Those are the first few lines of "Summertime," a favorite song of mine from the 1935 American opera "Porgy and Bess" by George and Ira Gershwin.

It's a song of hope and a promise of a better life sung as a lullaby to a newborn child.

The lyrics and tune of that song so perfectly blend in my mind that I cannot help but think of one without the other. Powerful writing is like that.

We find powerful writing in many different venues such as drama, movies, popular song, poetry, letters from and to loved ones, short stories, novels, memoirs and even the occasional news article. I dare say, we have even enjoyed having some powerful writing appear in our newsletter from time to time, especially when our members submit their original work for publication.

Summer also brings with it one of our two ever-popular member read-a-rounds in which you, dear member, take the spotlight for up to five minutes and read your most powerful writing to us, your adoring public.

The other read-a-round happens in December.

If you intend to read, please do a bit of rehearsal and preparation ahead of time. Due to the popularity of this event, we must be strict on our time limit.

Any words of introduction from you count towards your total allotment of five minutes, so keep those introductions short and sweet. Let your writing speak for itself.

One last thing summer brings is a break from our monthly meeting schedule. During July and August, Writers Forum does not hold any general membership meetings.

We do, however, try to get together at least once during that period for a purely social gathering and potluck meal. We are hoping to secure a spot in one of the several lovely parks around as a venue on or about the middle of August.

Meanwhile, log in to your member account on our newly-improved and upgraded Website to ensure that all of your personal contact information is correct. Then select your preferences for what information will be shared with other members and/or the general public. Create a page to display your personality, upload a favorite original work or two or three of yours to share, then browse through the rest of the Website to take advantage of all of the features contained there.