You may not think that your life stories are interesting enough, but we all have tales to share with future generations.
For the 14th year, The Bloomingdale Writer’s Connection (BWC) will offer a 10-week Life Story Writing (LSW) class at the Bloomingdale Regional Library. It is free to participate and the class is funded by the Friends of the Library.
Upon completion of the course, each person will have written at least nine new life stories and will have an organized life story writing portfolio to which you may continue to add. The classes are for all skill levels.
According to Val Perry, who has coordinated these classes almost from the beginning, “Many times I have been told by participants that taking the life writing class has changed their lives in a positive way. Through writing short stories every week, younger people often find a new life direction, while retired people learn an appreciation for their lives.”
Everyone develops an increased interest in their family history. The writing coaches are trained to help writers at all skill levels. The goal of a class participant might be to just leave a legacy of their lives for their families, while others may wish to rekindle their past enjoyment of writing with a goal of publishing a book.
This year, you can take the classes either on Wednesdays at 10:30 a.m. (January 29-April 1, 2020) or Fridays at 1:30 p.m. (January 31-April 3, 2020).
Each class meets for about two and a half hours each week and is appropriate for all skill levels and all ages. Many people find the course to be therapeutic because the classes invite them to reflect on their lives and get new perspectives.
A different theme is visited each week. Hands-on activities and group interaction help participants to dig deeper into buried memories.
Susana Mueller took the class four years ago and said, “The 10-week Life Story Writing course at the Bloomingdale Library taught me how to tell my life stories in a series of vignettes, or short stories. The class was a springboard to formatting and publishing Now I Swim, a book about how I overcame the fear of water and became a swim instructor.”
According to Perry, “A large network of life writers and many friendships have formed over the 14 years this course has been offered thanks to the sponsorship of the Friends of the Bloomingdale Regional Library.”
For more, contact Perry at LifeWritersBloom@msn.com or pick up a brochure in the foyer of the library.
