Seniors & Veterans
Program Spotlight:
Tuesday, April 30th at 1:30pm
Author Talk with Stephen Puleo
The Presentation
The Room to Write will host non-fiction author Stephen Puleo on Tuesday, April
30 th at 1:30 p.m. at the Wakefield Senior Center. Stephen will share his thoughts on writing and the importance of sharing personal stories and histories. Stephen is an author, historian, teacher, public speaker, and communications professional. He has published seven narrative history books, including Dark Tide: The Great Boston Molasses Flood of 1919. His eighth book, The Great Abolitionist: Charles Sumner and the Fight for a More Perfect Union, was just released this week. All of Stephen’s books have been Boston regional bestsellers and have received national recognition.
A limited number of Stephen’s books will be given away at this event.
About Stephen
A former award-winning newspaper reporter and contributor of articles and book
reviews to publications and organizations that include American History
magazine, Politico, the Boston Globe, and the Bill of Rights Institute, Stephen
has also taught history at Suffolk University in Boston and at UMass-Boston. He
has developed and taught numerous writing workshops for high school and
college students, as well as for adults who aspire to be writers.
This event is made possible by The Savings Bank.
TRtW's Senior & Veterans Writing Programming
Our Wakefield Senior Center programming is FREE to participants
thanks to our sponsor: The Savings Bank
Wakefield Senior Center (30 Converse St, Wakefield, MA):
All Wakefield Programming starts at 1:30pm:
April 30th: Guest speaker: Stephen Puleo, non-fiction author, will share his thoughts on writing and the importance of sharing personal stories and histories. Stephen Puleo is an author, historian, teacher, public speaker, and communications professional. He has published seven narrative history books, and his eighth book, The Great Abolitionist: Charles Sumner and the Fight for a More Perfect Union, will be published by St. Martin’s Press in April 2024. A limited number of Stephen’s books will be given away at this event.
May 7th: Writing Talk. A TRtW facilitator will be leading a discussion on an article or other short piece of writing—about writing! Contact Linda Malcolm for this month's title: linda@lindamalcolm.com
May 14th: Memoir Workshop. Kathy Shine Cain, Professor Emeritus, Merrimack College, will lead a one-day session on crafting your own personal story. In addition to teaching, Kathy directed the Merrimack College Writing Center and has taught Writing the Personal Memoir courses to college students and adults.
May 21st: Open Mic. To wrap up this program year, each person will have about three minutes to share something they've written or read. In the true fashion of Open Mics, this will be readings only—with the audience following up with a round of applause in support of their fellow writers.
No registration required for Wakefield programs.
Stoneham Senior Center (136 Elm St, Stoneham, MA) :
May 14th, 11:30am: Nancy Riley, owner of Lady with a Pen, will make an encore appearance to talk about the art of calligraphy and design. In addition to teaching classes and giving lectures, Nancy ran an invitation and calligraphy shop in Wakefield for twenty years. After Nancy’s talk, participants will have a chance to try their hand at calligraphy.
Registration required for Stoneham programs: Please call the Stoneham Senior Center to register, 781-438-1157.
Writers’ Critique Group:
1:30 to 2:45 pm
The Last Tuesday of Each Month
(PLEASE NOTE: In April, the Critique Group will meet on April 23rd, NOT the last Tuesday)
Join us at the Wakefield Senior Center to share and critique one another’s work in a safe and friendly environment!
Bring your submissions to read on the last Tuesday of each month. No pre-submission required.
Writing submission length should not exceed 1,000 words per person.
*Please review the Critique Feedback Guidelines below in preparation for offering feedback to others*
For more information, contact Linda Malcolm at linda@theroomtowrite.org or 781-439-1080.
Our programming is free to participants thanks to our sponsors:
Want to learn about how a local writers' critique group works?
Hear from three local writers who participate in the
Stoneham Writers Group.
Read about the "Seniors to Seniors" event that took place on November 16th, 2022.
Click here to visit our blog and learn about the Seniors to Seniors event.
Read about our Workshop Series that took place in October of 2022.
Click here to visit our blog and read about our Senior & Veterans Writing Workshop series.
2022/2023 Programming: After our structured 4-week workshop series in October at the Wakefield Senior Center we held more informal guided writing sessions we call "Gather & Write" during the months of November and December. Structured 3-week workshop series in January 2023 focused on Memoir Writing was followed by several informal weekly writing sessions as well as the addition of a monthly Writers' Critique Group that meets the last Tuesday of each month.
The Room to Write hosted the last formal meeting of the program year at the Wakefield Senior Center on Tuesday, May 30th, from 1:30 - 2:45pm. Those in attendance participated in an "Open Mic" session where they had about five minutes to read whatever they wanted. They could share something they wrote, something they wanted to share that they didn't write, or a piece of written inspiration. We will open the programming year with an Open Mic format in the fall.
Workshop facilitators above (left to right): Colleen Getty, Sally Chetwynd, Linda Malcolm and Kathleen Shine Cain.
Get your thoughts, memories, stories, histories, and personal experiences down on paper! Our workshops are approachable for those hesitant to write and fulfilling for those wanting to grow in their writing experience.
Participants will experience a variety of approaches to written expression, meet the instructors to learn about their writing while experimenting with writing poetry, memoir, and fiction.
Seniors
The Room to Write has received several requests for more writing opportunities and workshops for seniors in the communities we serve.
Workshops are designed to be approachable for those hesitant to write and fulfilling for those wanting to grow in their writing experience. Workshops will include the opportunity to get thoughts, memories, stories, history and personal experiences on paper and an invitation to share when comfortable. Participants will be guided according to individual needs and goals.
Veterans
As we build relationships with the many organizations that serve seniors in communities north of Boston, Veterans emerged as a natural partner through our outreach.
We welcome veterans of all ages to participate in our writing programs.
Linda Malcolm - Coordinator of Senior and Veteran Programming
We are so pleased to have Linda Malcolm as the Coordinator of Senior and Veteran Programming for The Room to Write.
Linda is a local non-fiction writer and author of Cornfields to Codfish, a collection of short personal essays. Throughout the last ten years or so, she has been writing short, non-fiction, personal essays. In 2018, she was one of sixteen non-fiction writers selected to attend the annual New York State Summer Writers Institute at Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs, NY.
To learn more about senior and veteran writing programs, contact Linda Malcolm at linda@theroomtowrite.org.