1. What is your connection to Somerville?
I have lived in Somerville in the past (1976) & in the present (since 2016) & owned a gift shop in Ball SQ for 8 years.
2. How did or does living in Somerville influence your writing? Or, what does it mean to write from this place?
Diversity is a big influence as is the creative energy that suffuses this city.
3. What do other/aspiring Somerville writers need to know?
Aspiring Somerville writers should be aware of the Somerville Arts Council first of all. There are many artists who volunteer. I personally know one who is a writer - Kerrie Kepperman. She started a memoir writing group that I belong to which has inspired this aspiring writer. There have been other local writing groups off & on over the years. Also, The Somerville Journal has a page in back called 'Lyrical' edited by Doug Holder, a writer & poet with a published book of poetry. There is a wealth of Somerville sources that help writers develop their craft. My advice would be to hook up with other aspiring writers at different skill levels & backgrounds to meet on a regular basis. If there is no 'leader', agree on a prompt or theme to write about for each meeting, keeping it to essay length. In my group, we share tea & a snack such as cookies or some other baked goods. On my own, a glass of wine is conducive to my writing process. And though writing groups usually meet inside, I often get inspiration for writing outside, say, at Powderhouse Park.
—Betsy Lenora
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