Schaumburg Scribe members learn from each other

The Schaumburg Scribe Group began with three members about a decade ago and has since grown, meeting the first and third Saturdays of every month at the Schaumburg Township District Library.

At least 20 to 25 members are at each meeting, bringing and reading their creations and subjecting themselves to the critiques of other members.

The members produce a mix of writing, including memoirs, science fiction, romance, poetry, short stories and essays, among others. Many members are published authors and poets. Members come from different cultural and ethnic backgrounds, which makes the creations interesting and educational.

Here's a little biographical information and excerpts from work of some of the members:

• Charu Gandhi: I mostly write verses. My subjects are varied. I feel ironies in life make good subjects. Three of my poems got published in "Journal of Modern Poetry." My first book of poems, "Thoughts I Thought," was published in April. I occasionally write short stories and critiques for cinema on my blog.

• Sandra Mordini: In the 1980s, I came across a brief writing that inspired "Old Warrior," a creative nonfiction story of my father's World War I experiences. His writing was first published in the Golden Quill Magazine under the title "Reminiscences."

• Bani Bhatacharyya: She writes short stories, memoirs and poems. Her romance novel, "Conflicted Mind," is available at Amazon.com. It winds from India to America, and from traditional values to modern tensions.

• Eddie Resner: The novel "Three Eddies" is a gritty story of survival in a big city. The principal character struggles to find money for his daughter's operation. The only source for sufficient funds is to become a mule for the mob.

• Susan Wells: I'm a freelancer who has had articles published in the Chicagoland Gardening Magazine, Garden Glories Magazine, the 2013 Collection of Poetry and Prose by the Writer's Workshop of Bloomingdale, Possibilities: Writings from the DuPage Writers Group, and Musings, Memoirs and Mayhem by the Hanover Literati.

• Phylicia Bozzi: I've been writing most of my life and have finished a novel about witches, "Sisters with a Secret," not yet published. My poem "Just Another Friday Night," which was a writing assignment in Harper College, was published in "2012, Famous Poets of the Heartland: A Treasury of Beloved Family Poems." Going to writer's groups has really helped me, even if I've gotten bad comments. I recommend it to everyone. Just don't get discouraged if you receive bad feedback. Tell yourself, "I can't please everyone." It makes me feel better.

For more information, contact Charu Gandhi of Hoffman Estates, (847) 884-0008.