Writer Ed Plum
Ed Plum taught social studies and English integrated studies for thirty years at Barrington High School. A Scripps-Howard grant funded Ed’s masters’ thesis, “A History of the Church of God (New Dunkers) 1848-1962. He authored eight articles from the thesis for The Brethren Encyclopedia, Vols. 1 and 2, Philadelphia, 1983. He’s working on a historical fiction novel.
You were a high school social studies teacher. What historical time period intrigues you most?
The question is somewhat like asking who my favorite child is. I am most intrigued by periods of major cultural, technological, intellectual, and social change because of the varied responses to these changes. I’ve spent a fair amount of time studying the nineteenth century that created the political contours for the world I’ve lived in for 74 years. Classical Greece and Chinese civilization interest me for the philosophy and literature.
What made you decide to write rather than read, study or teach from books?
My pedagogy prepared me to write historical fiction. I collaborated with others in designing social study problems for the classroom. Students assumed a character’s identity from a specific time, dressed in costume, and attempted to achieve a particular objective, i.e., convince a Medieval town council to adopt sanitary measures to prevent the spread of a plague without revealing one’s modern identity. Writing a historical novel contains a more compelling narrative and has a wider impact than instructional material.
Your story is set during World War II with characters who are conscientious objectors (COs). How did you go about choosing this as a subject for your novel?
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I have been homebound for the most part since March 10th 2020. I am not known to be a homebody. For my protection, my daughters requested that I restrict my travels to not just within town, but also visits to my extended family which includes 54 plus in and out of town. Although this was totally out of character for me, I decided to honor their caring and abide by their request/rules.
Carol Cosman’s first novel “Dissonance” is planned for publication in spring, 2021. The novel traces a young woman’s efforts to save her father from death in a Russian gulag. Carol holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Music and a Master’s Degree in Teaching. A former educator, she taught creative writing to children and teens.
The Barrington Writers Workshop is happy to announce the addition of this community blog page to our website. The blog is by members, for members and those interested in learning more about our group. Each month the blog will highlight a BWW member, offer writing prompts , and call for inspirational essays related to the writing life. We want different voices heard on the blog so don’t be shy. Do keep the focus on the writing community if you wish to submit anything.