NEXT MEETING: Sat., Jun. 8, 2013 –
"Creative Springs Writers' Retreat"
– at Bambino's, 1540L Wakarusa, Lawrence, KS, from 9:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
This event is free and open to the public. There will be a silent auction.
Save a place! Email coachingforliferonda@yahoo.com

9:30 – 10:00 a.m. Welcome!
OPENING: Gordon Kessler welcomes KAC, D2 members, guests, and gives an overview of the upcoming day’s events. People set up their donated items for the silent auction and may begin bidding. (Chair for this event is Maryann Barry). Participants may order a continental breakfast if desired.  Annola Charity will explain the writing prompt—go ahead, pick a prompt or two or three….

10:00 – 11:30 a.m.
CONCATINATION: The act of linking words together.  The beauty of linking ideas together, by William J. Karnowski. Time allowed for Q&A. Bring a dictionary!

11:30 – 11:45 a.m.
TRANSITION TIME:  Find your way outside for lunch (bathroom, silent auction, streeeetcccchhhhh!)

11:45 – 1:00 p.m.
JUST ASK: An open Q&A series (led by Vicki Julian and Gordon Kessler) where participants may ask anything under the sun—or moon! Questions can be as diverse as tax write offs, how you know when you’re ready to publish or when and where you should have your first reading.  Everyone present is an expert at something. If there aren’t enough questions, share a helpful hint.

1:10 – 2:20 p.m.
“POV – Have You Checked Your Psychic Distance Today?”  Presenter Gordon Kessler, D2 President and ePublisher extraordinaire.
 
2:30 – 3:30 p.m. 
Introduction of D2 Member Tracy Million Simmons: Tiger Hunting – ‘tales of writing and publishing from a newbie “indie” author.  Tracy Million Simmons will talk about the process of turning one of those pesky manuscripts collecting dust in a drawer into a published novel.

3:30 – 3:45 p.m.
FINAL BID on auction item…Auction winners announced at 4:00…Fight it out!
4:00 - 4:15 p.m. Maryann Barry announces auction winners!

4:15 – 5:30 p.m.
Annola Charity leads writing prompt readarounds and sings us out!

As always, feel free to bring guests to our meetings. —There are many writers out there who could benefit from the camaraderie and support we give one another.—

Member News:

May Member News: Norm Ledgin | Ronda Miller | Pat Walkenhorst
Apr. Member News: Tom Mach
Mar. Member News: Norm Ledgin | Ronda Miller |
     Peg Nichols [Emilye Yancey] | Tracy Million Simmons |
     Pat Walkenhorst
Feb. Member News: Bob Fraga | Jean Grant | Peg Nichols
Jan. Member News: Sally Jadlow | Carole Katsantoness | Jack Kline |
      Wyatt Townley | Joe H. Vaughan

Upcoming Events:

Wyatt Townley, District 2, Shawnee Mission, has been officially named as the new poet laureate of the State of Kansas, under the poet laureate program recently embraced by the Kansas Humanities Council. Townley will receive her mantle from the previous poet laureate, Caryn Mirriam-Goldberg, in a ceremony to be held on Thursday May 23, 5:30 p.m., at the Lawrence Arts Center, 940 New Hampshire St., Lawrence, KS. Plan now to attend the festivities! Read more about Townley as new Poet Laureate at the Kansas City Star site. 5-6-2013

Do you have an event to announce? Contact Carol Yoho with web site content.

BIG TENT READINGS: Stories and Poems in Three Acts
Fourth Thursdays of Every Month
7pm at The Raven, Lawrence

Sneak Peek at 2013 District 2 Meeting Plans:

Sat., July 13, 2013- "KAC gathers in William Allen White's Town" – facilitated by Tracy Million Simmons – Time and place TBA.

All KAC members are invited to Emporia on July 13, 2013, for a tour of the Emporia Gazette Museum led by Ray Beals, General Manager. Meet in the park beside the Gazette offices at 6th Street and Merchant at 9:50 AM for a 10:00 AM tour start time.

The Emporia Gazette is operated by the 4th generation of the White family and the small museum includes old newspaper equipment, including a Linotype machine, hand-fed printing press, and samples of old comics. The tour does include stairs as we will be entering the older portion of the building. Plan on approximately 2 hours for the talk and tour.

RSVP to Tracy Million Simmons, trmsim@gmail.com, by July 5 appreciated. For those wishing to stay in Emporia for lunch, Tracy will have space reserved at a local restaurant for the KAC group to dine together.

Sat., Aug. 10, 2013 – Ronda Miller – "The Musicality of Poetry" – Bambino's Italian Restaurant, 1540L Wakarusa, Lawrence, KS, 9:30 a. m.

Led by Ronda Miller, District 2, Lawrence, who is a Life Coach specializing in helping those who have lost someone to suicide or homicide. Her poetry can be found in Going Home: Poems from My Life, BEGIN AGAIN: 150 Kansas Poems, To the Stars Through Difficulties: A Kansas Renga in 150 Voices, Tallgrass Voices and online with The Shine Jounal and Zingara. Ronda is poetry contest manager of KAC and created poetic forms Loku and Ukol. She is author of the documentary The 150th Reride of The Pony Express.

Sat., Sept. 21, 2013 – Joy Melendy facilitates "Fort Scott Writers' Group" –Presbyterian Village of Fort Scott, 2401 S. Horton, Fort Scott, KS, 66701 - 11 a. m. - Read Around, followed by a potluck lunch.

As time permits: read arounds will be held after regularly scheduled programs. If interested, bring some of your short, original work to share. You just never know when the opportunity to read will present itself !

PROSE Book - First five pages: 1-- Dennis Smirl 2-- Tom Mach 3-- Joann Williams HM-- Annola Charity HM-- Annola Charity Feature Article: 1-- Joann Williams 2-- Ronda Miller 3-- Lorriane McVey HM-- Joann Williams HM-- Roy Beckemeyer Short Fiction: 1-- Tracy Millon Simmons 2-- Vicki Julian 3-- Joann Williams Memoir: 1-- Ronda Miller 2-- Joann Williams 3-- Nick Sweet HM-- Dennis Smirl HM-- Steve Laird Inspiration: 1-- Ronda Miller 2-- Joann Williams 3-- James Knood HM-- Lorriane McVey HM-- Annola Charity

POETRY Song Lyrics: 1-- Roy Beckemeyer 2-- Roy Beckemeyer 3-- Maryann Barry HM-- Maryann Barry HM-- Jeff Guernsey Narrative Poetry: 1-- Ronda Miller 2-- Ronda Miller 3-- Rosemary Parsons Torrez HM-- Roy Beckemeyer HM-- Rosemary Parsons Torrez Free Verse: 1-- Carole Katsantoness 2-- Jean Jackson 3-- Roy Beckemeyer HM-- Jean Jackson Rhymed Poetry: 1-- Roy Beckemeyer 2-- Nick Sweet 3-- Ronda Miller Japanese Forms: All five wins-- Jean Jackson !

2013 Meeting Wrap-ups:

Saturday, May 11, 2013 –
"District Two Writing Contest Awards Ceremony"– at The Oriental Bistro, 1511 W 23rd St., Lawrence, KS, 11 a. m. - 1 p.m.
People stayed for lunch as they wished.

Sat., April 13, 2013 – "ePublishing" – D2 President Gordon Kessler led our discussion at Bambinos, 1540 Wakarusa Dr., Lawrence.

Saturday, March 9, 2013
Tom Mach - "Angels at Sunset"
Central Resource Library, Johnson County Public Library, 9875 W. 87th St., Overland Park, KS, 66212
     Tom Mach is the author of five novels, a collection of short stories (Stories to Enjoy), and a collection of poems (The Uni Verse). Three of Tom's novels are historical (Sissy, All Parts Together and Angels at Sunset) while one is a thriller (Advent) and the other is a murder mystery (An Innocent Murdered). Sissy and All Parts Together were chosen by the Kansas State Library as two of the 150 best all-time books about Kansas. Sissy won the J. Donald Coffin Memorial Award while The Uni Verse won the Nelson Poetry Book Award. Angels at Sunset was in the running for the Pulitzer Prize. Tom has a website and also owns a publishing company, Hill Song Press.

Saturday, February 9, 2013
Vicki Julian - "English 101 for Writers"
Bambino’s restaurant in Lawrence
   Vicki Julian is the author of three inspirational books as well as a contributor of articles and stories to various magazines, newspapers, and anthologies. An excerpt of Vicki’s latest book can be found under the resources section of the website randomactsofkindness.org. Vicki is a Multiple Sclerosis Peer Advocate. Stephen Minister, citizen journalist for the Humanitarian Examiner, http://www.examiner.com/humanitarian-in-topeka/vicki-julian, and Financial Secretary of the Kansas Authors Club. Before early retirement, she wrote grants, explanatory manuals and good customer care guides. Vicki actively participates in many church and local charitable events and just like many others, truly wonders how she ever managed to get anything done before retirement.
   Jack Kline presided at the meeting. Members elected a new president: Gordon Kessler. and adopted meeting schedule for remainder of 2013. The group established a committee headed by Diane Palka to iron out plans for the D2 retreat, May 31- June 2. The group discussed the memberships' desire to have more reading/critiquing at our monthly meetings. Annola Charity will bring a recommendation to the March meeting on how to address the membership’s wishes.

Saturday, January 12, 2013 –
LaDene Morton - "Women Writing the West"
Antioch Annex, Johnson County Public Library
   LaDene Morton is a native of Lawrence, Kansas, and a two-time graduate of the University of Kansas. She spent most of her thirty years of professional life in Kansas City, Missouri, working the area of community development and nonprofit management. For the past ten years, she has focused on writing and publishing. Her first novel, What Lies West, a work of historical fiction, was a 2010 WILLA Finalist. Her most recent books, The Brookside Story and The Waldo Story, focus on the history of two of Kansas City's most well-known neighborhoods.
   Ms. Morton is also on the board of directors of Women Writing the West, a national organization of member authors of all categories and genres, but whose works are thematically tied to the American West's history or culture. Their national convention will be at the Embassy Suites Kansas City – Plaza - October 11-13, 2013. For more information, visit their website.

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