On September 29, The Timbers of Shorewood retirement community held a "Meet the Authors" night for some of the members of WriteOn Joliet - and did The Timbers roll out the red carpet for us!
Here's what happened.
In early 2021, I received a refund of an overpayment from a medical procedure - so I used the money to donate thirty of WriteOn Joliet's 2020 "Write Where We Are" anthology and thirty "Cheetah Stories" anthologies to the Timbers of Shorewood.
At the time, the COVID vaccines were just coming out and restrictions were still tight, especially in places were seniors gathered and lived.
So I had reached out to The Timbers and asked if it would like some anthologies with stories, essays, and poems by local writers to help entertain the residents.
Apparently The Timbers has a book club with avid readers, which were excited to receive the books. So I sent the anthologies and thought that was that.
But then The Timbers reached back out a few months later with an idea. The Timbers wanted to host a "Meet The Authors" night.
Eleven of the WriteOners who contributed to those anthologies were able to attend the event, which attracted approximately twenty residents at The Timbers.
What a reception!
The event was held in the ballroom that was decorated with "book themes," such as the balloons...
...the miniature chocolates, tucked inside scaled-down versions of our anthology...
....various other decorations
....and the plates and napkins, which went well with the...
...appetizers and wine The Timbers brought out for residents and WriteOners alike.
The Timbers set us all at the front of the room "con-style" as WriterOner Duanne Walton described it.
We introduced ourselves and then read excerpts from the anthologies and other works.
Afterward the readings, we signed books and chatted with the residents.
The mood was exuberant, with talk of more donations of anthologies and tentative plans for another event - perhaps on a weekend, The Timbers suggested.
The Timbers posted photos of "Meet the Authors" on its Facebook page .
And The Timbers also sent out a news release to various publications and posted it on The Timbers of Shorewood website.
Here is the link for more photos and interviews with the residents.
We were honored, humbled, and are looking forward to connecting again soon.
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