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
Community
Christian Writers and Artists’ Conference in Dayton, Virginia
"It's taken me four years to get to this conference," Lovina said as we pulled into the parking lot of Hickory Hollow School last Thursday. "Now I'm finally here." Christian Light Publications (CLP), a large conservative Mennonite publisher, has hosted the annual Christian Writers and Artists' Conference in Dayton, Virginia, for the past fifty years. The planners invite well-known authors from the Mennonite ecosystem, as well as teachers and editors, to lecture on writing, poetry, music … [Read more...] about Christian Writers and Artists’ Conference in Dayton, Virginia
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
Summer/Fall Collage
Happy Autumn! Here's a collage of summer and fall highlights— my friend Arlene's wedding, a poetry reading in an off-the-grid farmhouse, and making balloon animals at the New Holland Fair. Bridesmaid Duty VI On July 29, a dear long-time friend, Arlene, got married! Her husband, Erny, celebrated the occasion by blowing the shofar horn he bought in Israel, the same horn he blew at a New Year Eve's party, at the start of 2020. I don't think he and Arlene had even met back then. Arlene … [Read more...] about Summer/Fall Collage
Thrifty Shopping
The Lucky Dog might sound like a place where Blackbeard or Frodo would pop in for a bite of meat pie and a mug of ale, but instead it's New Holland's most cluttered thrift store— where the fine line between antique and junk is thinner than usual. My friend Melissa and I were out for a day of thrift store shopping, and Lucky Dog was our first stop. Decisions started as soon as we entered the thrift store from a side street— the double doors inside the entrance were plastered with numerous … [Read more...] about Thrifty Shopping