Congratulations to D2 member, Mark Scheel, on the UK publication of his novel, The Potter's Wheel. 

The year is 1967. Mel Steadman, a Midwestern farm youth recovering from a severe head injury, becomes dissatisfied living at home and hops a bus to California. He finds work in a low-rent hotel chain and mingles with the young drifters along Hollywood Boulevard.  Soon he bonds with an estranged night wanderer named Burch who clerks in a shop called The Potter’s Wheel and encounters a free-spirited femme fatale named Maureen. Adventure follows adventure, culminating, however, in abandonment and violence. Young Mel accrues many hard lessons of the street coming of age, echoes of a Holden Caulfield wrapped into a Day of the Locust during the sixties’ Summer of Love. 

 “The sixties may now be history, but that history lives again through Scheel's faithful rendering of the street scene in the Hollywood of 1967. The war protests, frenetic youth, and a lonely Midwesterner’s search for life's purpose are deftly depicted here by an exceptionally talented writer.”
—Ronda Miller, former State President, Kansas Authors Club, and author of MoonStain, WaterSigns, and I Love the Child.

“Mark Scheel is one of the best writers I know, bar none.  And The Potter’s Wheel is a testament to that fact!”
—Edna Bell-Pearson, author of Headwinds and Fragile Hopes, Transient Dreams.

“Having experienced the turbulent California sixties myself, I can vouch that Scheel’s portrayal of the people and the times is spot on.  Once again, turn on, tune in, drop out!”
—Paul Goldman, ecstatic poet, author of Silence Speaks and Upon Your Canvas.

D7 member, Mark Wentling, has written a three-volume memoir. Enjoy these video clips on the introduction and each of the 54 countries in Africa covered in the book. 

Congratulations to Hazel Hart, District 2, on the publication of Hiram's Girls: For Want of a Home, the 5th book in the Pierce Family Saga series, historical fiction set in Kansas Territory. 

The series has climbed to the top of the charts on Amazon. Check out the 339 reviews (as of 8/30/2021) for the first book in the series, Cordelia's Journey.

Don't miss this series!

Today, we are pleased to welcome Charlotte Crawford to the Kansas Authors Club. 

Here's a little bit about her, in her own words: 

​I am Charlotte Anderson Crawford, a native Kansan, currently from Farragut, Tennessee (near Knoxville). After graduating from K-State, I moved to New Jersey to teach mathematics and got a degree from Rutgers while writing and analyzing science achievement tests. I have lived in several other states since that time. The Crawford family still has a  farm in Russell County.

I never thought of myself as a writer--I'm an organizer. I fell into writing through my advocacy of several causes, primarily focusing on women's rights. I found myself writing essays, brochures, flyers, speeches, how-to manuals, and press releases for the charitable organizations I supported. Inevitably, I was asked to collaboratively write sexual harassment curricula for public schools and a Title IX guide for the Illinois State Board of Education. Along the way, I interviewed women and girls about their experiences and opinions and published them in books in collaboration with other activists.  I co-edited the highly successful Tennessee Women of Vision and Courage, an anthology of outstanding Tennessee women. Book sale proceeds have gone toward donation of a copy of the book to every public high school library in Tennessee and have supported over a dozen scholarships for TN college women leaders to a national leadership conference (NCCWSL).

During the pandemic, my husband wrote about a trip his Kansas ancestors took in 1922 to the west coast. I edited Ruts, Guts, and a Model T Truck: Cruising the West at 15 Miles per Hour  through Post Rock Press. It was published  this year. That book got me thinking about my Kansas roots so I decided to solicit Kansas stories for an anthology. I received stories, poems, and photographs from some folks I hadn't had contact with for decades. Plains Speaking: Voices from the Heartland will be published this fall (in color--my first attempt at color) as both an ebook and in paperback. My website is postrockpress.org and I can be reached at postrockpress.crawford@gmail.com.

KAC seems to have a wealth of resources. I look forward to exploring those and reading the work of members.

Attached is the cover of my latest project that will be published soon.

​[cu]

Date: Friday, August 27

To: Members and Supporters of the Kansas Authors Club

From: District 1 President Anne Spry, State President Duane Johnson, and members of host district and the convention planning committee

​Re: Switch from in-person convention in October to virtual webinar convention
 
On Saturday, August 21, members of the District 1 Kansas Authors Club, hosts for the 2021 State Writing Conference and Convention scheduled for October 9 and 10 at the Ramada Inn in Topeka voted to switch from an in-person event to a virtual one.
 
Shawnee County issued a state of emergency proclamation on August 18, projected to be in place through October 28, due to rising Covid-19 cases and the lack of hospital beds, supplies, and equipment. A few days later, one local hospital began turning ambulances away because there were no available beds. The hospital was completely full–something that had not happened during the initial wave of the pandemic in 2020.
 
With this situation, District 1 members decided it would be safer for everyone if we once again held a virtual convention.
 
For all those who have already registered for the October 9 and 10 convention, there will be no need for further action. You will receive detailed instructions on how to access all live Zoom webinars during the convention, as well as the recordings of sessions on the state’s YouTube channel following the event.
 
Those who have paid for meals through the website’s Submittable registration site will be receiving details on the refund procedure for those expenses. Correspondence will be copied through your Submittable account, as well as email.
 
Those who had made hotel reservations should immediately contact the hotel at 785-234-5400 for cancellation and refunds.
 
All those who have signed up to sell books in the bookroom will be included in our virtual bookroom promotion. We are pulling out all the stops to be as innovative and as creative with book sales as possible. Stay tuned for more details as they become available.
 
For anyone who purchased advertising for the program–those ads will appear in the digital program, which will be distributed to all members before the event. In addition, the ads will be running in between webinars in a repeating loop, so they will be seen and noticed. We will also be sharing ads on social media before, during, and after the convention.
 
Thank you for your patience and understanding as we shift to Plan B for the convention. We promise that it will still contain the same motivational and informative workshops and speakers. It will perhaps be even more intimate in the webinar setting, as no one will have to strain to see or hear speakers. You’ll be able to look into their eyes and feel like you’re sitting in the same room with them. And, actually, you will be…in the same zoom room!
 
We look forward to seeing you in October on Zoom! 

Awards for achievement in writing, service to Kansas Authors Club, or a special accomplishment are presented to deserving Kansas Authors Club members at the Annual Conference. Nominations should be sent no later than July 1st of the year to be considered. Forms may be sent either by e-mail or by regular postal mail. Award winners will be selected by ballot by a committee of Kansas Authors Club members chosen by the Awards Chair. The Awards Chair will present the names of those members nominated to a selection committee before reporting final results to the KAC board as soon as possible after the deadline for nomination. Please give careful consideration to your reasons why the nominee is worthy of an
award and submit them to the Awards Chair.

• If this person is to be considered for the achievement in writing award, then please list publications of the person’s writing, either published and/or self-published.
• For the service award, list what services were done both on the district and state level, how long the person held an office, etc.
• For the special accomplishment award, list when, where, and what this was, and describe the accomplishment.

 
Contact the Awards Chair if you have questions. Nominations may be made by any individual member of the Kansas Authors Club, by a group or a district.
 
To review of list of past members honored, visit: https://www.kansasauthorsclub.org/awards-of-merit.html
 
Send nominations to Anne Shiever.

featuring Barbara Ann Branca, Robert L. Dean Jr., and Ariana McLean Followed by an open mic Hosted by Chip Williford and Maggie Bloomfield Join Zoom Meeting https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82706480446
 
Donations through VENMO The reading will be recorded and available on our website poetrystreetontheroad.com openmic@poetrystreetontheroad.com to sign up early
 
Barbara Ann Branca has read original works from her chapbook FLASH FLOOD on National Public Radio, at venues throughout New York City and Long Island. Her work has been lauded at the Southampton Writers Conference and appears in numerous anthologies. As a science author and jazz singer, her work is creative nonfiction based on her lifelong passions for music, the environment and social history.
 
Robert L. Dean, Jr. is the author of The Aerialist Will not be Performing (Turning Plow Press, 2020), and At the Lake with Heisenberg (Spartan Press, 2018). A multiple Best of the Net nominee and Pushcart nominee, Dean’s work has appeared in numerous literary journals. He is Event Coordinator for Epistrophy: An Afternoon of Poetry and Improvised Music, which takes place annually in Wichita, Kansas. He lives in Augusta, Kansas.
 
Ariana McLean is native of the DMV (the DC, Maryland and Virginia area) but can probably call herself a New Yorker now, having lived in Brooklyn for ten years. She is a freelancer in TV, film and live events production, and teaches creative writing to undergraduates. She is currently working toward an MFA degree at Stony Brook University, where she’s relishing in writing fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. Ariana lives in Bushwick with her husband and pet rabbit.

The new Coal City Review (#44) features the work of Antonio Sanchez-Day, who spent 13 years in what he called "The System," before turning his life around through his writing.  He published his first book of poetry in 2019, Taking on Life (Coal City Review Press).
 
Antonio, an inspiration to all of us who knew and loved him, died in March 2021 at the age of 44.
 
Antonio Sanchez-Day (#63803) 
 
Life 
 
Life means various things to different people.  Life means 
something different to me now than it did 5, 10, 15 years ago . . . 
Today, life to me is first and foremost a gift.  This very 
day, this very moment as I write these words is a gift, a blessing 
given to me by my creator.  A gift that is to be cherished and treated 
with love, and kindness. 
 
I view life today as something new, so the wonder of life is always present. 
I create in my life with joy and abandon, without concern for what 
others think about my creation.  Today I know I have 
the choice of creating hell in my life, or creating beauty and 
peace.  I wake up and am stunned by the beauty of the day be it 
rain, snow, or sunshine.  I drink the morning water, life itself and 
give thanks.  I view the given day as a challenge and an opportunity. 
A challenge to face whatever situations present themselves to me. 
Challenges are neither good nor bad, neither a curse nor 
blessing.  They are only what we make of them, depending on what 
meaning we assign them.  The assigned meaning does not alter 
the content of the situation.  Our perception gives the assigned meaning. 
 
Today I choose to view all challenges as an opportunity.  An opportunity 
to be impeccable.  To act to the very best of my ability upon 
whatever knowledge happens to be available to me at any given 
moment.  To live this life with the knowledge that every 
moment, every act matters.  To understand that to believe I have 
all the time in the world is not only foolish, but also takes 
away from the appreciation of life.  Today I savor life to 
the fullest, and enjoy every moment of this precious time 
on this red road.  Today I don’t need anything or want 
for nothing but to be happy and to live an impeccable life. 
Needing and wanting to have something is just an expression 
of the egotistical desires of my mind’s programming and has 
nothing to do with my spiritual path. 
 
Today my life is the expression of the beauty of my 
spirit and the Great Spirit.  I was once told that life is nothing but a 
dream, and if I create my life with love, my dream will 
become a masterpiece of art.  This is the power of life. 
 
The power of life is inside all of us. 
 

Antonio was a member of District 2. View his memorial page here. 

​Don’t miss the Zoom virtual launch for Everlasting, Arlice Davenport’s second collection of poems. It can be found at Meadowlark. Scroll down to the first feature article, and you will find everything you need to know to be included in the audience at 7 p.m. September 10.
 
You must register on the website to be able to join the launch party. The date is approaching quickly, like a scorpion sidewinding toward your sleeping bag. As a "camper," you can extend the metaphor to its potentially dark consequences. Please sign up as soon as you can to ensure that our readers will already be "in the house" and ready to sing the poems they've chosen. Everyone else can pick out the cushioned seat of their choice.
 
Arlice is looking forward to seeing all of you in your Brady Bunch cubicles. And if you can think of anyone else who might be interested in the launch, please pass along the information. Again, you must register your attendance to receive the Zoom instructions for the Big Show.

Register by clicking on the button below.

Six in ten Americans have an immediate family member who has served in the military. Others have friends and neighbors that have served. A common denominator for those who have experienced traumatic events in the service, is a tendency to avoid talking about it or to become isolated.
 
This breakout session will talk about what led Vietnam veteran Steve Williams and his wife Rosie to write about the difficult experience of going to an unpopular war and coming home to protests and strong stereotyping that made the transition back into civilian life challenging. They will discuss why it took so long to record the story.  As Steve says:
 
“I’ve had a story to tell from the moment I stepped back onto American soil in 1970 after serving in Vietnam for a year, but it took 50 years for that story to find the right words, and for those words to find their voice”
 Nine Pairs of Boots in Vietnam: Steps to Healing Every Veteran Need to Know”
 
After a brief discussion with the group about post-traumatic stress disorder, the Williams’ will
present the pros and cons of writing Steve’s memoir. For them, the pros of writing through difficulty far outweighed the cons!
 
The Little Jeep Who Couldn’t Beep, Rosie’s most current book, is an effort to continue to reach out to those with difficult circumstances, this time to children between the ages of 3-7.

Thea Rademacher, J.D., will provide the August program during the regular District 1 zoom meeting on Aug. 21 at 1:00 p.m. This is a rescheduled program that was originally for the July meeting. Thea is a D-1 member, an attorney and the founder of Flint Hills Publishing. She will also be presenting a workshop at the October KAC convention.
Non-members of District 1 who would like to sit in on next Saturday's program should contact D-1 President Anne Spry for a link.
​

KANSAS AUTHORS CLUB, Summer Board Meeting     August 7, 2021          (by Zoom)

President Duane Johnson called the meeting to order at 1:41 p.m.

Those in attendance (15) were:
President: Duane Johnson
Vice President/website manager/book awards: Tracy Million Simmons
Financial Secretary: Kristine Polansky
Secretary: Cathy Callen Molineux
District 1: Anne Spry
District 4: Jeff Guernsey
District 5: Connie Rae White
District 6: Jim Potter
District 7: John Sanders, George Phillippy, Sheryl Brenn, Millie Horlacher, Wayne Horlacher
Publications: Reaona Hemingway
Writers in the Community: Marilyn Johnson
 
 
Minutes from the April 2021 meeting, submitted in advance, were accepted as submitted. (1)
  
The agenda for this meeting was accepted with one change (April, not August as date for previous minutes)
 
District Reports
The following reports were submitted in advance of the meeting and are attached at the end of this document:
 
                District 5              Connie Rae White (2)
                District 6              Jim Potter (3)
                District 7:             Sheree Wingo, secretary (4)
 
Other district reports were given during the meeting.
 
District 1:             Anne Spry reported that much of the District 1 activity has been directed toward the fall convention (report attached). Much effort has also gone into securing quality programs for monthly meetings. A marketing committee has been established in an effort to get more members.

District 2:             No report sent or given

District 3:             Several meetings have been held. A new member from Charlotte NC has contributed good energy. Districts 3 and 4 are considering some joint programming for the rest of the year.

District 5:             Connie White was excited to report an upcoming in-person meeting, their first in a year and a half.

District 6:             Jim Potter reports that District 6 is not meeting in person. An attempt was made to meet at a bookstore last month, but it was noisy. The group is returning to Zoom meetings.

District 7:             In addition to the written report submitted in advance and attached to this document, District 7 reported that many members attended gravesite services for Marjorie Brown. An update on their writing contest (open until August 15) was given, with 13 poetry and 12 prose entries.
 
Financial Secretary, Kristine Polanski, gave a summary of KAC finances. At the beginning of the quarter, there was a balance of $13,644.88. At the end of the quarter, the balance was $16,214.83. After this report was submitted, $3,000 was transferred to the Treasurer. The complete financial report is attached to this document.  (5)
               
Treasurer’s report: Treasurer Monica Graves submitted a report in advance of the meeting. Her report is attached. As of the end of the quarter, the balance in the checking account was $4,434.34. A deposit of $3,000 from the Financial Secretary was anticipated at the beginning of the new quarter. (6)
 
Membership: Deb Irsik has reported 38 new members this year. (7)
 
Nominating Committee report: Tracy Million Simmons reported that efforts to secure nominations for next year’s Board are going well, with just a few positions left to fill. (8)
 
Restructuring: Tracy reported on efforts by a restructuring committee to bring KAC’s Bylaws and practices into the 21st century. The idea will be to simplify and stabilize the organization. One of the first changes proposed by the committee will be a recommendation to change the structure of the KAC Board itself. The wording of the proposed change to the Bylaws is attached to this document, but basically the suggestion will be to change the Board structure from its current 35 members to a more manageable one of 11 members to include the president, vice-president, financial secretary, recording secretary and one member from each of the 7 districts. This will be presented at the fall meeting of the membership for discussion and, hopefully, approval. (8)
 
Publications: Reaona Hemmingway reported that the printing of this year’s yearbook was delayed due to a heart attack suffered by one of the Mennonite Press staff. Reaona said she had received several compliments on the yearbook cover, with kudos to its designer, Carol Yoho. Reaona reminded everyone to make literary contributions by October 15th for next year’s yearbook.
 
Writers in the Community: Marilyn Johnson submitted a report (attached) detailing efforts by KAC members to promote writing as well as KAC membership. (9)
 
Website: Tracy reports that 90 people are now signed up for the “members only” part of our website.
 
Poetry Contest: Linzi Garcia, poetry contest manager, reports the acquisition of “stellar judges!” for this year’s contest.  Three of the eight have finished their work and sent the results to Linzi. There were 277 poetry submissions this year (report attached). (10)
 
Prose Contest: no report given
 
Youth Contest:  Jolene Haas reports that there have been 181 submissions for the various youth contests. (11)
 
Awards: To date, Anne Schiever reports that there have been no recommendations received for KAC awards. The deadline for nominations is being extended to September 1st.  
 
Book Award: Tracy Million Simmons reports 3 submissions to the children’s book award contest, 10 submissions for the Coffin Award, 3 submissions for the Martin Kansas History Book Award, 7 submissions for the “It Looks Like a Million” contest, and 10 submissions for The Nelson Poetry Book Award. (12)
 
Convention report: An extensive convention report was submitted in advance by Anne Spry of District 1. That report is attached. In addition, Anne updated us on the technical issues surrounding the efforts to present a “hybrid” conference, for both in-person and internet attendance. One of three simultaneous workshops will have a live feed, with the other two available for later viewing. It will be noted in the program, which workshops will be live-streamed. All workshops will be available for viewing for three months.  One issue is that the IT staff go home at 5:00, so covering the Saturday banquet and speaker still needs to be figured out. (13)
 
If the in-person conference must be cancelled, all the speakers will be recorded.
 
Date of Fall Board Meeting: The KAC Board will meet by Zoom on Saturday, October 2, 2021, at 1:30, instead of during the conference to give more time for conference activities.
 
Cowboy poet: Duane is requesting that donations for the Cowboy Poet be sent in care of Reaona Hemmingway.
 
American Rescue Plan grant: Duane is in the process of writing a grant to secure funds for KAC. He described the process as excruciating. He was thanked for applying for a different grant last year.
 
The meeting was adjourned at 2:55 p.m.
 
Respectfully submitted.
Cathy Callen Molineux, recording secretary

Members,

Don't forget to turn in your entry for the 2022 Yearbook. Review the guidelines in the yearbook! You must be a current member to have a page in the yearbook.
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