This past Saturday was spent mostly at home, tinkering about doing household chores that had been set aside for every imaginable excuse under the sun, to the moon and back. In the early afternoon, I treated myself to a writing workshop at Surel’s Place, an artist in residence program in the Live Work Create District in Garden City.
The current artist in residence is Jeff Metcalf, a delightful writer that is a professor of English at University of Utah, published author, and all around funny guy. The workshop was titled, Unlocking the Mysteries of Storytelling: Our Lives as Dust Jacket Covers. You know, book covers that give the world a glimpse of what is to come from within the pages inside that book you are holding, the book you are considering purchasing.
Mr. Metcalf asked everyone to tell the others who they were, why they were there and what their intention is/was. Every story was different. A budding fiction writer, an English teacher, my neighbor who favors poetry, his lady who attended to join him, a gal who has a published book about South Africa, another woman who is a part of the Idaho Writers Guild, her friend who was an artist for decades and is changing gears, their friend who wants to write about his family’s genealogy, and a retired attorney that is devoting his time to writing fiction. Their stories were captivating.
Jeff read a collection of essays from his book titled Requiem for the Living, a memoir about his childhood that was infused with humor. It had to be, after all he went to Catholic school. Then, he gave us an assignment. We were to write 99 words total, and it was to be what a person would read in a dust jacket cover aka book jacket cover. It had to be our life story. Here is what I wrote:
Laurie Barrera is the oldest of four children, and to this day remains the adventurer of the family.
Growing up with a father that should have been a stand-up comic, all four kids each have their own wry style of humor. Laurie is an exception.
Laurie’s story of a life well lived, despite ups and downs, highs and lows, loves and losses will have you crying tears of laughter.
From Catholic school to college to Idaho’s mountains and settling in Boise, Laurie’s journey will inspire you to get up and live with humor.
Live Laugh Love is Laurie’s story within.
Yes, I went over one word.
What would your book jacket cover tell the world?
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