Turning a different kind of page

getting published, etc.

LAURA MCFARLAND Managing Editor

When librarian Charles Joynes first asked me to participate in Saturday’s Writers Roundup event at Powhatan County Public Library, I will admit to a little trepidation.

A key reason was that, while I am definitely a writer, my medium felt different than what is done by those authors who write books. I know there are books that are compilations of articles and columns – one of the participating authors, Nancy Wright Beasley, even wrote one called “Reflections of a Purple Zebra.”

But regardless of what genre you choose, there seems to be very much an element of authors pouring part of themselves into their books that is not something I usually strive to do. Questions that budding authors often have tend to wonder about a person’s background, inspirations, influences, processes, paths to

Outside of this weekly column, I don’t want my personality or preferences showing up in most of what I write beyond my writing style itself. If I am doing my job correctly, when you read my news articles, you shouldn’t be able to discern my personal thoughts on a matter; you are reading about a person, place, issue or event that I have done my best to represent fairly, accurately and without bias.

Nevertheless, I agreed to Charles’ request. So that is how I found myself rolling into the library a few minutes before 10 a.m. Saturday – other authors had to bring in their books, I just had to grab a stack of the library’s copies of the Powhatan Today – and choosing an unclaimed table in the corner where the teen section is located.

Did I have expectations? If anything, I thought I might get some circulation questions and say hello to a few people I know. Beyond that, I was just going to see what happened.

The three hours went by surprisingly quickly. I had pulled a couple of magazines from the library’s shelves to read if there was a lull and I never really made it past the table of contents.

Yes, I was visited by several people from Powhatan who know me, including some of the authors. We discussed some of the local happenings, including friends in poor health, board meetings, homeschooling, local nonprofits and more.

A young woman came up to my table who visited the library looking for Pokémon in the Pokémon GO game. She assured me that the library and Fighting Creek Park are bursting with them. The conversation with her was funny because the natural beauty and activity of the backdrop behind me – the gorgeous park visible beyond the floor-to-ceiling windows – kept pulling her attention. At one point she cried “squirrel” when she spotted one behind