Warding Off Loneliness by Joining a Writing Community

The last time I was part of an ongoing writing group was over 10 years ago in a regular writing workshop at the Westside Y in Manhattan. I was working in Queens and once a week, I’d brave rush-hour traffic and drive over the Queensboro Bridge, through midtown and Central Park to the West Side. Sometimes it would take me as long as an hour to find a parking spot, but I always did. Then at 9 PM, I’d get back in my car for the drive back to Westchester.

I had to pull out after two years for several reasons. One was financial. I was charging the classes on my American Express card, which I eventually maxed out. I had to admit to myself that I couldn’t afford to keep enrolling in the classes. Secondly, one night on the way home, I dozed off behind the wheel and would have gone off the road, except the side of the road was lined with strips of metal with little points and when my car hit that, I was jolted awake. That scared me and at the next class, I dropped out.

This past fall, I took a couple of writing classes at a new writing center and particularly enjoyed a class with one instructor whom I’ll call Maddie. I found out that she teaches a private Advanced Personal Writing Class, so I vowed to register for the next class when it started. We’re three classes in now and it’s the highlight of my week.

Loneliness has become an epidemic in this country. A report from the U.S. Surgeon General states…