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November Member News: Susan Howell • Nancy Mehl •
Roxie Olmstead • James D. Wright
October Member News: Christie Breault • Julia Dagenais •
Roxie Olmstead • James Wright
September Member News: Donna Penley
August Member News: Nancy Mehl • Roxie Olmstead •
Donna Penley
July Member News: Ann Fowler Everett • Conrad Jestmore •
Colleen Kelly Johnston • Roxie Olmstead
June Member News: Robert Beattie • John Howell • Mike Klaassen
• Nancy Mehl • Margaret Nelson • George W. Schiller •
Robert D. Simison • Annette Wood
May Member News: Robert Beattie • Billy McCray •
Roxie Olmstead • George Schiller • Robert D. Simison •
Annette Wood • Dr. James D. Wright 1 & 2
April Member News: Robert Beattie
March Member News: Robert Beattie • Billy Q. McCray •
Annette Wood
February Member News:
Jane Kurtz • Billy Q. McCray • Annette Wood • James D Wright •
James D. Yoder
January Member News: Roxie Olmstead
2005 District 5 Writing Contest:
Poetry Awards
Poetry judge Dr. Carrie Boden, who has a master of fine arts in poetry, is currently an administrator at Friends University.
| Free Verse |
| First |
Grace Becker |
“Turtle in the Grass” |
| Second |
Colleen Kelly Johnston |
“Kalahari” |
Third
|
Claire Sorensen |
“I Wept Today” |
| Classic Blank Verse |
| First |
Colleen Kelly Johnston |
“Homesteader” |
| Second |
Lily Angle |
“Modern Dance” |
Third
|
Lily Angle |
“The Weekend Trip” |
| Theme |
| First |
Ann Everett |
“The Buffalo” |
| Second |
Ann Everett |
“Trails of Time” |
| Narrative Verse |
| First |
Colleen Kelly Johnston |
“Early Winter” |
| Second |
James Wright |
“Near Pasto, 1995” |
Third
|
Ann Everett |
“Maternal Instincts” |
| Whimsy |
| First |
Lily Angle |
“Missing Minutes” |
| Second |
Colleen Kelly Johnston |
“Lady in the Corner” |
Third
|
Lily Angle |
“Intently Bentley” |
| Japanese Forms |
| First |
Lily Angle |
|
| Second |
Lily Angle |
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| Rhymed Verse |
| First |
Lily Angle |
“Dandelions in December” |
| Second |
Nancy Glenn |
“Ghost” |
| Third |
Claire Sorensen |
“The Ocotillo” |
Book Reviews
by Patricia Schulte Healy, District 5
Writing Your Life: Putting Your Past on Paper, Lou Willett Stanek, Ph.D., © 1996; HarperCollins Publishers, Inc., New York, N.Y. 10022, softcover. $12.95.
 "At first we were a group of strangers who came together because we..." suggests Dr. Stanek with her reader filling in the rest of the idea. Exercises included in Writing Your Life are fun, including things most of us have experienced.
Within its 179 pages, this book provides many good suggestions for writing one's memoirs. Concise chapters are followed with multiple-choice exercises. In the second half of the book, Dr. Stanek teaches writing basics, including wonderful descriptions of poor word and composition choices, helpful during revision.
Whether you have published or not, Writing Your Life is an inexpensive tool for any writer. You would be surprised how close a group of strangers becomes when they meet to learn memoir writing.
The Sound of Paper: Julia Cameron (Jeremy P. Tarcher/Penguin, a member of Penguin Group (USA) Inc., 375 Hudson St., New York, New York 10014, 315 pages, $19.95.
The Sound of Paper may herald the sound of dollars flowing into your coffers, for it is a powerful tool for writers, especially those who are blocked.
Julia Cameron shares some of her ideas on 3 and 4 page chapters. She then suggests, “Try this...”with an exercise such as “List 10 qualities or accomplishments that you appreciate about yourself.”
Writing daily is really the key, even if the result is desultory. That keeps that nasty little self-critic at bay. She suggests 3 morning pages, an idea originated by Dorothea Brande in 1934 in Becoming a Writer.
To get the ideas (and dollar bills) flowing, take a look at this book.
District 5 Mystery Story Contest
Kansas Authors Club District 5 is happy to announce the Radine Trees Nehring Award, presented by Laurie Schunk of St. Kitts Press, for the best mystery short story under five thousand words. The prize will be three books, mysteries by Radine Trees Nehring. The award were presented at the District 5 meeting on May 14, 2005.
 Radine Trees Nehring has published mystery short stories and is the author of an award-winning mystery novel series set in Arkansas: A Valley to Die For, Music to Die For, and her newest, A Treasure to Die For. Nehring is a member of Sisters in Crime and Mystery Readers, International. She represents the state of Arkansas on the board of Mystery Writers of America—SW.
Kudos and Eclats to Gail Martin
Gail is married to Clyde Martin, has six gown children, nine grandchildren, and six great-grandchildren.She is a former 4-H leader, loves to research family history/ genealogy, and has placed many times in the Jessie Perry Stratford Writing Contest, winning 1st place in 2004. She and her husband take part in the El Dorado Farmers Market during the summer. Her specialty is jam and jelly.
Gail has been a member of Kansas Authors since 1992. Roxie Olmstead says, “She wasn’t just a joiner, but a doer.” She was appointed State Archivist in 1995 and District 5 Archivist from 1998-2002. In this capacity she kept scrapooks of the published works of members and reported the historical activities at the regular meetings of the club. She has taught Memoir Writing at the Shepherd’s Center in Wichita, Kansas, made presentations at schools, and given workshops. She has also served the district as contest chairperson and collected members’ books for the Spencer Library.
Gail has worked diligently in state conferences in many capacities. Space prohibits mention of all her actiities and awards. She was given a Service Award at the 2004 Conference in Topeka.
She wears her KAC pin and advertises the club widely. We’re proud to have her as a member. Thanks so much for all your hard work, Gail.
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Gail Martin says:
“Everything I have ever published
has been because of the inspiration and encouragement I’ve found in Kansas Authors Club. It’s amazing what I’ve been able to accomplish with my writing since
I joined KAC in 1991.” |
Previously at KAC:
December 10
Polly Basore, author of the children’s book Santa’s Stray, published in October 2004 to raise money for Wichita’s soup kitchen, the Lord’s Diner, and to spread the book’s central message—that all of us, even the ‘strays’ who feel they don’t belong, have something special to offer. Polly also has recently published another book Christmas Tea/cookies and has an upcoming book What Heaven Left Behind.
November 12th
Readings, started with 2005 State Literary Contest Winners. Used book sale.
September 12th
Anne Everett, author of Emotional Choices: Caregivers Surviving Alzheimer’s Disease
July 9th
Writing Workshop @ the home of Nancy Glenn
June 11
James D. Wright, author of The Middle of Somewhere: Stories of Life on the High Plains
May 14
Contest Winners Announced
ALSO: May 16
Early Planning Meeting for the 2007 State Convention
April 9
Ursula Turner: “Southeast Kansas:Who Walked These Trails?”
March 12
Roxie Olmstead, for Women's History Month, presented:
“Augusta James" —for whom the town of Augusta is named
February 12 --
Women's Open Poetry Forum, “Even You Can Write Poetry”
January 8 -- Roxie Olmstead, “Discovering Old Books”
January’s meeting was disrupted when members heard a voice that could not be explained. Cynthia mentioned Kansas has the most haunted houses in the U.S. Was the First United Methodist Church haunted? Did this phenomenon explain the chill in the room? The sound, isolated to a chair in the first row, was explored by Dina Doering. She examined the contents of her purse. No, her cell phone was not engaged. No sooner had the meeting begun again when the muffled, strange voice resumed. This time Dina Doering dug deeper into her purse. A tape recorder played in her hand. Mystery solved? Who turned on the tape recorder? The haunting of KAC.
Cynthia Ross introduced the program, “Discovering Old Books” by Nancy Glenn. Because so many members could not be present due to ice-covered streets, Ms. Glenn agreed to give her program a second time at her bookstore.
Ms. Glenn published a book of poetry in 2002. She has eighty-five (85) more poems ready for a second book. Co-owner of a bookstore suits Ms. Glenn perfectly - the opportunity to collect old and rare books and spend her time with her beloved finds. She shared stories about books on display and provided a handout regarding research/collecting old books.
The door prize, Vanguards of the Plains by Margaret Hill McCarter, was provided by Nancy Glenn and was won by Cynthia Ross.
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