May 2001

Greetings from Inkberry!

I admit it: I never plan in advance. Still, six months ago I staked out June 14th in big red letters on my calendar. If you haven’t yet decided what you’ll be doing that Thursday evening, get out your magic marker and write it in: DONALD HALL, MAIN STREET STAGE, 7:30 P.M. You absolutely do not want to miss this appearance by Hall, an award-winning poet and essayist who has graciously agreed to kick off Inkberry’s reading series. Take a moment, grab a pen, write a reminder …okay? Good.

Actually, perhaps the most exciting news about Inkberry is that we’re just running like a top. Administratively, we’re hip-deep in grant proposals, keeping the bills paid, and busily planning our upcoming classes and events. While I’m personally still on a high from this Tuesday’s book group on Arthur C. Clarke, I think we’re all particularly enjoying our writing workshop every Thursday. We’ve got a hip, smart group of people sharing their ideas and turning out some really strong work.

Inkberry’s a train on a track; there’s such an infectious, kinetic energy that it’s hard not to whoop out loud. We’re planning ahead for a press push, where we’ll encourage our friends and neighbors (that’s you!) to enroll in our summer workshop, or in one of our reading groups. Emily will be running a provocative group called “Stranger Than Fiction,” on novels that don’t fit the definition of novels, while our good friend Daniel Wallace (the Wandering Chef) will lead a group on food writing. We’ll be offering a second installment of our introductory mixed-genre workshop this summer, and then expanding our course offerings in the fall. I’d tell you all about it, but I’m so excited about Donald Hall’s reading that I can barely think ahead any further.

I haven’t read any new books lately; I’ve been rereading old ones. I’m late for my niece’s birthday, and about to miss my nephew’s as well. Since I want to be a cool aunt, I’ll naturally be giving them books … but which books? Everyone knows about J.K.Rowling’s Harry Potter books, but what about Frances Hodgson Burnett’s The Secret Garden, or the original Peter Pan by James M. Barrie? Or Roald Dahl’s James and the Giant Peach? Is it time yet for L.M. Montgomery’s Anne of Green Gables, or Tolkien’s The Hobbit? One of the groups I imagine for Inkberry is a reading group where kids and adults can enjoy these classics together … but I also remember as a kid that books were the worlds I visited where no grown-ups could look over my shoulder. I’m putting it out to you; let us know what classes and book groups you’d like to see in the months ahead.

— Sandy