Meg Hibbert
Contributing writer
A much-loved nativity scene her parents bought for 29 cents when they married in 1929 prompted Linda Horinko to write one of the essays she and six other “golden agers” turned into a book.
Horinko, Joann Barfield, Betsy Davies Kibbler, Fran Duran Klaus, Ruth Rossin, Judi Stenzel and Nancy Valle wrote and published “Glimpses Into Our Past,” by the Ink Slingers of Richfield. The book contains 110 “memories and flights of fancy” the seven wrote.
The Ink Slingers have met monthly since Valle first got the group together in 2021. Horinko, the current leader, edited the book and had it published by Amazon.com.
The stories in “Glimpses” come from writing prompts members come up with. They range from autumn leaves, to Klaus losing all her front teeth in second grade, to Barfield’s Icelandic and Norwegian family traditions, Rossin’s world travels with her Ambassador son, Valle fulfilling her bucket list desire to walk the beach at Normandy, and Stenzel’s parents staying up most of the night to put together toys to create the magic of Christmas.
“What’s amazing each month that what everybody writes is different from same prompt,” said Horinko. “They are always very different.”
“Our book is a fun kind of thing. It’s an easy read. People say they will read one or two of the entries before going to bed. Some are funny, or have information about places people never get to. One of the fun prompts was a list of history’s unsolved mysteries and we were to write our conclusion to that story.”
In November the prompt she chose was “A cup of steaming tea…all there was left now was to wait.”
The December prompt is “Write about a place you couldn’t wait to get out of.” A second choice is “A story in the form of a letter or several letters send back and forth.”
Speaking about her treasured family creche, Horinko said, “My creche is small, but contains wise men, sheep, cattle, but no shepherds. It means a lot to me because it’s almost 100 years old, and my parents, Ed and Gwen Amole, bought it the first Christmas when they were married, in Coatesville, Pa.”
“The figures have ‘Japan’ stamped on the bottom. I display it on a round table in our living room,” said Horinko. She and her husband, Bob, have lived in Richfield’s Lake Retreat four-and-a-half years ago, after living in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Pensacola, and Mobile, Ala.
Not all the writers live in Richfield now but are nearby.
They meet the fourth Monday of each month, in Richfield’s Community Room in the Towne Center. Horinko said the group would consider new members.
For meetings, they make copies of their essays and everybody reads along, she said, and might make suggestions. “We are not really tough on each other.” She had not published before but said she had kept a journal for 30 years.
“We don’t claim to be professionals; we are women who discovered a joyful way to preserve our pasts, stretch our imaginations and connect with each other through writing.
“Glimpses Into Our Past, Memories and Flights of Fancy from Golden Agers,” is available from Amazon.com for $14.99.
