Purpose of Meeting
Celebrating the spoken word!
The Peoria Poetry Club was founded on January 28th, 1941, and the first meeting was held at the Pere Marquette Hotel. PPC offers glimpses of creative writing through poetry, participating in poetry workshops, and other creative programs presented by poets and others. Attendees are invited to bring a favorite poem to share, or just come to listen and enjoy readings and recitations by others.
Meeting schedule:
* 11:30 - 12:00 - Meet and greet time - Catch up with friends new and old!
* 12:00 - Poetry Club Role Call - Anyone is welcome to share a poem!
* 1:00 - Monthly Presentation (TBA)
The Peoria Poetry Club is free to attend and all are welcome!
November Program: The Art and Experience of Journaling, by Pam Tomka
They say, " 'Pics' or it didn't happen." A picture may be worth a thousand words, but simply adding photos to a scrapbook or digital photo album may not be enough to document one's personal experiences. Journaling can be anything from notes jotted down on scrap paper to daily diary entries to lengthy, minutely detailed documentation, but however one journals, it is a reflection of that person's thoughts, feelings, and experiences.
Pam Tomka's life experiences are certainly worth documenting. In her lifetime, she has been an advocate, a beekeeper, an explorer, a leader, a librarian, a naturalist, a student, a teacher, a traveler, a volunteer, and a writer. She has kept track of her experiences through journaling, experimenting with different techniques and methods of celebrating her memories.
Join us as Pam shares her insights in journaling!
About Pam Tomka
Except for a couple of years in Arizona and California when she was young, Pam spent most of her life in and around Toledo, OH, until she married a sailor and relocated to Norfolk, VA. At the end of his service in 1975, the couple settled in Central Illinois and have been here ever since.
Ms. Tomka attended the University of Toledo, Illinois State University, and the University of Illinois. She has a Bachelor of Arts in Secondary English and Language Arts Education and a Master's in Library and Information Sciences. She enjoyed a fulfilling 30-year career at Washington District Library, starting as a staff librarian and eventually serving as Library Director for over half her tenure before retiring in 2012.
An avid outdoors enthusiast, Pam became a Master Naturalist and a beekeeper. Her commitment to community service is evident through her volunteer work with Goodwill Industries, the Lions Club of Washington (IL), Wildlife Prairie Park, and the Heart of Illinois Beekeepers Association. She also serves as treasurer on the Board of Trustees for Washington District Library.
In her leisure time, Pam loves to travel, with notable trips to Japan, Cuba, Poland, and Mexico. Closer to home, she has taken many trips around the country, with visits to Chicago and Oregon, in particular, to see her sons and grandchildren. She expresses her creativity through art journaling workshops and writing, with works published in Numero and Peoria Magazine. Pam is always eager to find new ways to share her creativity with others.