Willie Pleasants is a longtime resident of Dorchester, Massachusetts, and an educator who holds a degree from the University of Massachusetts. As President of the Friends of the Uphams Corner Branch Library for the last 5 years, she was instrumental in finding funds to offer two Respite workshops to support the caregivers. She recently hosted a five-week writer’s program to help them to become published authors, which resulted in the anthology, Write On! Write On! (available through the Uphams Corner Library as a fundraiser). She also volunteers her time as Secretary for a group called ‘Seniors on the Move.’
She is the author of three books of poetry and short stories: Ain’t That the Truth, Make Truth a Habit (both available on Amazon) and soon-to-be available Stretching the Truth.
Programing and workshops
• In 2014 (continuing to the present), she created and facilitated a class called, “Storytelling at Tea,” which was offered as a course for the Osher Life Learning Institute at University of Mass /Boston. Her poems and stories are used to help provoke conversations with the participants about their lives.
• 2018, 2019 organized the Dorchester Open Studios to help artists sell their artwork.
• From 2012- 2017, she volunteered as a team leader for a Jumpstart program, that helps three- to five-year-old children prepare to enter kindergarten to succeed with language and literacy skills.
• In 2008, she instructed a poetry workshop in the Mason Middle School with fifth graders. She spoke at Career day at the Patrick Gavin Middle School to encourage written poetry. She has facilitated classes on writing poetry at the Bristol Plymouth Regional School in Taunton.
• Since 2007, she has been a co-founder of the authors’ support group, Authors without Borders – a consortium of regional authors in Massachusetts who first joined together in 2007.
Media
• She does workshops, panel discussions, and Meet and Greets to help navigate the maze of writing, publishing and marketing books.
• Willie was one of the producers and hosts of a Cable show at NBTV called, “Authors Without Borders Presents” (2011-2019).
• She also produces and hosts her own cable show called “Willie’s Web” on the Boston Neighborhood Network (BNN).
• She is currently (2019-20) a DJ for WBCA 109.2 FM Community Radio, “The Village.”
Website: www.williepleasants.com