So, how did the workshop go? you ask.

     Well, I have to tell you that it was just fabulous!
     Author, activist, and environmentalist Janisse Ray presented an outstanding workshop Saturday, the 21st.  It was exactly what many of our writing friends had wanted...memoirs and creative nonfiction.
     Twenty-four people from Moultrie, Tifton, Thomasville, Albany, and even Newton, Georgia, showed up for the almost six-hour workshop and, believe me, they were not disappointed.
     Janisse not only talked about her own writing experiences, her books, her MFA instructor and exercises, her sustainable farm and her son, but she gave us pointers on how to uncap our memories and write about them.
     The exercises were thought-provoking...such as, list what you obsess about, which also made us wonder about our passions.  We pondered about things we didn't want to write about, the things we knew we should write about, and the difference between memoirs and creative nonfiction.
     We worked hard for three hours, then broke for lunch, and came back to learn more.  We shared our writings, shared our frustrations and desires, and we formed a really wonderful writing community.  We left the workshop with tools in hand and ideas in mind.
     We've had many folks ask us when we're going to have another Janisse Ray writing workshop, and we've had to say, "Whenever she has the time."  Janisse's schedule is one I would not want to follow.  She's traveling, reviewing her books, giving workshops, and still trying to maintain a healthy home lifestyle (and stay sane!).
     Sometime this year we will again have Janisse here.  She has a new book about seed saving coming out in July (The Seed Underground: an Outlandish Revolution to Save Food).  Hang in there if you're interested in another event of writing or book reviewing.  We're working on it.  In the meantime, enjoy her website.
(website: www.janisseray.weebly.com)

Jackie Cooper is coming!!!

     If you've gotten this far, then I know you've been on our home page and you've seen the information about Jackie Cooper coming to the library.
     Jackie is a wonderful human being who just happens to be an author, critic of films and books, a columnist, and speaker for various events.  He's known in middle Georgia as the "entertainment man" since his entertainment reviews run in several newspapers and are shown on television. 
     His short stories have been heard on Georgia Public Radio and his books are the type of "homey memories" that we all love to hear.  If I didn't know better, I'd think Jackie and Bailey White are related. 
     Jackie's current books are Journey of a Gentle Southern Man, Chances and Choices, Halfway Home, The Bookbinder and The Sunrise Remembers.  And you can be sure another one is on the way as you read this.
     Well, back to him coming to the library.
     On Saturday, January 15th, Jackie is going to give a memoirs-writing workshop, 8:45 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the library auditorium.  Our address is 204 5th Street, S.E., only a few blocks away from the courthouse in the center of town.
     The event is sponsored by the Moultrie-Colquitt County Library System and Sunbelt Writers.  It's supported by the Georgia Humanities Council and the National Endowment for the Humanities, as well as through appropriations from the Georgia General Assembly.  The workshop will show people who are interested in sharing their memories how to write them before they are lost and give future generations a sense of connection to their relatives.
     Jackie's no beginner at this sort of workshop.  He's taught his course at the Margaret Mitchell House in Atlanta; the South Carolina Book Festival; the South Carolina Writers Workshop; Yawn's Bookshop in Canton, Georgia; the Red Clay Writers Workshop in Kennesaw, Georgia; and at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College in Tifton.
     The course is divided into eleven segments, which will open the class for lively discussions as well as specific instructions.  Jackie will use his own writing to illustrate various methods of capturing a reading audience.  He'll also review books he's critiqued and admired, as well as those he's found lacking.  Basic foundations of writing and methods to use the unique skills of the individual writer will be discussed.
     If your kids have been bugging you to tell them what it was like when you grew up, or if you have memories you want to just put on paper for yourself, or if you're a fan of Jackie's and his wonderful books, come join us.  Sign up now for a great time of being blessed through the knowledge and friendliness of one great writer...Jackie K. Cooper, the nicest, gentle Southern man I know.