Meet The Long Island Writers' Guild

Seventeen years ago, Commack's literati felt a void in their writing lives. They, and other writers in Long Island, yearned for a community, one that would give them a place to express their ideas, get feedback from others and work on polishing their works-in-progress into fully published pieces. So they launched the Long Island Writers' Guild, and it's been going strong ever since.

The guild encourages budding artists of poetry and prose to finish their works, attracting serious wordsmiths, aspiring writers and local residents through free, informal workshops and semi-monthly "sounding boards." Many members, due to these workshop sessions, go on to have their work published. Guest speakers are also invited to encourage these budding writers in the Commack-Suffolk County community.

LIWG began as an informal meeting event at Levittown's Borders Books, but then moved to alternative Suffolk County sites, including the Commack branch of the Smithtown Library. This year, they will be on the move again while that branch is under construction, with plans to move back to Commack next year.

The meetings allow each attendee to listen, read their own works, and offer criticism and comments to others. Those who attend the meetings need not be formal members, although most who attend become members later on.

Starting in 2001, the Guild began publishing its own printed anthology of its members' works, Waterwalking, which attracts local reviews. Since then, three new anthologies have followed, attracting new dedicated writers and Guild members each time.

Despite all of these other projects, LIWG insists that the camaraderie among the writers and consistent sounding-board that the organization provides is the chief goal of the group.  In their own mission statement, the Guild attests, "It is not the stated goal of the LIWG (Long Island Writers' Guild) to get its members published.  Rather, we strive to help each member to become the best writer he/she aspires to be, regardless of whether they are writing to publish or for fun."

The Long Island Writers' Guild will be temporarily holding its semimonthly meetings at the Bethpage Library, East Meadow Library, and Book Revue in Huntington on the first and third Tuesdays of the month (depending on the week); upon completion of the Commack Branch of the Smithtown Library, meetings are expected to resume there.  Check www.liwritersguild.org for full details and a calendar of all upcoming events.