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“I’m a liberal arts person, I really am,” says Kay Hafner. “I’m a
generalist in a world that expects specialization.” Kay’s eclectic
interests served her well in writing a general interest column called
“On the Bright Side” in The Post-Star from October 1999 until July 2002
where she wrote short essays on everything from her cat’s purr to her
mother’s cardiac arrest. Kay grew up in Queensbury, attended
Adirondack Community College, then transferred to Utica College of
Syracuse University where she earned a degree in public relations in
1996.
However, she was always interested in writing. A
nonfiction class at the Lake George Arts Project in the spring of 1996
and another weekend class there in the summer of 1997 convinced Kay she
wanted to write essays. Kay became a member of LARAC and even
volunteered at several June festivals without imagining she would ever
have something to sell there. Then in 1995 she created a line of
hand-bound journals called Treasure Journals, which were included
in both LARAC festivals in 1996 as well as other local shows. “I
developed a great sense of respect for the people who make a living
through craft fairs,” says Kay of the experience. “In addition to
creating your products and putting thought into display and sales,
there’s the work of setting up, taking down, plus long hours manning
your booth. I can’t imagine adding travel into that mix.” On the
upside, she loved visiting with people, whether they bought anything or
not. And when they did buy, for themselves or as a gift, there was
a sense of connection that she didn’t expect. “It’s a great feeling to
know something you created is being used and valued by a stranger.”
Although Kay stopped doing fairs in 1997, she was excited to be included
in LARAC’s Holiday Showcase in both 2002 and 2003. Several of her
journals are currently available in the Members Gallery.
A writer’s group developed from one of the workshops in
1997, and Kay was
excited to get involved. They met at Crandall Library in August
and decided to call themselves the Glens Falls Writers Group. “We
didn’t know until later that there had been another group under that
name some years earlier. We still sometimes get people asking if we are
part of that original group.” After moving to LARAC nearly six
years ago, the Glens Falls Writers Group has held open readings,
sponsored a writing workshop and expanded to include two meetings each
month, once in the morning and once in the evening. The key to the
group’s success is in its diversity. “We include a variety of ages,
levels and interests and learn a lot from each other. Someone who
doesn’t normally read or write poetry, for instance, once got
inspiration to write about a childhood memory based on critiquing
someone else’s poem.” They now meet twice a month in the Lapham
Gallery at LARAC on the
first Thursday of each month from 10 a.m. - noon and the third Thursday
of each month from 7 – 9 p.m.
The development of Kay’s “On the Bright Side” column came directly
from support she found early on through the group. “When I said I wanted
to write a column it was like winning the lottery to me, but several
practical people encouraged me to develop some samples and really think
about what I’d like to do.” Because of that, she was ready to
confidently pitch the idea to the paper a year later when the time was
right. Encouragement for new writers led Kay to try her hand at teaching
last fall through ACC’s Center for Personal and Professional Development
that took beginners “from idea to finished manuscript” in just six
weeks. This spring she’s taking that same format and concentrating
on fiction writing in a class that starts on March 30 at ACC. “Too
often people take writing classes and do a lot of exercises but are left
with saying ‘now what?’ My goal is to give an overview of the
writing process that will allow the writer to complete a short story in
a short amount of time.” These might not be publishable stories
but at least participants gain the confidence that they’ve done it once,
they can do it again. Kay’s current projects include a mainstream novel,
exploration of science fiction/fantasy world building and a collection
of essays. In addition, she’s working to self-publish a collection
of 52 “On the Bright Side” columns.
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