Why literature? Why poetry? Why a literature camp in a castle? For years, friends raved about the annual "Lit Camp", and last weekend I attended for the first time. We left at 11:30 a.m. on Friday. I drove, and with me were two sisters from New Holland, Dorcas and Annetta. None of us had ever been to Lit Camp before. The trip to western Pennsylvania took five hours. I hope this is worth it, I thought. The details were sketchy: a mansion in Franklin, PA, lots of great bookish … [Read more...] about Literature Camp: Writing, Reading, and the Castle Oil Built
Books
Starting a Church Library
Do you dream of having a church library? So did some people at my church, and today we have one! We've been loaning out books since 2022. This morning was my turn to be the "library lady". Perhaps you will be inspired to start a library of your own. Oasis Mennonite Fellowship in New Holland, PA, formed in 2015 and moved to our current location in 2020. The building we now occupy was once a sewing factory. During World War II, workers sewed parachutes for the war effort. When we sit in church, … [Read more...] about Starting a Church Library
My One Hundred Books List
"Want to do a hundred book challenge with me next year?" said one of my friends in late 2021. I couldn't refuse a goal like that, so throughout the year I was reading and listening to books every chance I got. My friend dropped out, but I did make it to a hundred. Most of them were normal length books (I read a few children's books and gift books when I saw I was falling behind schedule). Here's the list, with short summaries and my favorite books in boldface. (No links, I was too lazy for … [Read more...] about My One Hundred Books List
Winter Happenings
When I was a student in the Little Room at Penn Johns School, our teacher, Miss Birk, would occasionally make us write about what we had done the past weekend and she would then compile our stories into a printed hand-stapled newsletter called "Weekend Happening". This blogpost is a little like that. Just a few stories about how my winter has been going. Mostly I've been extra busy with my new position at work, but I enjoy having some projects going on the side. Creating a Church … [Read more...] about Winter Happenings
How I’ve Kept From Being Bored This Winter!
For this blog post I'm writing about several of the activities I've been doing over the past month or two, and just for fun, I'll rate them for you! Cleaning Out My Bookcase Right around New Year's Day, I spent a happy afternoon completely cleaning off my two bookcases and sorting them by genre. I came across books that I haven't read yet but really want to, so it was kind like getting free books! Winter activity rating: A+. Bagel-Making In late January, I got together with a … [Read more...] about How I’ve Kept From Being Bored This Winter!