The last time I was part of an ongoing writing group was over 10 years ago in a regular writing workshop at the Westside Y in Manhattan. I was working in Queens and once a week, I’d brave rush-hour traffic and drive over the Queensboro Bridge, through midtown and Central Park to the West Side. Sometimes it would take me as long as an hour to find a parking spot, but I always did. Then at 9 PM, I’d get back in my car for the drive back to Westchester.

I had to pull out after two years for several reasons. One was financial. I was charging the classes on my American Express card, which I eventually maxed out. I had to admit to myself that I couldn’t afford to keep enrolling in the classes. Secondly, one night on the way home, I dozed off behind the wheel and would have gone off the road, except the side of the road was lined with strips of metal........

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