A Girl Named Eva

     Today is Wednesday, and Wednesday is the day I go to creative writing class.  My class is one of the programs offered at the Mount Laurel Community Center.  The Center (previously the Mount Laurel Senior Center) is now open to all ages, and out- of-towners, previously excluded, are eligible to enroll in programs.

     An energetic, enthusiastic woman named Eva teaches the course.  The first thing I noticed about Eva was her bright eyes.  As soon as she spoke, I noticed her German accent.  How does an immigrant, for whom English is a second language, end up teaching creative writing?  Well, Eva loves to write, and her mastery of English puts us native speakers to shame.  She will find every spelling error, every missing comma, and every place the subject and verb are not in agreement.  Under Eva's tutelage, you will tell your story, and you will learn proper grammar.  Eva is not the only person with an accent in our group.  Another member is also from Germany, a World War II war bride.  A third member, came to the United States from Switzerland.  These ladies have become my special friends.  They worked their way into my heart one writing assignment at a time.  

     While learning the mechanics of writing is the obvious thing going on in class, there is something magical happening below the surface.  We students reveal ourselves to each other through our stories.  We've had some hearty laughs telling stories of not recognizing one's own husband as he walked down the street or getting off a bus with just five out of the six children who started the journey.  There have been stories about war and being a refugee, of being cold and hungry.  There have been accounts of love lost and "what if"  as well as stories of soldier heros and marriage.  My three friends are adventurers.  They are brave, strong women.

     While two of them have written down their stories for only family and friends, Eva decided to publish memoirs of her childhood.  Her book, A Girl Named Eva, will be available soon on Amazon.  Eva read her book to our class as she wrote it, so I can guarantee it's a good read.  I'll let you know when the book goes up for sale.