“There is no such thing as a boring life,” says Janelle Hardy, writer.
“There are people who think they can’t write, and people who think they don’t have interesting stories, but once someone starts writing about their life, it quickly becomes clear that a boring life is a complete myth.”
Hardy gets to prove her theory in her weekly memoir-writing classes at the Caetani Cultural Centre, which kick off Tuesday, Jan. 21, 7-9 p.m. with North Okanagan writers Art Dalton, Patti Shales Lefkos, Raven Dahl and more.
“I’m so fortunate to get this sneak-peek into my students’ lives. They show up with a desire to write about their stories, and all the fears that come along with a big ambitious creative project, and then they start writing and sharing their stories – it’s a luminous experience, witnessing other people’s lives unfolding on the page,” she enthuses. “I just want everyone to get their stories written and published and out there, they’re that wonderful!”
So she decided to host a reading, to encourage memoir writers to share their stories, get practice doing readings, and connect with each other.
“The other thing that happens with writing, and memoir-writing, is that, outside of a class here and there, writers toil away alone most of the time. It can get lonely, and we all need kindred spirits.”
Come for a friendly reading, complete with a potluck (bring nibblies if you’re so inclined, don’t sweat it if you aren’t) and listen in as more than four writers share snippets of their stories. It’ll be sweet, tender and funny.
You can even bring a small piece of your own writing (five minutes maximum) for the open mic, from 7 – 7:30 p.m.
The Caetani Cultural Centre programs a wide variety of arts and cultural events, including readings in the Studio Gallery and memoir-writing classes in their Caetani heritage house library.
For more information visit https://www.caetani.org or contact the Caetani Centre at 250-275-1525.
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