Linda

Hutsell-Manning

Author

Book Club Guides & Writing Workshops

Introduction

My grandmother taught school in 1901 at Churubusco Public School in Indiana, with a class of 54 students in grades two and three. I can only imagine how difficult that must have been. I followed in her into the teaching profession which, for me,

From: The Star Weekly, 9 November 1963
Photo by Michel Lambeth

In the late 1970's, when I decided to stop elementary school teaching and devote myself to full time writing, I had only one regret : I would miss the children and the classroom. Eight years later, with three plays and a children’s poetry book published, I found myself back in the classroom, reading from my own work and inspiring children to write.

I went on to teach adult creative writing classes, theatre classes, poetry classes and, most recently, novel-writing classes. Although writing is now my first love, teaching will always be a close second.

Author's Introduction

I began the first draft of That Summer in Franklin in February 2000 at the Saskatchewan Writers' Winter Retreat, St. Peter's Abbey in Muenster, SK. I had two weeks there with none of those inevitable interruptions one has while writing at home.

I already had two main characters that I really liked : Colleen from my then-unpublished short story, "One Friday Night" and Hannah from another unpublished story, "Miss Purity Flour". Hannah and Colleen already knew each other as they had worked together as waitresses at the Brittania Hotel. I needed a plot to knit these two characters together, and so I began writing, not knowing exactly where the story would lead.

Writing is a strange thing. Sometimes when I begin it's like watching a movie inside my head and I simply write down what is happening, what the characters are saying, having no idea where the story is heading or how it will end

Many drafts and many years later, the novel became what you read today : a story about friendship and coming to terms with aging; about learning to accept life and all the punches it throws; about how things don't turn out the way you think they will when you are young.

I had a wonderful time, researching and reliving the fifties. As well, my research into the issues of dementia broadened my knowledge and helped me to understand my personal experiences with my mother's age-related dementia.

I hope the novel speaks to you and leads you to a broader understanding of family and friendship - the joys, the complications and the heartbreaks.

Summary

In 1955, fifteen year old Hannah Norcroft and Colleen Miller work as waitresses in small town Franklin's prestigious Britannia Hotel. Even though the owner's sixteen year old son, Larry Mourand harasses them and kitchen helper Charlie's sudden death frightens them, tips are good.

Forty years later, in 1995, as each admits a failing and elderly parent to Franklin's Sunset Lodge, the women meet again. Other than their connection during that long ago summer, their commonality factor is zero.

Hannah, single with a younger lover, is a successful Toronto high school teacher while Colleen, who married early, has five children and has never left Franklin.

When a reporter, writing about the history of the old hotel, researches Charlie's death, these two women are forced to deal with the traumas of That Summer in Franklin.

Reading Group Study Questions

1. In Hannah I, Hannah says, " No one now believes what small-town fifties life was like—not with their smart phones and morning-after pills and rap lyrics. But it wasn't like "Leave It to Beaver" and "Happy Days" and all the other TV cardboard-cutout versions of the decade."

For readers of a certain age, the fifties will be familiar territory. What do you remember about that decade? Dress, music, dating, food, movies, singers etc. How was it different/the same as the TV shows above?

For younger readers, what is your impression of the fifties? Your parents' era perhaps? What influences from the fifties still linger in our society today?

Do you think this is underhanded of Colleen or do you think extenuating circumstances have forced her to make this decision?

Discuss the difficulties she faces and what other choices she could make.

3. In Hannah II, from Hannah's remembered date with Gordon Ellis: "From the perspective of Fifties societal mores, anyone then would have put the blame squarely on her. He was just hoping to sow some wild oats. She thinks about her teenage moms, caught like flies on life's sticky paper. Stuck there with reality and dirt flecks. She was lucky, really, physically strong and aggressive when shoved down onto the car seat. Furious and fighting back. They came here to watch a movie, after all."

Date rape was not a term used in the 1950's. When did this change and how?

What knowledge/help did teenage girls in the 1950's have to draw on?

Teenage girls today are, ostensibly, much more sexually knowledgeable. How is date rape viewed today?

Does advertising / media play into this scenario and, if so, how?

Why does Colleen call "the accident" denial? Discuss whether or not denial has actually helped Colleen? Would there be a better alternative for her to follow dealing with her dad? Her life? How would she go about this?

Discuss the underlined sentence as relating to Hannah's mother.

Is her behaviour a result of her being a product of her generation or is it because of her illness or a combination of both?

6. In Hannah III, after Hannah's first brief interchange with Maureen dealing with Mrs. Norcroft in the hospital, Hannah muses: "Amazing how chance meetings, planned meetings, human encounters in general promote chat even conversation, but rarely communication."

What things stand in the way, now, of Hannah and Maureen communicating? This question begs the issue of social class, not something Canadians like to admit exists. Is there a social class structure in small town life today? If yes, is it more or less than forty years ago? Give reasons for this.

Is this a reasonable thing to say? Why, do you think, Colleen says this? What other alternatives did she have in her life? Discuss the importance of life choices when we are in high school and how life frequently modifies what we think we are going to do in life.

We tend, now, to take travel for granted. Discuss how travel has changed since the 1950's and why. Think about road quality, car speed, train and airplane cost, time available.

If someone in your group remembers, have them tell you about the Victrola and the old 78's. If no one remembers, research it and report on how one worked. Make a list, by decade, of what came after and how our expectations changed. In the 1950's and even into the 1960's. families had other types of home entertainment. Talk about these and whether any have survived. What have we lost? Gained?

Talk about sexual harassment then and now :

Are girls safer now than in the 1950's?

What has made this so?

There are groups of working women still highly vulnerable and open to sexual harassment.

Who are these women?

Why is this so?

Short-term memory loss is much discussed today in the media. Talk about whether or not Hannah's statement is one of over-reaction to the situation or not.

Talk about why each woman feels the way she does and whether it is important in the short term, the long term. Compare these to meeting old friends/acquaintances at a class reunion.

Think about what makes these meetings smooth or rough. As they get older, do people continue to "put their best foot forward" or are they willing to "say it as it is"?

Why does she say this? Has her visit with Colleen changed her thinking about herself? How? Will this modify her reserve toward other people and, if so, how?

Death often brings out the best and worst in people :

How does Frank's death do this for Colleen, for Lillian?

What has each misunderstood about the other and why?

Discuss this observation :

Why it is so important to Hannah?

Talk about the implications of this statement :

for Allan;

for Hannah;

for Colleen.

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Adult Workshop A: Writing as a Profession

Fee: $300 plus .35 KM mileage

This 1½ hour [2 x 3/4 hour sessions] workshop includes:

• biographical information given by author
  • when writing career began,
  • books published,
  • works completed
  • works‑in‑ progress
• selected readings from short fiction, poetry or plays
• the creative process:
• idea to first draft,
• rewriting ad nauseam,
• final draft to acceptance 
• the publishing process:
  • MS acceptance
  • editor changes requests
  • rewrite to included change requests
  • editor review of changed MS
  • repeat last two steps as required
  • editor acceptance
  • copy editor review with corrections
  • finished product to printer
  • proof copy by printer
• the business side of writing:
  • learning to live with rejections,
  • surviving financially
  • writing your own promotion,
  • giving readings and workshops,
• questions and general discussion

Adult Workshop B: Adults Writing for Children

Fee: $300 plus .35 KM mileage

This1½ hour workshop [2 x 3/4 hour sessions] covers:

• biographical information given by author
  • when writing career began,
  • books published,
  • works completed
  • works‑in‑ progress
• short readings from authors's published works for children
• the creative process for writing for children:
• idea to first draft,
• researching the market for age range and suitability,
• rewriting and rewriting,
• final draft to acceptance
• writing plays/TV scripts : adapting a story to dramatic form
• the business side of writing:
  • learning to live with rejections,
  • surviving financially
  • writing your own promotion,
  • giving readings and workshops,
• questions and general discussion

Student Writing Workshops for Schools

Workshop C1 = one 1 to 1+1/2 hour session

Fee: $300 plus .35 KM mileage

• a student introduction to writing stories, novels, poetry and plays
• notes and reference list
• lecture on writing
• discussion
• questions

Workshop C2 = two 1 hr. to 1+1/2 hr. sessions

Fee: $500 plus .35 KM mileage

First session :

• introduce students to the writing of stories, novels, poetry and plays
• notes and reference list
• lecture on writing process
• discussion
• questions

Second Session :

• writing session on one of stories, novels, poetry or plays
• appraisal and discussion session

Adult Workshop D : Demonstration of Student Writing Workshops [C1 + C2]
( Suitable for Teacher's Professional Development Days )

Fee: $300 plus .35 KM mileage

This workshop is available for Poetry, Prose or Play writing Student Workshops for Children :

• handouts : outlines for both workshops
• demonstration of
  • half-day [C1] workshop
  • full-day [C2] workshop
• review of ways to use Workshops in the classroom
• discussion with teachers n use in the classroom
• reference list handout