LAKE HAVASU CITY – Aspiring authors need to unite, and the Lake Havasu City Writers Group has created a unique space to make this happen. In the early 1990s, the Lake Havasu City Writers Group came to be when a mystery Havasu resident posted an ad in the local newspaper wanting to form a writing group. Initially, the group of seven writers met with intentions of poetry inspired workshops where members could submit poems and share their work amongst the group.
However, through their introductions and discussions, the members discovered that they were more interested in producing novels, memoirs, and autobiographies. The club then underwent a transformation where writers would submit stories of all genres. The club hosted prompt parties where members were challenged to write 250-word stories that needed to catch the reader’s attention, as well as provide story and character resolutions at the conclusion of the tales.
Other activities were planned to strengthen skills like their thousand-word submission tasks. Members can submit a 1,000-word pieces of any genre; fact or fiction. In those days, the president of the group was Sharon Poppen, who is now a published author. Her departure from the club was to form another writing group strictly for fiction novel writers. Their new president is Havasu realtor Pat Leso and the group consists of eight members that meet in person. All of which are self-published authors.
Every two years, the Lake Havasu Writers Group distributes a collection of short stories produced by the group for the general public. Presently, the organization is not just for adults, as the last two editions included submissions from high schoolers. The collection of stories is currently available at the Lake Havasu Museum of History.
The group holds meetings every first and third Saturday of each month at selected homes of their members. The club welcomes everyone to visit as a way to see if the group is right for them. Only three visits are allowed for writers seeking help with their ideas and stories.
The club provides a strong support system and helpful guidance during their critiques of member’s submissions. It’s a support system that Critique Leader of the group Karen Vanderjagt says helped her grow as a writer.
“I was amazed at the insights I received at the workshops. You learn so much when you have many readers who are able to pinpoint what is working for your story and what isn’t.”
To find out about how to become a member, contact Karen Vanderjagt at 928-486-0027.
Phaedra Veronique
