Judy DiGregorio and Art Stewart at the Knoxville Writer's Guild

Knoxville has an amazing creative community and no where is this more in evidence than at the monthly meetings of the Knoxville Writer's Guild. Writers from both the city and the surrounding area read from their works and discuss the creative process at the Laurel Theater on the first Thursday of each month.

Judy DiGregorio, Laurel Theater, January 2010

This month featured two writers known for their humor, Judy DiGregorio and Art Stewart. Judy has written humor columns, has been featured in the Chicken Soup series and has compiled her writing in two books, Life Among the Lilliputians 2008 and Memories of a Loose Woman published this past spring. Based on her personal experiences, the books are full of the self-deprecating humor for which she has become known and loved by everyone who has heard her speak or has read her books. Her speaking and reading of her books has become so popular, her publisher Celtic Cat has just released a CD of her work entitled "Jest Judy." It is available on their web site.

Art Stewart at the Laurel Theater, January 2010

Art is a poet and a scientist and, as strange as that combination may sound, it gets even more difficult to imagine when you learn that he often writes humorous poetry and essays about science. It's helpful for people like myself who remembers very few chuckles in the years of science instruction I endured. He has three books to his credit, Rough Ascension and Other Poems of Science (2003), Bushido: The Virtues of Rei and Makoto (2005), and his recently-released Circle, Turtle, Ashes, available at the Celtic Cat link above.

It's a great way to spend an hour or so each month and learn more about local and regional writers. Why don't you join us in February? The featured speaker will be Pamela Schoenwaldt whose new novel When We were Strangers is making its way to book stores and will be available on Amazon February 1. This is a very exciting debut novel and I'll be writing more about the novel and the novelist, soon.