Blog Archives

District 6 Members Release Anthology

8/29/2020

As published in the Hutchinson News, August 28, 2020:

"Nearly 30 of the region’s writers and poets are featured in a new book available this weekend, an anthology of works that celebrate a mixture of genres and voices.

Some writers are being published for the first time, while others are adding another publication to an already heavy shelf of their work.

What unifies them is their membership in District 6 of the Kansas Authors Club."

Read the article.

2020 Convention Workshop: Mark Wentling

8/24/2020

Mark Wentling
Memoir Writing: Born in Kansas, Made in Africa

Wentling shares his experiences as a Kansan spending half a century in Africa. He provides information about the complex continent of Africa and of 54 of its countries. Wentling has published a three-volume Africa Memoir. (Link to Mark’s book on YouTube.)

Mark Wentling obtained his bachelor’s degree from Wichita State University. He served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Honduras, Togo, Gabon, and Niger. In 1977, he began working for the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) in Niger and later served as its principal officer in Guinea, Togo/Benin, Angola, Somalia and Tanzania. Following retirement from the U.S. Senior Foreign Service, Mark continued to work as an advisor for the Great Lakes Region, then with USAID Missions in Zambia, Malawi, Guinea and Senegal.

His many jobs and travels in Africa, visiting all 54 African countries, contributed to the completion of his latest book, Africa Memoir: 50 Years, 54 Countries, One American Life. Those who know him well say he was born and raised in Kansas but made in Africa.

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D6 Member, Gerri Hilger, PUblishes WWII Historical Fiction Novel

8/24/2020

Gerri Hilger has been dreaming of and pretending to write stories for 50 years. Then, this book finally became a reality. A few years ago, while working on her Masters in Education, she became part of an intensive writing program: The National Writing Project.

"Hilger has gifted us with a WWII historical fiction with a lighthearted side and an enjoyable sweet romance on the side."
— Chanticleer Review

Our Duty follows the shenanigans of Polly and Aggie, student nurses during WW II, as they struggle to graduate. Aggie joins the Army Air Corps where she qualifies as flight nurse. Through her letters the reader learns of the difficulties faced by this under-recognized group of brave women including their initial lack of respect by the military brass. The book is based on real events in the lives of dear people, including my parents, one of Mom’s best friends, uncles and others who became dear friends and blessings in my life.

ISBNs: 9781948604130 (paperback)
9781948604130 (eBook)
SPECS: 320 pages · 6 X 9
CATEGORIES: Military Historical Fiction · World War II · Friendship

AUTHOR WEBSITE: www.gerriwettahilger.com

Welcome Skyler Lovelace

8/23/2020

We offer a warm and happy welcome to Skyler Lovelace who recently joined the Kansas Authors Club.

She’s a poet and is currently working on a series of poems inspired by photography. Skyler joins us from Wichita, District 5. Like most or all of us, she’s here for the writerly friendships.

In addition to writing poetry, Skyler is a visual artist. Please take a few minutes to check out her paintings and poetry on her website: https://www.pixeltime.com/

Member Jeff Broome, D6, publishes book of essays on the central plains indian war

8/23/2020

Indian Raids and Massacres Essays on the Central Plains Indian War (Caxton Press, September 2020) covers incidents in Kansas, Colorado, and Nebraska from 1864-1870.

Each chapter is a story unto itself and the book can be read in any order as well as from beginning to end.

There are two sides to these violent events, and, while the focus is on the Euro-American perspective, the contrary perspective of the Native American is also presented. Jeff relies on primary-source documents usually ignored by other authors, but more than that, he carefully sorts out all documents relating to each chapter, while carefully applying critical thinking skills to arrive at the probable truth of each event. Untapped Indian depredation claims housed in Washington, DC give the reader a deeper understanding of the terrors of Indian raids, especially when experienced by new settlers to the region. What emerges represents a bold and new history not found in other published accounts. These chapters reflect more than 20 years of Jeff’s research and writing on the Central Plains Indian War.

This is Jeff’s fourth book on incidents occurring in the Central Plains Indian war. Jeff is a 5th generation Coloradan, but lived in Salina for four years, graduating from St. John’s Military School. He received an MA at Baylor University and a PhD at CU, Boulder, both in philosophy. For the past four years he has resided in Beulah, Colorado. He is a member of the 6th District of the Kansas Authors Club and spoke at the Salina convention in 2017.

The softcover is available next week and the hardcover two or three weeks after that. Caxton Press is offering a new book discount (discount not available on Amazon) and can be ordered at the website of Caxton Press, under New Releases. They are taking orders now for both editions. www.caxtonpress.com/

Additionally, if one wants to purchase a signed and, if requested, inscribed copy, email Jeff for details:

We want to help you share your writing news!

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.

2020 Youth Contest Award Book

8/20/2020

Thanks to Mennonite Press
of Newton, Kansas, for sponsoring the printing of the
2020 Youth Contest Book.

Deadline for reserving copies: September 1, 2020

Because we will not have an in-person award ceremony for the youth this year, we are contemplating all of the many ways we can make this year memorable and special for the kids who have participated. Mennonite Press has once again generously offered to print books of the winning entries to be gifted to each student who places in the contest.

In past years, we have had additional books available for friends and family. Donations for these books go to help support future youth contests. This year, we will be requesting donations in advance so that we know how many books we need to print and ship.

Deadline for reserving Youth Books:
September 1, 2020

Reserve & pay now at the KAC online shop.

You may also request a youth book with your convention registration payment.)

Youth books will be shipped in October, after the convention.

Special, Limited Time Offer on Robert Dean's Ekphrastic Book, "The Aerialist Will Not be Performing"

8/20/2020

D5 member Robert L. Dean, Jr., is offering a limited time deal on his new ekphrastic book, "The Aerialist Will Not Be Performing." If you order directly from him at the email address below before the end of this month, Robert will pay the $4.49 cost of packaging and posting, meaning you only pay the cover price of the book, $25.00. The book is 184 pages, all ekphrastic, with the full-color art reproduced inside for each piece. This offer is good through the end of this month, and is the only way to get an inscribed, personalized copy. Robert also has copies of his first book, "At the Lake with Heisenberg," and is including that book in the postage paid offer. The cover price for "At the Lake with Heisenberg" is $12.00; Robert will pay packaging and posting ($4.02) if you order from him by the end of August. You can contact Robert at: [email protected].

We want to help you share your writing news!

2020 Convention Workshop: Barbara Waterman-Peters

8/20/2020

Barbara Waterman-Peters
Your Story and My Art: A Collaboration

Explore different methods by which the author and the artist/graphic designer, working in tandem, can create an attractive literary product. With so many options today there is no reason for a book with poor visual appeal. Whether you have written fiction, non-fiction, a memoir, a children’s book, or a collection of poems, your book can be a source of pride.

Barbara Waterman-Peters, (BFA, Washburn University, MFA, Kansas State University, Honorary Doctor of Fine Arts, Washburn University) whose award-winning work is in museum, corporate, and private collections. She was a founding member of the Collective Art Gallery (1987-2014) and is a charter member of Circle of 7. She has shown regionally, nationally and internationally in over 275 solo, invitational and juried exhibitions. Waterman-Peters taught at Washburn and Kansas State Universities as well as for Lassen Community College in California. She was the staff artist for the Washburn University Theater from 1999 until 2016. In 2010 she founded STUDIO 831, an artists’ space and gallery in the North Topeka Arts & Entertainment District (NOTO).

She is co-founder of Pen & Brush Press with author Glendyn Buckley. She and Glendyn each received a Children’s Book Award from Kansas Authors Club for their work on their second book, Bird. She writes articles about art and artists for TOPEKA Magazine and other publications.

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2020 Convention Workshop: Kevin Rabas

8/18/2020

Kevin Rabas
Writing and Performing to Music

Kevin Rabas supplies the prompts, and we will write and perform with live music, particularly drum. There is a long legacy of spoken word combined with music, stretching hundreds of years and across countless cultures, featuring scops, bards, troubadours, and more. (No experience necessary. Open to writers of both poetry and prose.)

Past Poet Laureate of Kansas (2017-2019) Kevin Rabas teaches at Emporia State University, where he leads the poetry and playwriting tracks and chairs the Department of English, Modern Languages, and Journalism. He has twelve books, including Lisa’s Flying Electric Piano, a Kansas Notable Book and Nelson Poetry Book Award winner. He is the recipient of the Emporia State President’s and Liberal Arts & Sciences Awards for Research and Creativity, and he is the winner of the Langston Hughes Award for Poetry.

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2020 Convention Workshop: Michael Pearce

8/17/2020

Michael Pearce
A Forty-Year Career of Outdoor Writing (Dorothy was right, “. . . There’s no place like home.” Being a Kansan helped it all happen.)

Jimmy Carter was handing the keys to the White House to Ronald Reagan when Michael Pearce sold his first article on the outdoors. About 6,000 bylines and hundreds of millions of reads or views later, he’s still producing. He’ll explain how being a lifelong Kansan has helped him consistently produce quality text, come up with unique story angles, and be able to get stories other writers can not.

A subscription to Outdoor Life, gifted from his grandmother, ignited Pearce’s passion for writing when he was six years old. He spent much of his childhood telling people he’d someday write for that magazine and others. His senior year at KU he did exactly that, with national features in Outdoor Life and other publications. A nearly 40-year career has established Pearce as the top conveyer of the outdoor experience in Kansas. He was the outdoors writer/photographer for the Wichita Eagle for 17 years, had a 19-year career as an independent writer, and his outdoors articles appeared in the Wall Street Journal, Sports Illustrated and several luxury travel magazines.

A 6th-generation Kansan from Tonganoxie, he and his wife, Dr. Kathy Pearce, moved to Lawrence two years ago. He’s currently semi-retired, writing for a variety of Kansas-based publications.

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District 6 Publishes Anthology

8/16/2020

Anthology 2020: A Collection of Work from Kansas Authors Club District 6, is about to be published. 29 Writers with 49 Literary Pieces, Poetry & Prose, Fiction & Non-Fiction,100 pages.

Pre-orders taken until Sept.1st. Special Pricing for KAC Members. Recommended Donation $10 (plus S/H). Contact Jim Potter - or 620-899-3144

2020 Convention Workshop: Rich Hawkins

8/13/2020

Rich Hawkins
Writing for Radio Broadcast

Hawkins will discuss the key aspects of writing for radio broadcast:

In writing for radio, you must be very sound conscious
Use simple direct words that are easy to pronounce and understand
Everything must be timed to fit the exact time allotted and the programming format
Nothing is ready for performance until the writer has read it aloud

Hawkins began his broadcast career at the age of 20 at KXXX in Colby. After 15 years, he moved to KRVN in Lexington, Nebraska, for 17 years. The next 5 years, Hawkins worked at WHB in Kansas City. Hawkins is presently retired in Colby, Kansas, where he writes and performs a weekly five-minute program for KXXX Colby and KYVZ Atwood.

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D3 Member, Hazel Spire, publishes 5th Book

8/12/2020

In August, RAEMARK PRESS released a new book by Sedan resident (KAC District 3 member) HAZEL SPIRE. This is Hazel’s fifth published book.

MADAME ARCHELON’S ART ROOM MYSTERIES is the first in a fictional series about Coyote Creek Elementary School. It takes readers through one school year, as the students help their eccentric art teacher investigate strange happenings in her room. Two pen-and-ink drawings by the author accompany each chapter.
This book is available from Amazon and selected stores, priced at $7.50. Next in the series will be MISS CODA’S MUSIC ROOM MYSTERIES.

“I absolutely loved Madame Archelon's Art Room Mysteries. Hazel (Spire) reveals her keen insight into classroom management and teaching art to children. Humor, mystery and art projects appear in each chapter. This will be a satisfying book for children who read and are read to, and for those who read to children.”
~ Kathy Dentz Keith, retired art teacher

“A delightful romp through the school year in Mme. Archelon’s classroom. Ms. A., I suspect, also taught and mentored Ms. Frizzle, Dora the Explorer, Blue (from Blue’s Clues on TV) and many other lovers of mystery. She’s the teacher we’d all like to have! I guarantee readers will gain a wealth of knowledge in reading this book.”
~ Sharon Koontz, school librarian

Visit Hazel's Author Page on Amazon

2020 Convention Workshop: Richard Gwin

8/12/2020

Richard Gwin
Cuba: Faces and Places

Richard Gwin graduated from Pratt High School in 1968 and, after high school, attended Pratt Junior College for two years. His aspirations then led him to transfer to the University of Kansas to study Fine Arts. He then set his sights on the Photojournalism School. During his three semesters in the Photojournalism Program, Richard received a part-time position at the Lawrence Journal-World. After two years in that position, he became the head photographer for the next few years. For the next forty years he held the spot as Senior Photographer, retiring in 2016. Richard’s many hobbies and interests include drag racing, fishing, gardening, fearless cooking, and building his own home. Recently Richard has turned out his second self-published book, this one on Cuba, showing the change since 1992. He gives personal tours of Cuba.

Gwin has garnered multiple awards from the Kansas Press Association, including Award of Excellence in Online Video, Feature Photograph Award, and Award of Excellence. He has also earned recognition for photography from the International Association of Fire Fighters and for news reporting from SNA Newspapers and the Associated Press.

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2020 Convention Workshop: Kerrie Flanagan

8/10/2020

Kerrie Flanagan
10 Tips for Successful Fiction Writing

Strong writing packs a punch and has a better chance of resonating with readers (along with agents and editors). It creates vivid imagery, an engaging story, and intriguing characters. In this workshop, author and writing consultant, Kerrie Flanagan will teach you 10 tips for writing successful fiction that you can begin implementing into your work right away. By understanding the elements that constitute strong fiction writing you will increase the likelihood of success and provide readers a satisfying book experience.

This workshop brought to you by POD Print of Wichita

Kerrie Flanagan is an author, writing consultant, instructor with Stanford Continuing Studies, and freelance writer with over 20 years’ experience in the publishing industry. She is the author of, The Writer’s Digest Guide to Magazine Article Writing. In addition, she has published thirteen other books, with a co-author under the pen names, C.K. Wiles and C.G. Harris. Her work has appeared in publications including Writer’s Digest, Alaska Magazine, The Writer, and six Chicken Soup for the Soul books. She’s worked with hundreds of authors through classes and individual consultations. Now, as the cofounder of the Wordsmith Institute, she coordinates one-day online writing conferences.
KerrieFlanagan.com
https://Wordsmith.Institute
https://www.facebook.com/KerrieFlanaganWriter/

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2020 Convention Workshop: José Faus

8/9/2020

With thanks to the Kansas Humanities Speakers Bureau

José Faus
Cambiaron Mi Nombre /
They Changed My Name*

This presentation brings together the dynamics of immigration told through the lens of visual art and poetry. It showcases an interactive exploration of a personal journey from the heart of Colombia to the heart of the United States, exploring the conundrum of belonging in unfamiliar surroundings while straddling two different cultures and narratives. Presentation available in English and Spanish.

Faus is a writer, performer, visual artist, and independent teacher/mentor with an interest in the role of artists as creative catalysts for community building. He is a founder of the Latino Writers Collective and sits on the boards of the UMKC Friends of the Library, The Latino Writers Collective, and Charlotte Street Foundation.

His chapbook, This Town Like That, was released by Spartan Press. His first book of poetry, The Life and Times of José Calderon, was published by West 39 Press.

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2020 Convention Workshop: Toni Cummings

8/6/2020

Toni Cummings
Connecting Breath to Creativity

Connecting Breath to Creativity, a practice of mindfulness in movement, will provide the participant with an awareness of how intentional breathing leads to a deeper level of focus. Central to this practice is acknowledgment of the creative energy generated by the body-mind-spirit interconnection. Various “postures” combined with rhythmic breathing and flowing movement helps establish calm, intensify concentration, and relieve stress.

Note: In addition to having a nearby water bottle, a sturdy, armless chair on which to sit and hold onto while standing, participants should wear comfortable, stretchable clothing.

Cummings teaches yoga and fitness classes to all levels through her small business, The Breath Connection, and as adjunct instructor at Northwest Kansas Technical College in Goodland, Kansas, where she grew up and has lived most of her life. After earning her Bachelor of Arts degree from Fort Hays State University, Cummings taught junior and senior high school Language Arts for twenty-four years before retiring in 2011. She has been a member of KAC District 7 since 2019.

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2020 Convention Workshop: Angela Bates

8/5/2020

With thanks to the Kansas Humanities Speakers Bureau

Angela Bates
Children of the Promised Land

Nicodemus, a small, unincorporated town in Graham County, is the only remaining western town established by African Americans during the Reconstruction Period after the Civil War. Today the town is a National Historic Site. This pictorial history explores the unique experience of mothers and their children in Nicodemus, some of whom were the first members of their families born free. This discussion will explore the dynamics of child-rearing during and after slavery, stories of children conceived in slavery but born free, and how baby names were changed or used to reflect attitudes about free-born children.

Bates, a Nicodemus descendant and historian, is the executive director and founder of the Nicodemus Historical Society. Working with the Nicodemus community, the National Park Service, and Senators Dole and Roberts, she helped designate Nicodemus as a National Historic Site. Angela presents educational programs to cultural organizations across the nation, covering the history of Nicodemus, Exodusters and black towns in the West, Buffalo Soldiers, and black women in the West. Her series of children’s books, Adventures of Nicodemus Annie, focus on the history of Nicodemus.

Angela joined the Humanities Speakers Bureau in 2010.

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2020 Convention Featured Speaker: Huascar Medina

8/3/2020

With thanks to the Kansas Humanities Speakers Bureau

Huascar Medina—Keynote Speaker
May Our Voices Ring True

Poetry is a lens that can be both microscopic and telescopic, representing the “. . . clear expression of mixed feelings,” as poet W.H. Auden suggests. Poetry creates space where we can discover ourselves, find our place, and revel in beauty and truth. But through poetry we can also find connection with one another. Poet Mahmoud Darwish said it like this: “Poetry and beauty are always making peace. When you read something beautiful you find coexistence; it breaks walls down.” This presentation will use poetry to help us find our voices, share our words, and discover what truly connects us. May our voices ring true and may our truth have the grace of beauty.

Huascar Medina is a poet, writer, performer, and Literary Editor for seveneightfive magazine who lives in Topeka. He is the current poet laureate of Kansas (2019 - 2021).

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2020 Convention Featured Speaker: Kevin Willmott

8/2/2020

Kevin Willmott—Keynote Speaker
Writing about Race, History, America and the Urgency of Now

Willmott will discuss writing Blackkklansman, Da 5 Bloods, Jayhawkers, and CSA Confederate States of America. Exploring what these films say about our lives as Americans and how writing can create a more democratic nation.

Kevin Willmott won an Academy Award and the BAFTA (British Academy award) for co-writing with Spike Lee the feature film Blackkklansman. The film also won the Grand Prix at the Cannes film Festival.

He also co-wrote and is the Executive Producer of the critically acclaimed film, Chi-Raq also directed by Spike Lee. The film is on numerous “Best of 2015” lists, including best film and best screenplay by The New Yorker Magazine.

Award winning Films written and directed by Willmott include Ninth Street, CSA-Confederate States of America, the Battle for Bunker Hill, Jayhawkers, and Destination Planet Negro. Documentaries directed by Willmott include: From Separate to Equal: The Creation of Truman Medical Center, Gordon Parks Elementary, Fast Break: The Legendary Coach John Mclendon, and William Allen White: What’s the Matter with Kansas.

He co-wrote with Spike Lee the feature film, Da 5 Bloods for Netflix. He recently co-wrote and directed the feature film The 24th, about the Houston Riot of 1917.

Willmott grew up in Junction City, Kansas, and attended Marymount College, receiving his BA in Drama. After graduation, he returned home, working as a peace and civil rights activist, fighting for the rights of the poor, creating two Catholic Worker shelters for the homeless, and forcing the integration of several long-standing segregated institutions. He attended graduate studies at New York University, Tisch School of the Arts, receiving several writing awards and his M.F.A. in Dramatic Writing. Willmott is a Professor in the Media and Film Studies Department of Kansas University.

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