Digressions: My Life in 500 Words or Less

A little more than 19 years ago I established The Bard’s Corner Writers’ Group. I’ve told the story about how that came to be so many times it seems redundant, but, without going into that background, I feel the anniversary is a significant enough occasion to broach the subject. After all, 19 years is a healthy amount of time for an organization to exist, especially one I created unplanned.

As founder of The Bard’s Corner Writers’ Group, I maintain the role of facilitator. The group remains free and open to all writers. We meet twice a month in Elizabethtown, Kentucky, with few exceptions, and our history includes a point during which we even met once a week. During another short period I created and facilitated a second branch of the group, which met in Radcliff.

Originally, I simply wanted a place to connect with other writers. I wanted a place where I could receive feedback, discuss writing and share resources. And The Bard’s Corner Writers’ Group became that place not just for me but for many others.

Through the past 19 years I’ve watched writers come and go, from cities and towns throughout the county, out of the county and, now, out of state. I’ve heard authors read short stories, essays, novels and poems. I’ve heard them read children’s stories and science fiction, romance and horror, fantasy and memoir.

I’ve facilitated meetings with only a few attendees and meetings of more than 20. Neither end of the attendance spectrum was the norm, and the group currently sees an average attendance of 10-12.

And that’s saying something.

After all, most of 2020 and so far all of 2021 have challenged our way of life and changed the way most people function on a daily basis. That is no different for The Bard’s Corner Writers’ Group.

In fact, COVID-19 caused the first major disruption in our meetings, ever, in March 2020. That’s when the Hardin County Public Library, where we hold our meetings, closed due to the pandemic. We ceased meeting for a few months, uncertain at the time what the pandemic had in store for us. In July 2020, we began meeting virtually.

And we’ve not only survived, we thrived.

Attendance hit its current average because of those virtual meetings. More members attend when there are no geographic boundaries, when they can sign on to a meeting from anywhere.

The date of our first meeting this month — Sept. 2 — landed exactly 19 years after our first ever, which was on Sept. 2 2002. Next year The Bard’s Corner Writers’ Group will hit the milestone 20th anniversary.

That definitely will deserve special acknowledgment.

Until then, cheers. Nineteen years isn’t too shabby either.