Kaylyn's World

Meet the sweet, helpful, and supportive, Shannon. 😀 I met her in Brooklyn Women's Writing Group.  Kaylyn Gabbert : What led you to Brooklyn Women’s Writing Group? Shannon L. :I had been looking for a way to kickstart my writing habit again after lockdown completely paralyzed my muse. I'd been working my way out of that for a while. It was like a beacon when I stumbled onto the group online.  KG : What are your favorite mediums to write in? SL : Back in the day, it was all notebooks, notebooks, notebooks. I still keep a notebook in case I can connect better with a character that way. I think it's the tactile sensation of the paper — when I write in notebooks, I often use pencils. Occasionally I might use my favorite kind of pen instead. That said, I mostly write on my laptop. The low click of keys is sometimes a meditative sound. Plus, I type faster than I write longhand, so I'm more likely to keep up with the movie in my head that way. KG : You always seem so helpful. ...

Meet a kindred spirit to me, kind, supportive, and always willing to lend a helping hand, Kat. Kat and I met in the Brooklyn Women's Writing Group, and I really admire her goal to learn French and love her reason why. 😍   Kaylyn Gabbert : What brought you to the Brooklyn Women’s Writing Group?  Kat B. : I think there were too many things. One thing, a professor told me was, “You’re a writer. Never forget that.” I see this as an accountability group. My family’s got a whole hand in the writing thing. My daughter is a screenwriter, and my son-in-law writes sitcoms. I think writing is an extension of my obsession with human behavior.  KG : You have always talked so highly of your work and even offered your services to us in BWWG. What got you into Career Coaching?  KB : I was a CPA (Certified Public Accountant), and though it was my company, and it was profitable. I had no problem helping people get richer, but I didn’t feel like I was helping mankind. I went into trai...

Meet the beautiful, intelligent, and hard-working, Tiffany. She's one of my bosses at the library where I volunteer as an Adult Literacy Tutor. 😀 Kaylyn Gabbert : What’s your official role at the library?  Tiffany M. : My official title is Office Associate II, and I am basically the data manager.  KG : Have you always wanted to work in the library? TM : Actually no. Because the department is education based, I never saw myself in that role. I actually fell into it. I started in 2006 in the Campus of the Youth Program, and they asked me if I would be a regular part-timer after school. Then there was a period where the library was experiencing a lot of layoffs, and I wasn’t working there but volunteering there as a tutor. While I was a volunteer, a colleague told me about the position I currently am in. And now I’m currently in a position I like. I’ve been here for the past eight years.  KG : What are your main passions?  TM : I haven’t thought about that in a while. ...

Introducing the wise, friendly, and helpful, Dr. Danett. I met her in Brooklyn Women's Writing Group. 😀 Kaylyn Gabbert : What brought you to the Brooklyn Women’s Writing Group?  Dr. Danett : I love to write and it’s my favorite things to do in the world. And my father, God rest his spirit when he read my writing he said positive things, and he said I should be a writer. I had a history of writing in high school and after high school. I got awards for writing, from the Golden Key and Kuumba. It’s called A Taste Of Our Own Medicine: 3 Vital Keys To Ending Postnatal Depletion, Nurturing Mothers And Improving Communities.  Dr. Serrallach describes postnatal depletion as a postpartum syndrome of accumulated issues including deep fatigue, hyper-vigilance, and a feeling of being overwhelmed. Symptoms stem from physiological issues, hormones, sleep disruption or deprivation, alongside psychological, mental, and emotional factors. KG : What are your favorite mediums to write in? ...

Introducing the outgoing, multilingual, and very caring, Samantha. 😃 Kaylyn Gabbert : What do you write the most?  Samantha Evans : I do a lot of poetry and essay writing. At the end of last year I published a book on Amazon about how I walked away from my abusive marriage. Now I’m working on my second book about my brother who passed away in 2019 of a brain aneurysm.   KG : What brought you to the Lucas Institute of High Nerdery?  SE : I’ve been following him, Tom Lucas, since Full Sail since he was one of my professors there. One of my old classmates, William Brower, turned me onto it.  KG : You are one of the most active members of Lucas Institute of High Nerdery. Care to tell us what you love sharing?  SE : I love your posts, like your check-ins, the library videos, Flashback Fridays. I think it’s very encouraging and positive. I like positivity, laughing, and more.  KG : What are your hobbies? SE : Ugh. My hobbies… I am learning ASL, French, Korean, a...

Introducing the outgoing, studious, generous, and sweethearted, Katie. She's one of the leaders I met in Brooklyn Women's Writing Group. 😄 Kaylyn Gabbert: What led you to wanting to be one of the hosts of Brooklyn Women’s Writing Group? Katie S. : I graduated from an MFA program in 2017 and moved to Brooklyn in the fall of that year. I was looking for a way to hold myself accountable to keeping a regular writing practice in my life as I had to start working full-time, and to meet other writers, and I found the BWWG on Meetup after browsing through a few different groups. I thought it was great that they met every week (at the Brooklyn Library's Prospect Park branch), and everyone I met during those initial sessions was so friendly and I loved meeting women from different walks of life who all had some kind of practice they were looking for accountability and support with. And I didn't feel ready to jump into a workshop setting with strangers but liked that the structur...

Introducing the nicest, most beautiful, such a supportive, and wonderful writer, Varuni. 😁 Kaylyn Gabbert : What brought you to the Brooklyn Women’s Writing Group?  Varuni S. : I’ve been writing since I was twenty-one in India. For the past ten years, since I’ve been here I’ve consciously made sure that I’m writing or producing art on a daily basis. Brooklyn Women’s Writing Group helps inspire this by showing me women in a similar mindset as me. Community is very important to me especially since my formative and adult life was mostly in India.  KG : What are your favorite mediums to write in?  VS : So far I’ve been working on screenplays with other screenplay writers. I also write poetry. I wrote my memoir which took seven years, if you can believe it. The memoir is about to come out this year, and then I’ll be working on my second book, a fantasy. The fantasy is based on my real life, parts from my childhood and adolescent years.  KG : What do you do for work?...

Meet the organized, motivational, and always looking out for her tribe, Sara. 😊 I met her in Brooklyn Women's Writing Group.  Kaylyn Gabbert : What led you to wanting to be one of the hosts of Brooklyn Women’s Writing Group? Sara W. : I’ve always been a writer since I was young. I always wrote as a teenager. I always followed them online, and I joined the meetings in 2017 when they met in the Brooklyn Public Library, but as the facilitators stepped down, I stepped up.  KG : What are your favorite mediums to write in? SW : I always write for myself, not as much for publications. Mainly I journal and do free writing.  KG : I admire your ability to know your mental limits. Not many of us know how to do that. Do you have any tips for us?  SW : I spent a lot on Zoom, and when I’m not writing my best work or not enjoying it then I know to take time off.

Introducing the multi-talented, very helpful, and so kind, Lalo. We met in Brooklyn's Women's Writing Group.  Kaylyn Gabbert : Do you have a problem with people often mispronouncing your name? If you do, does it bother you? Lalo M. : People do indeed mispronounce my name more often than not [Lah•low] and it's mainly just awkward. I can understand people haven't encountered another Lalo yet so they stumble on the name. I would want to encourage people to ask for clarification on pronunciation as many times as they need. Honesty and vulnerability goes a long way to clear up awkwardness in its myriad of forms. KG : What brought you to the Brooklyn Women’s Writing Group?  LM : I've always loved writing and dream of someday soon being published. I had moved to New York to pursue my Bachelor's of Fine Arts when I joined the Brooklyn Women's Writing Group. As an introvert new to the city I was seeking community and thankfully feel like I found one.  KG : What are y...

Introducing one of the most outgoing, nicest, and inspiring writers in Brooklyn's Women's Writing Group, Molly.   Kaylyn Gabbert : What brought you to Brooklyn Women's Writing Group? Molly W. : As a playwright living in Brooklyn I was looking for a local community to help hold me accountable with my writing schedule and inspire me to keep going. Often writing can feel very isolating at times so it has been really great finding a group that can understand any struggles you might have and find ways to relate, offer encouragement, or share any tips they've found useful when faced with similar situations. Even if I don't always have the most productive hour during a writer's group, I am still carving out time to devote to this thing that I love! KG : Recently we talked about what you love to write the most. Care to tell the readers? MW : My main medium is plays - usually they are serio-comic plays centered around a woman protagonist. I grew up doing theatre so playw...