This Insights column was contributed by Becky Grogan, Marketing Coordinator at Plantation Village.

At Plantation Village, we understand a person’s physical health can be improved by activities that have a positive impact on mental health. As an outgrowth of this idea, we have embraced a multi-faceted strategy aimed at helping our residents develop a sense of connection and belonging. 

To help our residents stay engaged, we utilize the Eight Dimensions of Wellness as a framework for developing fun, life-enriching activities. With that in mind, we are launching a Summer Writers Series to fulfill the Intellectual aspect of the Eight Dimensions. This portion is based on the need to support creative outlets, identify new areas of interest, and find opportunities for lifelong learning. 

That may sound easy, but the task gets more complex in reality. Thinking about it can lead to a range of diversions. For instance, did you ever hear that, when interpreting a novel or a work of fiction, there is no right or wrong answer?

It is an interesting distraction, but even more interesting is knowing exactly what was going through a writer’s mind. What is truth and what is fiction? Why is this word here and that one there? Is this character based on a real person? What foods are best for sparking the creative juices? 

Plantation Village’s Summer Writers Series promises to answer these questions, with talks from leading writers hailing from a variety of genres. Initially, we had Kevin Maurer, best-selling writer of No Easy Day: The Firsthand Account of the Mission that Killed Osama Bin Laden. Kevin covered the military as a journalist for more than 10 years, including a lot of time embedded with soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan. After reading No Easy Day, I am excited to jump into Kevin’s next work, American Radical: Inside the World of an Undercover Muslim FBI Agent. 

Wilmington resident Wiley Cash’s novels are equally entertaining. We are thrilled he is coming here on July 19 to share the insights, wisdom and life experience that allowed him to produce New York Times bestsellers, such as The Last Ballad, A Land More Kind than Home, and This Dark Road to Mercy. As the titles suggest, Wiley’s novels have been described as occasionally haunting, yet always poignant. 

Celia Rivenbark, the final writer in our series, occupies the opposite end of the spectrum with best-selling works, such as You Don’t Sweat Much for a Fat Girl. A humor columnist who has been nominated for the James Thurber Prize, people describe her as charmingly funny and irreverently catty. She will be here on August 22 to share anecdotes and insights that have made her famous. 

The diversity of the writers’ backgrounds is a serious benefit to the series – a factor that promises to keep things fresh and interesting. So, even if wordplay isn’t your thing, we hope you will check it out. 

The Summer Writers Series is an indication of the variety of programs and services we provide. Having status as a nonprofit allows us to consistently re-invest our earnings into the community, and this ensures our residents experience a wonderful quality of life.   

The first 25 people who RSVP to this invitation-only event will receive a free copy of one of the writer’s books. Everyone who attends has a chance to meet one of the writers and get a signed copy of one of their favorites. For more information, visit us on the web at www.PlantationVillageRC.com. Like us on Facebook by visiting www.facebook.com/PlantationVillageRC.

Becky Grogan is the Marketing Coordinator at Plantation Village, a non-profit continuing care retirement community that offers independent living on a 56-acre campus in Porters Neck, minutes from downtown Wilmington and area beaches. Residents enjoy first-class services in a wide variety of home styles, from one- and two-bedroom apartments to cottage homes and two-bedroom villas. Plantation Village is managed by Life Care Services™, the nation’s third-largest elder care management company.

Lisa Polanski is the director of marketing at Plantation Village. Plantation Village is a non-profit continuing care retirement community that offers independent living on a 56-acre campus in Porters Neck, just minutes from downtown Wilmington and area beaches. Residents enjoy first-class services in a wide variety of home styles, from one- and two-bedroom apartments to cottage homes and two-bedroom villas. Plantation Village is managed by Life Care Services™, the nation’s third-largest elder care management company.