Local writers release book
The local writers’ group, Breathe, is at it again. For the second time in as many years, the Caribou-based group has released a collected volume of works from the group members, “Breathe Volume II.”
“It’s an anthology of poetry, prose, short fiction and nonfiction,” said Wendy Koenig, who is a published author of five of her own books and is also group president. “Our first book received such a warm welcome from the area that we decided to do it again.”
Breathe has met every other Saturday morning for over five years and is home to over a dozen northern Maine and New Brunswick writers. Though they began at the University of Maine at Presque Isle campus, when the last student transferred out of the area, the group moved to Caribou.
“A few people have moved,” said Koenig, “so we also have members in Pennsylvania, Georgia and New Jersey. They’re all active, even if it’s just through our web group.”
“One of the nice things about being in a group like this is that you receive a lot of helpful feedback on your writing,” said Cherie Black. She has been a member of Breathe since the beginning.
Vaughn Hardacker, another member who recently moved to the Caribou area, said, “Writing is one of the most solitary occupations in the world. Breathe has motivated me to put my butt in the chair and write on a regular basis. As a result, I have several New York-based literary agents interested in seeing my current novel.”
The group focuses on a positive but honest atmosphere. The effort is put on keeping everybody writing, learning and having fun.
“This is a wonderful, non-threatening place to learn how to publish a book,” said Black. “Putting this book together is definitely a collaborative effort. Take the themed chapters for example. I had an initial idea for it using the bird terminology, but Wendy was the one who came up with the titles.”
The “building” of the book, as Koenig terms it, was a combined effort from every member of the group. Each member took home a group of the selected works and tried to put them in an order that would move the reader throughout the book.
“I think we succeeded,” said Koenig. “It’s an enjoyable book to just thumb through and read. The wide variety of talent is amazing. We have beginners and advanced writers alike. They all have pieces in our book. Even our cover was designed by a group member.”
