I am very happy to share the news that one of my gifted students in my writing workshop, Jackie Thorne has just published her newest collection of poems To Catch The Light, available on Amazon and in some bookstores for $15.

Jackie and the other students in my writing workshop will be reading from their work Saturday, February 9, at 2 p.m. They are a remarkable group of talented writers with all kinds of things to say about fear, growth, animals, whiteness, grief, small town life, cats, and life.

These students signed up for a four-week writing class with me five years ago, we are heading into our sixth year. They are a special group of people, I can’t even bear to charge them for the class. Jackie is a natural writer, she writes with great depth about emotions, family, and her very strong and thoughtful feelings about people and animals.

Her poetry is touching and wise. If you live nearby, it’s worth a trip. If you don’t, trust me, it’s worth $15 to go on this journey with Jackie, she has become a valued reader at our Open Houses, she has become a valuable friend to Maria and to me.

It turns out the class is all female now, I am the only male.

It’s a curious but very comfortable dynamic, I like it very much, even though men are not always held in the highest regard.

I believe women are most comfortable as a rule in the presence of other women, they seem quicker to trust one another than they sometimes trust men. I hate to generalize about gender, but I also have found in my teaching – I’ve taught writing for more than 20 years – that women sometimes need encouragement to find their voice and tell their stories.

Often, they have come to believe or been made to believe that their stories are not important. They are important.

In my class, women are honest but gentle, they speak freely and listen intently. That is the key to good writing in my mind. We are always talking about experimenting with the new tools writers have to share their work – blogs, self-publishing, social media. It’s nothing but a gift to me to see them flourish.

I’m thrilled she and my other students – Caroline Ashton, Jen Baker-Porazinski, Rachel Barlow, Amy Herring, Susan Popper, Caroline Smith, Jackie, and Sandy Van Dyk. Four of them have already published books since joining the class, three are working on their next books.

I feel like the proud papa, these are remarkable people and very talented writers. I hope to see some of you at the Battenkill Books reading on Saturday, February 9th, 2 p.m. And check out “To Catch The Light.”