By Joseph Plummer
UUFSMA Board Secretary
From their earliest years, every child is taught to recognize letters, put letters together as words, and use words to express ideas. For some, writing might be a difficult skill to master. Others take to it like ducks to water. Most develop a facility for expressive writing, but not all students become writers.
When asked why she became a writer, Flannery O’Connor answered with a sentiment many writers would echo, “I write because I don’t know what I think until I read what I say.” Other writers offer other reasons. Anne Lamott emphasizes self-reflection and self-revelation. “This business of being a writer,” she says, “is ultimately about asking yourself, how alive am I willing to be?”.
Why do some become writers? When do they decide they are writers? When writing seems as painful as hair-pulling, and publishers’ rejections become too numerous to count that they ask themselves why they stick with it?
Three speakers for this Sunday’s service, Nora Cohen, Cynthia Claus, and Frank Thoms, all UUFSMA members and longtime residents of San Miguel de Allende, will speak about why they write and their love of words and written expression.
A UUFSMA member since 2012, LeoNora Cohen divides her time between San Miguel de Allende and Corvallis, Oregon. Her love of children shines through in 22 bilingual books, including “Alfalfa’s Glasses,” “Martin’s Magic Boots,” and “I’m Not Just a Deaf Kid.”
Living in San Miguel de Allende since 2012 and a third-generation UU, Cynthia Claus credits the SMA writers’ community for her output of four books in the past six years. “A Lifetime to Get Here: San Miguel de Allende” is based on her blogs about SMA written between 2009 and 2012. Available later this summer, her second book, “Is This My Life? San Miguel and Beyond,” highlights experiences here since 2013. She received her B.A. degree in English from Temple University.
Frank Thoms and his wife Kathleen Cammarata are full-time residents of SMA. A member of UUFSMA for five years, Frank was a teacher for over forty years. Witnessing teachers simply talking at high school students instead of with them, he made a case for teachers to engage with students in “Teaching from the Middle of the Room: Inviting Students to Learn” (Stetson Press 2010) and three subsequently published books. His manuscript for a fifth book is titled “Centering Amidst Chaos: Wisdom for Teachers in Troubled Times.”
Unitarian Universalism is a liberal religion. Our Fellowship welcomes people of all ages, races, religions, sexual orientation, and gender identity. See what we are like and enjoy previous services at https://www.youtube.com/. Enter UUFSMA in the search box. UUFSMA donates generously to support nonprofit organizations that provide services for underserved communities in the San Miguel region. Support this work by clicking on the website home page Donate button.
To participate online in our Sunday Service, visit www.uufsma.org and click on the Zoom Service button on the home page. If requested, enter password: 294513. Sign-in from anywhere between 10:15-10:25 am CST.
In addition to live Zoom services, UUFSMA has returned to limited in-person Sunday services. Reservations are no longer necessary. Space permitting, guests who show their vaccination card can join the in-person service.
* Joseph Plummer is the UUFSMA Board Secretary.
Unitarian Universalist Fellowship Sunday Service
“Why I Write”
Speakers: Cynthia Claus, Nora Cohen, Frank Thoms
Sun, Jul 31, 10:30am
Zoom link: https://zoom.us/j/414604040
Password: 294513
