Meet Bridget Bell Langson
Introduction here…
A Sample of Bridget’s Writing
My Coat
by
Bridget Bell Langson
My three sisters and I all wore hand-me-downs-and at times, hand-me-ups-depending on our growth spurts. I was part of the stair-step set, one sister a year older, me, then one a year younger. We were stuck with wearing each other’s clothes.
Yet one luscious velvet coat was mine alone. It was a dress coat, green and blue plaid, fitted at the waist. The collar, cuffs, and pocket flaps were solid forest green, as were the buttons. My parents let me choose that winter coat when I was seven and living in Chicago. I loved that coat.
My dad, frugal father, suggested I buy it a little large. Fine with me. Yes, I wore my velvet coat in second, third and fourth grades. Like Goldilocks, I delighted in wearing my gorgeous coat the year it fit just right. But unlike her, I wore it as happily the year it was too big and the year it was too small. I was not embarrassed at all, since my green and blue plaid beauty was mine, all mine. Decades later, the memory of my beautiful velvet plaid coat still brings me joy.
What Bridget says about WordPlay
“In 1985 I was lucky enough to participate in the UNC-Charlotte Writing Project for teachers, which helped me grow as a writer, but primarily helped me teach writing to my students in elementary school. Years passed. Although in theory I liked to write, I wrote little.
But, in the fall of 2006, I met Maureen at a Girl Scout camp reunion. A mutual friend raved about her as both a writer and teacher of writing. I was skeptical. So I took an afternoon “sample class” of Maureen’s. My friend was right.
Since then I have taken a variety of WordPlay writing classes and have participated in a number of semester-long Under Construction classes. I can now say that I have become a writer.
One of my pieces, “The Best Gift,” was published online with The Charlotte Observer. Also, I have an essay in the anthology Imagining Heaven and a story about my dog, Bandit, in the Charlotte Dogs anthology.
My tale, “Bandit and the Bone,” won second place in a children’s writing contest held by the Charlotte Writers’ Club.
Winning this award and participating in Maureen’s weekly classes inspired me to write a children’s book about Bandit. Maureen has given me invaluable encouragement and practical writing advice. My book is finished except for some final edits and revisions. With Maureen’s help, I will soon be able to say that I have submitted my book to publishers.”