by Dara Syrkin

Educators, travel writer and chef, business writer, business owner. What do they have in common? Writing.

B. J. Carpenter, Maggie DeGennaro, Sherry Derus, Elsa Hofmeister, Mary Henrickson, and Elaine Voboril met in one of Mary Jean Port’s memoir classes and formed a writing group in 2002.

B. J. went though major life transitions in the fall of 2002 and joined Mary Jean’s class as a means to address them. While working on her memoir these past five years, Carpenter has done freelance checking/editing on several local food books and also completed an illustrated travel/food book on Minnesota coauthored with painter-photographer Shelley Holl, which will be published in March 2010.

Maggie joined the group in an ongoing quest for balance. The processes of reading others’ words and writing her own provide sustenance. The absence of judgment creates an atmosphere in which she can take huge risks and be completely naked in words and emotions. Maggie explains, “Our friendships are grounded in a unique knowledge of each other from our writing that is trusted and revered. Our connectedness is a lifeline that continues to blossom as it is nurtured.”

Sherry has written memoir and fiction, with her latest endeavor a combination of both. Her teenage son, Tyler, suggested sternly that his mom should take swimming or piano lessons or write a book before he graduates from high school. (Sherry notes that he said write it, not publish it.) The group, like her son, holds Sherry accountable and provides some firm but gentle prodding that encourages her to keep writing.

Elsa came to memoir writing because she hoped to capture and define the world of her often chaotic childhood. She wanted to explore the experiences and relationships that influence and shape a life. Two years into this process, she was invited to write the vocation histories of a community of Minnesota Visitation Sisters. Her book, Extraordinary Ordinary Lives, was published in March 2009, and she has now returned to writing her memoir. She feels that her writing sensibilities have deepened, thanks to the Visitation adventure.

Writing brought Mary through the grief, beauty, and pain of adolescence, and she decided to return to that source of inspiration. After a serious bicycle accident, she worked with the group through challenges such as double vision and memory loss and is back to writing again.

Self-discovery for Elaine didn’t begin to manifest until the fifth decade of her life, when the former farm girl opened her eyes and her heart to a world she had never dreamed existed. Why had it taken so long? Gradually, she began to understand that she, like the fall asters and chrysanthemums in her garden, was a late bloomer. Writing her memoir helps her tend and nurture those bright, hardy flowers.

They credit Mary Jean with the way the group is run. The scheduled writing is read aloud. Group members underline passages they like and write suggestions in the margins. “No one judges or shames. We only make suggestions. Offense is not taken if the next week we come together and the suggestions aren’t incorporated in the person’s work,” says Sherry.

“We don’t talk about just the great stuff, though,” offers Mary. “We’re not shy about saying ‘I got lost here’ or ‘That doesn’t belong’ or ‘You had a change of voice there.’ ”

“We’re kind in the process, not abrasive,” says Elsa. “Let’s put it this way. We’re not Minnesota nice, but we are courteous. We’re all better writers and editors because of this group.”

They’ve tried meeting at other places, libraries and coffee shops, but don’t like the noise and lack of privacy. “If we hadn’t all come to the Loft, we wouldn’t have met. So this place, this room, feels like home,” says B. J., referring to the Book Club Room.

“We’re all helpful and enthusiastic about each other’s work,” says Elaine. She takes care of scheduling the space and organizes the group by documenting and communicating whose work will be discussed next.

“The essence of caring is presence,” says Elsa. “So we show up. Our respect for the group is evidenced by our taking it seriously. That means we don’t miss meetings without a good reason, we come on time, and we bring writing if we have committed to doing so. We don’t always succeed perfectly, but those are our intentions and our goal. We care for and about each other.”