“Summer reading” usually suggests the kind of books you’d take along for a lazy day on a beach, boat, or backyard hammock. Drifting away with an easy read is one of summer’s pleasures, but that doesn’t mean you can’t dive into deeper literary waters or a controversial...

Do you have a story to tell but don’t know where to begin? Why not try a writing workshop taught by Mystic Writers, Ruth Crocker (nonfiction) and Susan Kietzman (fiction)? The in-person workshops will be held at the Mystic & Noank Library, 40 Library St., Mystic,...

I probably wouldn’t have read a recent Washington Post article about Joe Biden’s personal habits if it hadn’t carried a photo of the president with his two German shepherd dogs, Champ and Major. I share his love of the breed, have a GSD myself, and follow news of the...

At the beginning of the pandemic, in March of last year, I received any number of calls from people who wanted my help in writing commentaries for publication. I shouldn’t have been surprised. We were at the beginning of a global cataclysmic event, one that was about...

A few days ago, I dared to go into my garden after spending weeks fearing that nothing lived under the layer of oak leaves. Everything must have died a natural death or been eaten from underneath by chipmunks. But a green iris spear poking through made me take a...

When we aren’t actually writing (or thinking about what we’re going to write) there’s a good chance that the Mystic Writers are reading. This past year, with many libraries closed, and some bookstores temporarily shuttered, the books we chose carried even greater...

The second most common question I’ve heard in the last year – the first being “Are you okay?” – is “Have you watched any good shows on Netflix?” I’ve asked this question, too, when talking with friends and family, all of us on the hunt for something to do when the sun...

Some people might think that a group called the Mystic Writers has a kind of mystical or spiritual connection, so we wanted to clear up any confusion right from the start. We needed a no-nonsense link to Mystic, CT on our website, and the image of the Mystic River...

I don’t write fiction, which means I’ve probably never had true writer’s block. But I have had writer’s blasé. It’s that feeling when you can’t muster the interest or energy to write an article, even with ample source material at hand. As director of communications...

During this time of isolation and uncertainty I often find myself trapped between two reactions – outright paranoia or blistering anger. Both drive me either to obsessive cleaning – taking a toothbrush to the grout in the shower – or long walks in the woods behind my...