Caroline Bock champions local writers
Potomac author Caroline Bock hosted a reading on June 2 at Politics & Prose, Northwest Washington’s beloved bookstore. Her new novel, The Other Beautiful People, was published this year.
Photo by Laura Sturza
Raymond Carver used to tell his students at Syracuse University, “Make sure you’re never boring. Get right to the emotional truth. Cut everything else out except the heart,” former student Caroline Bock recalls. “That was one of his favorite quotes.”
Carver and his wife, Tess Gallagher, made a big impression on Bock in the 1980s, sending her letters to encourage the young writer.
“He was an intense teacher,” Bock, now in her 60s, told a standing-room-only crowd at Politics and Prose in June, noting that his classes would last until 11 p.m.
Bock’s dream of writing fiction was sidelined for decades, however, by a career in marketing and public relations in New York City.
Now living in Potomac, Maryland, Bock has published four books and numerous articles, poems and essays. Her latest book, The Other Beautiful People, was released in June.
She reads her work at literary events, teaches writing and works as a volunteer co-president of the nonprofit Washington Writers’ Publishing House, which publishes works by local authors.
“It’s been the greatest second act ever,” Bock said.
Early love of writing
As a child, Bock was raised by her father after her mother suffered a debilitating stroke. The oldest of four children, Bock grew up in a middle-class neighborhood in New Rochelle, New York.
“I was that lonely little girl who read all the time,” Bock said, “and I soon realized I loved to write.”
She earned her undergraduate degree in communication and English from Syracuse University, studying with renowned writers, including Carver, Gallagher and Tobias Wolff.
After college, Bock moved to New York City and spent 20 years in PR and marketing for cable TV. Between her job and raising two children, she set aside her own creative work.
“In my 40s, the lightbulb went off,” she said. “I had not written anything.” Luckily, she also had a husband “who believed I could have a second act.”
So, at 48, she earned an MFA in fiction from the City College of New York in 2011 and published her first of two young-adult novels that same year.
When Bock, a lifelong New Yorker, moved to Potomac 13 years ago for her husband Richard’s job, she knew no one. She took advantage of everything the DMV offers to writers and readers and discovered a “vibrant literary community,” she said.
Bock took a few classes at The Writer’s Center in Bethesda, where she met fellow authors who, 13 years later, still write and critique one another’s work.
Support for writers
After workshopping her writing with that group, Bock finished and submitted a collection of short stories, Carry Her Home, to Washington Writer’s Publishing House (WWPH). She was thrilled when the book won the press’s 2018 fiction prize, which included publishing her book.
WWPH is a 51-year-old, volunteer-run cooperative, so Bock, like other authors the literary press publishes, was responsible for judging prospective books for the next two years.
When the president stepped down, Bock heard about the search for a replacement.
“If you’re a little bit crazy and full of too much energy, you step forward,” Bock said.
So Bock became co-president with poet Jona Colson in 2023. It was the perfect job for Bock, a longtime champion of literature.
“It’s really the passion to pay it forward to other writers,” Bock said. “I love discovering other voices.”
As presidents, Bock and Carlson call the winning authors to let them know their books will be published. Bock described those calls as filled with cheering, laughter and crying.
Many of WWPH’s recently published books are by authors over 50, including memoirist Bernardine Watson and novelists Varun Gauri and Len Kruger.
“It’s extra special when you’re over 50 and you get your first publication,” Bock said.
A 9/11 story
While it’s not her first publication, her latest book marks Bock’s first novel for adults. The Other Beautiful People is a workplace love story set in the weeks after 9/11, featuring a 40-something female protagonist working at a struggling but beloved cable channel that airs classic films (much like Bock’s own experience working for a similar network).
About 70 percent of the book is based on her own experiences, Bock admits. She describes the genre as autofiction — a blend of autobiography and fiction.
That didn’t make it any easier to write. Bock soon discovered that writing a novel was twice as much work as writing for young adults, but like many writers, she was dogged.
Before she submitted it to agents and publishers, Bock said, “I ended up having to do about 10 major revisions.”
A day in the life
In a typical day, Bock wakes up and writes, she said.
“Before I can do anything for other writers, I need to first give myself the gift of my own writing,” she said.
Afternoons are spent working on WWPH and other projects, including a column she writes for The Washington Independent Review of Books and theater reviews for DC Theater Arts.
By late afternoon, she dives back into “whatever beautiful novel I’m reading.”
In the evenings, Bock watches old movies, occasionally attends a play, or participates in one of the many literary events she organizes.
How to start as a writer
As Bock’s life illustrates, it’s never too late to start writing. She recommends taking classes and attending events at The Writers’ Center, where she’ll teach this fall, or at another institution offering courses, whether online or in person.
“Start writing and find a community,” Bock advised.
In addition, WWPH offers free events year-round throughout the DMV and opportunities to submit writing.
Attending readings at independent bookstores and events like the Gaithersburg Book Festival, the National Book Festival and those run by the Maryland Authors’ Guild are also excellent ways to meet other writers.
That’s the formula Bock followed, and it’s given her the chance to forge her path as an author and a force for bringing local writers’ work to publication.
As she said at the June 2 book reading. “D.C. is a great place to be a writer.”
For more information or to order Bock’s book, visit carolinebockofficialauthor.site.
