The Writers’ Loft in Sherborn has released an anthology of children’s poetry, An Assortment of Animals, which includes poems by two Holliston writers, Jane Kohuth and Cathy Stenquist. The collection contains original poetry and artwork by members of the Writers’ Loft, a not-for-profit organization founded by Heather Kelly to support local writers in the craft, practice, and business of writing.
The Loft is housed at 20 North Main Street in Sherborn. Inside a large, red building that looks something like a farmhouse, the loft consists of two rooms. One is set up with desks, tables, chairs, and a coffee station for quiet writing, and the other is the community room where critique groups, think tanks, workshops and other social events take place. The rooms are accessed by a coded keypad on the door, and open to all levels of membership including drop-in writers and illustrators.
Because so many Loft participants write and/or illustrate children’s books, Kristen Wixted, a writer and member of the Writers’ Loft board of directors, imagined a collaboration of art and poems for children. “I had written poems about animals when my kids were younger,” she said. With the support of Heather Kelly and the other board members, the call went out for submissions.
The poem Cathy Stenquist wrote for the anthology, “S’il vous plaît,” is about a finicky cat. “I’ve always loved cats, always had cats,” said Stenquist. “It came out very quickly when I sat down to write.” A member of Loft several years, Stenquist has written picture books and memoir pieces and has been published in Chicken Soup for the Soul and the Wellesley-Weston magazine. “This is the first time my words have been illustrated. It was a very big thrill to see [illustrator] Robert Thibeault bring my cat to life.”
Jane Kohuth, author of the picture book Who’s Got the Etrog, included a poem she had written about a swan, “White on Brown.” “I started out doing mainly poetry, focusing on poems for children,” says Kohuth. She has taken workshops at the Writers’ Loft over the past few years. After members of her long-running critique group had moved or had children and were not able to continue the group, the Loft helped her find a new group. “It has given me more of a community.”
Stenquist also prizes the sense of community. “The Loft a great place to nurture people. Egos are checked at the door. The most accomplished writers are generous with sharing their craft and advice. In an arena where everybody’s trying to get published, there is still camaraderie.”
Thirty-two Loft members are featured in the anthology, including popular children’s book author Jane Yolen, who contributed six poems, and Brian Lies, winner of the Caldecott Honor, who did the cover art and wrote and illustrated the poem “Consider the Slug.”
A book signing and gallery exhibit will take place April 13th at 11 a.m. at Aesops Fables bookstore in Holliston. The framed illustrations will be on display at the Art and Frame Emporium Westborough during the month of April, in May at the Hopkinton Center for the Arts, and at the Westborough Public Library in June and July. On Saturday, May 18, there will be a reception, gallery display and book signing at the Hopkinton Center for the Arts from 1-3 p.m.
The book was released in November 2018 and is available in most local bookstores.