7th Annual Literary Forum - In person

presented by the Olney Writer's Group

Join us for a reading by local writers of newly-published works or works-in-progress. Please come out and support these talented authors from our own community!

Works are in a variety of genres, including memoir, fiction, fantasy, science fiction and poetry. Each presenter will read a ~10-minute excerpt from their work.

Q&A and light refreshments to follow. Hope you can join us!

About the Olney Writer's Group: The Olney Writer's Group provides a regular forum for the presentation, review, and critique of works in progress. This friendly group consists of writers who are in various stages of their projects. They meet twice/month, usually the 2nd & 4th Thursdays. All styles of writing are welcome; college-aged and older. Learn more here.

Patrick Boyle, excerpt from A Tale of Two Pats

Patrick Boyle is an award-winning newspaper and magazine journalist whose first book exposed sex abuse in youth groups. Patrick employed all of his investigative skills for the most challenging story of his life: tracking down the mysterious family that relinquished him for adoption. He shares a chapter (“Are you my Aunt Agnes?”), in which he finds the sister of his birth mother, from his memoir-in-progress about seeking his true identity.

DJ Lee, excerpt from his poem, “An Ode to my grandfathers”

DJ Lee is a Maryland raised African American. He is an artist and a writer who enjoys fantasy and science fiction. Currently, Lee is trying to figure out what to do with life, how to give back to the community that raised him, and how his writings could affect other people.

Shani Hinton-Miller, an excerpt, “Fair Folly,” from her work-in-progress, Walking Behind the Broken-Down Dog

Shani Hinton-Miller loves dabbling in the Humanistic arts, and it was her immersion that led her to her story “Fair Folly” from her book, Walking Behind the Broken-Down Dog. This book is about deviant human social behaviors and those touched by them. She hopes to have the book published.

Min He, “Calling from Shambhala”

Min He, a scientist who used to write research papers, now enjoys the excitement of literary writing.

Francene Hill, excerpt from Tiny Tots in Tiaras and Tuxedos

Francene Hill tells the story of her mother, Kermit Bland Hill, a pioneering African American woman who started Tiny Tot Nursery School of St. Louis at the beginning of the Baby Boom. The book details an intimate account of Kermit’s life and accomplishments based on excerpts from her personal letters, photographs, newspaper clippings, and oral histories. Tiny Tots in Tiaras and Tuxedos is expected to debut later this year; visit tinytotalums.com for more information or to be added to the mailing list.

Linda R. Moore, three poems from her upcoming chapbook, Reaching for Resilience

Linda R. Moore is a semi-retired educator and a novice poet who turned to writing and painting as self-care strategies during the recent pandemic. Her poems examine themes of how we choose to survive and thrive in the face of great personal and societal challenges—or not.

Laura Kahn, an excerpt from Thorns: When Earth Refugees Are The Aliens

Laura Kahn is an educator, author, and co-founder of the One Health Initiative which promotes the One Health concept that human, animal, plant, environmental, and ecosystem health are linked. She is the author of Thorns: When Earth Refugees Are the Aliens, a hard science fiction novella that illustrates why One Health and social justice are essential for survival.

Lindsey OBrien, excerpt from Friendship Through The Darkness

Lindsey OBrien is working on her first book. It’s about her friendship with Susan, a retired pediatrician nearly fifty years her senior, navigating a mysterious illness that leads to a devastating Alzheimer’s diagnosis. Lindsey is a graduate of Southern Illinois University at Carbondale. Her first job was at age 15, working in darkrooms developing black and white photos in historic Webster Groves, Missouri, which is where she first met her friend Susan.

Emily Wood, excerpt from her work-in-progress, Binding Enchantments

Emily Wood loves combining the historical with the fantastical in her writing. Her current work-in-progress, Binding Enchantments, explores the tumultuous reign of King Richard III from the viewpoint of a bookbinder’s wife and her magical daughter. She’s also searching for an agent for her first novel, The Golden Lily, a retelling of the life of Joan of Arc.

Bryan M. Byrd, excerpt from Surviving Paradise: the Perils and Pleasures of the Caribbean

Bryan M. Byrd, leveraging his corporate writing career and around the world travels, will read from his upcoming book, Surviving Paradise: the Perils and Pleasures of the Caribbean, that takes you, like a fly on the wall, on a romantic, death-defying sailing adventure from Florida to the Virgin Islands. The book will debut later this year. To be notified, please visit: https://tinyurl.com/2aejdzmz

Accommodation Requests

People who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing should request English-language captioning or sign-language interpretation at least five days before the library-sponsored program they plan to attend. Contact the Assistant Facilities and Accessibility Program Manager at 240-777-0002 with all other accommodation requests.

cm 1.1 01/03/2023

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