Janet Sunderland’s roots are in Marshall County – she grew up on a farm in the northeastern part of the county, but drifted like a cottonseed throughout the United States, Europe, Mexico, and the Caribbean before moving to her current home in Kansas City.
The Marshall County Arts Cooperative, the Marysville Public Library, and the Marshall County Historical Society are bringing Sunderland back to her roots Saturday, February 18, to lead a writing workshop at the Lee Dam Center for Fine Art, Marysville.
Sunderland said that she’s looking forward for this “hometown girl to come home.”
The workshop, “Saving Grandpa’s Stories (and Grandma’s too!),” is from 9:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. There is a $10 fee that covers the cost of lunch. To register people should contact Hannah Malotte at 785-713-1641 or mhmalotte@sbcglobal.net by February 15.
“Most of us have old family stories we wished we’d written down,” Sunderland said. “I will help participants decide the purpose of saving their stories whether that’s in the format of a family memento, personal memoir, or a cookbook with stories.”
Sunderland will give writing tips on how to find an opening line, and how to build details by adding description. She will have suggestions on how to get published or how to verbally present stories. Participants will receive information on e-books and traditional publishing. She will also give tips on how to jog stories from parents or grandparents who may have memory loss.
Sunderland will show how to use simple tools like a digital recorder or a smart phone to capture those stories. There will be time for writing practice in organization and structure.
Sunderland is a memoirist and a poet. Her work has appeared in variety of journals as well as three recent anthologies, When Last on the Mountain, Love Over 60, and Journey to Crone. Her collection of poetry, At the Boundary, was published by Finishing Line Press, and recently completed a memoir, Written on the Reverse. She serves on the executive board of Whispering Prairie Press. She’s also a professional actress, a member of SAG/AFTRA, and teaches Public Speaking and Writing.
To register or for more information people should contact Malotte at mhmalotte@sbcglobal.net.