From Carson McCullers to Toni Morrison, Rockland has been home to plenty of literary luminaries. But what makes the county such a creative hotbed? Danielle Kosecki of Rockland Magazine goes inside its thriving community of poets, workshops, and open-mic nights to find out.

When the members of Suzanne Deshchidn’s poetry circle read, she seems to go into a trance, closing her eyes and letting her long black hair fall forward. But when it’s her turn, she springs to life, choosing “Archipelago,” a poem she wrote for a dying poet, and begins to read: “Let me land my storm-weary vessel / on your broad white sand beach.”

Like a seasoned speaker, she glances around the room establishing eye contact before continuing. “Let me drift no more on endless seas / tossed upon coral reefs that tear at me.” But as Deshchidn approaches the last two verses, something in her face changes, a redness enters it. She starts to choke up. By the time she utters the last two lines, “and I will drop anchor there and stay / let me drop my anchor there and stay,” she’s already raising a tissue to her eye. Many writers shy away from sharing their innermost thoughts. But in Rockland, the types of writers you find are as varied as their genres. Some scribble solitarily into their notebooks for the pure enjoyment it brings, while others, like Deshchidn, also put pen to paper in hopes of getting published. In Rockland this is nothing new. The county has a long, proud history of supporting local scribes.

Novelist Carson McCullers, who wrote The Heart is a Lonely Hunter, took up residence in Nyack, while Betty Friedan wrote The Feminine Mystique in her Grand View mansion. Even Toni Morrison couldn’t avoid Rockland’s quiet charm—she owns a home in Grand View. The allure is obvious. With 30 percent of the county made up of parks, Rockland can provide the natural solitude some writers crave. But, for extroverts, it’s also the perfect jumping-off point for some of the best writing resources in the country. To the east is Sleepy Hollow’s Hudson Valley Writers’ Center, which holds regular open-mic nights, public readings, and workshops for writers of all levels.

To the west is The Poetry Center at Passaic County Community College in Paterson, New Jersey, one of the most active poetry centers in the country. Stanhope, New Jersey, is home to the biennial Geraldine R. Dodge Poetry Festival, the largest poetry event in North America. To the south, of course, is the greatest resource of all: New York City, a hub of literary history, modern trends, and experimental endeavors. Thanks to its unique location, Rockland has become a kind of literary nexus and home to a creative scene that continues to sustain the writers who inhabit it.

Read the rest of Kosecki's article here.

Source: The Lower Hudson Online

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