My garden is withering. The zinnias are turning brown and are covered in powdery mildew. The milkweed pods are bursting their dry seams. The coleus are withering. Weeks ago, I stopped watering my hanging baskets, which I joked to my husband are now Halloween decorations, making our house look a little spooky. We know all the metaphors for fall as the advent of winter, the coming of death.
I’ve been mirroring this in life lately. A friend and AWW supporter, the poet Caroline Johnson died last week after a long better with breast cancer. It came as a shock, having just seen her recently, and enjoying all the pics people posted of her September book launch.
However, as death looms large, it still feels like summer here in northern Illinois. It’s in the 80s today, and I’m wearing shorts and a tank top. There are still some flowers blooming, marigolds and lantana. It’s come with a drought, though, leaving the soil as dry and hard as cement. Even that is a warning of death via global warming.I feel like I’m constantly being followed by sad trombones.
I’m trying to stay on the positive side of things, the reminder that after fall and winter comes spring. Even as my flowers are turning brown and papery, I[‘m collecting their seeds to plant next year. The milkweed in my native garden is spilling its frothy silk-covered seeds to the wind, where they may take hold in a field or someone else’s yard.
Next summer, we’ll have a toast to Caroline at dinner at the June AWW retreat. I’ll tell this story, so you might hear it again. When I first started spreading the news about the first AWW retreat, back in 2023, Caroline was emailing me early and often, asking when registration would open. Once classes were released, she’d email me asking which one I recommended… she had a hard time choosing. At least one of the years, she changed her mind after registering and asked me if she could switch. She just couldn’t decide over two courses that both sounded amazing. Caroline was a writer who wanted to learn and grow, not just see her name in print. And she wanted that for others, as a teacher at Morton College, a member of Poets and Patrons and the Illinois State Poetry Society. Caroline will continue to inspire me, as I hope to inspire others.
Courses are almost ready for next year’s AWW! Meg Cass’ fiction course is now live, titled “The Possibilities of Grief in Fiction.” Faisal Mohyuddin’s poetry course will be up soon!
Oct. 7: Join AWW for our monthly writing group at the Santori Branch of the Aurora Public Library, board room this time. We meet every first Tuesday to write from a prompt and share any work we’d like to get feedback on (or not, just share), from 7-8:30. We’ve been hosting about 7-10 writers each month and it’s been a wonderful group.
Oct. 11: The Drink and Draft Poetry Roadshow has its next meeting centered on Kim Addonizio’s book Ordinary Genius, chapters 13-14. It doesn’t matter if you haven’t joined before, since the group discusses writing around the chapter topics, does some prompts together, and also reads some poetry the leaders bring. It’s a really nice way to stay inspired and connected. Meets monthly on the second Saturday at 9:30 am at the Batavia Public Library conference room, immediately to the right when you enter the library, or online. See the link to their newsletter above for more info.
Oct. 14 (meets every other Tuesday): Fox Valley Writers is a community dedicated to the idea of helping writers of all skill levels connect and grow with one another. Often cited as the writers’ group for those who don’t care for traditional writing groups, we use a combination of imaginative exercises, personal attention to each author’s needs, and positive, constructive feedback from peers to empower ourselves to create and share our best stories, memoirs, essays, and poetry. Our hybrid meetings are simultaneously in-person and live on Zoom at 7:00 p.m. at the following link, https://discord.gg/p78p4GH2 or in-person at Messenger Library, North Aurora, IL. Contact: Nik V. Markevicius, Facilitator, foxvalleywriters@gmail.com
Oct 16: DeKalb Area Writers Group, 6:00 pm Sycamore Public Library. This writing group writees to a theme, and then gaathers to workshop. There’s a potluck before at 4:30. The prompt for this meeting is “Your character finds a receipt that places them in danger.” For more information, email dekalbareawritersgroup@gmail.com
Nov. 19: Join AWW and Yellow Bird Books (in-person only) to discuss a book of poetry at 7:00 pm. The poet will join in on Zoom to read a couple of poems and answer our questions! This time we’re reading and talking about CD Eslikson’s book Scream/Queen, which examines queerness, mental illness, and transgender identity through the lens of thrillers and B movies. T.
June 5-7, 2026: Our annual AWW retreat! Mark your calendars and look for more information in upcoming newsletters and our website.
