The Silver City Public Library will be hosting a free creative writing workshop on Thursday, November 5 from 4:00 to 6:00pm for aspiring writers ranging in age from high school through adulthood. The workshop will be facilitated by Jeffrey Scott, who has recently completed a novel about the Civil Rights Movement and an MFA in Writing and Consciousness. The workshop is geared towards people who have thought about creative writing but have been afraid to attend a writing class. Mr. Scott and participants will create a safe, comfortable place to find words for experiences, thoughts, images, or stories for self-expression. No previous writing experience is necessary; participants should just bring paper, pens, and their imagination. "I was very pleased when Jeffrey Scott proposed leading this workshop at the library," said Lillian Galloway, programming and outreach librarian. "The library participated in the Southwest Festival of the Written Word at the beginning of October, and we strive to support local writers throughout the year." The Southwest Festival of the Written Word is also supporting the November 5 workshop. "This workshop is a perfect way to start National Novel Writing Month (also known as NaNoWriMo)," explained Galloway. "The NaNoWriMo organization invites writers worldwide to complete a 50,000-word first-draft novel during the month of November. Participants can get support and learn more on their website, www.nanowrimo.org." In November 2014, 325,142 writers took on the NaNoWriMo challenge. Of those participants, 58,917 writers successfully completed a 50,000-word draft of a novel.
Aspiring writers can also find support at Gilawriters, a writing group that meets at the library every Tuesday, 2:00-4:00pm. For more information about Gilawriters, contact Trish Heck at 575-534-0207. For more information about the creative writing workshop or NaNoWriMo, contact Lillian Galloway at 575-538-3672 or ref@silvercitymail.com. The Silver City Public Library is located at 515 W. College Avenue and is open Monday-Thursday 9:00am-6:00pm, Friday 10:00am-5:00pm, and Saturday 10:00am-2:00pm.