Lynn's OPEN BOOKS
Author & Poet
Photo credit Jeffrey Hosier
Lynn Gatehouse, Author & Poet
Lynn Gatehouse taught and inspired thousands of students to find their voices through reading, writing, and art as a middle school teacher. Now retired from teaching, Lynn is focusing on her craft, writing children’s books, narratives based on family history research, and poetry. She is the volunteer grant writer and publicist for a mental health nonprofit. Lynn holds a B.F.A. degree from Carnegie Mellon University and an M.A. degree with an emphasis in Gifted and Talented Education from the University of Connecticut. She dedicated her teaching career to talent development for all students.
Lynn is a member of California Writers Club. Her poems have been included in two CWC anthologies, Vision and Verse II, (Not Home) and One Day (What Will Happen if I Don’t Write Today?). When she is not busy spoiling her three grandchildren, she plays guitar, gardens and preserves food, reads, writes, draws, and conducts genealogical research. Lynn lives in Pleasanton, California with her husband, Bob.
Meet Pig
Meet Pig! He’s the new pig in town. When Pig receives a mysterious party invitation that says, “Please bring a friend”, he wonders how he will ever make a friend in his new neighborhood. But he has a plan.
Please Bring a Friend, a sweet story of change, friendship, and belonging will captivate and inspire young readers.
Please Bring a Friend
written by
Lynn Gatehouse
illustrated by
Laura Cooper
The beautiful illustrations by artist Laura Cooper evoke warmth and whimsy.
Laura Cooper, Artist & Illustrator
Laura Cooper opened Artworks Advertising & Design in 1997 to provide exceptional design, illustration, and marketing materials to Southeast Georgia. She enjoys collaborating with customers and designing every day. She serves customers throughout the United States and in several international branches.
Her background is in fine art, graduating Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the Maryland Institute of Art in Baltimore, Maryland, and work toward a Master of Fine Arts in Teaching degree.
Laura’s artwork has won awards in juried shows and been commissioned by organizations and collectors. Her watercolor of three racehorses won top 10 honors in "The Art of the Preakness", her watercolor was selected for "The Art of Georgia" and chosen to hang in Governor Kemp's mansion; and illustrations have been featured in the editorial section of The Baltimore Sun newspaper. Favorite fine art subjects include landscapes, botanical drawings, pet and human portraits, calligraphy, and book cover designs and illustrations.
Laura is the proud owner of Horsetopia, her farm where she shares 13 acres with her beloved horses and a few cats. She has a brilliant and inspiring daughter, Luna, who lives in Atlanta. Laura serves on the executive board of directors of a women’s shelter and on the board of the Wayne County Arts Council.
Lynn's poetry is expressive and poignant. Two of her published works can be found in One Day and Vision and Verse II. Both anthologies are published by the Redwood Writers Branch of the California Writers Club and edited by Les Bernstein.
What Will Happen if I Don't Write Today?
by Lynn Gatehouse
If I don't write today, will anyone notice?
Planets will spin around the Sun.
Children will play.
Birds will sing.
Dogs will poop on the sidewalk in front of my house. They know I will clean it up!
Weeds will invade my garden.
The mail will be late.
If I don't write today, the laundry will be washed, folded, and put away.
Bathrooms will be cleaned.
Cabinets and closets will be organized.
Bills will be paid.
Cookies will be baked.
Miles will be pedaled on my stationary bike.
Seven new rows will be double-crocheted on my shawl.
Many pages will be turned.
But if I do write today
Characters will be born whose colors, shapes, sizes, and kinds are many and varied,
Whose stories need to be told.
Settings that once existed only in my imagination or in the past will emerge.
Fears will be faced, then conquered.
Secrets long kept will be divulged.
Awareness of injustice, of stigma, of bigotry, of hate, will be raised.
Wounds will be healed with my words.
The laundry can wait.
From One Day, Redwood Writers 2024 Poetry Anthology
Featuring poets of the Redwood Writers and the California Writers Club
Les Bernstein, Editor