Local Writers Tell Their Tales

Tonight from 7 to 9, Words bookstore hosts a reading of original prose by members of the South Orange and Maplewood Adult School’s class, the Writer’s Support Circle. The weekly workshop-style class is taught by local author Judith Lindbergh and has grown in popularity since its creation.

It’s surprising Lindbergh was able to find the time to teach a class. A historical fiction novelist and mother of two, Lindbergh puts heroic amounts of research into her work. The Thrall's Tale, her 2006 debut novel published by Plume books, followed the harrowing journey of three women living in early Viking colonies in Greenland. For the book, she followed the path of Erik the Red and the original Norse settlers on an ice-class research vessel from Iceland to Greenland.

But the class isn't a chore for Lindbergh; it's an opportunity to build relationships. When she created the support circle, she wanted to "create a group of writers that supported each others' creative work, but also a group of friends that one another could turn to help understand the difficulties of pursuing work as a writer."

In the goal of creating a supportive community of writers, Lindbergh has succeeded.

“I really miss everyone when we don’t meet,” said Sandra Joseph, an actor and Writer’s Support Circle member commented after the class returned from a two-week hiatus. “I start bugging my husband about what I’m writing, I really need feedback.” Sandra is working on her first book, a memoir about a life on the stage.

The Support Circle’s reading gives aspiring writers the opportunity to display their talent. Larger events like Celebrity Readings at the South Orange Performing Arts Center bring regionally and nationally recognized celebrities to South Orange to raise money for Adult School programs like GED programs and English as a Second Language classes.

This year's reading by the support circle's members will be the first in a public setting. It’s a great opportunity to see what an Adult School class can produce. About a dozen promising amateur authors—including Patch contributor Mary Mann—will share five-to-10 minute works in a variety of styles and genres.