BY TINA L. SCOTT
EDITOR
The Real Writers Group, which started in November 2022 and meets monthly at the T.B. Scott Library in Merrill on the second Saturday of each month, is hosting their first-ever Poetry Slam event at the Sawmill Brewing Company in Merrill on March 24, 2024, at 1 p.m. Area poets and poetry lovers are invited to attend and participate.
“Come enjoy some pints and poetry by local writers,” the event organizers said. “Read a poem yourself or come to listen.”
It will be an open mic style event open to the public,” said Rachel Waldburger, an area poet and a leader within the group. “You do not need to be a member of the Real Writers Group to participate.”
“The idea of the poetry slam has been kicking around the group for a few months,” she said. “We thought it would be a fun way to share our interests and talents with the community and to invite other community members to get involved. We have also been working on our public speaking and presentation skills, and what better way to practice than to read in front of an audience?”
Waldburger is also a teacher at St. John Lutheran School in Merrill and one of the founders of the Real Writers Group. “T.B.Scott Library was hosting a write-in for National Novel Writing Month, and I was there with my middle school students (who were participating in NaNoWriMo for class),” Waldburger said. “Tom Burg and Jim Finucan also attended, and we got to talking about the need for a writing group in our community. Tom made a comment about feeling like he wasn’t a ‘real writer,’ so we took that as our group name to show that everyone who writes is a Real Writer.”
“Since then, the group has met every month to discuss a variety of topics, including different types of poetry, copyright laws, writing dialogue, and marketing. Normally, we have between 10-15 writers at each meeting,” she said. “We are open to all writers of all genres and would love to welcome new attendees!”
And, she said, “We hope to be able to hold many more readings in the future!”