Walking into the white-marbled Beaux-Art-styled Columbus Metropolitan Library was nerve inspiring enough, but the inside could make a person gape. The arched doorways and the three-story open-air glass main floor made me feel professional. This was a meaningful experience. Somehow, it calmed me. I had been in the building before, but now I spoke here.
Part of my process as a teacher or speaker is to be overly prepared. I make myself hyper. Always have. I love to teach and speak to groups, but somehow I have to worry about every part of what I will present.
My instructions were to go to Room 1B. It was a small meeting room behind glass doors. It didn’t seem right. Librarians have always been helpful. My husband, who accompanied me, and I went to the desk and asked where the Pen Women were meeting. Another lady came up behind us to ask the same thing. Two librarians looked into a book, which I imagine was the schedule book for the meeting rooms. They couldn’t find it. Did I have the correct date? Of course, I did. I had been looking forward to meeting these ladies for months.
“Are you looking for the Pen Women?”
All three of us turned and said, “Yes.”
“The meeting is in 2B. Upstairs. Just ask someone when you get upstairs.”
My husband was carrying books we would offer for sale, so we looked for the elevator. The elevator opened to a spacious white room with white bookshelves surrounded by windows. All the bookshelves were shoulder-high, which made this room airy and inviting. A person could see each corner of the room. I asked another studious-looking aide for directions to our room. “Just keep going to the windows. It’s in the back corner.”
I am familiar with libraries that are brick and windowless. The shelves blocked sight lines, row after row. This differed from any library I had ever been to. Here, there was brightness everywhere, with its white walls and spots of color.
Arriving at Room 2B, the glass-enclosed meeting room looked technologically advanced. The whiteboard was larger than I had ever seen. Two women were already setting up for the meeting.
Technology gave us some challenges. No surprise. But the tech person for the library came through with a solution.
After being a teacher of high school students for thirty-one years, it warms my heart to have an audience take shots (with their phones) of my PowerPoint slides. The questions about how I was an Independently published author, as opposed to being a traditionally published author, were enthusiastic. The members were gracious and supportive.
The Central Ohio chapter of NLAPW is legitimate. The NLAPW is a group that spans from 1897 to now. For my author friends, look into this group. It has some heady members. For my artistic friends, it is not only for writers; it embraces all the arts. Look into it. https://www.nlapw.org/
Independent Published Author, National League of American Pen Women