Story and photos by Darl DeVault, contributing editor
John Carpenter, 71, of Choctaw, Okla., has been enjoying his retirement since 2011, only to recently discover he could sharpen his writing skills and write for publication. He first became a confident writer as a federal probation officer, writing presentence reports for the federal court.
“I would interview defendants who had been convicted or pleaded guilty to confirm what I learned about their backgrounds,” Carpenter said in an interview. “The background investigation included any criminal history, information about the offense, family history, employment history, and physical health, including issues like substance abuse. A victim impact statement would also be included if applicable.”
His detailed report to the court assisted the judge in determining an appropriate sentence for each defendant. He wrote hundreds of presentence reports in the last 20 years of his career.
In retirement, Carpenter said he was glad his court-involved report-writing days were over. He started posting more frequently on Facebook to improve his writing skills and enjoyed sharing his work. This community engagement motivated him to continue writing and grow as a writer, showing how social involvement as a senior can support personal development.
Carla Guthrie, a senior from Italy, joined his local yoga class, which he still teaches. Carpenter learned she had written a short fiction story published in 2023 in the anthology “C05m0 Pr1m0” in Italy.
He said he always wondered if any of the pieces he posted on Facebook had any literary merit.
Carpenter asked Guthrie if she would look at one of his pieces and told her he enjoyed writing but was unsure if his work was any good. She advised him that if he wanted to take writing seriously, he should check out the local writing club she belonged to, “Pen & Keyboard Writers.”
The Edmond club was founded in August of 2002 as an affiliate of Oklahoma Writers’ Foundation, Inc. (OWFI), which is sponsored in part by the Oklahoma Arts Council. The 25-member club meets once a month on Zoom.
Carpenter said the club offers a friendly, safe atmosphere for mainly sharing fiction writing and discussing challenges. They are busy showing how writing community involvement can support growth and inspire others to join.
His wife, Jo Hogan, also dabbled in writing over the years, and together they joined Pen & Keyboard Writers in early 2024. He said they have discovered it to be a supportive community that encourages their writing journeys. Members of Pen & Keyboard Writers are authors of published and unpublished novels, short stories, children’s books, poetry, and non-fiction.
The club had produced an anthology, “Celebrating the Seasons,” a few years before. They were making plans to publish a follow-up, “People, Places, and Pets,” which won an award later that year. At one of his first Zoom meetings, Carpenter learned the club needed one more story to complete the anthology.
Carpenter submitted his nonfiction article about a 1975 trip to Dallas to attend a Rolling Stones concert. After reviewing and incorporating fellow club members’ suggested changes, he realized how much he still had to learn. He saw the feedback as a valuable growth opportunity to improve his craft, illustrating the importance of embracing constructive criticism.
With the invaluable help from his wife and other club members, Carpenter diligently made the necessary revisions. His manuscript was accepted into the anthology. In November 2024, he proudly crossed the threshold into the world of published writers — a moment that filled him with immense pride and a sense of achievement!
With his story in the anthology, Carpenter attended book signings with club members at the Full Circle Book Store and Belle Isle Library in Oklahoma City, as well as at CD Harris and Design Company in Luther.
“The shared joy and camaraderie during these events strengthened the sense of community and support that my wife and I first discovered in the writing club,” Carpenter said.
Soon, Carpenter learned about an OWFI writing contest. Many members of Pen & Keyboard entered the yearly event, and some were winners. He submitted a couple of pieces to the competition, and although he did not place, he learned many valuable lessons about writing and the process. The experience, while challenging, bolstered his resilience and determination to grow as a writer.
“The monthly Zoom meetings for the writing club were always engaging and fun,” Carpenter said. “One month, Apollo 13 astronaut Fred Haise Jr. was our guest speaker, and he captivated the club for nearly two hours with stories from his adventurous life and details about writing and publishing his autobiography, ‘Never Panic Early.”
In early 2025, the club sought submissions for a third anthology, “Literary Graffiti: Then I Grew Up.” “This time,” Carpenter said, “I was able to observe the process of putting together the club anthology from the beginning and learned it really was a team project!”
The club members took turns reviewing and critiquing each other’s writing as the final product took shape. The 2025 book is a collection of short stories about the art of growing up.
This new 264-page paperback anthology was published in November and is available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Walmart. Full Circle Bookstore has copies of the older anthologies on consignment. Carpenter is proud to note this new one features three of his stories and two of his wife’s.
“The other stories submitted by the club’s members are all top-drawer material,” Carpenter said. “The club is anticipating another victory for the anthology in the 2026 OWFI contest.”
Carpenter believes joining the club has spurred his desire to write more. He says it is as if he has chosen a new career in retirement. The axiom, “when one door closes, another opens,” has proven true for Carpenter. He encourages everyone to see retirement as a new beginning and to seek a path to a more fulfilling life.
