It began humbly on June 22, 1992, when writers of various styles and experience levels crammed into the little old schoolhouse on Plainsboro Road to share their work with each other.##M:[more]##
While some of the original members of the Plainsboro Literary Group have moved away from the township, the legacy they began has remained, and the group will be celebrating its Sweet 16 on Monday, June 30, at 7 p.m. at the library at 641 Plainsboro Road. The birthday bash will include participants from the past to the present and feature published authors — including Shirley Mitchell, Ed Leefeldt, Donna Gelagotis, Charles Johnson, and Shoban Bantwal.
Plainsboro resident Liz Adams — often referred to as the “god mother” of arts in Plainsboro — was instrumental in helping the group get off its feet, and says she is thrilled the group has remained strong for almost two decades. Adams, a former freelance writer herself, says she always thought it was valuable for writers to have a place to come to be encouraged and to receive constructive ideas and support that keeps them motivated.
“Writing, by definition, is a very lonely thing to do, and it’s so nice to have a destination for what you’re currently working on so you can bring it to your group and run it by them and see what they think,” Adams says. “It’s very good experience, so when you start sending your work out and having an editor look at it, it isn’t such a scary thing.”
The group was founded when Miranda Mitchell, who was a Plainsboro resident and adjunct faculty member at Rutgers at the time, came to the library and lobbied for the launching of a writers’ group. While library director Jinny Baeckler cheered the idea, she recommended the group wait six months in anticipation of the library’s move to its current, larger space. At the time, the library was housed in the schoolhouse, and featured only 1,”400 square feet of space and one table. However, Mitchell, who now lives in East Windsor, resolved to implement the group right away, and the group began holding meetings on Monday nights at the schoolhouse.
Adams, a visual artist who grew up in England and moved to Plainsboro in the 1970s as a result of her husband’s job as a nuclear scientist, has spent her whole life immersed in art. In addition to helping implement the literary group here, she has also formulated the concepts for Plainsboro’s annual Festival of the Arts, helped with the first Youth Arts Celebration, and recently helped form a regional Artist Trading Card club.
She says many of her family members are artists in addition to their day jobs — her father worked in the iron steel industry and her mother, a homemaker, became a cake decorator and designer later in life. Thinking that Mitchell’s idea to found the literary group was a good one, Adams helped organize its very first meeting, helping them to “shape it up and make themselves into a group so they can have some place to go from there.” To the group’s amazement, the idea worked. “It’s wonderful to help launch something and then get out of the way and see how well it does,” says Adams, who, after helping the group get on its feet, stepped back.
Since 1992 Baeckler, also a published author who acts as the hostess for the group, says that some of the original members have moved away, and new members have joined. But, she says, “the group has never lapsed — membership never has gone down to zero and had to have been revived.” In fact, she says, “it is a group with a very generous spirit.”
During meetings, still held Monday nights, literary group members gather to do readings, and every year, an annual reunion is held to bring back some of the members throughout the group’s 16-year history who might not be able to attend the meetings anymore because of how far away they live. “We respect absolutely everybody — poetry or prose,” Baeckler says. “We have our stars, but we are also welcoming those who are just beginning.” Some of the group’s members have gone on to be successful published writers, and still come back to do readings.
The Sweet 16 party on June 30 will feature a birthday cake and food, as well as readings by some of the group’s oldest members, but “the emphasis is not on the reading, but rather on the joy of making it 16 years on a very humble start,” and reuniting some of the members who “may have drifted off physically, but not in spirit,” Baeckler says. — Cara Latham
More Events
Plainsboro Public Library presents a summer sampler of cultural traditions from Spain, England, Africa, and Native America. Some events and classes require registration. For information call 609-275-2897 or visit www.lmxac.org/Plainsboro. Among the highlights of the season:
Monday, July 7: What’s in the Code?. “Hidden Writing and Simple Substitution” presented by Lee Neuwirth. For 12 and older. 9:15 a.m. Through Thursday, July 10.
Safari. Trip to Princeton University’s Guyot Hall to talk to the dinosaurs. Register. 11 a.m.
Salsa and Musical Chairs. Henry Velandia of Princeton Dance and Theater with pianist John Gross. For all ages. 7 p.m.
Tuesday, July 8: The Learned Ladies. Municipal Building Court Room. Moliere’s comedy about three women presented by NJ Shakespeare’s Next Stage Ensemble. Free. 7 p.m.
Wednesday, July 9: Improvmania. Emily Vorp leads actors in program to present performance on Wednesday, July 30. Register. For ages 9 and up. 4:30 p.m.
Global Gourmet. Explore culinary arts through literature with Spanish, English, African, and Native American cultures. For adults. 7 p.m.
Thursday, July 10: Nature Creations. Plainsboro Preserve. Storytime followed by exploration of the preserve. Register. For all ages. 10:30 a.m.
Music Extravaganza. Experiement with assortment of instruments. Noon.
Friday, July 11: GameBots I. Robots pick up clues from England, Spain, and the Lenape Nation. For ages 9 and up. Register. 1 p.m.
Invention Challenge I. London Bridge is Falling Down. Match wits with other contestants to build the strongest bridge. Cash awards to top three. 4 p.m.
Saturday, July 12: Romeo and Juliet. Municipal Building Court Room. Shakespeare presented by the library’s teen troupe. 4 p.m.
Monday, July 14: What in a Bird?. “Anatomy” presented by Frances Reichl. For ages 8 to 12. 9:15 a.m.
Tuesday, July 15: What in a Bird?. “What Bird is That?” presented by Frances Reichl. For ages 8 to 12. 9:15 a.m.
Safari. Tour Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory. Register. 12:45 and 2:45 p.m.
Egg Dropping Competition. Annual competition to create a device to protect a raw egg when dropped from heights of six feet and higher. Rules and official kits are available at the library. Rain or shine. Register. Free. 7 p.m.
Thursday, July 17: Field to Fiber. Hands on activity carding and spinning cotton. Bring a colorful cotton rag or piece of old clothing to strip for weaving into a rag rug. 11 a.m.
African Dance Workshop. Dance to West African drumming and learn the basic steps and body movement. Led by Audrey Davis, Iwa Lewa Heritage Dance Ensemble. No experience necessary. 7 p.m.
Monday, July 21: Canoeing. Plainsboro Pond. Explore the waters of Plainsboro. Boats, life vest, and instructions provided by Boy Scout Troop 168. Children under 13 must be accompanied by an adult. Register. 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Arts Festival Team. Make miniature English masks with Carol Feinstein. Dress for mess. For all ages. 4 p.m.
Tuesday, July 22: Richard II. Municipal Building Court Room. Shakespeare’s play about English history presented by NJ Shakespeare’s Next Stage Ensemble. 7 p.m.
Thursday, July 24: Quinceanera Party. Celebration of the traditional party of Hispanic girls 15th birthdays. All ages and cultures are welcome. Register. 4 p.m.
Saturday, July 26: Cardboard Canoe Race. Waters Edge Park. Participants are given cardboard, mylar packing tape, a life preserver, a canoe paddle, a razor knife, and one hour to construct a watercraft to be paddled by one member of the team. Prizes will be awarded. Races begin when all inspections are complete. Rules are posted on website. Register. Free. 10 a.m. to noon.
Tuesday, July 29: Safari. David Sarnoff Library, West Windsor. Visit the new exhibits featuring the life of David Sarnoff. Hosted by Alex Magoun. Register. 12:45 and 2:45 p.m.
Newspaper Chair Competition. Design and build a newspaper chair to bear the load of many books using only newspaper. Paper, tape, and legal materials provided. 7 p.m.
Wednesday, July 30: Global Gourmet. Explore culinary arts through literature with Spanish, English, African, and Native American cultures. For adults. 7 p.m.
Thursday, July 31: Dinosaurs Rock. Exhibit of genuine dinosaur artifacts presented by Luis Walter Alvarez, who won the Nobel Prize for physics, and together with his son, developed the meteorite theory of dinosaur extinction. For all ages. 4 p.m.
Friday, August 1: Pringle Packing Challenge. Contestants unwrap their Pringles under the watchful eye of judges and Plainsboro postmaster. Prizes for unbroken Pringles in the smallest package, lightest package, most innovative packaging, most artistic packaging, and the Pringle that travels the greatest distance. 4 p.m.
