Literature & Writing   

Are you aspiring to become an author? Do you possess a compelling, inspiring, or thought-provoking narrative that has been held back from being shared due to the daunting prospect of writing a book? Join author Lori Szepelak as she guides you through the steps she employed to self-publish three books through Balboa Press, a division of Hay House. If you are prepared to embrace the challenge and have the financial means, perhaps it is the opportune moment to embark on the journey of writing your own New York Times best-seller. Attendees will have the opportunity to share their book ideas and receive constructive feedback. It is never too late to share your story if you feel compelled to do so.

Learn how to write a meaningful obituary that honors a loved one's life and legacy. With more than 35 years of experience as a newspaper reporter, Lori Szepelak will share her expertise and discuss how obituaries have evolved over the decades. Participants will learn the essential elements of an effective obituary and receive a comprehensive handout featuring an outline, sample obituary, and key considerations for crafting a lasting tribute.

For those wishing to share their values, wisdom, and experiences with their loved ones - a legacy letter is a wonderful way to touch the hearts of those closest to you. Through a simple writing exercise, learn how to create a heartfelt letter that will be cherished by others for years to come. The process may also be a healing exercise for the writer since it will be necessary to reflect and analysis one's life.

Over a five-week course multiple authors of various writing styles and backgrounds will encourage writers to write. The course begins with a basic review of writing components. Students will be introduced to the subcategories of writing Non-Fiction, Memoirs and Fiction. Students will be encouraged to participate in class with feedback, to make attempts at various writing skills, and to courteously provide critique of classmates writings.

Facilitators: Barbara Scales, Lori Szepelak, Paul Di Sclafani, Thomas Nicholl

Learn how to write a meaningful obituary that honors a loved one's life and legacy. With more than 35 years of experience as a newspaper reporter, Lori Szepelak will share her expertise and discuss how obituaries have evolved over the decades. Participants will learn the essential elements of an effective obituary and receive a comprehensive handout featuring an outline, sample obituary, and key considerations for crafting a lasting tribute.

This class is your invitation to step into the world of storytelling and bring your imagination to life. Whether you're just starting out or already crafting your own tales, you'll explore the essential elements that make fiction come alive, memorable characters, compelling plots, vivid settings, and more. Through hands-on practice and creative exploration, you'll build the skills and confidence to shape your ideas into engaging stories. By the end of the course, you won't just understand how stories work, you'll be able to create your own with purpose, style, and flair.

Student Learning Outcomes
•    The basic techniques and terminology of fiction writing
•    The basic elements of fiction writing
•    How to identify point of view in fiction and how to write from one specific point of view
•    How to craft a scene with evocative detail and tension
•    How to develop empathetic characters
•    How to identify plot in a story
•    How to tie all the above elements together into a cohesive structure 
•    Each student will complete one story of a minimum of 1000 words.
     These outcomes will be achieved through the following work:
•    Critical examination of selected writing examples
•    Examination of student writings created from in class assignments
•    Lecture on various elements of fiction writing to include:
o    Plot
o    Character
o    Point of View
o    Scene/ Summary
o    Dialogue

Can you relate to John Cougar Mellencamp's 1985 song Small Town? If so, let's share some memories of our childhood growing up in a small town! Author Lori Szepelak will provide prompts based on her cherished memories of growing up in a small town in Western Massachusetts. She will also encourage attendees to share their recollections and photographs of their experiences growing up.

One of the great novels of all time, Dostoevsky's masterpiece has challenged ideas of morals, responsibility and freedom.  This class will examine the key themes of the novel and its lingering questions.  It is not necessary to have read the novel, as we will summarize the story.

Are you aspiring to become an author? Do you possess a compelling, inspiring, or thought-provoking narrative that has been held back from being shared due to the daunting prospect of writing a book? Join author Lori Szepelak as she guides you through the steps she employed to self-publish three books through Balboa Press, a division of Hay House. If you are prepared to embrace the challenge and have the financial means, perhaps it is the opportune moment to embark on the journey of writing your own New York Times best-seller. Attendees will have the opportunity to share their book ideas and receive constructive feedback. It is never too late to share your story if you feel compelled to do so.

Mortality is a subject many prefer to avoid. In The Death of Ivan Ilyich, Leo Tolstoy offers a powerful exploration of death, denial, and what it means to live a meaningful life. Through one man's final days, readers are challenged to reflect on their own values, relationships, and mortality.

This discussion based session requires participants to read the novella in advance. The book is widely available online, often free or for less than one dollar, and through most libraries.

This workshop is designed for those who enjoy writing short fiction or woulf like to try their hand at it. Led by published writers, each session will include a facilitated discussion of one or more of the critical ingredients of fiction writing along with the opportunity to share, review and discuss individual group members' writing. The workshop is based on the concept that feedback from peers can contribute to a writers' confidence and creativity. The goal is to build writing skills and help one another to strengthen things like story lines and character development.

If you enjoy writing and have a creative, bent our monthly meetings will inspire you to dig deeper. You will spend time with other writers, some published, some not, all whom, regardless of their level of experience, want to exchange ideas with other writers, and by doing so, improve their own craft.  As an example, we will work on character development, story content, writing convincing dialog and the importance of Show-don't tell.