Last Tuesday I enjoyed the privilege of hearing Garrison Keillor talk about some of the events in his youth that led him to become a writer. The event was part of The Friends of the Minneapolis Public Library's Talk of the Stacks series and was held at the Minneapolis Public Library-- a place where Keillor found solace during some trying times of his childhood. The night was conversational, unbold. as he spoke to a packed hall of Midwesterners like himself who were there simply to celebrate words.



I too sought solace at the library as a child. When I was in Jr. High, and my mother was upset over one thing or another, usually a messy house-- and probably something more than that, I would offer to take out the garbage, hop over the back fence and sneak away to the library. At the time I was writing a "film script", and having no typewriter at home I retreated into the typing room with scrounged change and used the coin operated typewriter as long for as long as I could afford.





This week also marked the end of my company's annual charity drive which involved raising funds and volunteer hours for the Twin Cities United Way and Community Health Charities. On the pledge form we were allowed to allocate a specific charity where our financial contribution will go. For the second year in a row I chose to delegate half my contribution to Free Arts Minnesota, and organization that supports children who need to seek solace in the arts.



Minnesota also passed the Clean Water, Land and Legacy Amendment in the recent election that raises the state sales' tax by a minuscule amount in order to help support the environment and the arts. It's a bargain, compared to the vast amount we stand to get back.



Art matters. Whether it be drawing, or painting, or writing, or dancing, or theater, or something else. Four of the characters in my novel, No Sensible People are artists-- two dancers, and two visual artists, and they too recognize their art  for it's "medicinal" value. The power to create beauty, often out of the less than beautiful moments is not something that should ever be taken for granted.



Gretchen Lee Bourquin is the author of the novel No Sensible People, available in print from Lulu.com and Amazon.com. A preview of the 2nd edition is available as a free download for a limited time via her website.