Lanier Library invites area writers to share works in progress at the quarterly Literary Open Stage, Thursday, Jan. 19 from 6:30 to 9 p.m. at the library. Writers place their names in a hat when they arrive if they would like to read, and 10 writers are each given 10 minutes to read from their work. The program begins at 7 p.m. with a 15-minute reading by a local author and continues with 10 writer names pulled from Sidney’s beret. 

This quarter’s featured writer is David Riddle, a member of Tryon’s First Edition writing group. Riddle was born and raised in Spartanburg, S.C. and has lived in Polk County for 30 years. He is a retired teacher, a naturalist, carpenter and backpacker. 

“Writing for me has always been an attempt to make sense of my life experiences, sometimes taking shape as personal essay, memoir, short fiction, or poetry. I’ve been at it for more than half a century; still not sure how much sense I’ve made,” Riddle says.

Riddle has been reading at the Literary Open Stage for several years.

Join Lanier Library on Thursday, Jan. 19 for an evening of local writing — essay, fiction, non-fiction, poetry.

The Lanier Library at 72 Chestnut Street is a one of 16 private membership libraries in the U.S., founded in 1889 by five Tryon ladies who met over tea and discussed the community’s need for a library. It is Tryon’s oldest civic organization and programs are free and open to the public.

– article submitted by Clare O’Sheel