Brief history of the Writers Group

One afternoon in the winter of 1988, Kit Boone, head of the Children’s Library, asked Belva Green if she would like to re-start the Writers Group that had met at the Tarpon Springs Public Library during the 1970’s and 80’s.  Belva agreed and put advertisements in the newspaper, telling people about the Group and its aims.  The Group met from 10:00 to noon each Friday that the library was open.  Belva acted as moderator until that function was taken over by Vee Dayton in 1992.  Belva continued as a member, coming from time to time to give wonderful critiques and to read her own articles and short stories. 

 The group, as reconstituted, first met in the Friends of the Library room at the Tarpon Springs Library when it was located in Craig Park on Spring Bayou.  Around about 1993, when that room was no longer available, the group met in a small alcove off the children’s library.  The space was cramped and the group often spilled out into the children’s area.

 When the library opened at its present location on Lemon Street in 1997, the Writers Group moved its meeting to the conference room in the new building.  Shortly after the move, Bob Dockery took over as moderator and served in that function until the beginning of 2004 when David Edmonds assumed the moderator’s chair.

 For all of its existence, the Writers Group has been mainly a critique group, although, in its earliest days, it often featured speakers on subjects of interest to writers.  Another feature from the earliest days was the gathering at a local restaurant after the formal meeting.  Today the after-meeting lunch has become virtually an extension of the meeting which now goes from 10:00 until 1:00.