From 2008-2011, residents of Bedford, Massachusetts came together with a common goal of learning to write creative prose. Local writing teacher Mindy Pollack-Fusi elicited heartfelt, humorous, and inspirational stories, essays and poems out of her students ages 25-75—then took them public in August, 2011. “The Ice Cream Stand and Other Stories & Poems” is a 198-page collection by 21 writers who portray everyday events written from the heart and based on personal experience and imagination. As the book unfolds, readers see the progression of writers' skills, and individual voices emerge in this collective tapestry, including work by prose instructor, Mindy Pollack-Fusi and poetry teacher, Dianalee Velie.

Amazon.com says this about "The Ice Cream Stand":
This is a collection of funny, edgy, heart-warming and inspirational stories & poems by creative writing students from The Place for Words & Workshops. This book includes essays, short nonfiction pieces, short and long fiction and poems of all kinds. It is not only a great read, but inspirational for writers who wish to develop their art and publish one day. From love stories to real-life tales about people struggling to overcome addiction, and from light adventures at ice cream stands to dark corners of dementia, this book takes readers on a ride through real life and imaginary worlds.

Read the Bedford Minuteman article about our Book Launch Party.

Read an article in the Boston Globe West People Column.

Click here to see a video of the book launch event on the web through Bedford TV’s Vimeo account.