Three cheers for…
Last Sunday, we celebrated Lon Michael for fulfilling his dream of writing and launching his book, In the Eyes of the Statue: Invisible Disabilities and the Courage to Persevere.
I want to applaud a few more people today.
Congratulations to Yefim and Velvina Buzik of Highland Beach in South Florida for their commitment to preserving their amazing life story. A few weeks ago, I interviewed Yefim and Velvina as they recounted life in Soviet-controlled Ukraine and their persecution as Jews.
They were born in the same hospital only six days apart, but it took many years for them to meet and marry. That was forty-seven years ago. Yefim and Velvina immigrated to the United States in 1980 and flourished.
They asked Writing Your Life to ghostwrite their story for their children, grandchildren, and future generations. Excellent idea, Yefim and Velvina.
Here’s a familiar face we haven’t seen in a while. Longtime asset to Writing Your Life and Life Writers, Amanda Benson, is now teaching English, literature, and creative writing at Orangewood Christian School in Maitland, Florida. Congratulations, Amanda, for grooming all these young writers.
I had the great pleasure of speaking to forty or so Orangewood students in April about the importance of writing their life stories and how to use clustering to explore story ideas. I also introduced five-year journaling to them and gave journals to all who wanted to give it a try.
Amanda has created a beautiful space for her students to learn and write and explore the creativity that lives inside them. Amanda, I am so proud of you.
You never know where your words will end up. Congratulations to all Life Writers who contributed stories to Turning Points: Life’s Twists and Turns. To date, Turning Points has been sold throughout the United States and Canada, in France and Germany, and even in the pool at The Villages.
John Roche’s neighbor, Mary Truncali, enjoyed cooling off while reading the Life Writers anthology, especially John’s story. Thanks, Mary.
If you’re looking for a great summertime read, consider Turning Points. You can find it online at Writing Your Life, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Books-A-Million, and most other booksellers.
Three cheers for Lon Michael, Yefim and Velvina Buzik, Amanda Benson, and the authors of Life Writers. Well done!
If you’ve thought about joining our Life Writers membership, now’s a great time to check it out. Your story could be in our next Life Writers anthology.
Please note: All grammatical and typographical errors have been put in this article for
your enjoyment in finding them.
Beautiful faces and spaces, all!
So good to see Amanda Benson and hear about her teaching life. She definitely was/is valuable to Writing Your Life. I enjoy this frequent contact with Patricia, what’s happening, and writing. Have not given up on telling my story. Like Arnold, “I shall return” to the group.