Bookmarks Readings at the Arts CenterMarch 19, 2011 at 11:50 am by Valerie DeLaCruz

As a variation on my songwriting, I decided to take a Memoir Writing class at the Arts Center  in Troy, NY.  I took several sessions of this over a period of about 4 years and it was a fabulous experience, strengthening my writing in all forms.  Led by the wonderfully talented and nurturing Marion Roach-Smith  (am I gushing?….YES!), each week the class members brought 1000-words-or-less essays to be read and critiqued in class.  This was almost like a group therapy session, where what is read in the class stays in the class, and you could be safe to expound on all sorts of personal stories as you worked out their meaning and why it would make compelling reading for others; the gamut of the human experience.

The class has spawned many writing projects and books, including Judith Barnes’  GOOD TO BE HERE and HOW NOT TO SUCK series, written with funnyman Erick James,  BJ Rosenfeld’s THE CHAMELEON IN THE CLOSET, and several opportunities for published essays in the Times Union and elsewhere.

This Monday night, March 21, 2011, the Memoir Project Reading Series will take place at the Arts Center starting at 7pm.  Curated by another talented area writer, Donna Miller (who will be releasing her book shortly), BOOKMARKS offers pieces read by their authors in the performance space at the Arts Center in Troy.  This series is called GRACE, The readings are FREE, and I will be reading my essay titled Birdie Flew the Nest (guess who?).

On April 11, 2011, the last in the BOOKMARKS series will take place, titled CHANGING COURSE: MID-LIFE EPIPHANIES, curated by Kathryn Allen.  I’ll be reading WISHIN’ ON A STAR at that event, exploring the acceptance that your dreams may have to change.

I hope to see you there, and please call the Arts Center at 518-273-0552 for information.