access Studios for making The Journey of a Story series possible and for Valerie Bolling for trying something new with us by conducting her interview remotely.

It's always a pleasure to step into the WCAT (Wakefield Community Access Television) Studios tucked behind the high school where visitors are surprised to see such a professional and impressive space dedicated to film and audio media.   During my most recent visit to the studios I interviewed local writer, illustrator and animator Sarah Lynne Reul .  Sarah is one of only a few illustrators I have interviewed in the space and so I was eager to learn more about how she creates the characters readers see in her many published books for children, including:  The Breaking News, Allie All Along, Nerp!, Farm the Farm, Pet the Pets and her Fall 2022 release of Bubbie & Rivka's Best Challah Ever (So Far!) . We talked about how all of us often start out liking to draw as children, but how as we get older we draw less and less until we're convinced we don't like to draw or that we can't draw well. Sarah's offers viewers inspiring advice about how much practice plays a...

TRtW's Gather & Write series is as social as writing gets. Gather and write. People want to write. We are writers of our own admission or perhaps we are hesitant to think of ourselves as such. Maybe we just want to try something new. And, it would be nice to write in the company of others. A designated time and space to set pen to paper or fingers to keyboard.  Writing is so often a solitary art. So many forms of art are solitary. Cerebral. Tapping into that mind of ours requires focus. Usually. But, focusing can be difficult in this day and age. Maybe when we look up from whatever it is we're trying to focus on it might help to see a rolling hill, distant trees--a bit of space. A different setting instead of the same pile of laundry or a new stack of dishes. Inspiration. That's what an artist of any sort needs. Where? How? Perhaps a beautiful old homestead in the pastoral setting of Hamilton, MA might do the trick. I have to say it was beautiful to see so much space a...

Sometimes it's simply a case of being surrounded by creative people and trying to come up with a way to collaborate in order to use their various super powers to make the group, as a whole, stronger. It's fun when we connect with other creative minds. And so that's how last week's mini-photo-shoot-fundraiser for The Room to Write came to be. TRtW is a smally but mighty, local non-profit. Together with two more mighty, local businesses: Ally Houghton Photography and Whitelam Books --the plan for a fun photo shoot was hatched. Writers and artists need head shots (a nice, professional photograph of themselves) and yet writers and artists tend to be a bit humble and shy, which is often their biggest barrier to actually getting one done. Often a writer or artist wants to be seen through the art they create--to remain off-camera. The other two barriers keeping local writers and artists from getting a professional photo of themselves taken are not knowing where to find a phot...

Need a professional headshot?  Headshots. You've heard about them--you've seen them, but how does one go about finding a photographer to take one and how much?! Maybe you got a headshot ten years ago and you'd like an updated photo, or you'd like a more serious photo, or a sillier photo . . .  Ally Houghton Photography is supporting TRtW by donating time and talent to provide professional, affordable headshots for local writers and artists and all the proceeds go toward supporting TRtW's writing programs.  Click here to sign up for a 10-minute shoot slot between 6pm - 8pm on May 12, 2022. Every writer and artist should have a high-quality, digital head shot to add to a website, social media page, blog or book cover. Special thanks to Whitelam Books for providing our "studio" space. What better backdrop for your photo: a bookstore. If weather permits, you can pick a spot outside using the nearby park as your backdrop or the brick wall of the building, etc. ...