Blog Archives

2018 Yearbooks have been delivered to members

4/29/2019

Yearbooks were delivered via email and print/postal mail during the month of April. District presidents were in charge of delivering the paper copies this year. If you were not able to pick up your copy at a meeting and have not yet received it via postal mail, please contact your district president.

Please take a moment to thank Reaona Hemmingway (D1) for her many hours of work on our publications. We are fortunate to have members like Reaona willing to share so much time and talent for the betterment of Kansas Authors Club.

The yearbook is printed by Mennonite Press in Newton. Tracy Million Simmons (D2) helped to coordinate printing and delivery of the yearbooks. Thanks to all of the state and district officers who helped by preparing the reports and materials required to complete our annual yearbook.

Reaona Hemmingway, District 1, serves as the Kansas Authors Club Publications Editor.

D2 Member, Wyatt Townley, rescheduled Book Launch

4/29/2019

Former Kansas poet laureate Wyatt Townley launches her new book of poems, Rewriting the Body.

ABOUT THE BOOK: The body is a poem we rewrite with every breath. Wyatt Townley, who in her dual life has taught yoga for decades, explores the body as place—as home—leading us from room to room, from trauma to revelation.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Wyatt Townley is the fourth Poet Laureate of Kansas. Her work has been read on NPR, featured in “American Life in Poetry," and published in venues ranging from The Paris Review to Newsweek. Rewriting the Body is her fourth book of poems, the first in seven years.

You can visit with Wyatt and purchase copies of her book on May 7, 7-8:30pm, at The Raven bookstore in Lawrence, and on May 8, 6:30-8pm at the Johnson County Kansas Library. (The above links are to event pages on Facebook.)

Correction Notice: 2019 Kansas Authors Club Yearbook

4/24/2019

Children’s Book Award Guidelines

Page 67, Guideline #3—should read, “The entry must have been published, issued in print, and available for public distribution within the two years prior to June 1, 2019.”

Writing as a Rehabilitation Tool

4/22/2019

Twenty years ago, volunteers from the University of Kansas started a writing program for men incarcerated in the Douglas County jail. At the 2019 convention in October two leaders who are active members of Kansas Authors Club and a “graduate” of the program will share thoughts about its origin, what a typical session involves, and how everyone—inmates and leaders—benefits from the writing program. They will also read selections by a few participants.

What makes the weekly writing class the most popular activity offered to Douglas County jail inmates? Why is it consistently the largest class offered at the jail? Why does the program director often have to turn away class members when the room fills quickly? And why do the class facilitators continue to return week after week and year after year?

Many writers will affirm that writing is good therapy. In fact, that is the first reason they give to continue writing. There is something about recording words, thoughts, feelings, fears, and ideas on paper that can be cathartic and healing. People who write search for something. Perhaps they seek meaning in their lives. Perhaps they are looking for a personal identity, for a purpose, or as Sister Helen Prejean said, for “what truly matters.” What does matter? Maybe it is some semblance of control over life circumstances. Maybe it is acceptance, companionship, or bolstering a struggling self-esteem.

Perhaps it is hope, as an entry by Donndilla Da Great in the published collection Douglas County Jail Blues begins.

Hope
As I sit in my cell
I get stronger and stronger
I walk and I pace my cell
like a caged tiger
but as the unit comes to a lull
I think of hope . . .

Facilitators of the panel discussion in October include Brian Daldorph who has worked with the jail writers group since 2001. He has taught writing classes at KU since 1990. During his employment at KU, Brian taught in Japan for a year as a Visiting Professor, as well as shorter terms in England, Senegal, and Zambia. In addition, he is the publisher of Coal City Review and has published a number of books, including a book of the inmates’ writing in 2010. His most recent book of poetry, Ice Age/Edad de Hielo was published in 2017. Last year he was recognized as the Kansas Authors Club “Prose Writer of the Year” at the convention held in Salina.

Brian Daldorph

Antonio Sanchez Day, formerly a participant in this project, is the only ex-con allowed to be a volunteer at the jail. He assists with the writing group as a “graduate.” He will share his perspective on writing from jail, and explain its benefits to himself and others in the program.

Antonio Sanchez-Day

Mike Hartnett, a retired business journalist (magazine editor/newsletter publisher), has been a co-leader of the men’s writing group at the jail for four years. He currently serves as the president of the District 2 of the Kansas Authors Club in Lawrence.

Mike Hartnett

Exposing the threads of life common to us all, this class will share emotions recorded in prison verse, and put faces of humanity on those all too easily forgotten. The panel will take one part of the theme for the 2019 convention a step further, from “Book ‘Em” to “Heal “Em.” You won’t want to miss what they have to share.

October 4-6, 2019

Recalling the Nightmare: Memoir

4/17/2019

Mike Hartnett, a retired business magazine editor/newsletter publisher, currently serves as the president of Kansas Authors Club District 2 in Lawrence. At the October convention in Wichita, he will offer a seminar about his memoir And I Cried, Too. The book recalls details about his involvement in four murders that occurred in Central Illinois in the 1970s.

At the time he was an administrator at Lincoln College, in Lincoln, Illinois. Russ Smrekar, a student there, was caught burglarizing a dorm room. Hartnett expelled him and turned the evidence over to the police. Three days later Smrekar was arrested for shoplifting three pieces of meat from a local grocery store. Long story short: he killed four people who were witnesses to these misdemeanors. Hartnett was very involved with the police, testified to the grand jury, was under death threats, etc.

The college was never the same for him after that. He had been writing part-time for two area newspapers, enjoyed it, and took a job as an assistant editor for a trade magazine. But his head was filled with the murders – things that were never reported. Smrekar was eventually convicted of two of the murders. When he was dying in prison about ten years ago, he admitted to the two other murders. Those remains have yet to be found.
One of the highlights of Hartnett’s life was spending a morning with the late William Maxwell, who was the fiction editor of The New Yorker. He encouraged Hartnett to write the memoir. For a year, Hartnett wrote the saga, but about the time he was almost finished, he was promoted to editor, which meant a lot more work and travel. He put the murder manuscript aside – for about 35 years.

“About a year ago, a police detective in Illinois tracked me down in Kansas to tell me there was a new development in the case,” Hartnett said. New development? Smrekar died in prison years ago after admitting to all four murders. “The detective couldn’t tell me what the ‘new development’ was, but as we talked, it was clear we were in agreement: Smrekar probably had an accomplice for at least some of the murders.”

He decided there might be another chapter to write. Nothing new has developed, however, and he decided he better finish the book before it finished him. If all goes as planned, he will have fresh copies of And I Cried Too at the Wichita event. Coming summer/fall 2019 from http://www.meadowlark-books.com

Book ‘Em!

Mike Hartnett

Meet Ronda Miller

4/16/2019

Ronda Miller
State President, Kansas Authors Club
2018-2019

Ronda Miller is a Life Coach and Poet who works with clients who have lost someone to homicide. She is currently a Peer Coach and traveling poet with Poetry for Personal Power. She is a Fellow of The Citizen Journalism Academy, World Company; a Certified Life Coach with IPEC (Institute of Professional Empowerment Coaching); a University of Kansas graduate; Lawrence resident; and mother to son, Scott, and daughter, Apollonia. Miller created poetic forms loku and ukol. She was a presenter at the Transformative Language Arts Conference at Goddard University in Vermont, October 2018. Miller gives presentations across the U.S. on grief, “Writing Your Trauma Without too Much Drama,” and end of life issues, “Talking to Crickets”.

Miller has three books of poetry, including MoonStain (Meadowlark 2015) and WaterSigns (Meadowlark 2017).

Ronda is the current President of Kansas Authors Club. She has served in past years as District 2 President and Convention Chair. At the state level she has been the Poetry Contest Manager (3 years) and Vice President (2016-2017).

When Miller isn’t coaching clients, or writing poetry, she is wandering The Arikaree Breaks and screaming into blizzards and thunderstorms.

Rhythm-A-Ning: A Poetry & Music Event

4/15/2019

Rhythm-A-Ning: A Poetry & Music Event, will take place at the 2019 Kansas Authors Club state convention, on the Saturday, October 5th, from 11:00-11:50 AM. Poets will read their poems through once while two accompanying musicians and the audience listen; then the same poem will be read through again with the two musicians improvising to the poem. This will result in a spontaneous ekphrastic experience for all; poets, musicians, and audience. Join us in this unique auditory experience! The accompanying musicians are Bill Glenn on percussion and Seth Carrithers on acoustic bass, two well-known Wichita improvisatory musicians.

Poetry selection is via a blinded juried submission process, open to all KAC members statewide and out of state who will be attending the convention. It is open ONLY to KAC members, and your submission is a guarantee you will be at the convention to participate. Though the selection is by juried submission, this is not a contest. No prizes are awarded (except you get to participate!) and a rejection does not reflect on the quality of the submitted work, but rather what works best for the program.

Submission guidelines:
1: You may submit up to two poems in your submission.
2: Each poem must time out at less than three minutes max when read aloud (be sure to read your poem aloud and time it before submitting). Any poems over the three-minute limit will be automatically rejected.
3: Author’s name and personal information must not appear anywhere in the pages containing the poems.
4: Include a cover page with your name and complete contact info (including email address) and the titles of the poem(s) in your submission, along with your KAC district number and a brief bio of about 50 words or less. This should be the ONLY place identifying information appears. The bio will have no effect on the outcome of the judging (the judges will not see it) but may be used in the program should your work be accepted and space allows.
5: Poems may have been previously published. Just send us your best short work, new or old.
6: We will not be publishing your poems, so you need not worry about whether reading a new poem at Rhythm-A-Ning will constitute a first publication for that poem; it will not.
7: No multiple submissions please.
8: Send your submissions in .doc, .docx, .pdf, or .rtf format via email to Connie White at craepa@cox.net. In the email header, put the following: Rhythm-A-Ning submission from (your name here).
9: The submission period opens May 15th and closes July 15th. Any submissions received before or after those dates will not be considered.
10: Notifications will go out via email in mid or late August at the latest. Notification may come from an email address other than Connie White’s.

If you have any questions you may email either Connie White, or Bob Dean at bobdean@swbell.net.

We recommend that you don’t worry about trying to write something “musical” as this is an improvisatory event and there is no way to predict what the end product will be. Just send us your best short poems, and have fun!

Writing a Winner: How I Did It

4/15/2019

The published book awards offered each year by Kansas Authors Club attract the best writers from around the state. It’s a big deal when a writer sees their work in print, and an even bigger deal to receive recognition for quality work. The KAC Children’s Book award, “It Looks Like a Million” design award, Martin History book award for books dealing with Kansas History, the Nelson Poetry book award, and the Coffin Memorial book award for books of all other genres are vital to the Kansas Authors Club literary contests each year. (Contest guidelines)

How do winners of these contests approach the task of crafting quality publications? If you are considering entering your recently published book in one of these contests, KAC District 5 has a class for you. For the first time at Kansas Authors Club’s annual convention this year a panel comprised of recent Coffin Memorial Book Award winners will offer ideas for polishing and perfecting manuscripts. Each panelist will share a couple of ideas which helped in writing their winning prose, followed by time for questions from those in attendance.

Panelists include Jean Grant, Gloria Zachgo, and Ann Fell. In addition, this seminar will be scheduled to allow participation by the 2019 winner. As an added bonus, keynote speaker Paul Bishop will serve as moderator for the panel discussion.

Jean Grant

Jean Grant, received the Coffin Memorial Book Award 2018, for Flight, a novel set in the chaos of Beirut’s civil war. Finlay Fortin, a professor at the American University, is desperate to take his family to safety. When his wife, a war photographer, insists on staying to document the fighting, Finlay forces his rebellious daughter Anouk to flee with him out of the war-scarred city. As they settle in a remote village in the French countryside, Finlay finds unexpected romance. Fast-paced and suspenseful, Flight reveals how the conflicts between ambition, love, and loyalty affect this family in ways no one could have anticipated.

Gloria Zachgo

Gloria Zachgo received the Coffin Memorial Book Award 2017, for Hush Girl It’s Only A Dream. Nicki Reed is desperate to find the answers to her past, but someone else is desperate for her to never remember. Shortly after her father died, Nicki’s nightmares started. They were soon followed by panic attacks. Suspecting her haunting dreams were related to her childhood, she sought professional help, but was unable to verbalize any memories she had as a child. When her therapist suggested she write her memories, Nicki started remembering things she had pushed far into the recesses of her mind. She started to doubt her own sanity, and when she began to see a strange woman stalking her, she couldn’t be sure if that woman was real or imagined. Yet, she couldn’t tell anyone, until her own family was threatened.

Ann Christine Fell

Ann Fell, received the Coffin Memorial Book Award 2016 for Sundrop Sonata. With her passion for helping people, piano tuner Isabel Woods loves her job—but passion can be a dangerous thing. Reluctantly agreeing to harbor a client’s autistic daughter, Izzy’s good intentions unexpectedly expose her own family to a murderous fiend with a chilling agenda. Human trafficking and bio-terrorism are no longer just buzz words from the nightly news. For Izzy, they have become terrifying and real. As the deadly Sundrop Sonata begins to play, Izzy has one chance to save the people and the country she loves armed with nothing more than courage, intelligence, and her esoteric knowledge of pianos.

This October 4-6, come to Wichita and learn tips these award-winning Kansas writers decided were most helpful for the success of their stories.

Hook ‘Em!

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Literary Contests are now open!

4/4/2019

Every year, all writers in Kansas, as well as any KAC member regardless of residence, are invited to submit work to the literary contest. There are divisions for young writers as well as adults. This year’s contest opens April 1. All entries must be received by June 15.

The youth contest is open to all Kansas students and to student members of KAC. Writers will compete with others at their age level in five divisions, Grades 1-2; Grades 3-4; Grades 5-6; Grades 7-8; and Grades 9-12. The categories include, Poetry, Fiction, Nonfiction, and Spoken Word Poetry. The winning entries (1st, 2nd, 3rd, and Honorable Mention) of each category and age division will be published in a book. Each writer with work included will receive a copy. Additionally, awards will be presented during a special ceremony at the October convention in Wichita.

The adult contest offers a Poetry division and a Prose division. 2019 Poetry categories include Theme (“Hook ‘em and Book ‘em!), Classical forms, Free verse, Narrative poetry, Whimsy, Japanese forms, Performance (spoken word), and a special category for New Poets.

The 2019 Prose categories include Theme (“Hook ‘em and Book ‘em!), Humor, Memoir or Inspirational, Flash Fiction, Stories Written for Teenagers, Short Story, Playwriting, and First Chapter of a Book–unpublished.

For the first time, there is a special category available for Author’s Blogs or Web Sites. To enter this contest, authors must submit the URL of a website they maintain, a “mission statement” describing the purpose of that website, direct links to at least 3 entries or pages that the author would like to highlight, and a short paragraph detailing how and where the site is publicized and promoted.

Each year Kansas Authors Club also sponsors contests for members who have published books during the previous months. Winners of each book contest are awarded cash prizes of $100.

The Kansas Authors Club Children’s Book Award was created in 2018 to honor the best book written with an audience of children in mind.

“It Looks Like a Million” is an award which focuses on the aesthetics of a book published by a Kansas Authors Club member. The book will be judged on cover design, interior formatting and design, and over-all look and feel of the book.

The Martin Kansas History Book Award was created in 2018 as a tribute to Gail Lee Martin, who was KAC State Archivist from 1995-2005. This book award is open exclusively for books about Kansas history by KAC members.

Created by Raymond and Margaret Nelson in 2002, the Nelson Poetry Book Award recognizes the year’s best poetry book by a Kansas Authors Club poet.

The J. Donald Coffin Memorial Book Award was established by Mrs. Bertha Coffin to honor the memory of her husband after his death in 1978. It is intended to honor the best published book for the year written by a member of Kansas Authors Club.

What are you waiting for? Write, write, write!

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This entry is cross-posted at: annchristinefell.com

District 7 Contest Open to all kansas residents, both members and non-members

4/3/2019

District 7 of Kansas Authors Club is sponsoring a writing contest for all writers above the age of 18 and living in Kansas, unless they are a member of KAC who lives in another state. You do not need to be a KAC member to enter. Entrants may write about any subject they choose in either prose or poetry. Small money prizes will be awarded. For rules for prose and poetry and length of entry go to <www.kansasauthors.org> and click on contests. Fee for entering is $2 per entry. Only, typed copies of entries will be accepted. Do not send by email. Send entry to Sheryl Brenn, 892 Country Rd. O, Levant, KS 67743-9200. Final date to enter is May 18, 2019. Call 785-586-2384 or 785-269-7123 for more information.

Michael D. Graves: A Life in the Shadows

4/1/2019

Michael D. Graves

Michael Graves recently retired from Emporia State University where he taught Intensive English to international students and TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) courses to teachers in Kansas. He has written two detective novels set in 1937 Wichita: To Leave a Shadow (a Kansas Notable Book for 2016) and Shadow of Death, published in December of 2017. Both books feature the character of detective Pete Stone, created as a memorial to the author’s grandfather. When life conjures its riddles, Mike turns to back roads and baseball for answers.

His grandfather’s last words, uttered over fifty years ago, inspired the author to create a life in honor of a man he barely knew. In his presentation, “A Life in the Shadows,” Graves will read excerpts from his historical novels, To Leave a Shadow and Shadow of Death. He will discuss the story, the character, and the place, as well as the research, backstory, and truth vs. fiction. A Q&A session will follow his presentation.

To Leave a Shadow, introduces detective Pete Stone. He hadn’t always been a private eye. He’d lost his dairy business at the toss of a coin when the depression hit. His children grew up, as children do, and his wife left him for a chinchilla farmer. He had learned to like his solitude. When Mrs. Lucille Hamilton walked through his door searching for her missing husband, Pete was the only one who believed her husband’s death hadn’t been a suicide.

In the next novel, a cop killer strikes Wichita and Pete Stone, Private Investigator, is on the case. He has to be. He wakes up in jail, battered and bruised and accused of a murder he’s almost certain he didn’t commit. He must prove his innocence before he’s abandoned by his clients, his friends, and one special lady. When Stone is not getting knocked around by cops, he’s getting roughed up by love.

A unique opportunity awaits the 2019 conference attendees. Coordinating with the City of Wichita, KAC District 5 is arranging a trolley tour of several settings found in the historical Wichita crime novels. You won’t want to miss the tour, personally guided by the author himself.

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