You Cats Wanna Hoot?

It was inevitable: You assemble fifteen creative writers in a room and you’re likely to have a few who play an instrument or two.

Tim Fitzgerald and Amanda Vella have formed a BWW spin-off group that meets occasionally at the end of our workshops for a jam session. The group is called the Greater Burlington Area Hootenanny Society. When the workshop ends, we put away our pens and marked-up pages, grab another pint, and let the musicians take over.

We’ve heard some Woodie Guthrie, some old Irish folk songs, Frank Sinatra, and an acoustic version of this song, among others. We’ve had flutists, fiddlers, banjoists players, acoustic bassists, harmonica players, guitarists (of course), and workshop member Rod Hansen even brought along a pink toy piano!

In my opinion, the GBAHS (which, I suppose, would be pronounced “Guh-bahs”) is proof that the Burlington area is full of creative energy. In Vermont, it’s not enough to be blessed with scenic views of mountains and lakes or relatively safe communities or good schools or healthy citizens. We’re also blessed by the large number of writers, artists, and musicians who do things like this for the pleasure of doing them. What a gift to us all.

There are no attendance limits for these so-called “hoots. ” That means you’re free to join the group on Facebook and keep an eye out for the next one!