Karen Baxter has enriched her life by writing and sharing some fascinating life stories. Her many talents have extended into a writing craft that documents her life experiences from branching points to deeply personal family stories. Below, Karen reflects on the class and what she got out of the experience.
| To me, Life Story Writing is more than putting words on paper. It is more than weaving a story, and it is more than a historical narration of the timeline of one’s life; it is a valuable gift to those who live on after us. Taking this class expanded my horizons not only in writing skills but by evoking memories I have not thought of in decades. The class revolves around themes and sensitizing questions assigned each week. These themes and questions are offered as prompts for a weekly essay to be read aloud in the following class. Our instructor, Craig Siulinski, led the sessions and delivered the lectures regarding the weekly themes. He encouraged everyone to do their best and to continue to write even when discouragement set in. Most importantly, he fostered a friendly and safe atmosphere among the students, which led to a close-knit group. The writing may have been difficult at times, but the class was always fun. I am eternally grateful to Life Story Writing for the insight of how important the past can be to the future. I wish I had a treasure book of my grandmother’s writing. I would love to read stories about her life as a child, as a young woman, and her feelings about leaving her county to immigrate to the USA. There are so many things I don’t know about her life, and I never will. Legacy writing has been my motivation to write and share my stories with my grandchildren when the time comes. This is an educational class, with a personable and engaging instructor and extraordinary classmates. |