sonya friedland

We all leave legacies, of one kind or another. 
    There is the legacy we leave to our family when we are no longer a part of this earth, be it financial, emotional or spiritual. 
    Then there is the legacy we leave because we have been on this earth: rising temperatures, destruction of sensitive environments and  the ever-growing threat of pollution. 
    The Southern Ohio Writers and Readers Collaborative (or SOWriters for short), based at the Pump House Center for the Arts in Chillicothe Ohio has taken the idea of what legacies we leave on the face of this earth and translated them into this collection of works, which is available as a free download.
    SOWriters has been in existence since July 2013 when Mary McFarland, of Otway, believed there was a lot of untapped writing talent in Southern Ohio—all they needed was someplace to congregate, someone to read their words and give them guidance on how to make it better.
    McFarland, a former technical writer and instructor at Southern State Community College, also wanted to welcome those folks who are interested in discovering new books to read. 
    To that end, she formed the Southern Ohio Writers and Readers Collaborative, SOWriters for short; in true social media form, it accepted its members online through the Web site, www.meetup.com. The group began meeting at local restaurants, bookstores, and the Ross County Library until SOWriters was approached in mid-2015 by volunteers at the Pump House Center for the Arts to hold their meetings there.
    SOWriters draws its membership from nine Southern Ohio counties, as far north as Columbus and as far west as Yellow Springs. Members come from a number of different backgrounds and work in a number of different genres, including mystery, romance, science fiction, poetry, essays, fantasy and fan fiction. While some are published, both in traditional and independent ways, some write strictly for their own enjoyment. 
    Leaving A Legacy is a thought provoking collection of poems, essays, and short stories. We hope you enjoy them. We also hope they make you think about what legacy you leave here on Mother Earth.