Margaret Reaney Memorial Library
19 Kingsbury Avenue
St. Johnsville, NY 13452
October 26, 2007
Contact: Dawn Lamphere
568-7822
The Fort Plain Free and Margaret Reaney Memorial libraries are developing a collaborative project called the Mohawk Valley Sampler. Throughout the fall and winter the libraries will be gathering people’s written impressions, reflections and feelings of life in the Mohawk Valley. Submissions for the Sampler will not be limited to any one style; rather people are encouraged to write in a form they are most comfortable. These may include essays, stories, poems, sketches or even original music.
Fort Plain library director Laura Flynn noted “We are hoping that a wide range of area residents will choose to share their thoughts and feelings about our area with their community. We intend to eventually publish the work as a collection of reminiscences.”
To that end, on Saturday, November 10 author in residence Ali MacDonald will present a hands-on workshop on the basics of memoir writing. Participants will begin to craft a piece that spotlights an event, place, person or moment that best captures their feelings about or experiences in the Mohawk Valley. The workshop will take place from 9 AM- 3 PM with lunch included at the Reaney Library and is free. For planning purposes please contact the library at 518-568-7822 or by email at MRML@telenet.net While the November 10 workshop is intended in part as an introduction to the Mohawk Valley Sampler, participation at it is not a requirement for submitting writing to the project. Funding for the workshop has been provided by the New York State Council on the Arts, the Mohawk Valley Library System, and the Fort Plain and Reaney libraries.
Subsequent to the workshop over the next several months Mrs. MacDonald will be on site at each of the libraries to work with individuals in crafting their own pieces.
Dawn Lamphere, Reaney Library director said, “Laura, Ali and I hope the project will define a sense of place; what it means to live and work in our particular corner of upstate New York. It doesn’t matter if you have grown up here and have since relocated or if you are new to the area. If you have a Mohawk Valley story to share, please do so. We do not doubt for a moment that there are a wealth of experiences worth remembering and richly treasuring.”
Anyone desiring further information about the Mohawk Valley Sampler is invited to contact the Fort Plain Library at 518-993-4646 or the Reaney Library at 518-568-7822. Submissions for the Sampler may also be emailed to either library at fpfl@sals.edu or MRML@telenet.net Submissions should include the writer’s name and contact information.