2009 District 3 District News 2009 Archive, Kansas Authors Club

Member News:

District 3 2009 Spring Literary Contest Winners Announced:

PROSE CONTEST
Judge: Jennifer Dalton, Head Librarian, Coffeyville Public Library

Inspiration (10 entries)
First place: Ursula Turner – "My Parents, My Heroes"
Second place: Grant Williams – "Role Models"
Third place: Ursula Turner – "Inspiration Comes from many Sources"
First honorable mention: George Hill – "This Strange Place"

Memoir (12 entries)
First place: Ursula Turner – "Fulfilling a Life-Long Dream"
Second place: Grant Williams – "Winter Memories"
Third place: Frankie Roland – "My Grandmother’s Hearth Chair"

Children’s Story (12 entries)
First place: Grant Williams – "A Black Cat"
Second place: Ursula Turner – "Princess"
Third Place: Frankie Roland – "The Move"

Short Story
First place: Grant Williams – "Two Roses"
Second place: Ursula Turner – "October Wedding"
Third place: Frankie Roland – "Not Into Basketball"

POETRY CONTEST
Judge: Joyce Long, Retired Teacher

Rhymed Verse
First place: Grant Williams
Second place: Grant Williams
Third place: Louise Click
First honorable mention: Mary Atkinson
Second honorable mention: Ursula Turner

Free Verse
First place: Louise Click
Second place: Mary Atkinson
Third place: Grant Williams
First honorable mention: Grant Williams
Second honorable mention: Grant Williams

Whimsy
First place: Grant Williams
Second place: Ursula Turner
Third place: Grant Williams
First honorable mention: Ursula Turner
Second honorable mention: Mary Atkinson

Limericks
First place: Barbara Cooper
Second place: Barbara Cooper

Haiku
First place: Grant Williams
Second place: Grant Williams
Third place: Barbara Cooper
First honorable mention: Louise Click
Second honorable mention: Barbara Cooper

On a sad note, one of our more recent members who did not attend many meetings because of poor health, George Hill, District 3, Parsons, died on Dec. 11. He was 78. George lived in Parsons and came to Coffeyville meetings whenever he could. His obituary is on-line at the NJCAA site. —1/21/2010

Past Meetings:

Kansas Authors Club Third District Fall Meeting

      The Kansas Authors Club third district fall meeting was held on Saturday, September 26, 2009 at Windsor Place Campus Center with 14 members and 2 guests attending.
      A social time was held over a continental breakfast. A silent auction was held throughout the morning. Ursula Turner convened the meeting at 9:30 a.m. and discussed the state convention in Topeka. It will be held Friday, Oct. 16 through Sunday, Oct. 18, 2009. She reminded everyone that yearbook submissions are due by Sept. 30. There is not much time left. Turner talked about the fact that D3 will host the state convention in 2011. The topic will be either the Civil War after 150 years; or Kansas celebrates 150 years, or both. Members were asked to think of a theme and consider dressing in period clothes at the convention.
      Rik Tanos talked about the August board meeting and mentioned that we need to recruit more new members to join the group.
      Carol Martin, president of the Arkansas City Writers Guild spoke about her first Novel and Blog.
      It was decided that contest entries for prose and poetry for the spring meeting remain the same as last year. Margie Marang will be poetry contest manager and Barbara Cooper volunteered to function as prose contest manager Grant Williams gave a history of the Kansas Authors Club, mentioning some of the prominent Kansans who were past members.
      Frank Marang sang the song, “Margie.”
      Elections were held with the following officers to serve in the coming year: Rik Tanos, president; Lois Hendrix, vice president; Barbara Cooper, secretary, and Grant Williams, treasurer.
      D3 spring meeting will again be held at Windsor Place in April 2010 with the date yet to be determined. 10/4/2009

2009-10 District 3 Officers installed:
Barbara Cooper, secretary;
Rik Tanos, president;
Margie Marang, long-time KAC member who installed the officers;
Lois Hendrix, vice president; and
Grant Williams, treasurer

Night Writers of Coffeyville met Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Ruth Ames wass hostess. Her assignment was to write a story about the Civil War in Kansas.

Cowley County Writers Guild meeting was held Thurs., Sept. 17, 2009.
This new group met at the Arkansas City Library, Arkansas City, 6:30 p.m. The Guild hosted a book signing for Adam Catlin for his book Syncronicity. Catlin has written about a person from Cowley College.

Night Writers met Tuesday, August 25, 2009, at Sycamore Landing, Coffeyville. Mary (Pinky) Atkinson was hostess and her assignemnt was to write the first three paragraphs of a book.

The Cowley County Writers Guild held their second meeting on Thursday, August 20, 2009, at the Ark City Library. Seven people were present. Carol Martin and the only official KAC member besides Grant Williams, spoke about research. Grant and Martin are working on the others to join up.

First meeting of the Cowley Co. Writers Guild was Tuesday, July 21, 2009, and the founders expect the writing group to grow, as they are in the process of inviting authors from the area. The idea of having a writing group in Ark City should work well for those who cannot travel the 160 miles round trip each month to Night Writers meetings, another District 3 writers group who meet in Coffeyville. The managing editor of the Ark City newspaper is joining, and the Ark City Library is a supporter.

Night Writers met Tuesday, July 28, 2009. Frankie Roland, hosted. Members were to write down two or three childhood memories from before age 8. Meeting was held at Sycamore Landing, 701 Lewark, in Coffeyville, at 6 p.m.

Night Writers of Coffeyville, the local chapter of the Kansas Authors Club, met Tuesday, June 23, at Sycamore Landing, with 12 members and one guest, Lois Vail, attending. Ursula Turner hosted.
Frankie Roland showed her recently published book, Those Crabtree Girls! Rik Tanos said the book he is currently working on is almost finished, and Ursula Turner is working on her fifth b

ook. Margie Marang has taken her material to Tanos Books for publication. It will be a volume of her poems.
The day’s assignment which was to research why Pork and Beans got that name when there is no pork and very little fat present. Our cake baking member, Kathy Pippin, told her story by making a cake she called Pork and Beans.

Night Writers of Coffeyville met Tuesday, May 26, 2009, at Sycamore Landing. Hostess was Barbara Cooper, who had everybody read their assignment, “How I Met My Spouse.”
Rik Tanos, president, discussed the District 3 fund raiser book members are putting together about area families. The book is currently up to 140 pages, but Tanos is expecting a few more stories to come in.

Our spring KAC meeting was held on Saturday, April 18, 2009, at Windsor Place, Campus Center with 13 members attending.
     Social time was held over a continental breakfast. A silent auction was held throughout the morning.
     The meeting convened at 9:30 a.m. The state convention in Topeka was discussed. It will be held Oct. 16 through 18, 2009.
     Yearbook submissions are due by Sept. 30. Contests can be entered between April 1 and June 15. Details can be found in the yearbook.
     District 3 will host the state convention in 2011. Topic will center on the Civil War with 150 years observed during that year. Members are asked to think of a theme and other ideas for the convention, such as workshop presenters and keynote speaker. Members were also asked to try to recruit writers who might join the group.
     Thanks to all who participated.
     Winners for the spring writing contest were announced. Ursula Turner was contest manager for prose. Jennifer Dalton, head librarian of the Coffeyville Public Library judged the entries. Lois Hendrix served as contest manager for poetry. Joyce Long, retired teacher from Cherryvale judged that category.
     A guest speaker was Wilma Andrews of Independence who talked about her book Dominica’s Castle. It was her first book.
     Donna Rothgeb, also of Independence, spoke about the art of writing. She called her program: “Beginnings, Middles and Ends.”
     Windsor dietary served a lunch of sandwiches, salads and desserts.
     Contest winners read their first place entries after lunch.

On March 24, 2009, our Knight Writers host was Grant Williams, and the assignment was “write about Spring,” when we met at Sycamore Landing.

On February 24, 2009, our Knight Writers host was Rik Tanos, and the assignment was “my favorite vacation,” when we met at Sycamore Landing. Twenty-four writers attending the meeting!
Grant Williams took the opportunity to bring all the state news letters and we folded them, and put the stickers and address lables on them while each member read his or her assignment. Grant wishes to thank Rick Tanos, Night Writers President, and Ursula Turner, District #3 President, for letting him enlist from group help and his thanks to all who participated.
Member Kathy Pippin baked a cake honoring the occasion of our first meeting in 2009. The picture even made the Coffeyville Journal on February 25, 2009. [Select the thumbnail photo to see the larger version.]

Officers of Kansas Authors Club, District 3
for 2008-2009:

President:
Vice President:
Secretary:
Treasurer:

Ursula Turner
Ruth Ames
Barbara Cooper
Grant Williams