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Sandra Lou Taylor Launches Debut Historical Fiction Novel

1/21/2025

Plan to attend the virtual launch of More than an Attractive Face. The Zoom event will include prizes, short readings by the author, and Q & A with Sandra. Linzi Garcia will emcee the event.

More Than an Attractive Face, set in 1837 Indiana, follows the journey of Elizabeth Spaulding as she flees her privileged life in New York to supporting herself in a frontier town. The reason for Elizabeth’s departure from a life of comfort was an arranged marriage to a pompous man. She vowed that she’d never be a pretty thing on any man’s arm. For a man to be worth her time, he must appreciate her personality and her mind. This ideal is challenged several times as she faces finding a way to support herself, unfair domination, and a physical attack. The Hadley family support and protect her through the difficulties.

More Than an Attractive Face is the first book in the Hadley Hope Series. Each book contains a complete story but enriches the story in the previous book. The second book in the series, More Than a Little Turmoil, set in 1854-55 explores family tragedy, the protection of fugitive slaves, and the opening of Kansas Territory. This second book is scheduled for release this summer.

Currently, More Than an Attractive Face is available on Amazon in paperback and ebook format. In the middle of February, it will also be available on Audible.

For more information about Sandra Lou Taylor check out sandraloutaylor.com or her FaceBook page @SandraLouTaylorWrites.

Buy More Than an Attractive Face

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2025 Kansas Authors Club Social: A Report

1/14/2025

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January Social Attendees

The January 2025 Kansas Authors Club Social was held on Tuesday, January 15, at 7:00 p.m. via Zoom. Six members were in attendance. Tracy Million Simmons opened the meeting with some quotes from writers about the New Year.

"We spend January 1 walking through our lives, room by room, drawing up a list of work to be done, cracks to be patched. Maybe this year, to balance the list, we ought to walk through the rooms of our lives... not looking for flaws, but for potential." – Ellen Goodman

"New Year's is a harmless annual institution, of no particular use to anybody save as a scapegoat for promiscuous drunks, and friendly calls and humbug resolutions." – Mark Twain

What you get by achieving your goals is not as important as what you become by achieving your goals. –Zig Ziglar

Members then discussed New Year’s Resolutions, specifically in regard to writing goals.

Member Connlyn Sinclair (Lawrence) said his goal in 2025 was to actually finish some of his writing projects. He’s got three works-in-progress that he would really like to get to the end of this year.
Member and former Kansan, Ginger Zyskowski (Seattle WA) talked about her recently published book, Shattered: One Woman’s True Story of Trauma, Coercive Control and Survival.
Nancy Julien Kopp (Manhattan), of Writer Granny’s World, said she set a goal to write a little bit more this year. Last year she apparently “slacked off” a bit!
D5 President Sandra Taylor (Towanda) shared that she was in the midst of book launch planning. Her in-person launch will take place at Reliant Bookstore in El Dorado on January 27, from 4-6pm. That will be followed by a book launch on Zoom on February 5. Member Linzi Garcia (Emporia) will be helping Sandee with the virtual book launch. Sandra’s book, More Than an Attractive Face, is book 1 of a 4-book series. The 2nd book in the series is currently with a beta reader. She has a goal that it will be published mid-summer, and a plan for book 3 to be available at the end of the year. Book 4 is planned for 2026. Sandra said her goal this year is to be more intentional with the amount of writing and the type of writing she is doing. It’s time for it to be more than just a hobby.
District 4 Board Representative Mike Durall (Salina) shared that his newest book is filled with heartwarming stories from the Kansas Plains.
Kansas Authors Club Manager, Tracy Million Simmons (Emporia) said she had not made resolutions this year. Instead, she had selected a focus word: BALANCE.

After some discussion, Tracy shared reminders about submitting member book news to the state website and the new consolidated guidelines for 2025 book awards.

Sandee shared that the 2025 Writing Retreat Committee had selected a theme and were very close to having a logo ready for the fall event, which will take place at Rock Springs Ranch on October 3-5. The question of which district was hosting this year was asked. Tracy explained that the planning of the annual fall events had been pulled under the supervision of the state board for the last two years. As a plan to alleviate the toll on convention organizers, conventions and writing retreats are planned to be held every other year. It remains the goal to recruit committee members and event chairs from across the state. Those who had attended the events at Rock Springs Ranch in the last two years agreed that the site was an improvement from hotels with convention centers, primarily due to continued rising costs for rooms and food. Tracy and Sandee reported that Rock Springs has been wonderful to work with and that attendees, overall, have had positive feedback.

The group spent the second half of the hour sharing readings from their work.

Connlyn read an excerpt from a fantasy detective story set in magical Kansas.
Nancy read a poem she’d written commemorating January 27, National Holocaust Day, after a visit to a concentration camp in Czechoslovakia.
Ginger read a selection of poems from her book, Shattered.
Sandee read an excerpt from her novel, More Than an Attractive Face.
And Mike shared that he had been visiting archives and was enjoying the experience of simply asking the staff to bring him a box to explore. A recent box had the title of “clubs & organizations” and Mike read a selection of topics discussed by the Spring Valley Literary Society of Salina from the late 1800s.

Mike said, “People used to get together before television and the internet and talk about things.”

Prior to closing, Nancy mentioned that these gatherings were a good example of writers helping writers. She said as she listened to the discussion, there was a lot of feedback that included ideas for books to read, actions to take. Nancy’s most recent blog post is titled, Writers helping Writers.

Sandee said that the biggest value of gatherings like this are the little tidbits learned from other members.

The Kansas Authors Club Social takes place on the 2nd Tuesday of every month, via Zoom, starting at 7:00 p.m. All members of Kansas Authors are welcome to attend. There’s plenty of room on zoom, and you don’t have to add time for driving! For larger gatherings, the “rooms” feature of Zoom will be used to divide the group into suitable sizes so that everyone gets a chance to share without making the meeting too long.

Save the date for the next gathering, February 11, 2025.

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Book News from Member Mark Wentling

1/12/2025

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Jackleg Boys
by Mark G. Wentling
Vanguard Press
506 pages

Jackleg Boys unfolds a gripping tale of survival, transformation, and the bonds forged in the crucible of adversity. Set against the backdrop of the American Civil War's aftermath, Henry and Randy, once priviledged sons of an aristrocratic Virginian family, find themselves grappling with the ruins of their past. As they navigate the harsh realities of a war-torn landscape, it becomes a catalyst for a perilous journey westward. In a quest for survival, the duo must shed their former identities and confront the moral complexities of their choices. This historical novel explores the lengths individuals go to endure and adapt in the face of calamity, challenging notions of privilege, identity, and the pursuit of a new beginning. Jackleg Boys is a riveting narrative that explores the transformative power of desperation and the indomitable human spirit.

Purchase Jackleg Boys

Mark Wentling is a Kansas Authors Club member living in Lubbock, Texas.

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Book News from Tim Bascom

1/12/2025

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Tim Bascom, member from Topeka, shares the following book news:

I'm excited about the design for my new collection of short stories--Continental Drift--which is now available for pre-orders from Main Street Rag. I've learned to not be shy, since people won't know otherwise. You can save $7 if you order now. Just click this link, and I'd love to hear what you think of these stories about travelers crossing paths between the U.S. and eight different nations in Africa.

Preorder Tim's Book

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Book News from Member Ruth Maus

1/12/2025

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Ruth Maus, member from Topeka shares the following about her upcoming book:

Thirty years ago I wrote a novel. After many revisions and lots of life events, the time is almost here for the book to be presented to the world.

Lunacy and Acts of God is a coming-of-age story set against the amazing convergence of unique events, institutions, and people that occurred in Topeka, Kansas during the late 1950s. Ultimately it is a story about community, prejudice passed through generations, quirky and marginalized peoples, our differences, similarities, and choices—a very current topic.

The book is in final proofing stages now, so should be available in both soft cover and e-book formats in the next few weeks. I'll be updating with book launch and purchase information soon, but for now, read what a few advance readers have to say:

"I knew I wanted to publish this book when I found myself laughing out loud when reading it! While it is full of humor, the book also addresses important societal issues that, decades after Maus started writing it, are either resurfacing or continue to need our attention. A well-crafted book full of rich characters, it's an honor to include this novel in the Flint Hills Publishing catalogue." --
THEA RADEMACHER, President, Flint Hills Publishing

“Melody tells her story reminiscent of the young girl Scout in To Kill A Mockingbird. She listens and observes others then weaves in an unsolved murder mystery in this page-turning and engaging read.” -- MICHAEL PADILLA, Mayor and lifelong resident of Topeka, Kansas

“What a witty and wonderfully readable book! Full of laugh-out-loud scenes, Lunacy and Acts of God will keep anyone up all night to find out what happens next.” -- ANNE SPRY, author of Finally Noticing: Photos and Poems Prompted by a Pandemic; 2024 President, Kansas Authors Club

“A charming and fantastical coming of age story. A young girl wrestles with the social ills of racism, mental illness, the abuses of powerful institutions, [and] life’s many nuanced shades of gray.” -- -- DR. KAREN BELLOWS, Former Menninger Clinic Faculty

“This fine novel tells an American story featuring characters so broken and vulnerable and horrible and redeeming and real that you’d swear they can exist only in fiction—until you realize that you know them--right now. That is the power and the humility of Ruth Maus’ debut.” -- CRAIG LANCASTER, two-time High Plains Book Award winner, author of Northward Dreams and 600 Hours of Edward

“Ruth Maus’s character, Melody, belongs in that august pantheon of American child characters founded by Mark Twain who are able to expound upon the madness of their times with a magnificent wit and wisdom so far beyond their years, you keep turning the pages.” -- ANDREW FARKAS, author of The Great Indoorsman: Essays and The Big Red Herring

“A refreshing glimpse into history and human nature.” -- JULIE A. SELLERS, author of Ann of Sunflower Lane and Kansas Authors Club Prose Writer of the Year (2020, 2022, 2023)

“Follow the misadventures of Ruth Maus’s…heroine as [she] tries to make sense of the prejudices and loving loyalties of her quirky Kansas community.” -- TIM BASCOM, Director of Kansas Book Festival, author of Chameleon Days and Climbing Lessons

If you would like to get updates from Ruth, please subscribe to her Mailing List at ruthmaus.com Go to the bottom of the Home Page to Attitudes and Beatitudes and enter your email.

Thanks, everyone, for your support and encouragement of my writing all these years!

Blessings
Ruth Maus

Visit the Website of Ruth Maus

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Member News from Duane L. Herrmann

1/11/2025

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In the month of December, Duane had two responses posted to the weekly prompts of the Adirondack Center for Writing, a poem (Summer Pleasure?) posted by Written Tales, two stories posted by Chewers (words that need to be carefully savored), and he found three of his poems posted on the Green Acre Archives.

Duane is a member from Topeka.

If you have news of writing events that would be of interest to all Kansas Authors Club members, or if you are a member (dues current) who would like to announce an achievement, please submit your news via this form.

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Member News from Barbara A. Meier

1/11/2025

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Barbara A Meier’s poem “Day of the Grizzly Dead” was nominated for Best of the Net by Mersey Review. (Issue 2 Spring 2024) Her poem “The Skunk at Ennis Riffle” was nominated for a Pushcart Prize by The Green Silk Journal. (Spring issue 2024).

Barbara is a Kansas Authors Club member from Lincoln, Kansas.

Congratulations, Barbara!

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#ReadLocalKS: Everything is Ghosts

1/11/2025

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Everything is Ghosts, by Tyler Robert Sheldon
Finishing Line Press

"I loved this poetic trip back through the author's college days. It is filled with glimpses of an Emporia I know and love, through the eyes of another, with his own specific appreciations and history here. The poems left me reflecting on my own college days, a time of encountering strangers who immediately became friends, being open to the future while rubbing elbows with the past."
--Tracy Million Simmons

TYLER ROBERT SHELDON (D2) is the author of six other poetry collections including When to Ask for Rain (Spartan Press, 2021), a Birdy Poetry Prize Finalist. He is Editor-in-Chief of MockingHeart Review, and his work has appeared in Dialogue, The Los Angeles Review, Ninth Letter, Pleiades, Tinderbox Poetry Journal, and other places. Sheldon earned his MFA at McNeese State University.

What are you reading? Help us lift and share the good news about Kansas literature. Tag your book loves and reviews on social media with #ReadLocalKS and submit here to be posted on the Kansas Authors Club website.

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Important: Book Awards Guidelines for 2025 Updated

1/10/2025

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To all members who have published a book June 1, 2023 to December 31, 2024. Please carefully review our updated consolidated Book Award Guidelines before entering a 2025 book contest. Significant changes have taken place.

Beginning in 2025, we will add an announcement of three finalists per contest category prior to the announcement of the winner at our fall gathering in October. Eligible books, for 2025 alone, will include an expanded window of eligibility that will include books that would have been considered eligible per our previous guidelines. Beginning in 2026, the book awards will be for books with a 1st publication date in the previous year only.

Our goal is to elevate the status of the Kansas Authors Club Book Awards, and to recognize as much fine writing from the state of Kansas as possible with these changes.

Read Now: Consolidated Book Awards Guidelines

Published Book Awards
Eight Categories
Cash Awards

For the 2025 Award Year

Submissions Accepted: NOW through

March 1, 2025 (encouraged), June 15 (final)

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January 18, 2025 State Program

1/10/2025

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January 18, 2025 - 1:30 p.m.

Program Location: Zoom

Click Here for Zoom Info on Member Pages

Current members receive an link to the monthly program on Zoom via the monthly e-newsletter. The link is also available using the button above which takes you to our members-only pages. Sign-on is required.

Join us in conversation with Kansas Authors Club 2024 book award winners Jim Gilkeson (Coffin Nonfiction), Marilyn Hope Lake (Coffin Fiction), Jerilynn Henrikson (Martin KS History), Lisa Hase-Jackson (Nelson Poetry), and Ann Vigola Anderson (Design). We will discuss writing, entering contests, and best practices for producing an award winning book. Panel moderated by Anne Spry (Design Award Winner & State President).

From the opening poem of Lisa Hase-Jackson's impactful collection, Insomnia in Another Town, we learn that "There is no small grief...all are interconnected." These poems, cloaked in memory and the unmaking and re-making of family, travel us through the harvest of a poet's life. Like the farms she made grow, this book tills the soil of a human soul and all the many experiences that make it. In pantoums, free verse, and prose poems, Hase-Jackson demonstrates the way that every lived experience weaves into a root system that bears unique fruit, singular as our heartbeats, our winding fingerprints. -Ashley M. Jones, poet laureate of Alabama
Winner of the 2024 Nelson Poetry Book Award

Jim Gilkeson takes you on a storyteller's journey into three tiny, experimental subcultures in the U.S. and Europe. Told in a series of short interlocking vignettes spanning the years from 1949 to 2015, Gilkeson traces his unlikely path from his conventional upbringing in the Midwest, down the psychedelic rabbit hole of the late 1960s, to his years as a brother in an order of modern mystics and a practitioner and teacher of energy healing at a clothing-optional retreat center.

Three Lost Worlds: A Memoir of a life Among Mystics, Healers, and Life-Artists is an insider's account of life in the Holy Order of MANS, an esoteric spiritual order founded in San Francisco in the 1960s; an apprenticeship in energy healing with an Irish clairvoyant, the late Bob Moore; and a fourteen-year stint as a healer at Harbin Hot Springs in Northern California, which comes to an abrupt and devastating end in the wildfires of 2015.

Three Lost Worlds is set in part against the backdrop of cults and the paranoia surrounding them in the wake of the Jonestown mass suicides in the late 1970s, but it tells a different kind of story, one of spiritual and personal growth through the eyes of an insider. In the process, Three Lost Worlds offers the reader a reflection on an era in American spiritual history, the heartfelt journey of a modern spiritual seeker. Winner of the 2024 J. Donald & Bertha Coffin Memorial Book Award for Nonfiction.

Our Mothers' Ghosts, by Marilyn Hope Lake: Forced to extremes in order to escape women’s accepted societal roles, the protagonists in this short story collection—the women of one midwestern river town family—overcome hardship and heartbreak, pain and pressure, in order to burst the bonds that hold them and bring forth a better future for their daughters and sons. Their struggles comprise a panorama of women’s issues that span the twentieth century: social injustice, sexism, discrimination, and racism. These ordinary women experienced it all, and the unique ways in which they dealt with these issues illustrate a past we should all hope to leave behind. Winner of the 2024 J. Donald & Bertha Coffin Memorial Book Award for Fiction.

Remembering Martha turns family history and lore into story. Martha grew up in the small town of Neosho Rapids, Kansas, at the turn of the 20th century. This book is an invitation to explore prairie life, its glories and its tragedies, through one woman whose indomitable spirit lives on through generations of grandchildren, including and especially, the author, Jerilynn Henrikson. This novella is a work of fiction inspired by an interview with the author's grandmother. Winner of the 2024 Martin Kansas History Book Award.

When the world shut down in March 2020, Author Anne Spry shut down emotionally ... until she had the time to really notice and appreciate her surroundings. She began taking photos of sunsets, sunrises, clouds and flowers. Poetry flowed out of her soul when she saw what the camera had captured. Now she is sharing her inspirations in hopes that this perspective on a largely negative era in our history will result in more universal gratitude. Winner of the 2024 "It Looks Like a Million" Design Award.

In the Adventures of Bottle Calf, author Ann Vigola Anderson takes us back in time to her grandparents’ farm where Bottle Calf was born during an early spring blizzard. With illustrations by the talented Sara Long, this gorgeous book will be your go-to for holiday gift giving and beyond. Grab a copy to reminisce or to share the stories and gorgeous art with your kids and grandkids. You are going to love Bottle Calf! Reconized - 2024 "It Looks Like a Million" Design Award

We are working on an amazing lineup of state programs in 2025! Click here to check on our progress and SAVE THE DATES on your calendar!

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WAM Nights: Art & Writing

1/6/2025

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Member April Pemeticky will be at the Wichita Art Museum for a special Art & Writing event on January 10th, starting at 6:30 p.m.

A Note from April: "It should be fun. I'll share some poems from my time there as the Writer in Residence. But then guests are encouraged to view and write ekphrastically."

A Link to the Free Event

Join writer April Pameticky for an evening of art and writing! Pameticky will share her poems inspired by works of art in the collection, then try your hand at writing inspired by art through a guided experience in the galleries. All are welcome – from seasoned writers to those just curious about art and writing.

Mother, wife, teacher, poet. April Pameticky shares time between roles as public school educator and peer facilitator within the creative community of artists and writers in Kansas. She launched the Wichita Broadside Project and currently serves as editor of Voices of Kansas, an online poetry journal focused on the youth of Kansas. Her latest work, With Concern for How Words Land in the Body, was a semifinalist for the Meadowlark Birdy Poetry Prize. Her first book, Waterbound (2019) is available from Spartan Press. Follow her journey on Instagram @aprilinwichita .

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November Program Recording is Now Available

12/18/2024

The recording of the November program is now available for viewing by members at this link. (Member sign-on required.) This video will be available until replaced by the January 2025 program recording.

Member News: Barbara Brady

12/18/2024

Member Barbara Brady, Topeka, recently had two stories re-published in Chicken for the Soul books: Chicken Soup for the Young at Heart and Devotional Stories of Resilience and Positive Thinking.

Book News from Connlyn Sinclair

12/18/2024

Member Connlyn Sinclair, Lawrence, shares the following book news:

My post apocalyptic novella Age Of Travelers is now on Amazon.

Age Of Travelers which follows a young couple who go on a road trip after the world has ended was originally serialized in The Kraken Lore but is now available in this extended addition from Alien Buddha Press out of Arizona.

Invitation to Submit: Looking for True Kansas Stories

12/14/2024

L U C K

Hello Friend!

We are currently collecting true stories for the LUCK issue of 105 Meadowlark Reader. You have until December 31 to get your stories submitted. Guidelines below.

Happy Holidays from 105 Meadowlark Reader!

What we’re looking for, in general: Your true stories about Kansas told in an engaging way. Pull us in, make us feel something. Make us laugh or make us cry. Be creative. Use dialog. Careful word choice and fresh imagery is valued. Write your stories in any of the persons (first, second, third).

Eligible writers: We are looking for true stories about Kansas written by Kansans, therefore you must be a Kansas resident or have lived in Kansas at some point in your life.

Theme for Issue #9 (November 1 - December 31, 2024 Submission Period):

Luck

Word count: Let’s say 100 - 3,000 words, give or take. How many words does it take for you to tell your story?

We want original, never-before-published pieces. No simultaneous submissions, please.

105 Meadowlark Reader does not accept AI-generated stories.

Have fun: When a writer enjoys the process, that positive energy comes through to the reader.

Publishing rights: We are asking for First North American Serial Rights.

Payment: Payment is currently $10 per story and one contributor copy of the journal.

How to submit: File types accepted: .doc, .docx, .rtf

Manuscript Preparation: Use standard formatting for your entry. This means:

12-point Times New Roman

lines double-spaced

Include your author bio at the end of your entry. Your name as printed in this bio is how we will refer to you in the rest of the journal. (Exception: Feel free to use titles and degree designations in the bio, but those titles will not be included in the byline, per Meadowlark style.)
Your bio should include:

125 words or less
Written in 3rd person
A mention of your connection to Kansas (such as where you grew up, your favorite spot in the state, a favorite fact about Kansas).
Your current city, state of residence
Feel free to mention any publishing credits as space allows

Author Photos:

As a 2nd attachment to this submission, include a high-resolution author photo in JPG format with your entry. Do not embed this photo in your manuscript. Bonus points if your author photo includes a Kansas setting.

Photos for publication with your essay:

If you have photos that go along with your essay that you would like to include for consideration with publication, embed those photos in a second document with descriptions beneath each image.

Reponse Time:

Response regarding spring submissions (May-June) will be no later than September 1.
Response regarding fall submissions (November-December) will be no later than March 1.

Limit: you may enter up to two (2) stories per submission period.

Submit via Submittable - Meadowlark Press Submission Manager

105 Meadowlark Reader Calendar

Remembering Ronda Miller

12/11/2024

It is with great sadness we report the passing of Ronda Miller on December 10, 2024. Ronda was many a poet's first introduction to Kansas Authors Club. She served our organization in many capacities, including State President from 2018-2019. Ronda will be greatly missed.

Please share your memories of Ronda via our submit form. We will add them to this page.

Ronda Miller
Member (D2) 2011-2024
State President 2018-2019
State Vice President 2016-2017
District 2 President - 2014-2017
State Poetry Contest Manager - 2012-2015

Poetry Books

Going Home: Poems from My Life
MoonStain (Meadowlark, 2015)
WaterSigns (Meadowlark, 2017)
Winds of Time (Kellogg Press, 2019)
I Love the Child (Kellogg Press, 2019)

2019 Interview by Cheryl Unruh

I met Ronda when I volunteered to help with the registration desk when attending my first KAC convention which was held in my hometown of Lawrence. She had seen our ad in the local newspaper where she was employed as a blogger, and we immediately became friends. Of course, I had to encourage her to become a member too.

At the first meeting she attended, our connection deepened when she tearfully described recently losing her ex-husband, the father of her children, with whom she still had a soul-bond and obviously still loved. I related immediately since I had lost my husband and soulmate just a few years prior.

Later, we discovered that we both had M.S. My symptoms were more prevalent than hers, but it was another commonality of our lives. During our friendship, we shared many experiences such as representing KAC at the annual holiday event in downtown Lawrence, selling books at the same holiday fairs, and then having her contributing stories in two of my anthologies.

What I learned about Ronda was that she was an independent, very intelligent and loyal friend who always encouraged others. She bought our books, commented on our Facebook posts, offered help before it was asked, could never say no when needed, and never complained. She was a very spiritual person who valued everyone, with the ability to forgive which kept her positive and able to see the world as it could be. I know she must have been a wonderful asset as a Life Coach to her clients.

Due to both of our physical constraints, I had not seen Ronda for a while, but we still made occasional contact. When I saw the simple subject line that said “Ronda Miller,” tears welled in my eyes because I knew, even before reading its content, what the email would say. She was doing so well and her passing was a shock. I could only pray that God would hold her in His arms and give her the blessings and joy that she deserved for the wonderful legacy she left for others.
-Vicki Julian

"I will forever miss her kindness, her love of words, her love of people, the way she always brought snacks, and the way she always encouraged me. Until we meet again, my friend!" -Curtis Becker

"When I first met Ronda I was more than a little intimidated! She is a force. After we met more personally and she did my final edits on Sunshine, we connected.
Her photo’s were beautiful and her poetry was inspiring."
-Deb Irsik

"I've worked and rode and wrote and explored with Ronda for so long in so many ways, I can only start to grasp this loss while feeling how much I love her. I can't remember when we met exactly, but she was central to my efforts when I was Kansas Poet Laureate and we did many a road trip and lots of meetings and meals and figuring things out together. She also co-chaired the Power of Words conference from the Transformative Language Arts Network with me and was very involved for years."
-Caryn Mirriam-Goldberg

Riding With Ronda, by CMG

"Ronda will be missed for her words, her photographs and her beautiful spirit. Condolences to her family and many writing friends." -Anne Spry

"Ronda was a person who put her hands together and gave you a lift. I barely knew her when I came to her event at The Raven. She asked me to read one of her poems and I was honored. When she was not having a good day one time, I got small cherry pies and we sat in her backyard, eating them and watching her cat, Timothy."
-Ann Vigola Anderson

"Ronda Miller was a beautiful, creative, kind, giving, supportive and talented human. When I got news yesterday that she had passed, it felt a bit like a gut punch. Early on in this writing adventure of mine, she was an ever-present support, whether it be through her kind words, or helping me get hooked into cool experiences as a writer/ poet. Ronda was the reason I was able to go on the television program, Absolutely Kansas, to talk about my first book. It wasn’t because they were looking at me, but Ronda saw something in me that she wanted to help promote. She asked me to be a part of one of her book launches at the Raven Bookstore in Lawrence, and this was another example of her wanting to promote and support other poets.

"Ronda was always willing to share the stage-so to speak.
The William Stafford: living a poetic life event at the Watkins Museum is an annual poetry reading that I look forward to every year. She had poets from all over the state come and read out at that event, and I was able to be a part of that as well. I got a kick out of the fact that Ronda described my poetry as “Staffordy”

"So, Ronda did all of that. That event was her creation. I’m one of many who benefited personally and professionally from having Ronda as a friend, and support in their life.
In terms of her body of work, she was an accomplished and gifted poet. I always enjoyed hearing her read out her work, and I know she took great pleasure in hearing other poets read out their work as well. Her footprint on the Lawrence poetry scene, and the Kansas scene as a whole, is one of substance.

"Ronda loved beautiful things, whether it be flowers, or words, or a warm hug before or after a poetry reading.
Actually, Ronda just loved.

"I know so many people that were touched by her, and I can venture to guess that I am not the only one feeling the void right now.

"Ronda’s legacy will live on, through her written work, and her contributions to our greater writing world. It will also live on because many of us will remember the loving and caring human being that she was.

"My deepest condolences to her family, all of her friends, and damn if we weren’t lucky to have been able to spend time with her, and love her.

"She will be greatly missed."

-Kerry Moyer

I remember Ronda Miller on the day she joined our club. I believe at the point I was president of our district. We asked everyone to give their name and a short summary of what they wrote. Ronda got up and recited one of her recent poems. At another time she visited our home to find out how I was doing and just chat. Prior to that she wanted me to recite some of my poems in her back yard, and at another time she invited me to a Slam where local poets were reading their poetry out loud. Ronda and I were admirers of each other's poetry.
-Tom Mach

Thank you to Roy Beckemyer, Curtis Becker, and Meadowlark Press for sharing photos.

Craft Shows Provide Good Exposure for Authors

12/11/2024

New member D.A. Chadwick participated in the Holiday Extravaganza at the 4H Building in El Dorado. She had a booth selling her books. She reminds us that "Craft shows provide good exposure for authors."

Learn More about D.A. Chadwick's Books

2024 "It Looks Like a Million" Book Awards

12/11/2024

"This is a book that is not only beautiful, but also uplifting. Even though the author does not consider herself a photographer or poet, she has an eye for capturing the small day-to-day things about life in 2020. This all comes together in a well-designed book."
- Judge Randi Stones, Washburn Rural HS Journalism Teacher

Anne Garrett Spry was selected as the 2024 "It Looks Like a Million" Book Award recipient.

Finally Noticing

Also recognized:

"This is a book for everyone. Young and old alike.

"The illustrations are vivid and bright. I could have looked at the pictures forever. Even my teenage son thought it was a beautiful book and that is high praise."
- Judge Randi Stones, Washburn Rural HS Journalism Teacher

Author Ann Vigola Anderson takes us back in time to her grandparents’ farm where Bottle Calf was born during an early spring blizzard. With illustrations by the talented Sara Long, this gorgeous book will be your go-to for holiday gift giving and beyond. Grab a copy to reminisce or to share the stories and gorgeous art with your kids and grandkids. You are going to love Bottle Calf!

Bottle Calf

Sheryl Brenn Member Service Award Presentation, Pioneer Memorial Library, Colby

12/10/2024

This past week, District 7 members were able to gather in Colby to present the Merit Award for Service to Sheryl Brenn in person.

Sheryl's nomination:

Sheryl Brenn has been the spark plug for Kansas Authors Club, District 7. Since joining the club in 2014, she has carried multiple offices, many times fulfilling the duties of Secretary, Treasurer, President, and Contest Manager all at the same time. She currently serves as District 7 Secretary and Treasurer, while also being the Representative to the State Board. Sheryl works hard to make sure that our western Kansas members are notified about meetings and events. She has coordinated countless meetings. To Sheryl, we owe a debt of gratitude for making sure our western Kansas members stay on the map of Kansas Authors Club

Nominated by Howard John Sanders & Tracy Million Simmons

Sheryl Brenn, District 7, receives her award at the Pioneer Memorial Library in Colby. Pictured here with members Howard John Sanders and Millie Horlacher. (photo credit: Melany, Pioneer Memorial Library)

Awards are presented annually to members for achievement in writing (A), service to the club (S), and special award for particular accomplishment (SP). Nominations are due each year by July 1.

Sheryl's award was presented virtually at the Annual Meeting in October.

Publishing News from Member Mark Scheel

12/10/2024

I was deeply honored to have my poem "Soldier's Christmas" given the featured spot on Spillwords.com today. I'm so grateful to the editor Dagmara K. for giving my work this exposure. Here's the link:
https://spillwords.com/soldiers-christmas/

Hope you are all having a blessed holiday season.

Warmest wishes,

Mark

https://www.pw.org/directory/writers/mark_scheel
author of The Potter's Wheel

author of Star Chaser

author of And Eve Said Yes: Seven Stories and a Novella
author of A Backward View: Stories and Poems

former prose editor Kansas City Voices magazine
recipient of the J. Donald Coffin Memorial Book Award
recipient of the Nostalgia Poetry Award

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