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2020 Convention Workshop: Michael Pearce

8/17/2020

 
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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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2020 Convention Workshop: Rich Hawkins

8/13/2020

 
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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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2020 Convention Workshop: Richard Gwin

8/12/2020

 
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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

 
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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. ​

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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

 
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With thanks to the Kansas Humanities Speakers Bureau
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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

 
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​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

 
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With thanks to the Kansas Humanities Speakers Bureau
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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

 
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With thanks to the Kansas Humanities Speakers Bureau
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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

 
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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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2020 Convention moving to an online webinar format

6/18/2020

 
Due to social distancing restrictions, the 2020 convention will be moved to an online webinar format this year. 

Details on speakers and programs, including awards ceremonies for youth, adults, and our book awards will be posted as they become available. 
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2019 Prose Writer and Poetry Writer of the Year

10/7/2019

 

Congratulations!

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At the 2019 Annual Convention in Wichita, Roy Stucky (D5 member) was named Prose Writer of the Year with eight awards in four prose categories.
The 2019 Poetry Writer of the Year Award went to Roy J. Beckemeyer (D5 member) for eight awards in four poetry categories.
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Convention update: Registration Deadline

8/29/2019

 
The deadline for registering for the 2019 convention is September 15. Review our convention page for full details, as well as options for paying for the convention by check and online. 
Tip: If you are not already a Kansas Authors Club member, you may register for the convention as a non-member and gain membership for 2020!
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Each year, writers from across the state gather for the Kansas Authors Club convention. Members enjoy a variety of writing workshops, give and get accolades for a year of writing, and enjoy the fellowship of creative friends and neighbors. Join us October 4-6 in Wichita!

Journalist Dan Close to Offer Insights into Interviewing Celebrities

8/3/2019

 
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Dan Close
Updated 8/3/2019

Dan Close is an associate professor in the Elliott School of Communication at Wichita State. He has taught many forms of journalism for 30 years and presented at conferences nationwide. Close was a reporter and editor at The Wichita Eagle and other newspapers for a dozen years. He is the winner of national and regional awards for writing and reporting. Close covered multiple homicides, F-5 tornadoes, race riots, union strikes, plane crashes, ice storms, flooding, the homeless, the elderly, and the mentally ill. He has interviewed four presidents and many music celebrities. He has been editorial consultant or editor for three books, including Bind, Torture, Kill: The Inside Story of the Serial Killer Next Door [HarperCollins, 2007].

At the 2019 KAC convention in Wichita, Close will offer a seminar on Interviewing Celebrities--Great and Small.

Ever need to talk to an soldier accused of murder (they confessed in front of their lawyer), global rock stars (they shared their beer and drugs) or any number of U.S. presidents (results may vary)? How about dealing with slippery politicians, striking meatpackers, venomous Hollywood movie stars, or a small-town arsonist who burned down the only school in town? Learn from a journalist with decades of experience interviewing and researching the good, bad and pitiful. Plenty of tips and handouts on asking the right questions, cold-calling, death-knocks, weaseling your way backstage, and getting to the truth—including when to ask the “Did you kill your wife?” question.

Contact Close at dan.close@wichita.edu
​

http://www.KansasAuthors.org
Like us on Facebook: Kansas Authors Club
​

Hotel information:
KS Authors Club
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This entry is cross-posted at: annchristinefell.com

Something for Every Writer

6/25/2019

 
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Sign up to take a trolley on a guided tour of several scene locations featured in the historical novels of member Michael Graves. Travel in style with Graves to downtown Wichita for insights and commentary on location by the author of  To Leave a Shadow and Shadow of Death.
During each cluster of classes a panel of presenters will share different topics with ample time for taking questions. Want to learn more about blogging? Don’t miss the blogger panel Saturday morning. What about the rehabilitative power of poetry? Come learn about the poetry program at the Douglas County jail Saturday afternoon. Have you submitted your books to a previous contest only to watch another writer receive the award? Sunday morning learn tips from past winners about what they think helped their writing.
There will be workshops for everyone. Are you interested in research techniques for historical novels or biographical tales? Don’t miss Michael Graves, HB Berlow, or David Nichols.
Are you working on a memoir? Mike Hartnett will share his journey writing a memoir in his workshop.
What about historical romance? Check out Tracy Edingfield.
Suspense novels or thrillers? Paul Bishop, Curt Bohling, HB Berlow, Mike Graves and Tracy Edingfield.
Interested in juvenile or YA writing? Don’t miss Clare Vanderpool, Claire Caterer or Tracy Dunn.
Are you a poet at heart? April Pameticky, Kevin Rabas, Ronda Miller and Diane Wahto.
Journalism? Dan Close
All workshops are open to writers of all ages and all genres, with presenters sharing ideas that could be applied to any writing effort. Each workshop possesses appeal for every one of us.
Registration for this fantastic writing convention is now open.
Details: http://kansasauthors.org.
Hotel reservations: KS Authors Club
We hope to see you in October in Wichita!


The Holiday Inn at Kellogg and Rock Road in Wichita is The Place To Be the first weekend in October 2019.
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Writers of District 5 of the Kansas Authors Club have put together a fantastic event you won’t want to miss. With over thirty classes—many offered twice for your convenience—there will be something for everyone. Several special activities unique to this conference will ice the cake for your convention experience.
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Keynote speaker Paul Bishop from California will be in attendance throughout the entire weekend to share his decades of experience writing crime novels as well as his experience assisting other writers meet their goals.
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A special opportunity for a few lucky registrants will be a one-on-one conference with Paul to get feedback on the first pages of their current work-in-progress.
Join Clare Vanderpool, Wichita’s own Newbery Award-winning author, for a special catered lunch on Saturday as she reminisces about the special books throughout her life.
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Tickets for this lunch are available with registration.
A special opportunity for poet members of KAC will be the juried poetry/music event on Saturday morning, Rhythm-A-Ning: A Poetry & Music Event. 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 for this event is via a blinded juried submission process. It is open only to KAC members (statewide or out of state) who will be attending the convention. Your submission is your guarantee you will be in attendance. 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. Deadline for submission to this exciting opportunity is July 15. Don’t wait too long!
For complete details: http://kansasauthorsclub.weebly.com/news-for-all-members/rhythm-a-ning-a-poetry-music-event
Of course there will be the awards presentations. Youth awards are scheduled on Saturday afternoon, and adult awards are split between the Saturday banquet and the Sunday luncheon.
Another first for KAC is a trolley tour sponsored by the city of Wichita.

Capturing the Poetic Moment

6/21/2019

 
Writing a poem is the easiest thing to do and, at the same time, the hardest. District 5 is excited to announce a workshop at the October convention aimed at claiming those varied moments of inspiration for poetry. The class, “Capturing the Poetic Moment,” will look at methods of capturing poetry. Presenters Diane Wahto and Ronda Miller plan to illustrate ideas with poems they have written. They will share how they managed to hunt down the poems and let them loose in the world.
“Poetry is everywhere—in nature and in our families. We write about lovers, children, mothers, fathers, grandparents, animals. A poet will snap to attention, salute, and write  when that poetic moment appears.”
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Ronda Miller is a Life Coach who works with clients who have lost someone to homicide. She is a graduate of the University of Kansas and continues to live in Lawrence. She is a Fellow of The Citizen Journalism Academy, World Company, a Certified Life Coach with IPEC (Institute of Professional Empowerment Coaching), a mother to a son, Scott, and a daughter, Apollonia.
She created poetic forms loku and ukol. She was the co-chair, along with Caryn Mirriam-Goldberg, for the Transformative Language Arts Conference at Unity Village September, 2015. Miller was poetry contest manager for Kansas Authors Club (2011-2014), District 2 President of Kansas Authors Club (2015 – 2017), state Vice President (2016 – 2017), and is the club’s current State President (2018-2019).  When she isn’t coaching clients, volunteering time to Kansas Authors Club, or writing poetry, she is busy learning life skills from those she works with. Miller presents workshops throughout the U.S.
She has three published poetry collections, Going Home: Poems from My Life, Moon Stain, and Water Signs.
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Diane Wahto started writing poetry in 1983 when she entered the Wichita State University MFA creative writing program. Her poem, “Somebody Is Always Watching,” won the American Academy of Poets award in 1985, and was published in the American Institution of Discussion Review.
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Since then, her work has been published many times in various journals and magazines, and she regularly places in poetry contests. Most recently she won the poetry division of the 2019 Kansas Voices contest.
After graduating from WSU in 1985, she taught journalism at Winfield High School and English Composition and creative writing at Butler Community College.
Her book of poetry, The Sad Joy of Leaving, was published in October 2018.

The book launch was held at Watermark Books and Café, where she read with Michael Poage and Kelly Johnston.
Other recent publications include “Empty Corners” in Same, “Persistence,” in The Ekphrastic Review, and “Yellow Music,” in Heartland. She is co-editor of two issues of 365 Days: A Poetry Anthology.
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Diane is the president of Kansas Authors Club District 5 and has served several years as Awards Chair for the state. She is co-chair of this year’s convention in Wichita. She lives in Wichita, Kansas, with her husband Patrick Roche and their dog Annie.
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Registration for the 2019 Kansas Authors Club convention is now open. Registration forms are available on the convention page and/or the registration fee can be paid online.


This blog post first appeared at AnnChristineFell.com.

Getting Your Writing Done

5/22/2019

 
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Have you ever wondered how busy people manage to produce regular articles, poems, stories, and books? How do they find time to craft quality work if you can’t squeeze in a few minutes now and then? What is the secret for managing the minutes in a day to allow time for your passion of writing?


Kevin Rabas has suggestions for you. With numerous published books of poems and stories, an active life as instructor in poetry and playwriting, as well as chair of the Department of English, Modern Languages, and Journalism at Emporia State University, speaking engagements in many venues as the Kansas Poet Laureate (2017-19) and an active drummer in a jazz ensemble, Rabas can speak from experience about strategies for squeezing in time to write. How does he manage his prolific writing career?

​Books he has written include Lisa’s Flying Electric Piano, (2009) a Kansas Notable Book and Nelson Poetry Book Award winner.
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Poets, Farmers, and Crafting a Tale

5/20/2019

 
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April Pameticky moved to Wichita in 2003 and was swept up in the creative Vortex. The mother of two shares time between her high school English classroom and the burgeoning community of artists and writers in Kansas. She facilitated the Wichita Broadside Project 2017 and currently serves as editor of River City Poetry, an online poetry journal, and co-edits Voices of Kansas, a regional anthology of work from school-aged children across the state. Her own work can be seen in journals like Malpais Review, KONZA, Chiron Review, and Turtle Island Quarterly. She is also the author of several chapbooks, Sand River and Other Places I’ve Been (Finishing Line Press); and Anatomy of a Sea Star (Casa de Cinco Hermanas Press).

At KAC 2019, she will offer two seminars:

Let Poetry inform your Prose: The Art & Craft of Telling a Tale:  How could the poetic lens inform your writing? Are there ways of training the ear and eye to better turn a narrative line? Sonya Chung, teacher and blogger, writes “Fiction is a Trudge, Poetry is a Dance” and that good literary fiction is “language-rich, language-precise, language-driven.” Is she right? We’ll explore some common poetry techniques that translate well into a variety of written forms, including memoir and long-form fiction.  Attend this session and expect to do a little writing and responding to a prompt.  We’ll use revision to demonstrate the power of repetition and metaphorical language.

Poet as Farmer–how journaling plants seeds of Creativity:  Whether you ascribe to Natalie Goldberg’s Zen daily practice, or Julia Cameron’s Artist’s Way, journaling can be an incredibly productive tool.  But how do writers get started?  Are prompts part of the process?

  What of word lists?  When do you know that a seed might be ready for harvest?  In this session, we’ll explore sparks for creativity and examine some possible resources and activities.  Expect to write and journal as part of the process.

Contact April at:

aprilpameticky@hotmail.com

rivercitypoetrysubmissions@gmail.com
​

Hook ‘Em!
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Now Taking Submissions for rhythm-a-ning, a poetry & music event at the 2019 convention

5/15/2019

 
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!
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A Who Dunnit—Why Dunnit Approach to Writing History

5/13/2019

 
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Kansas Authors Club District 5 is pleased to host a seminar at the October convention by Dr. David A. Nichols,  A “Who Dunnit – Why Dunnit” Approach to Writing History.
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A William & Mary Ph.D., Dr. Nichols is a Kansas native and the author of Ike and McCarthy: Dwight Eisenhower’s Secret Campaign against Joseph McCarthy; A Matter of Justice; Eisenhower and the Beginning of the Civil Rights Revolution; and Eisenhower 1956: The President’s Year of Crisis – Suez and the Brink of War.  All Eisenhower books were published by Simon & Schuster. Nichols is also the author of Lincoln and the Indians: Civil War Policy and Politics (Minnesota Historical Society, 2012).
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​Revealed for the first time, Ike and McCarthy is the full story of how President Eisenhower masterminded the downfall of the anti-Communist demagogue Senator Joseph McCarthy. Behind the scenes, Eisenhower loathed McCarthy, the powerful Republican senator notorious for his anti-Communist witch hunt. In spite of the public’s perception that Ike was unwilling to challenge the senator, the president decided that dealing with the challenges behind the scenes, operating with a “hidden hand” to bring an end to the witch hunt, was a better approach. In Ike and McCarthy, a 2018 Kansas Notable book, Nichols uses documents previously unavailable or overlooked to authenticate the extraordinary story of Eisenhower’s anti-McCarthy campaign in an eye-opening and fascinating read.

In A Matter of Justice Nichols presents a dramatic reappraisal of the thirty-fourth president’s record throughout the early years of the civil rights revolution, revealing his lesser-known role in advancing civil rights. The account traces pivotal contributions of Ike’s administration to such events as the Brown decision and the desegregation of Little Rock schools.

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A gripping tale of international intrigue and betrayal, Eisenhower 1956 is the white-knuckle story of how President Dwight D. Eisenhower guided the US through the Suez Canal crisis of 1956. The crisis climaxed in a tumultuous nine-day period fraught with peril just prior to the 1956 presidential election, with Great Britain, France, and Israel invading Egypt while the Soviet Union ruthlessly crushed rebellion in Hungary. Dr. Nichols draws on hundreds of documents previously unavailable to researchers, enabling the reader to look over Ike’s shoulder and follow him day-by-day, sometimes hour-by-hour, as he grappled with the greatest international crisis of his presidency. Nichols uses formerly top secret minutes of National Security Council and Oval Office meetings to illuminate a crisis that threatened to escalate into global conflict.

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Lincoln and the Indians
 remains the only thorough treatment of a much-neglected aspect of Lincoln’s presidency. Placing Indian affairs in the broad context of Civil War politics and the settling of the West, Dr. Nichols covers the Sioux War of 1862 in Minnesota, the forced removal of the Navahos from their homeland to the deadly concentration camp at Bosque Redondo, and the massacre of Cheyennes by volunteer troops at Sand Creek. He also examines Lincoln’s inept handling of  the Five Civilized Tribes in Indian Territory and the corrupt “Indian System” of government aid that mainly benefited ambitious whites.

Thanks in part to Nichols’ impact on the reassessment of Dwight Eisenhower as president; a poll of 193 historians in 2017 rated Eisenhower fifth among American presidents, following only Lincoln, Washington, and the two Roosevelts. David A. Nichols began his serious research and writing in his mid-60s after retiring from Southwestern College in Winfield, where he served for 25 years, including eleven as Vice President for Academic Affairs.

At the Wichita convention, Dr. Nichols will share about his most recent book (Ike and McCarthy) and related research, exploring research design, dealing with all kinds of sources, and finding a publisher. “Who Dunnit? And Why Dunnit?” You won’t want to miss his inside information and tips on meaningful research.

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​RHYTHM-A-NING: A POETRY & MUSIC EVENT

5/1/2019

 
Submission period opens in 15 days!
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!
 ​
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    Carolyn R. Smith
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    James Kenyon
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    Kevin Willmott
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    Leonard Krishtalka
    Linda Ahrens-Brower
    Lindsey Bartlett
    Linzi Garcia
    Lisa D. Stewart
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    Looks Like A Million Book Design Award
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    Louise Click
    Luanne Joy French
    Marcia Cebulska
    Marian Riedy
    Marie Fletcher
    Marilyn Hope Lake
    Marilyn Johnson
    Marjorie Brown
    Mark Esping
    Mark McCormick
    Mark Scheel
    Mark Simmons
    Mark Wentling
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    Martin Kansas History Book Award
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    Maryfrances Wagner
    Mary Kate Wilcox
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    Michael Stewart
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    Mirriam Iwashige
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    Najiyah Maxfield
    Nancy Julien Kopp
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    Patricia Bonine
    Paula K. Nixon
    Pauline Fecht
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    Ray "Griz" Racobs
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    Roy Stucky
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