Literary Coffeehouse Report
Beautiful Balance Inspirations and the Active Aging Meadville Center hosted a Literary Coffeehouse fundraiser event on Saturday, April 18th.
BBI raised $730 to put towards the Inspired: Wired for Writing Youth Contest 2026. We had 40 in attendance and 20 authors with their books.
Traveler's Cafe in Saegertown donated all the coffee and flavorings for our coffee shop. The Walmart Meadville store donated all the bakery goods.
Active Aging Meadville Center graciously donated the event space. The great room hosted all the author vendor tables and seating for guests to enjoy their coffee and desserts. Three other rooms were utilized for our writing workshops and storytelling sessions. The authors donated one book each to the Active Aging library.
Crawford Christian Academy honor society students: Abigail Nageotte, Kylie Jordan, Hannah Krupitzer, Audrey Oakes, Judah Miles, Bella and Ireland McHale, and Kasey Walker provided baking, author setup, ticket booth help, and barista of the coffee bar for the day.
Authors Bill Burlingame, Elaine Williams, Janet Wells, Janyce Brawn, and Ellen Byham presented writing workshops. Illustrator Abigail Silvis led an illustration class that was a big hit.
Throughout the afternoon, all the attending authors presented excerpts from their latest books or poetry to celebrate April's poetry month. Those in attendance enjoyed a glimpse into the books and the author behind the writing. Notable Meadville authors included Richard Anton from Cool 101.7, with his real-life, historical WWII story, and Abbie Messerall, who writes adult thrillers and sweet children's books. The talents of our local authors were abundant.
Haiku Peters was the first poet to win the Inspired contest for our local youth. She attended as a newly published author and speaker. She said, "The Inspired contest really did encourage me. It kind of opened my eyes at a young age to the possibilities found within writing. It helped me see that my words could carry real meaning - like not just for me, but for others as well. I guess you could say it "inspired" me to take writing further. And actually (full circle moment), one of the poems I submitted is included in Lines From My Inner Monologue, and I thought it tied in well.
Two other Inspired winners were on hand to share their winning entries: Lilly Humes and Kalli Colburn, both of whom are 2024 winners.
The authors' bio Google Slides presentation will remain active for viewers to check out the talented authors who live in our communities.
Inspired: Wired for Writing is taking entries from local youth, grades 5th-12th, until April 30th. General fiction, Poetry, Personal Essay and Memoir, and Inspirational and Devotional are the categories. No specific themes are required, so students may bloom in their creativity. Enter online at www.beautifulbalanceinspirations.org. All rules and requirements are listed on the site.
Richard Anton shares from his real-life historical book, Four Pictures and a Middle Name. Available on Amazon.
Abbie Messerall, sharing both children’s books and adult thrillers. Connect with her on Amazon. Where is the Moon Tonight? (Children’s book) Parastone (adult thriller).
Abigail Silvis leading the illustrations class. Abi’s illustrators page is on the BBI website. www.beautifulbalanceinspirations.org.
Kalli Colburn, shares her winning poetry from the 2024 Inspired contest.
