BCPL

News release

Over the past few years, the Boyle County Public Library has hosted writing workshops led by local author Paul Stansbury. This month an introductory workshop to writing fictional short stories is being offered.

The program will feature a pre-recorded video, premiering on the library’s YouTube channel on Thursday, Nov. 12, followed by a live, virtual follow-up session held on Discord on Sunday, Nov. 15 at 2:30 p.m. Participants will be able to pick up a writing kit starting Nov. 12.

“Libraries love to share stories, especially those from our local authors and aspiring authors,” said Public Services Librarian Caleb Conover. “Paul Stansbury has been a wonderful writing workshop instructor previously, and we’re grateful to have him back to lead a flash/short story writing workshop in a safe, virtual environment. Everyone has a story to tell, and we’re looking forward to seeing how this program works out,” said Conover.

Workshop participants will learn how to write a fictional short story and how to prepare a story manuscript. During the first session, a 30-minute video will explore the framework of a short story, review the supplemental materials, and explain the assignment. The second session will be a live, interactive question and answer session with Stansbury. Participants can get feedback about their stories and discuss successes and issues they encountered. At the conclusion of the workshop, they will have authored one or more flash fiction or short stories.

Paul Stansbury is a native Kentuckian. He is the author of “Inversion – Not Your Ordinary Stories”; “Inversion II – Creatures, Fairies, and Haints, Oh My!”; “Inversion III – The Lighter Shades of Greys; Down By the Creek – Ripples and Reflections”; and “Little Green Men?”, a novelette.

His speculative fiction stories have appeared in a number of print anthologies as well as a variety of online publications. His poetry has appeared in The Rising Phoenix Review, Young Ravens Literary Review, Strange Poetry, and Kentucky Monthly and read as part of a concert, A Woman’s Life, by the choral group Sounding Joy. He is a contributing writer for The Advocate-Messenger newspaper, Scheduling Coordinator for The Jeanne Penn Lane Celebration of Kentucky Writers, and a member of the Board of Directors of Scarlet Cup Theater. He is the owner of Sheppard Press. Now retired, he lives in Danville, Kentucky.

Grown-up Game Night

The library also hosts a number of virtual, interactive events for a variety of ages such as Dungeons & Dragons, book discussions, and trivia nights. One upcoming virtual event for adults is “Grown-up Game Night” on Monday, Nov. 9 at 7 p.m. The game night is held monthly and is hosted using Jackbox party games with communication through Discord. Participants will need two browser windows or devices – one to communicate via Discord, and one to enter responses to games. No purchase, download, or account is necessary to participate. Those interested in playing can register online by visiting boylepublib.org/gamenight. After registering, library staff will send out links to the chat channel as well as instructions on joining the games.

Any questions about the writing workshop or the game night can be directed to Caleb Conover at the library. A complete listing of upcoming events is available on the library’s website, BoylePubLib.org.

The Boyle County Public Library serves the city of Danville and the surrounding communities, and is actively committed to enriching the lives of its patrons. The library is located at 307 West Broadway in Danville, KY.