Essayist Whitney Kershaw comes to the Writer Salon

Tea and Tales Writer Salon April 12, 2011 with Essayist Whitney Kershaw

Valley Village Senior Apartments. A Programs for Older Adults Class

through the LAUSD North Hollywood Poly Community Adult School
Essayist Whitney Kershaw in Dialogue with Tea and Tales Members

In speaking about the need for celebrating life, Kershaw pulled out a journal she had kept when she was 16, and read a story about her own coming of age. The entry left audience members breathless. Perhaps it was the Kerouac stream of consciousness styling. Perhaps it was the manner in which Whitney read, quickening the pace, raising and dropping her voice, spellbinding her audience.

The fourth in a series of seven Writer Salons, this session got personal, felt intimate, and left the young writers with new encouragement to "begin again."

"Put your pen down on the paper and write for 20 minutes," advised Kershaw, pulling from an "Artist's Way" exercise. "Don't stop, don't judge, don't worry. Set your timer for 20 minutes. Do this every day. You will be surprised by how much comes out of you!"

An actress on the screen, television, and Broadway, Whitney Kershaw may now be embarking on a career as a writer of essays, even a parenting advice column. She loves her family, her husband, three children and many pets.

"Life is good," she concludes. "I think I write to celebrate that."

We celebrated with her, and in these times, who doesn't need a party!

COMING UP NEXT: Haynes Brook, on Playwriting... watch this space!