Amesville, is a village in southwest Ohio in the foothills of the Appalachians. The population at the time of the 2020 census was 171. The village is known for its Coonskin Library, a subscription library founded in 1804, named because the selling of animal pelts, mainly raccoon, purchased the library’s first collection of books. Amesville was also an important waypoint on the Underground Railroad. When enslaved people from the South, particularly from Kentucky and Virginia, reached Amesville, they knew they were safe.

This weekend, thanks to an invitation to teach in the Amesville Writers’ Workshop, the village was a place of refuge for my wife Cathy and me. As many of you know, Cathy is starting chemotherapy for her breast cancer on Tuesday. The time we spent in the natural beauty of Amesville and its surrounding areas was exactly what we needed before taking the next step on our journey. In addition to nature’s balm, we felt love from the wonderful people in the workshop. They may never know how much our time with them meant to us, but I can assure them we so much needed their kindness and their words of encouragement and support. We left Amesville, lifted and carried along by this family of writers.

Too often, this writing game can burden us, can seem ultra-competitive and sometimes mean-spirited. Writers can be full of envy. We can be petty and protective. We can suffer from the bottom-line perspective of publishers. We can be defeated by rejection. At the Amesville Writers’ Workshop, though, there were people who had something to express and wanted instruction on how to better do what they love to do—to move words about on the page, to cast a voice out into the universe through fiction or poetry or creative nonfiction. These writers were generous, good-humored, open-minded. They were also thoughtful, and caring. Clearly, they’d found the company of like-minded people, and Cathy and I were fortunate to be a part of their group, if only for a few days. We’ll forever cherish the time we spent with these lovely and loving people.

Even though sometimes it may seem otherwise, there are good people in the world. There are also good-hearted writers, people who generously seek connections with others. Sometimes we search for them, but sometimes they find us. Sometimes, an email arrives, and it says, “Would you consider coming to Amesville?” Cathy and I are so glad we said, “Yes.”

If you’re someone who loves writing, or someone who’s always wanted to try—if you’re someone who has something to say and would like a little help along your journey—I hope you’ll consider attending the Amesville Writers’ Workshop next summer. I guarantee you’ll find a group of people ready to welcome you to this special place.