Andy Johnson just wanted to teach philosophy.

But his students couldn't articulate their philosophy of life without knowing how to write.

So, two years later, Johnson found himself as the instructor and leader of the Writer's Circle, based in Slippery Rock, which began as a creative-writing class and morphed into a group of eight to 10 serious, productive writers.

The writers will share their works from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m., Tuesday, during a Zoom public reading of their work during the Kaleidoscope Arts Festival.

The festival, situated on the SRU campus and sponsored by the College of Liberal Arts, will virtually showcase the best of Slippery Rock University's departments of dance, music, theater, literary and visual arts, as well as additional community and cultural events, and nationally and internationally renowned guest artists.

Its mission is to bring free or low-cost quality programming to an underserved region.

The Writer's Circle's participation is a long way from its beginning.

Johnson said he was approached by a friend to teach a philosophy course for the Institute for Learning in Retirement in Slippery Rock.

At first, Johnson was hesitant to get involved.

“I was retired; I want to do my own stuff,” he said. But once he assumed teaching the course, he found he had to teach writing too, so his students could clearly spell out their philosophic principles.

Taught philosophy

Johnson taught philosophy at Butler County Community College and was a graduate counselor at Slippery Rock Area High School.

Johnson began teaching a creative writing class for the IRL.

But the high productivity of its writers and the qualities of its manuscripts slipped out of its course-catalog origins and became a group for writers serious about honing their writing skills.

“We have a core of eight to 12 people that have stuck together, meeting during COVID-19 on Zoom and before that in each other's homes,” said Johnson.

He took over from the late J.L. Horan of Grove City, a published author who came back to Grove City after a stint living in New York City, said Dorie Schleiden, poet, novelist and the Writer's Circle founder.

“They call me a poet because I have a lot of poems,” Schleiden said. “I'm proud that I finished two novels. I doubt they will ever be published, but I had the satisfaction to do it.

“People don't garden and think they are going to make a living at it,” she said, but that doesn't mean it isn't worth doing.

The members are serious about what they are doing, meeting monthly to email each other their manuscripts and then critique them.

It's proven to be very productive for the writers, Johnson said.

“One has self-published a novel; another guy finished a musical comedy,” he said. “I'm proud I finished two novels.”

The group produced short stories, free verse, haiku, entire novels, letters to the editor of the Butler Eagle and linked verse.

One writer, Mary Kay Soriano of New Castle, describes herself as “98 going on 16.”

A founding member of the Writer's Circle, Soriano said, “I started writing stories for my children, my grandchildren and my great-grandchildren.

“When I ran out of them, I started writing things that happened in my early life,” she said.

His daughters used to drive her to the Writer's Circle meetings, but with COVID-19 restrictions in place, she's been attending Circle meetings via Zoom.

“Writing is very relaxing to me,” she said. “I'm sort of an odd writer. I get an idea and the whole story is in my head. All I have to do is write it down real fast as the words come tumbling out.”

Needed magazine

Johnson decided the circle needed a literary magazine to showcase the group's work, and thus “The Eclectic” annual literary magazine was born.

It givevvs the circle members a chance to see their work published.

Johnson said the next step is to give a public reading of their work, which is where the Zoom readings at the Kaleidoscope festival come in.

“In short, a public reading is the next step for some of our members,” Johnson said.

“Donald Hall, a former poet laureate, said that every public reading is an act of publishing,” Johnson said. “I believe that too, because reading out loud to others creates a moment of pure giving.”

Soriano said she plans on reading her story, “Beyond the Seventh Mirror,” which she wrote for her great-grandson Aidan when he was 8. He's going to be 18 soon.

Soriano described it as a fantasy involving multiplying mirror images that draw a boy into world featuring the pirate Captain Morgan, treasure and unfriendly pygmies.

“Not everybody was comfortable sharing their work,” Schleiden said. “He was right, I didn't have the confidence. But with ILR, I made friends during COVID-19. Who does that?”

To read more about the festival, visit bit.ly/SRUArtsFest.