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May 2012

     Roy Beckemeyer, District 5, Wichita, managed the Spring 2012 LifeVentures' Poetry Session, Tuesday mornings, March 20-May 8, 2012—an adventure in collaborative poetry:poetry as conversation between poets. Sessions were held in East Heights United Methodist Church, Wichita. 5/3/2012
     Grant Williams, District 3, Arkansas City, read to students at Cowley College Creative Claws writers group. A picture of the event appeared in the local newspaper, The Ark City Traveler, and students posted his poem, "Philosopher," in thier online newspaper, Mile Marker Review (p. 3). Grant's latest book, Ten Degrees, and a book of his poetry were displayed at the annual Cowley Writers Corner, May 2, 2012. Grant is an Advisory Board member for the Humanities Department, Cowley College. 5/4/2012

April 2012

Duane Herrmannand Robert Lawson,District 1, Topeka, joined Robert McManus in giving a presentation about "Kansas Poets Trial," a walking trail through downtown Wichita. The event took place at Marvin Auditorium, Topeka Shawnee County Public Library, on April 18, 2012. 4/19/2012
     Duane Herrmann, District 1, Topeka, lectured on "Hidden Meanings in the Poetry of Robert Hayden" on April 29, 2012, at Washburn University Memorial Union. His lecture was a program presented by the Brown Foundation of Topeka. 4/29/2012
     Bill Karnowski, District 4, Wamego, read and signed his books of poetry at the Wamego Tulip Festival on April 14-April 15, 2012. The Tulip festival is the premiere spring event in northeast Kansas and usually attracts thousands of visitors and vendors to the Arts and Crafts Show. 4/30/2012
    Tom Mach, District 2, Lawrence, helped plan a tribute, held on March 30, 2012, at the Topeka Capitol. Spearheaded by TerriLois Gregory, 10th District Representative in the Kansas House of Representative, Governor Sam Brownback signed a proclamation celebrating 100 years of women suffrage in Kansas. In 1912 Kansas granted women full suffrage, well ahead of the national law, passed in 1920. Tom's newest novel, Angels at Sunset, the final novel in his Jessica Radford triology, finds Jessica involved in the struggle for women's voting rights. 4/2/2012
    Sam Majdi, District 5, Wichita, has published his second book, on demand, with iUniverse. The Wisdom of the Great is available in soft cover (620 pages) and eBook formats. It is a biographical collection about the lives, achievements, works and more than 2600 quotations of 450 notables from 50 countries spanning 3 millennia (9th century B.C. to the present). It is arranged chronically by date and place of birth and death. It also contains a names index, a comprehensive subject index, a detailed glossary and an anonymous section. 4/18/2012
    Ronda Miller, District 2, Lawrence, has a new book of poetry, Going Home - Poems from My Life. Readers can purchase this book directly from Ronda. "Ronda Miller writes poems about exterior and interior landscapes, traversing the prairies and mysteries within all our psyches and around us. She brings a great deal of tenderness, wisdom, compassion and imagination to the page in poetry that helps the reader better recognize what's closing and opening around us all the time." —Caryn Mirriam-Goldberg, Poet Laureate of Kansas, 2009-2012 4/25/2012
     Terry Needham, District 2, Romeoville, IL, had his memoir, When I Was a Child, chosen as an Amazon "Featured book-of-the-week." The work is set in Ellis County and Hays, Kansas, in the 1920s to 1940s. The memoir has also won several recongnitions, including USA Book News Finalist for Best Book of the Year, History:U.S.A. category. 4/25/2012
     Cynthia Ross, District 5, Towanda, gave the lunchtime lecture at Wichita Botanica, on April 4, 2012, entitled "A Little This and That with Poems and Hats."  Hats were on display & two of Cynthia's poetry books, Ride A Stick Horse and Prairie Woman Poems, were offered for sale. 4/5/2012
    Pat Walkenhorst, District 2, Blue Springs, MO, has been honored by the Kansas State Historical Society with the acceptance of her 45 years of research into the history of the Irish in Kansas. The collection contains the documentation of her two books, The Callahans of Kansas, With Brady, Burke, O'Donnell, Ryan, White & Young Genealogies, and Irish Settlers of Kansas, Memories of the Pioneer Life, which was co-authored by Fr. John Lahey and Ellen Cregan Anderton. The works will be archived in the Family Histories section under Dickinson and Wyandotte County families and will be available to other researchers. 4/2/2012
    Grant Williams, District 3, Arkansas City, has a new book, Ten Degrees, available from tanosbookspublishing, Coffeyville. The work includes 25 short stories and some poems. The cover photo and inside photos the work ofd Jacquelyn Sanders, noted photographer from Old Lyme, CT. Proceeds from the book help cover cost of books donated to the care centers where Grant reads monthly, hospitals and clinics. This is his second book of short stories. Other work includes six novels, a book of essays, and a book of poetry. 4/2/2012
    Max Yoho, District 1, Topeka, author of Me and Aunt Izzy, spoke at "Afternoon with a Kansas Author," Topeka & Shawnee County Public Library, April 15, 2012, 2 p.m., and signed books afterward. Eleven-year-old Jefferson Davis Johnson has been sentenced to a summer of “moral rehabilitation” under the watchful eye of his great-aunt, Queen Isabella of Spain Johnson. 4/15/2012

March 2012

     Reaona Hemmingway, District 1, Topeka, won the first annual short story contest held by Kansas Writer's Inc. Submissions to the contest, which ran from November 12 to December 28, 2011, were limited to 5,000 words and had to include the theme term "Bloody Gavel." Reaona was awarded $50 for her entry, "Gordon's Finale," which used the theme as the 'Bloody Gavel Society'—a vigilante group of rogue judges who take the law into their own hands when criminals are set free by the justice system. Plans are still in consideration to publish the contest entries as a Kindle ebook. 3/1/2012
    Bill Karnowski, District 4, Wamego, read March 25, 2012, as part of the BEGIN AGAIN series along with Rhonda Miller, District 2, Lawrence: Caryn Mirriam-Goldberg; Dan Pohl; Jackie Magnuson Ash; and Rick Nichols. The reading was at the Ad Astra Book Store and Coffee Shop, Salina. 3/31/2012
    Nancy Julien Kopp, District 4, Manhattan, had a devotional piece, "Add A Dose of Love," published at the Lutheran Parish Nurses International ezine in March, 2012. She also had an article about writing published, "A Two-Sided Coin," at Intralingo, a website for translators and writers, March 14, 2012. 3/31/2012
    Tom Mach, District 2, Lawrence, as featured in SeniorMonthly for March, 2012. The story focuses on his newest novel, Angels at Sunset. "Mach concluded trilogy with novel on women's suffrage" can be read online. Tom also spoke about his new book on March 13, 2012, at the Free Methodist Church, Lawrence, and on March 23, 2012, at The Raven Bookstore, Lawrence. Heather Yates, Kansas University Women's Studies professor, appeared with Tom at The Raven. 3/31/2012
     Ronda Miller, District 2, Lawrence, had her poem "Where Wisteria Grows" chosen for visual interpretation by painter Jennifer Rivera. Twenty-two poems were chosen from the nearly 200 submitted for review. This collaborative project, entitled "After Words," opened at South Wind Gallery, Topeka, on Friday, March 2, 2012. Video of the artist and her work can be viewed at the South Wind Gallery website. Ronda also sponsored a "Begin Again: 150 Kansas Poems" reading in St. Francis, KS, on March 24, 2012. The reading took place in the community Band Shell. 3/14/2012
     Paula K. Nixon, District 7, Santa Fe, NM, won first place for her essay, "Mom's Pie", in the SouthWest Writers fifth 2011 bi-monthly writing competition. Her essay was published in the January 2012 edition of the SouthWest Sage. Paula also placed third in the Santa Fe Reporter 's 2011 writing contest. Her essay, "Paradise Corrupted" was published in the December 7, 2011 edition of the weekly newspaper. 3/28/2012
     Frankie Roland, District 3, Colorado Springs, CO, has founded a Writing Club at the Medalion Retirement Community where she lives. Four to six members faithfully meet each Monday afternoon from 3-4:00 p.m. and write about a variety of topics, including song lyrics and poetry. They also have special speakers.
    Frankie also attends a writers group, called "Spiritual Writers," at First Congregational Church in Colorado Springs. The group meets on first and third Fridays. She is regularly published in Cappers, Kansas Senior Times and The Journal, and misses her writer buddies in Kansas Authors Club. 3/8/2012

February 2012

     Kelly W. Johnston, District 5, Wichita, had his poem "House-Sitter" chosen as First Place in the 2011 Kansas Writers Association Free Verse Poetry contest. 2/1/2012
     Agnes Kazminski, District 1, Topeka, spoke to a group of seniors at Faith Lutheran Church, Topeka, on February 16, 2012, about writing personal memoirs for their grandchildren. About twenty people participated. Besides talking about what makes a memoir and the principles of writing a story, Agnes talked about the benefits of documenting family events for future generations. She also discussed various forms of memoir writing. She pointed out that a memoir does not necessarily have to be in book format, but could also be a collection of stories or a summary of events. Her messages were well-received. [Share your own community service endeavors.] 2/21/2012
     Tom Mach, District 2, Lawrence, had his poem "Only Another War" published in Blue Island Review 2011, a poetry magazine recently founded by Katie Longofono. This regional journal brings together writers of diverse backgrounds. Among the forty-four poets included in this issue, along with Tom, are Kevin Rabas and Thomas Fox Averill. 2/17/2012
    Anne McCourtie, District 1, Mayetta, announces her debut into the world of e-books with publication of four works as downloadable, from Smashwords. Titles include Ride Like the Wind, Widow's Walk, The Keeper of Names and The Haunting of Emily. Visit Anne on bluepockets for links to these titles online. 2/11/2012
     Grant Williams, District 3, Arkansas City, regularly reads at area senior care facilities. He reads at Presbyterian Manor in Arkansas City on the first Monday of each month, at Sterling House in Arkansas City on the second Wednesday night of each month, at Medicalodge in Arkansas City on the third Thursday morning of every month, and at Kansas Veterans Home in Winfield on the fourth Tuesday morning of every month. [Visit our Writers in the Community page for specifics about Grant's community service in the literary arts. Share your own community service endeavors.] 2/21/2012
     Max Yoho, District 1, Topeka, spoke about his writing at "Adventures in Learning," Topeka's Shepherd's Center program for seniors, on February 3, 2012. He also signed copies of his books the evening of February 3 at the Eclective Gallery, First Friday Art Walk, in the NOTO Arts District, Topeka. 2/4/2012

 January 2012

     Eunice Boeve, District 6, Phillipburg, will have her story for children, "Wishing You Home," serialized as sixteen chapters in five Kansas newspapers. The story, targeted to students in grades three through nine, will run January 24 to March 15, 2012. Boeve's story is Kansas-based, historical-fiction that follows the life of a young Kansas boy during World War II. He longs for everything to be normal, but life during the war is anything but normal—especially since his father is overseas fighting in the war, as are many of the other men in their community. This touching story provides great history and character education lessons. A teacher's guide which includes discussion questions, activities and vocabulary words will be available to all participating teachers. Publication is sponsored by American Family Insurance and will appear in The Hutchinson News, Salina Journal, The Hays Daily News, The Garden City Telegram and The Ottawa Herald. 1/16/2012
    Nancy Julien Kopp, District 4, Manhattan, has a story, "Magical Windows of Christmas," included in the anthology Celebrating Christmas with...Memories, Poetry and Good Food, published in December, 2011. Her article, "Shoestring Deadline," was published in Thriving Family magazine of the Focus On The Family group, in the January/February, 2012, issue. 1/25/2012
    Pat Walkenhorst, District 2, Blue Spring, MO, was honored at the opening celebration for her contribution to the "Americans by Choice: The Story of Immigration and Citizenship in Kansas" permanent exhibit on the sixth floor of the Robert J. Dole U. S. Courthouse, 500 State Avenue, Kansas City, Kansas. She wrote about and contributed photographs of her grandparents, William and Mary Burke, who in 1857 were among the first settlers of Kansas City, then Wyandot, Kansas. Pat's second book, Irish Settlers of Kansas: Memories of the Pioneer Life, chosen one of the 150 Best Books of Kansas, is now available at Amazon.com, Kindle Books, $4.99. 1/16/2012
    Grant Williams, District 3, Arkansas City, had his short fiction, "Two Roses," published in the Mile Marker Review, online literary magazine of Cowley College, The edition was v. 2/no. 1, Fall, 2011. 1/25/2012
    Max Yoho, Distrcit 1, Topeka, spoke at the Iola Public Library on January 14, 2012. Max was born in Colony, KS, twelve miles north of Iola. He reminisced with his audience about trips to the "big city" of Iola as a boy, and shared excerpts from his six published books. Max was featured in the lead story, "Colony native, author: Iola like heaven," by Bob Johnson in the January 16, 2012, edition of The Iola Registrar. 1/25/2012