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For the past three years, Sandee Taylor has judged 4th grade poetry for the annual writing and art contest at Circle Benton Elementary. This is the 24th consecutive year for this contest. It is open to 3rd through 6th grades. She enjoyed helping principal Rob Leis and art judge Alex Kessler pass out awards. She spoke a few minutes encouraging the students write and enter contests. Organizers Erika and Jason Kirk are sitting at the table.   Member Roger Heineken, of Emporia, gave his third program for the residents of Sunflower Care Homes. He talked about the development of the William Allen White Bust and Memorial in Peter Pan Park. 
Mike and Monica Graves visited the residents at Sunflower Care Homes in Emporia. Monica sang with the residents and Mike read from his upcoming book, Human Shadow, as well as an essay in 105 Meadowlark Reader.
The residents received hats from Mike as part of the activity. 
Writers in the Community is a Kansas Authors Club program that highlights member educational and outreach efforts in our communities.
Gretchen Eick was one of the writers featured at the Wichita Library's writers reading their work event June 3. She read her 6 minute play, "Siblings," which placed second in last year's playwriting contest, a play for congregations or clubs or groups to use to start discussion of the problem of alienation between family or friends due to differences.  Writers in the Community is a Kansas Authors Club program that highlights member educational and outreach efforts in our communities.
a note from D5 member, Gretchen Eick: In March I worked with ArtsPartners Wichita to help five authors develop books for 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders that would help reluctant readers enter the story and keep reading. Each book was related to one or more of the indicators of a healthy community. The authors were exceptional and the process quite a delight. Now their books are being worked on by local artists who are doing the illustrations in collaboration with the authors. What a delight it was to do this work of writing in the community!
D7 President, Frank Powers, read two of his stories to Quinter 3rd graders in January. Frank's two great-granddaughters are students there. Frank reports that the event was fun, with lots of questions from students after.  Writers in the Community is a Kansas Authors Club program that highlights member educational and outreach efforts in our communities.
Each year for the past twenty-two years, Circle Benton Elementary (Benton, KS) sponsors a writing and art contest for third through sixth grade students. The theme for the 2021-22 school year was sports and hobbies. Awards are given to the children with the top entries in prose, poetry, and art for each grade. The winners of the first through third places and honorable mention entries are recognized at an assembly with certificates and a booklet containing their entry. After the awards are presented, winners autograph books for the judges and their friends. Cynthia Ross and Sandee Taylor, Kansas Authors Club District 5 members, have judged the contest multiple years. This year Cynthia judged the poetry category for sixth grade and Sandee judged fourth grade poetry.   Friends of the Winfield Public Library invited D5 member Ann Fell to talk about her writing journey at their October 11 meeting. Ann shared her lifelong quest to learn how to be a writer in a packed on-site event. Her speech was titled, “Sonatas and Songbirds: Past, Present and Future.” In it Ann shared her past, present, and future hopes for writing.
From being an avid bookworm as a child, to finding a niche in literary circles, her heart has always been set on free-lance writing. As a young adult, articles appeared in KANSAS!, family magazines, and trade journals in the piano service industry while she worked diligently on her first novel. Tragic family events sidelined her dreams for several decades. She is now writing again. Ann advises, “It’s never too late to follow where your heart leads, but be prepared for a detour or two.” Ann has published four books in the last ten years. In the Shadow of the Wind Grandma Georgia's Recipe File Sonata of Elsie Lenore Sundrop Sonata 8/24/21 D5: D5 President, Connie White, spoke to the River City Ladies Club on 8/24. giving them a short history of Kansas Authors Club. She talked about her writing experience and offered to help them record their memoirs for their families or for publishing. The ladies were very receptive and we had a great Q&A session. Several lingered for more conversation, and I sold eight books! I'm going to Facebook to broadcast my willingness to present to other civic clubs or school classrooms to encourage hesitant wannabe writers. Learn more about KAC Writers in the Community by clicking here.
Beth Gulley, District 2 member, hosts a writing retreat in Paola. Members of Kansas Authors Club are invited to attend.  Writing Retreat in the Paola Community Garden September 15 from 6:00-7:00 p.m. 1201 Industrial Drive, Paola, KS 66071 Are you looking for inspiration? Do you need a few quiet minutes to yourself? Bring your lawn chair and a notebook to the Paola Community Garden on September 15 from 6-7 p.m. for a writing retreat. We will begin our evening with writing prompts to inspire you. Then participants will have space and time to write in the garden. We will finish the evening with an opportunity to share our writing with the group (this is optional). This event is hosted by District 2 member, Beth Gulley. For more information email Beth. or see the Facebook event link.  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. This link will take you to the recent presentation about Brian Daldorph’s teaching of poetry in the Douglas County Jail for the past 20 years. There is a wonderful recording of Antonio Sanchez-Day also, with shared memories by additional members of the group. Brian is a District 2 member of Kansas Authors Club, as was Antonio. The Raven Bookstore in Lawrence hosted the event. Brian’s book, Words Is a Powerful Thing, can be purchased at The Raven Bookstore and wherever you buy books.  D5 member, Sandee Taylor, judged two categories at the annual Circle Benton Elementary writing contest. She judged fourth grade poetry and sixth grade prose. Sandee will attend the reception and awards ceremony later this spring. Kerry Moyer, District 2 member, was a guest speaker for Riverside Elementary School's Reading Across America Event (March 1) Of the event, Kerry says, "Getting to talk about writing and poetry with kids was a lot of fun!"  A Writers in the Community note from D4 member, Nancy Julien Kopp:
I presented a program, "Writing Your Family Stories" March 16th for two P.E.O. chapters in Hesston and Newton area. The program prompted some good discussion about writing family stories. My picture and short bio of me had appeared in the P.E.O. Record magazine which is how they came to invite me to do a program. I got to choose the topic. P.E.O. is a philanthropic educational organization for women in the USA and Canada. WRITERS IN COMMUNITY: District 5 recently held a writing contest for Tracey Anderson’s gifted Sixth-grade English classes in Derby. Judges were Connie White, Gretchen Eick, Sandee Taylor, Amy Ackerman, Taylor Stuckey, and Ray aka "Griz" Racobs. We used two judges for each of three genres: flash fiction, short story, and poetry. We wanted the kids to see how different judges vary in their evaluations. We awarded 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place, and some honorable mentions for each genre. Griz and Connie presented the kids with their awards (gift cards or cash and certificates, and spent an hour with each group talking about our experiences as writers. The kids were eager to talk, and asked us to come back next year. We would encourage the districts to reach out to the schools in this manner. We will be asking more D5 members to join in the judging next year. We received Derby school water bottles filled with candy, and thank-you cards handmade by the students.  |
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