Today, we welcome new members Warren Ashworth and Susan Kander! While they live in New York City, they have Harvey County connections and will be members of District 5. 

They offered this information about themselves: 

This is all rather new to us. Susan is a widely published classical music composer and Warren is an architect and an architectural historian. Our first historical novel, We, the House, is based on Warren's great-grandfather's 1878 house in Newton. In fact, the house itself - an Italianate gem - is the narrator and one of the two protagonists. The other is an early-American portrait that hangs on its dining room wall. We are both enamored of the landscape of the Flint Hills. The Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve is a favorite destination.

Warren lectures regularly on the 1833 invention of balloon framing and how it was subsequently essential to the settlement of the prairie. The lecture is filled with his photographs of houses around the Flint Hills, in particular.

Our publisher is Blue Cedar Press in Wichita and I believe Gretchen Eick there is a member of your group. 

We are working on a new historical novel that is set in another historic house in Chicago called Glessner House. In that book the narrator is the renowned architect Henry Hobson Richardson who happens to have been six years deceased when the action takes place, in 1893.

Susan was born and raised in Kansas City and Warren has rather strayed from his family's Kansas roots. Both now live in New York City. We will be in various parts of Kansas for readings of We, the House in January then again in April of 2022. 

Some of our websites are:
www.SusanKander.net
www.WarrenAshworthArchitect.com
www.WetheHouseBook.com
​

Program by:
Nancy Julien Kopp
Writing the Personal Essay, with a side light for poets.

(Important: The presentation will be followed by a quick assessment of plans for Districts 3 & 4 in the coming year, including the selection of officers for the coming year. ALL D3 and D4 members are encouraged to attend.)
 
Nancy is the author of Writer Granny’s World, a blog of tips and encouragement for writers—writergrannysworld.blogspot.com. She is a 20+ year member of the Kansas Authors Club and 2013 Prose Writer of the Year. She has been published in Chicken Soup for the Soul and many anthologies, newspapers, magazines, and ezines. A former teacher, Nancy continues to teach through the written word.

Today we welcome Leonard Krishtalka of Lawrence to D-2 and to the Kansas Authors Club. 

He shares this with us: 

My novels are murder mysteries. Three of them involve science intrigues––paleontology, anthropology, archeology––wrapped inside human ones. The Bone Field (June 2019), Death Spoke (November 2019), and The Camel Driver (November 2020) feature private investigator Harry Przewalski (pronounced Je-vahl-skey), who excavates the dirty underbelly of people's lives, unearthing love, loss, betrayals, treachery, fraud and murder buried beneath the science of petrified shards, skin and bones.

My fourth novel, The Body on the Bed (September, 2021), is historical fiction about an alleged murder and sensational trial in 1871 in Lawrence, Kansas amid the social upheaval after the Civil War. Anamcara Press is my publisher. I'm currently working on the fourth novel in the Harry Przewalski series, Native Blood. 

My career includes paleontological research and worldwide expeditions at the Carnegie Museum of Natural History, Pittsburgh, PA, and science administration at the Biodiversity Institute & Natural History Museum at KU.

I have an author’s presentation of The Body on the Bed on Friday, Dec. 10, at 6:30p at the Watkins Museum, 1047 Massachusettes in Lawrence, open to the public, with food and drink. Please come if you can.


Links:
Amazon author page: 
https://amazon.com/author/leonardkrishtalka

Kirkus Reviews: 
​https://www.kirkusreviews.com/author/leonard-krishtalka/preview/

Joining us as a member of District 5 is Kat Struckley of Cheney. 

As a kid, I enjoyed reading and telling all kinds of stories. It was a fun pastime on the hour-long bus ride to school, fully endorsed by my teachers and family, and more often than not, the short stories I wrote seemed to wind up on the desks of said teachers (sorry, Mrs. Mark!). With all of the encouragement and support I received from the adults in my life, it was only natural that I continue the venture on with schooling and careers. Right?

Nope. It took me a couple of decades to realize I should continue on my love for creating with words, no matter how hard it is sometimes to find those words to fit into the story I'm trying to tell. And it's taken me just about as long to gain the courage to publish these writings. Even though most of what I write gets squirreled away from prying eyes, a few things do end up meeting the light of day, in the form of fanfiction, podcast script or honest to goodness novella.

My tastes range far and wide, but I always seem to find myself drawn back to the outrageous and the silly. This can be seen rather clearly in the horror comedy podcast Small Town Absurd, where I co-write about a group of friends in 1980s rural Oklahoma, and my book What To Do When Your Bro Is Possessed, a short, simple story about a group of friends and a not-so-friendly ghost living in present-day Wichita (soon to have a sequel!). Fanfiction has been the basis of my writing since youth, a jumping-off point into a larger pool of world building and character development I wouldn't have noticed otherwise. That being said, most of my writing nowadays is full of geekery and pop cultural references, a call-back to a time when I had the mental capacity to store something other than school schedules and grocery lists in my noggin.

When I'm not in front of a computer, I spend time reading to my kids in funny voices,  helping my partner with his business, and lifting heavy things at the gym. I'm an all-around cheerful nuisance with too much time on their hands and a penchant for befriending potted plants. I have yet to make friends with any of the neighborhood cats, but that doesn't mean I'm not trying.

Social media, in order of most to least activity
Twitter: @itsamooocow
Ao3: MotleyMoose
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/smalltownabsurdpod
Blog (long hiatus): https://inthemindofakat.wordpress.com/

A long-distance member for District 6 is Janet Kelley. Welcome, Janet! 


​Janet Kelley is a high school teacher, reader, writer, and feminist. Janet grew up in Hutchinson, Kansas and graduated from Trinity High School. She studied Humanistic Studies and Religious Studies at Saint Mary’s College, Notre Dame, Indiana. She studied Historical Theology at the University of Notre Dame. She earned her teaching credentials from Indiana University at South Bend. Ms. Kelley currently lives in Boston and Budapest, returning to visit her mother, Lovella Kelley, and siblings in Kansas.

Ms. Kelley believes that books are the cornerstone of freedom and justice. Her debut novel deals with the aftermath of a sexual assault at a Kansas high school. Her work to support survivors of sexual assault was inspired by the writer V and The Vagina Monologues. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of this novel will be donated to The Trevor Project. Please consider a donation to The Trevor Project to support their crisis intervention and suicide prevention services for LGBTQ youth.

You can read more about Janet and her debut novel, as well as email her through her website at: https://writenowjanetkelley.com/

Today we welcome Michael Stewart of Topeka, District 1. 

Here's what Michael has been working on: 

I’ve been writing for a long time, but I’ve only recently published my first novel, The Arch Emulator and the Seven Keys. It went up on Amazon in October. I enjoy writing fun adventure stories, like Goonies and Indiana Jones that I grew up watching. This book is a global conspiracy thriller about a murderous cult that hunts down innocent people known as emulators while they’re in search for a powerful artifact known as the seventh key!

​My next novel that I’m working on will be more of a domestic terrorism thriller that takes place in The Little Apple.

​www.amazon.com/author/stew

"Ice Dancer", a poem by D5 member Robert L. Dean, Jr., appears in the new Winter 2021 issue of Sheila-Na-Gig online. This is his third consecutive appearance in Sheila-Na-Gig online. Dean met the editor, Hayley Mitchell Haugen, at a SpoFest Zoom reading---so come to the SpoFest Zoom reading on Tuesday, the 7th, as you never know who you might meet! The link below goes directly to Dean's poem, but be sure to read the entire issue. ​

Please join D5 member Robert L. Dean, Jr., as co-host for SpoFest on Tuesday, December 7th, 2021, at 6 PM, with featured readers Patrice Melnick, Ryan Quinn Flanagan, and Alise Versalla, as well as MINE HOST James Bryant, and Eye in the Sky Rick C. Christiansen.

There will be an open mic after the feature program, so have something ready to read. Information on how to attend, either by Zoom, or Face Book Live, and more on the event itself are below. I recommend Zoom if you have it (you can download a free version if you don't). James Bryant has managed to create a wonderful poetry community with SpoFest, based out of Sedalia, MO. You'll meet folks from all over the country (and a few from around the world). Added bonus (or not?): a drawing for a signed copy of my book "At the Lake with Heisenberg." I hope you'll join us.
Log in or sign up to view

If you are not on Face Book and can't view the Face Book event page, here is the link to register to get the Zoom link sent to you:

The book launch for Brenda Leigh White’s collection of poetry, Blue Collar Saint, will be held at Twin Rivers Winery, 627 Commercial, Emporia, Saturday, December 4, 4:00-6:00pm. The author, along with friends and supporters, will share work from Brenda’s collection followed by a short open mic opportunity for attendees.
 
White is a native of Emporia, Kansas, but her heart resides on the family farm in Morris County. Her most favorite place in Kansas is the woods and creek on the farm. There she has seen snakes fishing in a puddle and found a baby western box turtle at the natural spring feeding into the creek. She has had poetry published in Quivira and The Flint Hills Review. What she loves most about living in Kansas is the beauty of the flint hills and the state motto, ad astra per aspera, “to the stars through difficulties.” 

Cheryl Unruh, Kansas Notable author, says, “With unapologetic honesty and a masterful use of language, Brenda Leigh White, in Blue Collar Saint, cycles through whimsy, curiosity, and harsh reality. Always questioning the world around her, White writes with sharpness, clarity, and wit, leaving the reader alternately gutted and longing for more.” 

Emporia poet Kerry Moyer says, “The verses in Blue Collar Saint were born on the assembly line, in the working-class spaces and places of this poetic traveler’s journey. White shares her scars and lays bare a resilience rooted in wit, intelligence, and strength. This is a fine collection, from an authentic new voice in Kansas poetry.”


Blue Collar Saint is available for order through meadowlark-books.square.site and may be ordered through any bookseller. Learn more at www.meadowlark-books.com.

The deadline for submitting entries to the 2022 yearbook has been extended. Members now have until December 31 to enter. 

• Every Member having paid current dues is invited to submit ONE literary contribution for the yearbook. That submission can be either prose or poetry. Prose is limited to one printed page (no more than 500 words). Poetry is limited to one printed page (no more than 40 lines including spaces between verses).

 

• All literary contributions remain the property of the individual authors. Authors may continue to use or distribute their work without requesting permission from the Kansas Authors Club. No work printed in the KAC yearbook may be copied or distributed in any form without explicit permission from the author.

 

• Yearbook Submissions are preferred via the online site, Submittable. There is NO CHARGE to submit a yearbook entry.

​

District 6 Meetings are held on the 4th Saturday of each month (except December), online via Zoom at 1:30 p.m. Questions? Contact Jim Potter for a meeting link.

 Jared Vaughn started writing stories at the age of nine, including terrible sequels to Back to the Future. By 2014, he'd written stories, songs, skits, and just about anything but a book. So he set out to write The Longest Time, a story that had been in his mind for fifteen years. He released it in 2017, dressed as Marty McFly at his first booth at a comic con. The Longest Time received unanimously positive reviews from readers of all ages who appreciated the story's nostalgic appeal, heart, humor, and positive message as well as a genre-bending twist that takes everyone by surprise. Through his company, Time Honored Productions, he next published a collection of short stories called Free Time Tales. It featured nine other local writers including Shoshanna Aaliyah, a young lady who also wrote Tobias' Travels, which is releasing soon as a kid's book. Another Time, the sequel to The Longest Time, was released in 2020 to reviews that compared it as equal in quality to the original or even better. The Time Honored team can be seen at many events throughout the year sharing their creativity and the Power of Love. They continue to grow with artists, cosplayers, actors, and authors including the recent addition of acclaimed author Lynn Main.

  In 2021, Jared joined the Kansas Authors Club and was introduced to a new circle of talent. He was invited to be the guest speaker for the November 27th Zoom meeting for District 6 and enthusiastically accepted. Jared will share tips about what he feels is the most important part of writing-- the art of storytelling. His fun and informative presentation has been utilized at writing workshops and author panels and proven effective for all ages and levels of experience. ​

You can view the interaction of Huascar Medina and Annette Billings as they shared their poetry. They carried on a delightful poetry conversation at the November D5 meeting. I guarantee you will be inspired to write poetry after listening to these skilled wordsmiths. Click on the button below.

Today, I am honored to introduce Cat Webling, a new member to the KAC and District 6. She lives in Russell. 

​I’m a Georgia-born writer who moved to Kansas post-pandemic to be with my family – my partner, son, and cute cats! So far, I’ve had six major publications: a science fiction novel (with a second on the way!), two short story collections, and three poetry collections. You can find my work on my website. I’m a regular writer and editor for SUPERJUMP Magazine, and have contributed posts for Nymeria Publishing, The Gamer, and FanFare. I write science fiction and fantasy, as well as poetry and articles about literature, theater, gaming (especially Dungeons and Dragons), and fan culture. I like to write things that make people think, or smile, or feel something; it’s what I think writing can and should do!
 
I look forward to learning more about the KAC and my district, and I’m excited to join this vibrant community. 

Welcome, Cat! We look forward to meeting you. 
​
[Cheryl Unruh]

Books by Cat Webling: 

​Emporia, KS--Flyover People essayist Cheryl Unruh, takes the stage for a literary celebration, complete with reading and book signing as Meadowlark Press releases Unruh’s new memoir, Gravedigger’s Daughter: Vignettes from a Small Kansas Town, at Lyon County History Center on Saturday, November 13 at 1:00pm.
 
An array of regional books will be available for purchase, including other titles by Unruh, as well as books published by Meadowlark Press.
 
Unruh’s memoir details a small-town childhood as the daughter of a carpenter-father, who also happens to be the town cemetery caretaker. As Cheryl grows, so does her comprehension of her father’s particular maladies, a skin-condition that is not discussed by the family, as well as his struggles with depression. Presented in short vignettes, Gravedigger’s Daughter introduces Unruh’s father from a child’s eye view, and then via observations and interactions that take us through Unruh’s adolescence to adulthood. Divided into three parts, the book covers Unruh’s childhood in Pawnee Rock, her father’s middle-age years when she lived away, and his later years.
 
Unruh grew up in the town of Pawnee Rock in central Kansas, population 400, in the 1960s and 70s. “The stories, or vignettes, are poem-shaped, but each captures a moment in time. I see each one as a snapshot,” Unruh says. “While I will never be able to relate the entirety and complexity of a life, I hope that some of my dad’s weird and wonderful personality shines through.”
 
From Laura Moriarty, author of The Chaperone: “With Gravedigger’s Daughter, Cheryl Unruh has created something so fresh and inviting—a memoir in lean vignettes. Each is moving on its own, and also part of a compelling portrait of a childhood in an isolated town with a dwindling population. Unruh’s details are too specific for sentimentalism, but places and people are observed with a loving gaze that also feels wise and honest. Her father, especially, emerges as both haunted and quietly heroic. What a beautiful book.” 
 
Fans of Cheryl’s two previous collections of vivid Kansas essays, Flyover People (2011 KS Notable Book) and Waiting on the Sky (2015 KS Notable Book), and Walking on Water, her collection of poetry, will delight in this memoir. Unruh hopes that the book will inspire readers to write their own stories “whether they write for their own pleasure or choose to share their stories with family and friends or perhaps even go on to publish their writing.” Unruh will be scheduling a series of memoir writing workshops starting in the spring of 2022.
 
Gravedigger’s Daughter is available for order through meadowlark-books.square.site and may be ordered through any bookseller. Learn more at www.meadowlark-books.com.
 
###

Hosted by Ad Astra Books & Coffee House
141 N Santa Fe Ave., Salina
Friday, November 12, 7:00pm
Click here for more information.

Dear Kansas Authors Club Members and Area Artists,
 
District 2 looks forward to hosting the 2022 Annual Writing Convention, and we need YOUR help. Design the winning logo and you will receive a $50 honorarium, as well as a featured spot in the convention program.
 
We will consider any type of artwork that can be submitted and translates well in JPG format. (If you paint or draw by hand, simply scan or photograph the image.)
 
The Theme for the event is--
 
The Write Way to the Future
 
Instructions for entering:
 

1. Design a logo/image/graphic incorporating the words, “The Write Way to the Future.” Save, scan, or photograph the design in JPG format.
2. Submit your logo via the Kansas Authors Club Submittable website: https://kansasauthorsclub.submittable.com/submit
3. Deadline for Entry: December 31, 2021.

 
 
Questions? Email the D2 Convention Team at KansasAuthorsClub@gmail.com.