Blog Archives

Meet the Officers: Monica Graves

4/29/2021

Kansas Authors Club is run by an all-volunteer board. Officers from across the state devote time monthly to everything from district programming to our annual writing contests and convention. Visit with your district representative about how you can contribute!

Monica Graves is the Director of Dental Assisting and Division Chair of Health & Human Services at Flint Hills Technical College in Emporia, Kansas. She was recognized as a Distinguished Alumna of FHTC in 2017.

Monica writes engaging stories about her upbringing in the rural Flint Hills where she lived with her parents, five sisters, one brother, and a couple of aunts in a farmhouse furnished with one bathroom and lots of love.

She is a District 2 member of The Kansas Authors Club.

Brian Daldorph, D2 Member, Publishes New Book with University Press of Kansas

4/28/2021

Brian Daldorph first entered the Douglas County Jail classroom in Lawrence, Kansas, to teach a writing class on Christmas Eve 2001. His last class at the jail for the foreseeable future was mid-March 2020, right before the COVID-19 lockdown; the virus is taking a heavy toll in confined communities like nursing homes and prisons. Words Is a Powerful Thing is Daldorph’s record of teaching at the jail for the two decades between 2001 and 2020, showing how the lives of everyone involved in the class—but especially the inmates who came to class week after week—benefited from what happened every Thursday afternoon in that jail classroom, where for two hours inmates and instructor became a circle of ink and blood, writing together, reciting their poems, telling stories, and having a few good laughs.

Words Is a Powerful Thing brings into the light the works of fifty talented inmate writers whose work deserves attention. Their poetry speaks of “what really matters” to all of us and gives the reader sustained insight into the role that creativity plays in aiding survival and bringing positive change for inmates, and, in turn, for all of us. Daldorph’s account of his teaching experience not only takes the reader inside the daily life at a county jail but also sets the work done in the writing class within the larger context of inmate education is the US corrections system, where education is often one of the few lifelines available to inmates. Words Is a Powerful Thing provides a teaching guide for instructors working with incarcerated writers, offering an extensive examination of both the challenges and benefits.

When Brian Daldorph decided the story of his classroom experiences and the great writing produced by the inmates deserved to be told to wider audiences, he struggled with how to bring it all together. Not long after, an inmate wrote a poem titled “Words Is a Powerful Thing,” offering Daldorph a title, concept, and purpose: to show that the poetry of inmates speaks not just to other inmates but to all of us.

University Press of Kansas

Printable Order Form

Duane Herrmann, District 1, Published in Three New Anthologies

4/28/2021

Three new anthologies (two just published, one out in two weeks) contain flash fiction/news/poetry by Duane L Herrmann, member of District 1.

They are (in order of publication):

Topically Challenged, Volume 1,
The Sound of Brilliance,
Sensorially Challenged Volume 3 (available May 8).

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.

Robert L. Dean, Jr to be Featured at Turning Plow Press Reading

4/28/2021

D5 member Robert L. Dean, Jr. is one of three poets presenting at the Turning Plow Press Reading on Wednesday, May 5th, at 7 PM. Two fine poets out of Oklahoma, Don Stinson and Hank Jones, will be featured also. This event showcases the new indie press, Turning Plow Press. Each of the featured poets have published their most recent books with this press which is located in Ringwood, Oklahoma.

Registration for this Zoom reading is required. Learn details by clicking on the link to the Face Book event page.

Link: Turning Plow Press Reading

Join us for some fine poetry, a sampling of what Turning Plow Press is about, and a Q & A afterwards.

Welcome New Member Ashley Clayton Kay

4/27/2021

Today we are welcoming Ashley Clayton Kay to the club. She has two books published. Ashley is a member of District 2, joining us from Baldwin City.

Name:

Ashley Clayton Kay

Town:

Baldwin City, KS

What kind of writing do you do?

Fiction (multiple genres) and memoir/personal history

What writing projects have you completed or are currently working on?

Pollyanna: Memories of Minks and Mirandas (2020); Little Alfredo the Green Tomato: A NICU Story (2018)

Do you have a website or a facebook page that you'd like us to share with other KAC members?

Instagram @authorashleyclaytonkay
Twitter @AshleyClaytonK
www.kretchskorner.com

What would you like to gain from your membership with the Kansas Authors Club?

I look forward to building a a more local network. I have online writing groups but would like to know and support local folks, too!

It's great to have you with us, Ashley!

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Three Members Make 2020 Midwest Book Awards Finalists list

4/27/2021

Three Kansas Authors Club members were named finalists in the 31st annual Midwest Book Awards. The awards program, which is organized by the Midwest Independent Publishers Association (MiPA), recognizes quality independent publishing in the Midwest.

Michael D. Graves, District 2, made the Fiction: Mystery/Thriller list with All Hallows' Shadows, the 3rd book of the Pete Stone, Private Investigator series.

Jerilynn Jones Henrikson, District 2, made the Fiction: Young Adult list with A Time for Tears.

Julie Stielstra, District 6, made the Fiction: Young Adult list with Opulence, Kansas.

All three titles are published by Meadowlark Press of Emporia, Kansas, owned by Tracy Million Simmons (D2).

The 31st annual Midwest Book Awards was open to books published and copyrighted in 2020 in MiPA’s 12-state Midwestern region: Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota and Wisconsin.

This year’s competition garnered 241 entries in 35 categories, submitted by 74 independent publishers and judged by a panel of nearly one hundred librarians and booksellers from throughout the Midwest.

Historically, an awards gala is held in Minneapolis to announce the winners, but this year, as in 2020, winners will be announced and celebrated online, first in a Zoom webinar open to MiPA members and finalists, and shortly thereafter in a social media premiere that can be shared with friends and family. A period of book giveaways and winner highlights will accompany the social media premiere.

“This shift to celebrating online has enabled us to engage with a larger publishing community throughout the Midwest,” said Jennifer Baum, executive director of MiPA. “The number of entries received in 2020 grew by about 25% compared to the prior year, which can be attributed to our greater online presence.”

Following the conclusion of the gala celebrations, winners will be encouraged to participate in MiPA’s second season of the Virtual Reading Series, a limited series launched last year on MiPA’s YouTube channel.

Finalist books will also be for sale in MiPA’s affiliate shop on Bookshop.org, a website that shares proceeds with independent booksellers. Buyers can opt to select which independent store will receive the commission, or to leave it in a general pool to be distributed among independent booksellers.

For a complete list of finalists, visit www.mipa.org/midwest-book-awards. Follow @MIPAMidwestBookAwards on Facebook for updates on the gala’s social media premiere and book giveaways.

Meet the Officers: Ann Vigola Anderson

4/27/2021

Ann Vigola Anderson is a native Kansan and graduate of the University of Kansas. She is grounded in the sense of place and is committed to the preservation of mid-century Kansas memories.

Her work has appeared in Tennis Pro Magazine and Itty Bitty Writing Space. For six years her comic strip, “The Borregosons,” appeared in the Borrego Springs, California, weekly newspaper, The Borrego Sun. When she lived in Borrego Springs, she taught a class at the desert nature center featuring desert children’s books and art.

Ann is a featured writer on Kansas Foto Framed by Gwenna (Reich) with over 1,300 followers. Ann is also a contributor to Snapshot Kansas with over 17,000 on-line members. She is designated as a “virtual storyteller” with posting of her photos and descriptions of Kansas places.

She currently serves on the planning committee for The Museum on Main Street’s Crossroads: Change in Rural American New Growth from Deep Roots in Wabaunsee County, a collaboration between the Smithsonian Institute and Humanities Kansas.

"Who could write a book without having read other books, particularly those we have read over and over again? Pens up to Harper Lee who wrote my all-time favorite book, To Kill A Mockingbird. Mom gave it to me for my tenth birthday, and I have read it every year since. Also, gratitude to Margery Williams for creating The Velveteen Rabbit, a story of friendship and belonging which stayed with me throughout my childhood. Then, as an early adolescent, I discovered a role model in Nancy Drew and saved my allowance every week to buy a new Nancy Drew book. I raise my magnifying glass to Carolyn Keene."

Ann is new to KAC and active with the District 2, Lawrence writers’ group.

Ann’s first book--Posts of a Mid-Century Kid. Doing my best. Having fun—will be published in 2021 by Anamcara Press. It is a memoir that chronicles Ann’s childhood in Kansas and the love of her family and place. Her book was edited by Hazel Hart (D2).

Ann spends her days writing and teaching tennis at the Jayhawk Tennis Center, where she inspires peewees and the “senior class” to explore their place at the net. She and her husband, Vann, live in Lawrence, Kansas with their three kitties, Jazzy, Queenie, and Muffy.

Welcome New Member Thea Rademacher

4/26/2021

Today we are delighted to welcome Thea Rademacher of Topeka to KAC. She's a writer AND publisher, so be sure to check out her website.

Name: Thea Rademacher
Town: Topeka, Kansas

What kind of writing do you do?
I have co-authored a memoir with my dear friend and WWII hero Royce Fulmer, “A Drop in the Night, the Life & Secret Mission of a WWII Airman.”
I write non-fiction and I do a lot of copy writing for the authors I represent in my publishing company.

What writing projects have you completed or are currently working on? (I already mentioned the memoir I co-authored!) I have published an e-book: “Authors Beware: Arm Yourself With Knowledge to Help Avoid Legal Pitfalls!” I am currently working on a second, expanded edition which will also be available in print form. My goal is to have this done in time for my presentation at the Kansas Authors Club Convention Workshop I’m leading on this topic in October.

Do you have a website or a facebook page that you'd like us to share with other KAC members? www.flinthillspublishing.com, https://www.facebook.com/FlintHillsPub

Is there anything else you’d like other KAC members to know about you? As a former social justice lawyer, I am dedicated to using my knowledge to help authors navigate the exciting, yet at times, potentially predatory world of publishing. I love writing but it is also very rewarding to make connections with other writers to help them bring their work into the world.

What would you like to gain from your membership with the Kansas Authors Club? I look forward to connecting with other writers as I find it very personally inspiring. I look forward to gaining knowledge from the presentations. And I hope to help in some way promote Kansas authors!

Welcome, Thea! We look forward to your presentation at the convention.

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PRISCA BARNES ADDRESSES WRITING FOR CHILDREN AT D5 MEETING MAY 8

4/26/2021

Prisca Barnes directs Storytime Village and has written a children’s book on The Dockum Sit-ins, the first successful student-led sit-ins of the civil rights movement which happened in Wichita in 1958. She will speak about writing racially inclusive books for kids, followed by a writing prompted exercise for participants.

Join us on Zoom May 8 at 1:30 by clicking the button below to register for this informative presentation. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

Registration for May 8

"inspiring a lifelong love of reading for underserved Kansas children" www.storytimevillage.org

Meet the Officers: Cathy Callen

4/25/2021

Cathy Callen graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a bachelor's degree in English and elementary education, and from the University of Kansas with a master's degree in early childhood special education. She also attended the Kansas City Art Institute for two years, majoring in photography. Cathy spent her career with Topeka Public Schools as a teacher and later as coordinator of the district’s preschool special education program. Cathy has had poetry published in Inscape, a publication of Washburn University, and in Tallgrass Voices, a publication of poems by members of the Kansas Authors Club, edited by Gary Lechliter. Her non-fiction article, “Reconstituting Allen,” appeared in the Fall/Winter 2012 edition of Connections, a journal published by the Indiana Historical Society. Her non-fiction article, “Magic Mondays,” appeared in the Summer 2013 edition of UU World, the magazine of the Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations. Cathy’s article, “The Kansas City Daily Drovers Telegram and its leading role covering the livestock industry,” is included in the summer 2016 issue of the Jackson County (Missouri) Historical Society journal. In addition, she has written three books: Running out of Footprints (a family history), in 2013; Words in Rows, Poetry and Prose (a collection of poems and short prose), in 2016; and Ginkgo Glen (a novel) in 2018.

Cathy has been a member of District 2, Lawrence, Kansas for about eleven years and was KAC state treasurer for six of those years.

Her website is: www.cathycallen.com

Cathy’s books:

Works in Progress:Death by Marbles, (a novel), and
Untitled, (a biography)

Just in time for KAC writing contest!

4/23/2021

District 1 Vice-President Ruth Maus presented a program last Saturday during the regular zoom meeting on Submittable. The program, is now available for all members on the KAC YouTube channel and available by request as a PowerPoint slide deck. It takes members through the process of navigating the Submittable website to research writing contests and submitting entries, as well as keeping track of your entries. It's actually a pretty easy process, even if you're not especially tech-savvy. And boy is that a timely thing, since KAC contest season is now underway.
Here's the link for the YouTube video:
https://youtu.be/yoAKg6B2DE8
To get a copy of the PowerPoint program email KAC D-1

April 27, 7pm Author Talk - Register now to attend!

4/22/2021

April Author Talk: Ronda Miller

Author of:
I Love the Child

Winner: 2020 Kansas Authors Club Children's Book Award

Recording Available for Viewing by Members - Click Here

Ronda will be talking about education vs. entertainment, the importance of layered messaging, finding and working with an illustrator, inclusivity, and her objectives in writing this book.

Don't forget to support our Kansas Authors! Buy a book. Review a book. Send a note of appreciation about a book. You can order Ronda's book from her publisher, Kellogg Press, or wherever you buy books!

"After careful deliberation we have chosen I Love the Child, by Ronda Miller. First, the size and feel of the book would make it easy to read to a small group of children. The illustrations beautifully matched the poem on the page. There was diversity of ethnicity, physical condition, and gender. The Spanish co-text should make it appealing to a wide range of children. We could identify characteristics of children we have raised and known, and think that older children could see themselves in some of these characters. We think the book could be used with a wide age range. The cooking section expands the number of activities that could be used with the book. This is a book that we would like to give to important young people in our lives."

Allison and Gary Haworth, 2020 Judges, Kansas Authors Club Childrens' Book Award

Anthology of Writing by Lorena Joyce Herrmann

4/22/2021

Lorena Joyce Herrmann, D7 member, celebrated her 96th birthday in February 2021. Joyce has been a member of the Kansas Authors Club since 1994. She served as Membership Chair from 1997-2005 and received a Service Award from the Club in 2002 for her work. For District 7, she held several positions, including secretary, treasurer, and she worked on multiple convention committees. Joyce currently resides in Oklahoma near her family, and she maintains her membership with Kansas Authors Club.

Joyce's grandson, Will Herrmann, has compiled a collection of her writings. Members who would like to order a copy of the book may do so. Email the club and details for ordering will be sent.

A copy of Joyce's book will be delivered to the Kansas Collection at KU's Spencer Archives. Members are invited to read the PDF of the book which can be found on the Member's Only pages of this website.

D4 Member Makes indieBrag Honoree List

4/20/2021

Fred Fanning, District 4 member, sends the following news:

I am very proud to announce that my book Mystery at Devil's Elbow was recognized as an indieBrag Honoree. I self-published this book on January 17, 2018. You can find the book at https://www.bragmedallion.com/award-winning-books/science-fiction/mystery-at-devils-elbow/.

indieBrag.com has a mission to discover talented self-published authors and help them give their work the attention and recognition it deserves. Their primary focus is fiction across a wide range of genres; however, they selectively consider non-fiction books as well.

Congratulations, Fred!

Nancy Julien Kopp, D4 Member, Publishes Book Review at The Write Spot Blog

4/20/2021

News from Nancy:

A book review I recently wrote has been posted on The Write Spot Blog. Marlene Cullen, blog owner is also the person responsible for The Write Spot Forum, which gives wonderful prompts for writers. You can read my review at https://thewritespot.us/marlenecullenblog/all-the-ways-we-said-goodbye/

Book News from D5 Member, Grant Overstake

4/19/2021

I'm super excited to announce Big News from Grain Valley Publishing!

On Sale June 1, 2021!
A Gritty Sports Heroine Returns in New Edition of ‘Maggie Vaults Over the Moon’

Recently named one of the great track and field novels of all time, the saga of a gritty Kansas farm girl’s quest to master the daring sport of pole-vaulting has stirred the hopes and dreams of readers around the world.

Get Your Free Advance Review Copy at www.grantoverstake.com

"A fine YA novel about perseverance in sports and in life." -- KIRKUS REVIEWS

Designed to be read aloud as a classroom reader, this new printing of the original story includes a foreword by reigning Olympic Pole Vault Champion Katerina Stefanidi, with group discussion questions by Dr. Melissa White, a Mental Performance Consultant with a Doctorate in Sport Psychology.

Cover illustration by YoungJu Kim.

Welcome New Member Shannon Carriger

4/16/2021

Today we are delighted to welcome Shannon Carriger to the Kansas Authors Club!

We asked her to share a little bit about herself.

Name: Shannon Carriger

Town: Ottawa is where I live; from Salina; high school and college in Lindsborg

What kind of writing do you do? Poetry, fiction, memoir

If you would like to, please share information about writing projects you’ve completed or are currently working on. My chapbook Deep Inside that Rounded World came out from Finishing Line Press in October 2020. I'm currently at work on my first novel.

Do you have a website or a facebook page that you'd like us to share with other KAC members? My Twitter is @AStrongLight, Facebook is Shannon Kathleen

What would you like to gain from your membership with the Kansas Authors Club? I'd like to gain a community and camaraderie with other writers :)

Check out Shannon's chapbook here....

https://www.finishinglinepress.com/product/deep-inside-that-rounded-world-by-shannon-carriger/

Welcome, Shannon!

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Writers In the Community: Member Judges for Circle Benton Elementary Writing Contest

4/14/2021

D5 member, Sandee Taylor, judged two categories at the annual Circle Benton Elementary writing contest. She judged fourth grade poetry and sixth grade prose. Sandee will attend the reception and awards ceremony later this spring.

Learn More - KAC Writers in the Community

Member Designs Book Featured on Rachel Ray TV Show!

4/14/2021

Writing a book is a fantastic accomplishment. Selling it is another story. Gina Laiso, Integrita Productions, and KAC D6 member, did the cover design, book design, & layout for this hot-selling cookbook for the authors who live in New York (yes Zoom has its advantages). Gina has a tough life. She's busy in the middle of the night packaging books for the mail carrier to pick up the next day. The second printing of 1,500 books is selling out. Congrats to Gina! Check out this video of yesterday's Rachel Ray TV Show. If you don't blink you can see a photo of Gina.

You can follow Quarantine Kitchen on Facebook.

Order a copy of the book at Etsy.

Ruth Maus to present program on value of Submittable for authors at April 17 District 1 zoom

4/13/2021

The featured District 1 speaker for April will be Ruth Maus, giving a presentation on what is Submittable and how to use it to help you find opportunities for publication for your writing. She will give us a Power Point Presentation and a real time connection to the Submittable website to show how to keep track of work you've submitted, how to do key word searches and more. Learn how to use this free and easy program and increase your chances of getting published.

Ruth Maus, a native of Topeka, Kansas, has followed a love of learning around the world, with languages, curiosity, and an appreciation for all beings a constant thread.
She represented Smith College at the annual Glasscock Intercollegiate Poetry Contest where past contestants have included James Merrill, Sylvia Plath, Katha Pollit, Mary Jo Salter, James Agee, Frederick Buechner, Kenneth Koch, Donald Hall, William Manchester, Muriel Rukeyser, and Gjertrud Schnackenberg. Her poems have appeared in Inscape, Grecourt Review, Lighten Up Online, The Death Book Project, River City Poetry, and Orchards Poetry Journal.

Her poetry book “Valentine” was a finalist in the 2019 Meadowlark Birdy Poetry Prize.

She currently lives in Topeka where she writes poems, novels, and short stories when not teaching her cat amazing tricks with which to bore her friends.

Anyone wishing to join the District 1 zoom meeting at 1 p.m. on April 17 may join at this link.

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