The next board meeting of the Kansas Authors Club will take place on Thursday, November 30, at 9:00 a.m. via Zoom. All executive board members and district representatives to the board will receive the link via email. If you are a member who would like to attend as a guest, complete the contact form below.
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October 21, 2023 An estimated 47 members were present via Zoom. Thanks to our 2023 Executive Board Kris Polansky: President Anne Spry: Vice President Chuck Warner: Financial Officer Ann Vigola Anderson: Secretary Thanks to 2023 departing officers who have filled appointed positions: Cheryl Unruh, Welcome Wagon - 3 years Lindsey Bartlett, Prose Contest Manager - 2 years Gretchen Eick, Poetry Contest Manager - 1 year Thanks to 2023 District/City Leaders: Anne Spry - Topeka Maureen Carroll - Lawrence Lindsey Bartlett - Emporia Kris Polansky - Manhattan Mike Durall - Salina Sandee Taylor - Wichita & El Dorado Tammy Gilley - Hutchinson Frank Powers - Colby The following members were recognized: Octogenarians: Sally Jadlow, Sue Wike, Philip Wood 10 year members: Cynthia Chauhaun, Vicki Guillot, Rose Klenke 15 year members: Alice Bertels, Cathy Callen 20 year members: Conrad Jestmore, Robert DeMott 30 year members: Nancy Glenn 40 year member: Betty L. Berney The following Service Awards were presented: Nichole Snyder of District 5 - D5 computer and Zoom tech, served in newly-created position as Technology Manager. Ann Fell, D5, Writers in Community Liaison for District 5. She especially champions authors' involvement with libraries. Ann organized a small group for writers in the Winfield area. Lindsey Bartlett, D2, prose contest manager 2 years, introduced and co-sponsored the Rural Voices category, serves as Co-Chair of District 2 in 2023. Assistant Editor, Writing from the Center Zine. Award for Lifetime Achievement: Betty Berney has been a member of the Kansas Author’s Club since 1983. Among her many honors are winning first prize in the 5th Anniversary National Country Music Songwriter Contest in 1981; the Golden Poet Award presented at the 3rd Annual Poetry Convention at the Las Vegas Hilton in 1987, and the Female Country songwriter of the year by the Lumpkin Music Corporation in 1988. Her 375 plus extensive writings include poetry and songs. 2024 Officers Elected President: Anne Spry (Topeka) Vice President: Lindsey Bartlett (Emporia) Financial Officer: Tyler Henning (Wichita) Secretary: Ann Vigola Anderson (Lawrence) Message from the 2024 President-elect, Anne Spry.  “We are in exciting times for Kansas Authors Club. We have the opportunity to reinvent ourselves, and that doesn’t happen often.” – Barbara Waterman Peters, District 1 Representative to the Kansas Authors Club State Board The Kansas Authors Club Board met on Zoom on September 7. We thought you might enjoy an overview of the fall board meeting. It was well attended (4 executive officers, 6 district reps, 2 guests, and our manager). We covered important topics ranging from enhancing our business operations to the writing retreat at Rock Springs on October 6-8. We hope you have a chance to attend the Kansas Book Festival on September 16 at Washburn University in Topeka. KAC will be presenting our annual youth awards at the festival for the first time. This will give our young writers a chance to mingle with authors, take advantage of some of the excellent book festival activities for youth, and celebrate literature in Kansas with their families! Many of our Kansas Authors Club authors, publishers and editors will be at booths to answer questions and sign books for you! Kansas Authors Club is always working to assure we do an excellent job of tracking our financial assets in all districts and at the state level. To further help our district treasurers, KAC will be developing some tools for consistency and information for all of our districts to use. Have you had a chance to zoom in on a statewide program? The attendance has been growing steadily. Our tracking suggests that our programs have been reaching in the range of 68-85 members each month. This has afforded many members the opportunity to be a part of the program without the expense and time of traveling. Check the website for the next speaker! If you have a terrific idea for a statewide program, please send it to one of the KAC board members or Tracy. If you are interested in serving on a committee to plan our state programs, please let us know! Are you a tech wizard? We are looking for a few volunteers that would like to help with the presentation of our state programs on zoom. And if you have other fun ideas of how to enhance our presentations, we’d love to hear from you! Our Fall Gathering is just around the corner. This year it comes in the form of a writing retreat rather than a convention. There are a few spots open so please sign up by September 15 to assure you will be a part of this unique writing retreat. You may register on our website. The retreat will be held at Rock Springs Lodge, just off I-70 near Junction City. The site features beautiful mature trees, creeks, and a view of the Flint Hills. And so many places to relax to read, write, and visit with other attendees. As much as we will enjoy being close to nature, the site also has first-rate room accommodations, meeting rooms that are easily accessible by car or a short walk, and delicious food with many choices. And rumor has it there might be a campfire with s’mores on Saturday night! I know several of our attendees are also looking forward to catching up on reading, too. This is an opportunity to be with writers, publishers, editors and all in a setting of beauty and comfort. The complete minutes of the 2023 Board Meetings can be found here (member sign-in required). The Board of Directors for the Kansas Authors Club met for a summer business meeting on Saturday, August 13, 2022, from 10:00 to 12:00, by Zoom. Those in attendance were Tracy Million Simmons (president, transitional manager); Kristine Polansky (vice-president); Monica Graves (financial officer); Cathy Callen (secretary); Anne Spry (D1); Adelaide Bauman (D3); Gretchen Eick (D5); and, Jim Potter (D6). Minutes from the March 26, 2022, board meeting were reviewed, corrected, and approved. The financial report submitted by Monica Graves was reviewed; Tracy sends quarterly reports to Monica, and finances are reported to be in good shape. District representatives took a few moments to report on activities within their districts. Contest managers submitted updates regarding the number of submissions to the various literary contests, with total submissions reported to be within normal limits when compared to previous contests. A significant portion of the August 13th meeting was spent discussing the restructuring of the organization and the need to finalize changes to the bylaws for approval by members in October. The Board voted unanimously to approve changes and to submit the final version to members for their review. (see link below) Also discussed were plans for the Kansas Book Festival in September at Washburn (Kansas Authors Club will sponsor an informational table), and the upcoming Kansas Authors Club annual convention, to be held in Lawrence in October. We were reminded that there was an “early bird special” conference fee for those registering by September 1. The nominating committee is preparing a slate of potential officers for 2023. There are still openings, and interested applicants can contact Kristine Polansky. See the list of open positions below. The meeting was adjourned at 11:55 a.m. The next board meeting is scheduled for October 8, by Zoom. Submitted for website publication by Cathy Callen, State Secretary Note: The proposed 2023 bylaws are being emailed to every member by end of day on 8/19/2022. If you do not receive this email, please contact Tracy to confirm that your details in our master list are correct. Make Your Mark on Our Growing Organization!Do you have talent to spare? Time to invest in your community of writers? We are looking to fill the following positions in 2023. State Secretary: Job Duties (quick version) attends 3 board meetings each year plus the annual membership meeting in October. Our Secretary keeps the minutes, prepares a summary for publication, and will work closely with the manager and President as a member of the executive board. State Financial Officer: Job Duties (quick version) attends 3 board meetings each year plus the annual membership meeting in October. Our Financial Officer reviews financial reports generated by the Manager quarterly, sets our budget in coordination with the Manager each year, and works closely with President as a member of the executive board. District Representatives: Each district needs a representative to the board. The commitment includes attending 3 board meetings each year plus the annual membership meeting in October. This is a great way to get to know Kansas Authors Club in more depth and to perform a service for your local community of writers. If you are interested in helping out at the district level, talk to your District President about the many ways you can be involved. Note that District Representatives are elected or appointed at the district level. Pay attention to memos from your officers as districts will begin filling local positions toward the end of this year. Appointed PositionsContest Managers: We are actively seeking individuals to manage our 2023 adult poetry and youth writing contests. This person should be comfortable using Submittable (and/or willing to learn how to manage things on the back side). An enthusiasm for promoting and growing our contests is always a plus. Contest managers are charged with selecting judges for the contest, assuring that entries meet the requirements, answering contest questions, and preparing the awards presentation at the annual convention each October. Contest managers work closely with each other and with the Manager. We do ask that managers not enter the contest that they are managing while they are serving in the position. (So if you are a prose writer, managing the poetry contest might be the ideal job for you!)
Publications and Website: Do you have experience with layout and design? Are you proficient (or willing to learn) programs such as Microsoft Publisher and/or Adobe InDesign? Would you like to gain experience with website work or email newsletter services? Perhaps you would be interested in joining our publications team. We currently produce a print yearbook and an electronic newsletter, and publication opportunities within Kansas Authors Club may just be growing! Extra eyes for editing and proofreading are also always appreciated. Social Media Contributors: If you follow us on Facebook, you already understand the power of teamwork to give an organization a presence. If your district (or area of writing interest) is underrepresented, perhaps you would like to join our teal of social media contributors. We also could use assistance with Twitter and Instagram. The next meeting of the Kansas Authors Club state board will take place Saturday, August 13, 2022, at 10:00 am via Zoom. If you have items of news or concern to submit, or would like to receive a link to attend, please use the contact forms on the Board of Directors page or reach out to your District Representative. Tentative Agenda:
Reports of Officers, standing committees, special committees
Ongoing Business:
New Business:
SPRING BOARD MEETING
Cathy Callen, KAC secretary The KAC Board of Directors met by Zoom for their spring board meeting on Saturday, April 3rd, 2021. Sixteen officers and board members from across the state participated, led by KAC president, Duane Johnson.
It was noted that all KAC contests are now open for submissions. In addition, 105 Meadowlark Reader, a Meadowlark publication, will be accepting submissions for stories about Kansas counties in May and June, with the theme, “Kansas Road Trips.” The next KAC board meeting is scheduled for August 7, 2021. |
How to Submit 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. Categories
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