Winsted author shares thoughts on creativity

WINSTED — Are you left-brained or right-brained? While many people would say, “I don’t know,� newly published author and Winsted native Cheryl Nash has the answer.

In celebration of the release of her first book, “152 Brooks� (Infinity Publishing), Nash will present a talk on creativity at the Beardsley & Memorial Library Wednesday, April 7.

Nash, 50, has worked at the library for the past 17 years and is now the head of technical services. She said her new book dates back to her days as a student at Pearson Middle School.

“I would sit in the cafeteria, eating my lunch, and see a little tower window in a house. That window opened up my creativity,� she said.

Now, she says, she wants to share that creativity with Winsted residents by talking about her book and offering participants an interactive test that will determine whether you are more “left-brained� or “right-brained.�

At 13, Nash was already a gifted writer, but she put her story away for many years before getting it into manuscript form.

“I had actually finished the story in 1981 and sent it in for a copyright,� she said. “I had one son at the time, and then two more came. Now I am at that point in my life where the kids are all out on their own and I have time to accomplish the things I want to do.�

Nash calls “152 Brooks� “a hauntingly romantic, old-fashioned ghost story� that explores the concept of enduring love and its existence after death.

Oddly enough, Nash recalls, it was a teacher at Pearson who almost convinced her to stop writing altogether.

“In the eighth grade I had an English teacher who asked us to write a story,â€� she recalled. “I based mine on a neighborhood Halloween party. It was seven pages long and it wasn’t done  yet, but I had to hand it in. I was so excited because I thought I was going to get it back and get an A, but she gave me a D, and she said, ‘You must have copied this from somewhere.’ She would not take back that D. And then, one day in class, we had an exam and you had to write a descriptive paragraph. After reading mine, she said, ‘Well, you do have a way with words.’â€�

Still, the teacher would not take back the earlier grade, Nash said.

“I should try to track her down and send her a copy of the book,� she added.

With a desk in the young adult room at Beardsley, Nash has become close with many of the student visitors to the library and said she hopes to gear her talk toward young adults who want to focus on their creativity.

“I love interacting with young adults,� she said. “They all seem to be excited about the program.�

Nash said she will help unlock the creative potential in participants who come to the Beardsley & Memorial Library on Wednesday, April 7, at 6:30 p.m. “152 Brooks� will be available for purchase and signing. The library is located at the corner of Main and Munro streets. For more information, call 860-379-6043.

Latest News

Tuning up two passions under one roof

The Webb Family in the workshop. From left: Phyllis, Dale, Ben and Josh Webb, and project manager Hannah Schiffer.

Natalia Zukerman

Magic Fluke Ukulele Shop and True Wheels Bicycle Shop are not only under the same roof in a beautiful solar powered building on Route 7 in Sheffield, but they are also both run by the Webb family, telling a tale of familial passion, innovation and a steadfast commitment to sustainability.

In the late ‘90s, Dale Webb was working in engineering and product design at a corporate job. “I took up instrument manufacturing as a fun challenge,” said Dale. After an exhibit at The National Association of Music Merchants in Anaheim, California, in 1999, The Magic Fluke company was born. “We were casting finger boards and gluing these things together in our basement in New Hartford and it just took off,” Dale explained. “It was really a wild ride, it kind of had a life of its own.”

Keep ReadingShow less
Robert Cray’s soulful blues coming to Infinity Hall

Robert Cray

Photo provided

Blues legend Robert Cray will be bringing his stinging, funky guitar and soulful singing to Infinity Hall Norfolk on Friday, March 29.

A five-time Grammy winner, Cray has been inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame and earned The Americana Music Awards Lifetime Achievement for Performance. He has played with blues and rock icons including Albert Collins, Muddy Waters, John Lee Hooker, The Rolling Stones, Tina Turner, Eric Clapton and many more.

Keep ReadingShow less