Longtime Creative Writers’ president credits club with fostering connection

LW PROFILE

Time folds accordion-like— Every year another crease. Life swells, compresses, Let the music never cease.

—Fred Wind, “Birthday Sonnet”

by Ruth Osborn

rutho_news@lwsb.com

Words have been the compass of Fred Wind’s travels, mapping family life, work life and, now, LW life.

He is a family man, an author, a teacher and, for 13 years, presided over the Creative Writers’ Club, one of LW’s oldest and more venerable groups.

His super power is the ability to tell stories that capture life in all its up-and-down adventure and teach others how to map their own word journeys.

He’s been a channel of encouragement to scores of fellow LWers through the years, teaching people about effective storytelling. His own work is funny and charming, ranging from a family history to a collection of stories inspired by—and dedicated to—the residents of LW. It’s called “Hilarious Tales of Leisure World.”

His work also includes two volumes of poetry, “The Queen of Holland and Other Poems” and “From Minutes to Decades: Poems.” In fact, LW poets can thank him for their platform in the LW Weekly. He was instrumental in initiating space dedicated to printing verse and rhyme in the paper.

Fred was born in 1942 and grew up on a farm in Friesland, the northernmost province of Holland. He was one of nine children. The house and barn were under one roof, and there was no electricity, so no TV, no radio. The farm included 18 cows, which were milked by hand twice a day.

In 1953, the Winds immigrated to Los Angeles County, where they continued to dairy farm. He met and married Wilma, and the couple had four children, starting with Henry,