Charlotte Cook
Helps Writers
Stir the Plot
Author and editor Charlotte Cook has all the ingredients to
help writers find their voices, but cooking doesn’t come to mind
when asked what metaphor she’d choose to describe her work leading the
Library’s Writers’ Workshop. She pauses, laughs, and likens herself to a “good
time dog walker, someone who takes you out for a romp to do fun things.” She
enjoys encouraging writers – like eager pups – “to relish their writing efforts and to
turn around and look at their work.” One of her goals is to “turn writers who actually want
to write into writers,” and she does this every month at the Writers’ Workshop.
A native of Lafayette, California, a
suburb of Oakland, and daughter
of an independent bookseller,
Cook is a graduate of the University of
California, Berkeley where she majored in
English Literature.
“You can’t major in English
Literature at Berkeley without being wellread,”
says Cook, who tells all aspiring
authors that the best thing they can do to
improve their writing is to read.
In 1997, Cook went back to school
and earned her MFA in Creative Writing
from Saint Mary’s College of California,
and in 2008, she cofounded Komenar
Publishing, a fiction-only publishing
company. Named for her cofounder’s
occupational last name, which is the
Polish translation for chimney-ist, the
boutique publishing house focused on
first-time authors they nurtured and
supported throughout the publishing
process. Komenar published six books before an economic downturn forced it to close.
Cook has worked as a writer, ghostwriter, editor, publisher, and frequent presenter
at writers’ workshops. She currently serves as the head fiction judge for the Annual
International Indie Book Awards. During her storied
career, she discovered that what she enjoys most is story
editing because she likes to help writers “move their
stories along.”
In 2017, Cook and her husband, Richard, owner of
an online bookshop specializing in Eastern and Western
spiritual traditions, decided to leave California for a
community where they could enjoy four seasons. They
discovered Shaker Heights and on Valentine’s Day, they
bought a house in the Sussex area. “It feels like home,”
says Cook, “and we love the diversity of ages, homes,
and people.”
After getting settled, Cook went to the Main Library
to volunteer. She met with librarian Stacie Anderson to
help her get started. “I love the Library and librarians,”
says Cook, “and Stacie has been my guardian angel.”
Cook tells
all aspiring
authors that
the best thing
they can do to
improve their
writing is
to read.
Anderson has mutual admiration for Cook and says, “Charlotte is incredibly patient
and knowledgeable, and offers great tips for writers. I sat in on her first session and
participants were very receptive to her personalized advice and tips.”
@ Shaker Library
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