“You teach best what you most need to learn.” ~ Richard Bach from Illusions

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Welcome to our “corner” of the world where we meet four times a month to share the love of writing.

Since August 2000, the San Luis Obispo Barnes & Noble bookstore has generously sponsored two Workshops—Creative Writing for all genres and Writing Children’s Literature for not only children’s material, but also developing child characters in adult pieces.

The backgrounds of participants have been as eclectic as their styles. The writings range from whimsical to weighty, from sidesplitting to heartbreaking.

Whether a woman simply wanting to improve letters she sends to her grandchildren, a scientist’s book explaining Einstein’s Theory to kids, a young mother writing best-selling natural cookbooks, an independent travel writer, a father taking a year off to complete a young adult novel, a Viet Nam vet with short stories of profound depth of subject, a school teacher developing scripts for classroom plays—ALL attended on even ground, ready to read material, receive feedback comments and gain the genuine enthusiasm offered by their fellow writers.

When one of our most treasured members, Ray Ball, passed away in early 2005, just before his humorous and historically rich memoirs of boyhood antics in the early 1900’s right here in SLO was about to be published, it made us take pause. Within weeks, the vision of publishing an anthology of the finer works of our participants took form.

TALES FROM THE CORNER is the reality of that vision.

Over the years, it has been my blessing to have spent the Workshop hours with some of the most talented, dedicated, courageous and enthusiastic writers in our area. They have assisted me in my writing, but even more in my life. This book is dedicated to each and every one of them and to all of you out there that have a “TALE” to share.

Karen Juran, Editor

In loving memory of my mother
CHARLOTTE JURAN
who showed me the joy of words.