Musehouse To Host Grand Opening This Weekend

Opening its doors for the first time on Saturday, Sept. 10, Kathleen Sheeder Bonanno hopes her newest venture, The Musehouse, can help to fill a void in the Chestnut Hill community.  

A center for the literary arts, the Musehouse will offer courses, lectures, and readings given by a litany of distinguished local and national writers.  

A former English teacher at Cheltenham High School, Bonanno plans to make the Musehouse a sanctuary of sorts, giving Philadelphia area writers a place to congregate and share their work with like-minded folks.

“Our mission is to provide writers of all ages and levels of experience with a place to workshop their skills, to read their works publicly, and to find other writers,” said Bonanno.  “Everybody’s got a story to tell and the right teacher and the right circle of friends can make a tremendous difference in one’s growth as a writer.”

Bonanno said Saturday’s open house will feature a reading from award-winning local poet Nathalie Anderson.  Anderson plans to read pieces from her newest collection, Quiver.  

“We’re going to have appetizers and wine and cheese,” said Bonanno.  “And lots of fun.  It’s a chance for the community to get to know us.”

Located at 7924 Germantown Avenue (“two doors away from the cigar shop,” said Bonanno), The Musehouse recently put out its first course catalogue on its website. 

Courses offered this season include several workshops on poetry, fiction, and on writing memoirs.  A couple of book clubs are open to the public for those that just want to read some good stories and share the experience with others.

“We’re also offering SAT tutoring by some very experienced and compassionate tutors,” said Bonanno.  

The readings should continue as well - Bonanno said she plans to hold them at least twice a month.  

“Another thing we’re going to do is hold an ‘All But True’ fiction series,” she added.  “It will be hosted by [author and editor] Doug Gordon on the third Saturday of every other month.  He’s choosing some wonderful fiction writers to read from their work and then he’ll interview them afterwards.”

The first of the “All But True Fiction Series” is scheduled for the Musehouse’s second week, Saturday September 17th.  Robin Black, author of If I Loved You, I Would Tell You This and Jim Zervanos, author of Love Park, will be on hand for readings and to sign copies of their books for fans.

Currently in the process of becoming a 501c3 non-profit, Musehouse has been a long-time dream for Bonanno.  The recipient of a Challenge grant from the Knight foundation, Bonanno said their goal is to raise $50,000.  If successful, the Knight Foundation will match that amount, donating it to the center.

“We’re looking for some founding members who can donate 100 dollars or more,” said Bonanno.  “We have some nice incentives for our founding members; for instance, a local artist painted a giant bookshelf for us - the spines on the book are blank and when you become a founding member you get to pick a favorite title, or choose an imaginary title, and that gets painted onto the shelf.” 

Bonanno’s long-term goal is to make make the Musehouse a place for new writers to learn and experienced writers to grow.  If successful, the potential seems practically limitless.

“My hope is that it brings a much needed force of support for existing writers in the community,” she said.  “And I hope it helps others find an outlet for their creative impulse.” 

More information about Musehouse is available on their website: www.musehousecenter.com