Welcome to the Writers' Workshop
We will post here both completed works not yet published and works in progress written by ASPEC authors. The purpose of the Writers' Workshop is to offer encouragement and help to authors who are writing for publication, and to provide a forum for review and helpful criticism.
You will see here examples of essays, biography, poetry, memoirs, philosophy, and fiction. We hope that this selection will encourage you to write and join the ASPEC Writers' Workshop.
The Authors
Susana Bouquet-Chester is a psychologist turned writer. She was born in Mexico of French parents and lived in Cuba and Brazil. Her story, The Hurricane, reflects the kind of adventures she lived during her childhood. She also writes of The Lesson of the Kapok Tree.
Ray Cooper is a physicist and antiquarian book dealer who writes of science, the atomic bomb, and rare books. He has written of one of the founders of the atomic bomb in Szilard's 10 Commandments and with Bob Sheldon and Brian Southworth has coauthored Shatterer of Worlds, a play about the decision to use the atomic bomb against Japan. In The Auction he tells the story of a rare book auction of scientific books at Christies.
Jim Crane designed
the art program at Eckerd College. He is author of five books. His Drawings,
covers and cartoons were a hallmark of Motive magazine for twenty years. In Crane's Funnies
he tells some stories of cats and frogs.
Judy Dunn is a psychotherapist and counselor who lived for many years in Venezuela. She writes about a drooping eyelid in Lid and about Carol Sue who can't make up her mind. Having grown up in New York, she tells of her crush on Frank Sinatra in I'll Take Manhattan.
Bill Edmonds is a biologist and nature writer. He writes of his experiences in the Army in A Tour of Duty
Elizabeth Gay is an actress and teacher. Here she writes about The Audition.
Hal Leiendecker is an engineer, economist, and former manager in an international petroleum company. He wrote Atlas Shrugged for a discussion of Books and Ideas.
Bill Norris is an Emeritus Member of ASPEC now living in England. He is a professional author, journalist, and broadcaster, and writes in The Cameras are Coming of the trials you might have to undergo if you are ever interviewed by a journalist. There is also Chapter 1 of his novel of flying and an old mystery in A Grave too Many. Bill now has published five of his books as electronic books that can be obtained from www.WordWrangler.com. Among these is a humorous, satirical book called The Badger Game that starts in a small college in Florida and then turns to Florida and national politics.
Mary McCrea is a nurse and a pilot. She writes of her travels and adventures in Mary's Poems.
Marge Siebert, Ohio State fan, children's librarian, mother, grandmother, and now guitar fan and head of ASPEC Connections versifies in Marge's poems.
Nancy Sohlberg is a nurse and writes of her experiences in Haiti in The Road to Montrouis
Bob Stoffels is an electrical engineer, inventor, and author. He writes about success in Formula for Success. He has also adapted Harold Bell Wright's play, TheShepherd of the Hills, for the ASPEC Readers Theater.
Betty Williams, writer and editor, deciphers national traits in her tongue-in-cheek essay, Street Clues.
If you have questions or comments, send them to Ray Cooper at cooperrd@aol.com