Emmylou Harris sang about “A Love that Will Never Grow Old” and Friday evening at the Canal Street Recreation Center, the Writers League of The Villages (WLOV) proved the truth of the song. Readers from WLOV and The Villages Old Time Radio Players read 11 love stories aloud Friday while the audience munched on Valentine’s Day treats.
Produced by longtime WLOV member Millard Johnson, the evening was the culmination of the fourth annual Love Story competition. WLOV members were invited to submit short love stories – not more than 2,000 words – to judges who chose the best pieces to be read aloud in dramatic fashion. The event was directed by Ed Williams of The Villages Old Time Radio Club, with sound production by Steve Shulman of the Audio-Video Techniques Club.
Master of Ceremonies Phil Walker introduced the evening of readings, which started with “Castaways” by Millard Johnson, read by Heather Snively. Teens at a state fair – not yet adults and not children anymore – awkwardly try to find their place. After trying the midway games, a young couple finds themselves together like castaways, lost and unsure of themselves, trying the bridge the gap between childhood and being adults.
Bona Hayes read a story by Pam O’Brien, “Still So Much We Don’t Know about Love,’ revealing a good deal about what we know about love. But it’s still a complete mystery in many respects. O’Brien recently retired from the English Department at the University of Pittsburgh, has published four books of poetry and is working on a fifth.
Chronicling a 40-year lover-friend relationship, “Puppy Love” was written by Tommy Hannon and read by Cliff Rieger. It voiced the protagonist’s regret at not marrying the love of his life. Only when she dies does he finally realize how much he has lost. But a ghostly phone call on his birthday leads him to believe that she still watches over and loves him.
“Letters to Emily,” by William Jansen and read by Jenny Ferns, was inspired by the true-life love story of his maternal grandparents, who survived the ravages of frontline service during World War I.
“The letter by the soldier from the front was fictitious,” Jansen says, “but based on a real letter I found doing research.”
Dianne Zalewski’s “A Mother’s Day Apology,” read by Bona Hayes, depicts the current-day angst of a mother, from decades ago, who worries that she didn’t spend enough time with her daughter. Zalewski’s story was based on own her life where she had to lie to landlords that her husband was in Vietnam because they didn’t want to rent to single mothers.
Barbara Rein writes her nightmares, having grown up on macabre fairy tales and endless episodes of “The Twilight Zone.” Her contribution, “Lady in Red,” was written for Halloween – a most unromantic time of year – but she thought Valentine’s Day an appropriate season for two vampires to fall in love. The story, read by Dick Walsh, features two vampires who meet and wed on a cruise and spend eternity together as emblems on the bow of the ship.
“Whinny,” by Steve Burt, was written in 1990 as a column in “Green Mountain Trading Post” and has since been reprinted in several other volumes. Read by Dick Walsh, the story chronicles a young woman’s enchantment with horses. She changes her name, ‘Winnie,” to “Whinny,” moves to a New England farm and dies when fire engulfs a horse barn.
“Bumps on a First Date,” written in rhyme and read by Mark Newhouse, describes his hilarious first date with his wife, Linda, and the resulting intestinal distress that resulted from their cheap meal together at a local deli.
“A remarkable patient I cared for many years ago left a lasting impression on me,” says Dr. Larry Martin of his story, “Extraordinary Care,” read by Rieger.
The true story describes the first ventilator-dependent patient in Cleveland who lived at home and required 24-hour care. Her husband tended to her for more than five years, seldom leaving the house. Strikingly positive people, neither ever complained and the husband felt privileged to be able to care for his wife until the end.
“No Escape” is the story of dreams of love from which there is no escape. It was written by Julie Johnson and read by Bona Hayes. Johnson’s first mystery novel, “Dared to Return,” has been nominated for several literary awards.
In the final reading, John Prince’s “The 57 Bus,” a bus driver’s widow delivers a lively, affirmative monolog to a fellow passenger in a memorial about life, love and loss. Prince is a Villages-News.com contributor and helps authors self-publish their books. His story was read by Snively.
The Writers League of The Villages, sponsors of the Love Stories event, is a non-profit organization dedicated to charitable and educational purposes, offering support to all published and unpublished WLOV writers. Open to all Villages residents, WLOV is an affiliate chapter of the Florida Writers Association and meets on the second Wednesday of the month at Laurel Manor Recreation Center at 9 a.m.