A friend of mine, poet Susan Lilley, with whom I’m on writing retreat, shared with us last night something she does to support her fellow writers AND amuse/entertain her overnight houseguests. It struck me as a great and simple idea, and so I offer it in that spirit — I plan on doing it — so should you!
Susan stocks her guest bedroom with books by writers she knows as a way of “spreading the word” and finding new readers for these works. She commented that her guests have sometimes lingered up there, caught up in work she’d made available to them, work they’d otherwise have not been exposed to.
That’s it.
We have a small bookshelf in our guest room at Surly Acres that’s sort of a catch-all at the moment — and I’m going to stock it with books I’ve read and enjoyed by writers who are my friends and acquaintances, writers whose work is so deserving of a larger audience.
Liz Ahl 