Keepers of the Quill
Qarol Price
Columnist/Community Activist
Qarol is Communications Chair and webmaster for Neuse River Writers and emcees Selma’s Open Mic events. She is founder and director of Virtue Works, a community character building effort. Her monthly column, A Matter of Principle, in JNOW Magazine, deals with Johnston County Public School’s character trait of the month. Besides co-authoring her book Mystic Rhythms: The Philosophical Vision of RUSH with her husband Robert M. Price, they also co-host a film discussion group in Selma’s senior center that also highlights JCPS’s character trait of the month.
Happy New Year, members, and friends! In the spirit of new beginnings, as you know, we have retired our old name, the Triangle East Writers, and have installed a new one, the Neuse River Writers. While keeping the sense of place about our name, we have kicked things up a notch by adding the dynamic dimension of movement to our title. A triangle can be rather static, but a river runs like the stream of consciousness we writers often find ourselves flowing with while we tap our flights of fancy or grab meandering memories. And what else flows but the ink from our pens? (Providing y’all still write with one, as I do – with a purple Pilot --G2 07, to be exact).
That element of movement in our new name just might could, as they say in these parts, act as a catalyst to transmute our thoughts into action. It is easy to dream, but making “it” happen – achieving lift-off - is what takes all the work. Luckily, there is strength in numbers and that is what we have with membership. Together we are a force of nature! Let’s wield it boldly as the Neuse River Writers!
I am inspired by the new name; I hope you are.
What else is new this year is the name of the blog you are now reading. The Guest Blog has undergone a name-lift too. More in alignment with the mission of the Neuse River Writers, the blog will now be known as Keepers of the Quill. Yes, it’s a pen name! [insert rimshot here]. But seriously, the blog will continue to be authored by us members taking turns sharing our various contributions.
Remember: Members are invited to play along by submitting anything up to 2,000 words that tickles their fancy - be it a story, essay, book review, social commentary, a how-to lesson, poetry, memoir, advice, a skit, an open letter, you name it! In fact, stay tuned for an idea I hatched just now! (The river’s a’ flowin’!) I will create a page on the website devoted to listing ideas and topics for Keepers of the Quill, writing prompts to widen the challenge and scope of possibilities. You won’t have any excuses not to participate!
Claim a month to contribute. Here is the sign-up sheet
Think of membership in our literary community as access to a playground where we have fun learning and practicing the craft by romping through various platforms. “Hey, look at me now on the monkey-bars risking safe footing by going for some dubious metaphors!” Though I might well fall on my face, I am feeling safe nevertheless, as I step out of my comfort zone. Whether it is a blog piece on the website, a presentation at a meeting, or a performance at Open Mic, I am okay with exposing my not-so-ripe abilities for all to witness because I am in the company of such warm, fun-loving and supportive folks who can relate.
The final new item this year is where to reach us. You may now send questions, comments and complaints, as well as submissions for the newsletter and your NRW website to: admin@neuseriverwriters.org
Here’s wishing that ’25 will be a great year and that we keep in mind how much our own power and efforts can make it so.
Let your quill do its will! ~Q
