Blog Posts

2022 Nelson Poetry Book Award Winner

11/10/2022

Nelson Poetry Book Award
Gravedigger’s Daughter
by Cheryl Unruh

Note from the Judge:
Cheryl Unruh’s Gravedigger’s Daughter stands as a testament to how great writing uses particulars to capture the universal. While few readers may have helped to prepare graves as a child or know what the summer sky looks like from their depths, Unruh’s beautifully crafted reflections unearth the relatable joys and confusions of youth, love, and loss. While each poem preserves a carefully honed memory, the collection as a whole carries the reader through a lifetime with touching humor and heartbreaking grace. It is an intimate look into a specific family, but it stirs familiar emotions that have the magic to conjure readers’ own pasts.

Dr. Julia Galm
2022 Nelson Poetry Book Judge

Dr. Julia Galm is a Communications instructor at Cloud County Community College, where she works with budding writers to help them hone their skills and voices. She has helped to revitalize CCCC’s creative and artistic journal, The Silver Lining, and she is a board member of the Brown Grand Opera House. Though a recent transplant to Kansas, she has fallen in love with the rolling grasslands of her new home.

Nelson Poetry Book Award Winners

Kristine Polansky, 2022 Vice President of Kansas Authors Club, presents Cheryl Unruh with the Nelson Poetry Award and the Martin Kansas History Book Award for Gravedigger's Daughter.

2022 Coffin Memorial Fiction Book Award Winner

11/10/2022

J. Donald & Bertha Coffin Memorial
Fiction Book Award

Opulence Kansas
by Julie Stielstra

Note from Judge Varnadore:
I have been very impressed with the exceptionally high quality of the work represented by this year’s authors across such different genres as crime fiction, historical fiction, and young adult fiction. This has made the job of judging this year’s winner quite a task but also a genuine pleasure. As the novels represented so many different genres, my approach was to evaluate each work according to the conventions of those genres as well as execution of craft and finally, readability. Based on these criteria, I am pleased to select Opulence Kansas by Julie Stielstra as my choice for the J. Donald & Bertha Coffin Memorial Award for Fiction.

Stielstra’s 15-year-old protagonist Kate, reeling from the suicide of her father and the subsequent investigation into his shady financial dealings, leaves her high-rise Chicago condo for rural Kansas, to stay with her father’s estranged older brother and his wife. This relocation seems to be the respite Kate needs from the chaos back in Chicago and she settles in well, observing her new surrounds through the lens of her burgeoning talent for photography. As her relationship with her newfound family blossoms and she becomes more deeply embedded in the small-town community, she begins to appreciate a slower pace and living close to the land. Katie also meets Travis, a young man with a troubled past, who seems initially stagnate and destined to see life pass him by; however, Kate and Travis, with the help of her family and the local community, begin to heal their personal traumas and find redemption from the sins of their fathers.

Stielstra writes with humor and compassion, and her characters are subtle and layered. The tone of the work manages to be uplifting but never sentimental or saccharine. The prose is witty and energetic, and the world she creates is beautifully observed. In Stielstra’s capable hands, rural Kansas itself takes on a vivid character of its own.

Heather Varnadore
2022 J. Donald & Bertha Coffin Memorial
Fiction Book Co-Judge

Heather Varnadore was born and raised in Atlanta but currently lives in the Flint Hills of Kansas with her family. She received her M.A. in English from Kansas State University in 2008 and her M.F.A. in fiction writing from the University of Massachusetts-Amherst in 2012. She has previously taught at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst and currently teaches at Kansas State University. She is the recipient of the Seaton Fellowship for Creative Writing, the Umass MFA Fellowship for Poets and Writers, the Cara Parravani Memorial Award in Fiction, the Delaney Fellowship for Fiction and multiple teaching awards. She is currently finishing work on a novel.

Coffin Memorial Book Award Winners

Note from Contest Manager:
Due to the number and heft of this year’s fiction entries, I divided them between two co-judges. Judge Varnadore and Judge Strnad both identified contenders for the award from the books they read. Tie-breaker judge Linda Knupp made the final decision. After 20 years of service, Knupp retired a year ago as director of the Manhattan Public Library and the North Central Kansas Library System. She remains active with the state-wide Friends of Kansas Libraries (FOKL) and urges all of you to join your local library’s Friends group as well as groups like the Kansas Authors Club. Judge Knupp was impressed with the clear narrative structure of Opulence Kansas, which takes the main character through a summer of changes and revelations after the tragic death of her father. “Thoughtful and resilient characters deal with a number of challenges during this time without losing their compassion for others, hope for the future, and their appreciation for the small rural community of Opulence.” According to Judge Knupp, author Julie Stielstra “certainly has a future in the wide field of YA literature.”

Members Invited to D3/D4's Open Mic (Zoom!) - Tuesday, November 15

11/9/2022

We hope to see you at the Open Mic (Zoom!) on Tuesday, November 15, at 7pm. This month member Deb Hadacheck will be our featured reader.

Deb Hadachek is a native of Republic County and has spent 43 years and counting as a writer and columnist for the Belleville Telescope, a weekly newspaper. (She started her career at a time when “cutting and pasting” to edit a story involved scissors and Scotch tape.)

She is a commissioned lay pastor and has served First Presbyterian Church in Beloit for 14 years. (Both newspaper and church require the same skills: reading, writing, visiting with people and drinking coffee).

She and her husband, Merle, a retired vocational agriculture teacher, live on a farm near Cuba, Kansas, and have two sons: Tim, an attorney in Kansas City, and Jeff, a grad student in ag economics at the University of California-Davis.

District 3 and 4 members invite all KAC members and guests to join this Zoom read-around meeting.

How does Open Mic work?

7:00-7:10pm – we check in, sign up to read, greet each other and celebrate victories
7:10-7:30pm – our Featured Reader presents
7:30-7:55 – Readers share in order of sign-up. Plan on 3 minutes. If there is plenty of time, attendees will get a 2nd opportunity to read.

Call for Entries: Transportation Theme

11/9/2022

Contact Sandy Carlson if you might be interested in writing a story for the 2023 Symphony in the Flint Hills Field Journal. This year’s theme is transportation and stories are needed on a variety of subjects. Deadline is December 1 and word count is 1200 words. Contact Sandy for more information.

Update:
Fiction and Nonfiction entries are allowed.

Contact Sandy by Email

Contact Sandy by Phone

Member Publishing News from Duane L. Herrmann

11/6/2022

In Oct 2022, Carrot Ranch posted two responses to their prompts, Adirondac Center for Writing posted four. Writing the Land anthology, Foodways, for 2022 (a printed book), was released with three poems of mine all about Meadowlark Hearth Farm near Scottsbluff, NE.

Spillhouse Review posted a second poem of mine and said a third one will be posted soon. Tiny Seed Literary Journal posted a poem of his (the tenth with them). Both of the latter pair poems with photos. They also have a translation feature on their site, so anyone can see what the name and words look like in various languages and scripts. The latest issue of Red Coyote has been released with three poems of his. And, Bards Against Hunger accepted a poem of his for their 10th year anthology.

Also in October, he submitted thirty-four items during the month. It's a numbers game: the more you send out, the more that is accepted – and not even all of them get published. Sometimes sites/publisher shut down after acceptance but before publication. A person needs to send out A LOT more than has ever been published.

And, people in at least eight cities in the U.S., plus people in London, Ont, Canada; Tilburg, Netherlands; Makishi, Japan; Dodoma, Tanzania; Halle, and Mannheim, Germany; Créteil, France; Davao City, Philippines; Haikko, Finland; Paris; Adelaide, Australia; Hamilton, New Zealand; Majuro, Marshall Is; Iran; Singapore; Nairobi, Kenya; Cairo, Egypt; and Glasgow, Scotland looked at or read one of eight papers of his online.

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.

Two Members Nominated for the 48th Annual Pushcart Award

11/5/2022

Two KAC D5 members, Roy Beckemeyer and Robert L Dean, Jr., have had poems nominated for the 48th Annual Pushcart Award by MacQueen's Quinterly. The poems are: "Megarhyssa" by Roy J. Beckemeyer, and "Cruel and Unusual" by Robert L. Dean, Jr.

CONGRATULATIONS!

Welcome New Member Angee Barcus

11/4/2022

Welcome New Member Angee Barcus!

I was a member of KAC when I lived in Lawrence, KS a few years ago. We moved to Cape Coral, Fl about 2 1/2 years ago, after living in Lawrence for 22 years. I have searched for a writer's group in Florida, but never joined because I didn't feel it was right for me. I wrote and self-published 3 books which are on Amazon. (mistakes and all). My reason for writing those books was that I wanted others, especially family and friends, to know what it is like to raise a child who has Down Syndrome. (Our youngest child Lisa, now 42, has Down syndrome.) In three years, I had all three of those books written and published. I used a mix of humor and honesty in my writing, to show that there can be a positive end in sight when raising a child with Down syndrome. The books offer positive answers and I relay true stories about Lisa and our family that hopefully will help others. When raising children, we parents all share similar situations but we do not all share the same opportunities when help is needed.

About 2 1/2 years ago, I started writing about people with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities who have experienced loss and grief in their life. A lot of research and tenacity gave me the boost I needed to write about this difficult subject. I conducted a survey which helped tremendously and now I am in the process of fine-tuning the information. I have one publishing company that will be my first try at getting it published because I don't want to self-publish. I look forward to having seasoned writers help with any questions I might have.

As far as my work history, after having four children, I pursued a nursing degree and worked in a K-12 school system that offered special education classes for those with intellectual, developmental, and physical disabilities. It was a very rewarding career, but being retired is great, too!

While I was still in the nursing profession, I also wrote a monthly newspaper column for a local newspaper. Some articles highlighted experiences in raising a child with Down syndrome. Other articles were about different organizations that helped those with disabilities in many different settings. I received the 1993 Outstanding Feature Writing Award for one article entitled "People find Hope and Help at the Victory House." The award mentioned that "she continually strives to educate and promote disability awareness issues, advocating that each and every individual can learn a vocational skill, secure meaningful employment, develop interpersonal relationships and most importantly, to live successfully and independently."

For more information, Visit Angee Barcus' facebook page.
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100030703376865

Welcome New Member Robert Lofthouse

11/4/2022

Today we welcome Robert Lofthouse of Kansas City, Kansas, to District 2 and to the Kansas Authors Club.

Robert is a guest speaker, sports journalist, bestselling and award-winning book author, book reviewer, genealogist, self-trained historian, Chiefs fan, former one-design racing sailor and budding screenwriter.

The NIEA, National Indie Excellence Awards, has invited him to join their 2023 Speakers Bureau, and he frequently speaks at Rotary Clubs throughout the Midwest as well as at other organizations around Kansas City Metro, does radio and podcast interviews.

He most recently received a Bronze Medal from the Military Writer’s Society of America for Honor Through Sacrifice, his inaugural book. The biography of Gordon Joseph Lippman, who married a Kansas woman from Council Grove, Lucille Meyer. After serving in various assignments domestically and overseas, Gordon briefly held the position of Post Commandant at Fort Riley before accepting a preferred field command with the 1st Infantry Division in Vietnam during late 1965. Now ranking as the Executive Officer of the 3rd Brigade/Big Red One, Colonel Lippman was first and foremost, a warrior and not a desk-man.

This book chronicles Gordon’s 22-year Army career from an 18-year old buck private paratrooper through two battlefield commissions simultaneously earning the respect and admiration of his superiors, peers, troopers and family members. He earned some of the most prestigious combat medals and recognition awarded by the US Army, receiving honors from 5 separate countries for his courage and leadership under fire.

Amazon recognized this book as a best-seller within two weeks of release in late October of 2021.

Robert and his wife of 42 years, Patricia, live in Kansas City, KS. He grew up in Chanute and after working internationally as an IT consultant, returned to Kansas half-a-dozen years ago. He recently completed a nation-wide speaking and book tour, as well as a journey to Southern France where he visited the same battlefields, bridges, towns and drop zone where Gordon, as a Tech-Sergeant, led his men against Hitler’s Fortress Europe 78 years ago.

Robert has a passion for biographies and history, served in the US Marine Corps as a Corporal in the early 70’s and is actively working on several writing projects from theology to sports and back again to histories/biographies. Robert works for Brainstorm Labs in his day-job, is a member of Lenexa Baptist Church and Vice President of Village West Rotary in KCK. He is also a member of the Henry Leavenworth Sons of the American Revolution and the Commemorative Air Force Heart of America Wing.

https://holdthelinepress.com/

Member Tom Mach Invites You to Visit His Facebook Page

11/4/2022

I'm on
http://www.Facebook.com/kansasauthor
and have been posting many of my verses there. Please scroll down on my Facebook page and if you saying anything you like, let me know. Hope you are enjoying life to the fullest.

Tom Mach
District 2

Member Book Now Available on Audio

11/4/2022

The #1 Best Seller, THE HILLS BE SHAKEN novel is now available on audio through iTunes and Audible!

When disaster strikes Kansas, the FBI needs an engineer. His name is Mose Haley.

https://www.audible.com/pd/B0BKJK12NJ

An Invitation from our Friends at The Writers Place

11/3/2022

November 9, 7:00pm
"Writing for Children: Why and How"
by David L. Harrison

2022 Coffin Memorial Nonfiction Book Award

11/3/2022

Note from the Judge:
Arguably, nonfiction books are more divergent than any other type of writing. The following questions provide a practical approach for judging such books: (1) Would a person interested in the subject pull the book off the shelf? (2) Would they want to look inside? (3) Would they be tempted to explore the book further? (4) If they read the book, would they find accurate, up-to-date facts and would their expectations otherwise be met? (5) Does the book provide a bonus—something unexpectedly satisfying?

If you are a cat-lover, you likely would pull A Cat Named Fatima by James Kenyon DVM from a shelf. Being a sensitive and intelligent person (as are most cat-lovers), you would be attracted to the cover art of the book—the soft, warm colors in the picture of a young girl watching a cat; the playfulness of the cat paws worked into the title; the subtitle, “Tales of 23 Cats & the People Who Loved Them;” and, on the back cover, proof the book is, indeed, written by a “DVM”—a veterinarian who obviously loves cats. Open the book, skim a few pages and be prepared to want to explore the book further. As you read, your initial impressions will be confirmed.

However, James Kenyon has not written an ordinary cute cat book. Each cat is introduced with an ode containing hints of what will follow. Kenyon slips in facts about cats and gives his readers insight into how veterinarians approach medical issues. Throughout the book he shows compassion for pets and pet owners and respect for his readers’ intelligence and their ability to handle technical terms and concepts. The cartoon-like illustrations of artist Thomas Marple add to the book’s charm. This, indeed, is a book filled with unexpectedly satisfying bonuses.

Cecilia Harris
2022 J. Donald & Bertha Coffin Memorial
Nonfiction Book Judge

Cecilia Harris resides in the historic town of Abilene where she has been a professional freelance writer for over 30 years, specializing in travel writing for the Kansas Tourism Division and other travel industry entities. In KANSAS! magazine alone, she has written over 250 articles featuring over 700 locations in the state. She also has written both state and area visitors guides, blogs about Kansas cuisine, arts, culture and heritage and Abilene attractions and events, online articles, and two books, Historic Homes of Abilene and Abilene’s Carousel. Also using her services have been the President Dwight D. Eisenhower Foundation, Meredith Corporation, Madden Media, the Kansas I-70 Association, the Kansas Society of Association Executives, and 10 regional magazines.

James Kenyon accepts the Coffin Memorial Nonfiction Book Award from Kristine Polansky

Coffin Memorial Book Award Winners

2022 Children's Book Award Winner

11/3/2022

Note from the Judge:
The recipient of the Kansas Authors Club Children’s Book Award is Janey Olsen, Famous Artist of the Beach, written and illustrated by H.C. Friesen with original paintings by Grace Baity. Janey Olsen shares with its readers what it means to be an artist. The protagonist, who turns ten during this formative summer vacation, is inspired by her innate desire to create art, and she is supported in her efforts by other artists in her family, including a mother who makes and sells jewelry and a cousin who is an emerging photographer. These are people who understand, take seriously, support, and value this child’s artistic impulses. Janey experiments with different media while aspiring to be recognized at the upcoming Festival of the Arts, and we are privy to her development as we turn the pages of the volume and see the charming and engaging pictures that she is making. Almost every page has some visual enhancement, nurturing and perpetuating the theme of the novel. In the process of honing her craft, Janey learns how to see others more clearly, becoming a kinder and more generous person and learning to value collaboration and community rather than competition. Friesen offers a strong sense of her novel’s setting, North Carolina’s Outer Banks, including visual attributes such as a map, photographs, and evocative illustrations throughout the volume. Moreover, her volume offers wonderful resources in its back matter, including Janey’s own list of tips for “How to Be a Famous Artist of the Beach” as well as Friesen’s rich resource unit for drawing and coloring a lighthouse, among other materials. Beautiful endpapers enhance the total design of her volume. Altogether, this is a well-unified and beautiful book, and its form astutely enhances its themes.

Professor Anne K. Phillips
2022 Kansas Authors Club Children’s Book Judge

Anne K. Phillips is Professor of English at Kansas State University. A specialist in children’s and adolescent literature, she has published and edited numerous works on authors such as Louisa May Alcott, Frances Hodgson Burnett, Laura Ingalls Wilder, Louise Erdrich, Andrew Clements, and others. She teaches courses such as illustration in children’s literature, film adaptations of children’s classics, American history through family sagas in children’s literature, and more. A Past President of the international Children’s Literature Association, the Modern Language Association’s division on children’s literature, and the Louisa May Alcott Society, Phillips has served on the Kansas Notable Books Committee and the William Allen White (Kansas children’s choice award) Selection Committee.

H.C. and Rob Friesen: Holly is the author of Janey Olsen Famous Artist of the Beach, winner of the 2022 Kansas Authors Club Children's Book Award.

Kansas Authors Club Children's Book Award Winners

2022 Kansas Martin History Book Award

11/3/2022

Note from the Judge:
Cheryl Unruh’s Gravedigger’s Daughter is an insightful, generous-spirited book that creates a vivid sense of both place and time by telling the story of growing up in Pawnee Rock, a small town in Barton County during the 1960s and ‘70s. Unruh’s relationship with her father, an unassuming yet extraordinary man, is affectionately and unsentimentally rendered. The author’s understanding of the character of her father and hometown is delineated by an original writing style that is lean, colloquial, and understated while at the same time detailed, colorful, and intense; the language is both plain-spoken and elegant. The natural and cultural history of the place are woven into the narrative in fresh and surprising ways that enable the reader to experience multiple dimensions of Kansas history while following the ups and downs of the lives of the people featured in the story.

Ron Parks
2022 Martin Kansas History Judge

A fifth-generation Kansan, Ron Parks grew up in Minneapolis, Kansas, where he graduated from high school in 1967. Ron was executive director of the Kansas Eisenhower Centennial Commission from 1988 through October 1990. He also served for eight years as director of the Kaw Mission State Historic Site. Published by the University of Oklahoma Press in 2014, his book, The Darkest Period: The Kanza Indians and Their Last Homeland, 1846-1873, won both the 2014 Prairie Heritage Book Award and the Santa Fe Trail Association’s Louis Barry Writing Award. The Darkest Period was selected as a 2015 Kansas Notable Book. Ron has also written numerous historical articles about Hays, Council Grove, and Minneapolis.

Kristine Polansky, 2022 Vice President of Kansas Authors Club, presents Cheryl Unruh with the Nelson Poetry Award for Gravedigger's Daughter.

Martin Kansas History Book Award Winners

Jerilynn Henrikson Presents at D2 Monthly Meeting in Emporia

11/3/2022

You are Invited to ATtend

KAC District 2
Please join us on November 19, 2022
Third Saturday of the Month
10:30 am-12:00 pm
Flinthills Tech College
3301 W. 18th Ave
Emporia, Ks
Live or Zoom meeting

As a retired English teacher, Jerilynn has always loved teaching, telling, reading, watching, and writing stories. To date, Jerilynn has published nine children's picture books, an adult memoir, and a Young Adult historical fiction novel. She is currently working on a story loosely based on her grandmother’s childhood in the early 1900s. Her work reflects her sense of humor, love of words, and eye for detail.

Jerilynn finds her inspiration in the rolling hills of East Central Kansas. No matter the subject of a current work, she is motivated by the people, history, and changing seasons of this place.

As a student of history and language, she enjoys traveling to beautiful places. But ultimately, she finds the greatest joy in travel is coming home.

We have so many opportunities to participate and support other authors.

Other News to share:

We had a wonderful convention full of learning and growing in our craft.
We encourage you to go to the KAC website and watch the slideshow and read about the contest winners.
Also, check out the new members and all of the new writings of our members.
Remember to find new information and events in your area news and on our Facebook page!

Happy Writing!
Deb Irsik
District 2 Co-Chair

Murder By the Books

11/2/2022

Cynthia (Cindy) Schaker, first year member of D5, wrote a play titled Murder By the Books. This comedic murder mystery is the entertainment portion of a dinner theater production.

In the fall, Cardinal Creek Farms in rural Butler County, a wedding/family event venue, stages an all-local talent performance. For the second year, Cindy wrote and directed her original play. This year she set the play in a library and based it loosely on members of our writing critique group which meets monthly at Reliant Bookstore in El Dorado. When the person playing Marla had to drop out, Sandee Taylor (D5) was asked to play herself as the leader of The Mystery Writers Group. She has enjoyed transforming her rather serious personality into a comedic character. She instructs the group saying, “It is only a mystery until it is solved.” During the intermission, diners cast ballots for whom they believe committed the murder.

The production November 6 of Murder By the Books will be an evening of good food, laughter, and fun with friends.

Congratulations to the following members who will be published in Issue #4 (the food issue) of 105 Meadowlark Reader: A Kansas Journal of Creative Nonfiction

10/25/2022

Lindsey Bartlett teaches composition and literature at Emporia State University. An Emporian by choice, she lives in the Flint Hills region of Kansas where she spends her days writing in various coffee shops, holed up at home with a good book, or driving the countryside for good photo opportunities. You can find her wherever there is a sunset. Bartlett has published one poetry collection, Vacant Childhood. Her writing and photography have appeared in The Write Bridge, Flint Hills Review, 105 Meadowlark Reader, and The Wyandotte Window.

Boyd Bauman grew up on a small ranch south of Bern, Kansas, with his dad the storyteller and his mom the family scribe. He has published two books of poetry: Cleave and Scheherazade Plays the Chestnut Tree Café. After stints in New York, Colorado, Alaska, Japan, and Vietnam, Boyd now is a librarian and writer in Kansas City, inspired by his three lovely muses. Visit him at boydbauman.weebly.com.

Cathy Callen was born in Kansas City, Missouri. Since then, though, she has lived mostly in Kansas. Her father worked for Southwestern Bell, and every time he was promoted, the family got to see more of Kansas. They lived in Sunflower, Manhattan, Hays, Salina, Topeka, and Wichita. Her career as a teacher and special education coordinator with Topeka Public Schools kept her in the state for more than thirty years. After retiring, she moved to Lawrence with her soon-to-be husband, Barry, and it is her current favorite Kansas location. She likes the Lawrence Busker Festival, the Art Tougeau parade, the library, The Raven Bookstore, the political environment, the summer pooch swim, Liberty Hall, Wheatfield’s Bakery, and walking on the KU campus and in her friendly neighborhood.

Annabelle Corrick was born and raised in Topeka, lived in five other Kansas towns and three other states, returned to Topeka the last decade, and currently resides in Columbia, Missouri. She earned advanced degrees from Emporia State University and Kansas State University and was the Kansas Authors Club 2015 Prose Writer of the Year. Her writings have appeared in The Poet’s Art, 2016 Kansas Voices Writing Contest, Well Versed, and other publications. Her most awesome Kansas experience has been standing against the wind and viewing the vast vista of western Kansas where her paternal grandparents pioneered.

Michael Durall grew up in the thriving metropolis of Pawnee Rock, Kansas, population 250. He was the champion sentence diagrammer in his sixth grade English class, which eventually led to his writing nine books about his work as a consultant to nonprofit organizations. He lives in Salina and writes a weekly column for the Salina 311 newspaper and has recently published a book of essays from local residents for the Salina Arts and Humanities Commission on the theme of The Day That Changed My Life Forever.

Mark O. J. Esping first lived in a Swede-Town in Pottawatomie County. He graduated from Bethany, a Swedish-Lutheran College. He reprinted NEQUA, a feminist sci-fi novel first published in Topeka, Kansas, in 1900. Mark directed www.folklifeinstitute.com, a nonprofit, and two N.E.A. Folk Art grants. His work has appeared in The Clarion Folk Art, Country Living, Scandinavian Review, Victorian Homes, and Hemslöjden. He is an Eagle Scout and a veteran. He and his wife share a home in Merriam, Kansas, with three near-feral cats. Twin deer occasionally graze in their backyard. Mark tells stories, true stories, with a humorous nature and a hint of morality. In collection they are packets of maps that are Near Invisible, Like Footprints in Ever Shifting Sand.

Beth Gulley first moved to Newton, Kansas, when she was two. Her family moved to Latin America, but Beth returned to the Olathe area for college where she met her husband. They moved to Paola, Kansas, to raise their family. Beth has advanced degrees from UMKC and the University of Kansas. She teaches writing at Johnson County Community College. Her recent writing is included in Kansas City Voices, Dragonfly Magazine, Kansas Speaks Out, and The Write Bridge. She has published three full-length poetry collections: The Sticky Note Alphabet, Dragon Eggs, and The Love of Ornamental Fish. She currently resides in Spring Hill, Kansas, which gives her easy access to Hillsdale Lake where she enjoys trail running and fishing.

Carolyn Hall is an award-winning author who grew up on a farm outside Olmitz, Kansas. Her childhood on the farm provided wonderful memories which she shared in her book, Prairie Meals and Memories: Living the Golden Rural. It was named to the Kansas Sesquicentennial’s Best 150 Books list. Her stories and poems have appeared in Chicken Soup for the Soul, The Christian Science Monitor, The Kansas City Star, and various anthologies. She lives in Lenexa, Kansas.

Jerilynn Jones Henrikson, a retired English teacher, has always loved teaching, telling, reading, watching, and writing stories. To date, Jerilynn has published nine children’s picture books, an adult memoir, and a young adult historical fiction novel. Her work reflects her sense of humor, love of words, and talent for detail. Jerilynn finds her inspiration in the rolling hills of east central Kansas. No matter the subject of a current work, she is motivated by the people, history, and changing seasons of this place. As a student of history and language, she enjoys traveling to beautiful places. But ultimately, she finds the greatest joy in travel is coming home. www.prairiepatchwork.com

Thomas N. Holmquist is a fifth-generation farmer and rancher near Smolan, Kansas. He also is a retired teacher in the Smoky Valley School District having taught music, American History, and agriculture for forty-four years. He has also published three books, including Pioneer Cross, Swedish Settlements Along the Smoky Hill Bluffs, Bluestem, a novel, and Salemsborg, A History of the Salemsborg Church and Community, Volume 1, 1869-1939, for which he won the Award of Commendation for Lutheran Church History from the Augustana Historical Association. Tom has several writing projects in the works in between feeding cows, putting up hay, and planting and harvesting crops.

Deb Irsik was the owner of Makin’ Waves Salon in Emporia, Kansas, and retired from the beauty industry after twenty-five years. She is a Kansas girl and shares her life with her husband Mike, and children John and Emily. Deb is a member of the Kansas Authors Club and Emporia Writers Group. Deb’s favorite thing about Kansas is the people. “Most people in Kansas have a strong work ethic and family values. The beautiful Flint Hills and Kansas sunsets are second to none. What’s not to like?” Poetry and lyrics have always been part of her life, but she felt a call to write middle-grade Christian fiction after her daughter found it difficult to be “that God girl” in eighth grade. “It is my hope that my books will encourage young people to hold onto values and faith as they navigate their teen years.” Deb’s “Heroes by Design” series was completed in 2020, and she hopes to dedicate her time to creating a book of poetry and continuing to write essays, prose, and fiction. Deb can be found online: facebook.com/D.A.Irsikauthor, Twitter:@Writerwannabe1, www.dairsik.com, amazon.com/author/dairsik, https://instagram.com/debirsik/

Miriam Iwashige lives on a three-acre property outside of Partridge, Kansas, near where her preacher-farmer dad and mom raised twelve children. She aims to live large from this small place, just as the land and sky around the property suggest. Reading, earning a bachelor’s degree, teaching, conversing, and traveling have often fostered large living, as did homeschooling her children and investing deeply in many aspects of homemaking, gardening, animal husbandry, nature study, and church and community life. She and her Japanese-immigrant husband parented three sons who all live nearby right now. Those who have joined their sons’ families through marriage or birth (nine grandchildren!) spent childhood years in such diverse places as Bangladesh, Kenya, El Salvador, and Washington state.

Sally Jadlow grew up in Ft. Scott, Kansas. After marriage, she and her husband moved to Overland Park. Teaching creative writing for the Kansas City Writers Group is one of her joys. She writes historical fiction, inspirational stories, devotionals, and poetry. Sally has published thirteen books. Her work has appeared in many compilations including Chicken Soup for the Soul and many other publications. Her books are available on Amazon.com. Sally also loves to bake, cinnamon rolls, her specialty. Family Favorites from the Heartland contain her favorite recipes. The eastern Kansas countryside with its gently rolling hills claims Sally’s most favorite area of the state. She believes what Dorothy says, “There’s no place like home,” is true—if you live in Kansas.

Amy Deckert Kliewer has lived her entire life in Kansas. She grew up in Pawnee Rock, Kansas, and went to high school in Larned. After attending Bethel College and graduating from the University of Kansas, Amy lived and worked in the Kansas City metro area as a civil engineer. Recently retired, Amy and her husband moved to North Newton to enjoy the smalltown feeling and be close to family. She is enjoying exploring her Next Chapter.

Nancy Julien Kopp grew up in the Chicago area and moved to Kansas, her adopted state and home, in 1975. She started writing in her mid-fifties, realizing a long-held dream. She has been published in many anthologies, including twenty-three times in Chicken Soup for the Soul books, in addition to publication on websites, in magazines, and in newspapers. She writes creative nonfiction, including personal essays and short memoir pieces, and also poetry, short fiction for children, and articles on the craft of writing. Nancy and her retired husband live in Manhattan, Kansas, and are strong supporters of all things K-State. She is mother to two and grandmother to four. She is a voracious reader and enjoys playing bridge. www.writergrannysworld.blogspot.com

Marilyn Hope Lake, PhD, writes short fiction, poetry, plays and children’s picture books. She has many awards for writing, including through the Kansas Authors Club contests. Dr. Lake’s first-place story, “Harry’s Stone,” was published in Words Out of the Flatlands; Kansas Writers Association. Lake has been published in Rock Springs Review, STIR, Well-Versed: Literary Works, the Gasconade Review, and the Mizzou Alumni Magazine. Marilyn lived in Hutchinson, Kansas, from 2002-2017, is a Kansas Authors Club ten-year member, and was a facilitator of the 2014 Annual Conference. Her Kansas favorites are the Wichita Art Museum, State Fair, Underground Salt Mine, Delos V. Smith Senior Center, Hutchinson, and others. Although she misses her Kansas friends, she is happy to live with her dog, Hugo, and near family in Columbia, Missouri.

A Kansan through and through, Sandee Lee celebrates being published in every edition of 105 Meadowlark Reader. Her favorite writing topic for nonfiction and fiction is Kansas. The turmoil of the mid-1800s in the Lawrence area is the topic of her current fiction project. Relaxing on her porch with her two border collies lying by her feet and watching cattle graze on the hillside is where you’ll find Sandee most evenings except in the winter months. From that porch she can observe the homestead where her family has lived since 1925.

Errin D. Moore, an emigrant from Montana, has called Kansas home for eight years. She lives in the Flint Hills near Leon with her husband, infant son, and eighteen-year-old stepson—along with their menagerie of chickens, turkeys, geese, pigs, and an overabundance of cats. She fell in love with the unique beauty Kansas offers, most especially the magnificent sunsets. Errin and her husband own Able and Ready Appliance Repair. She runs the office from home while raising Oliver. She was a teacher and administrator for nineteen years, and she owned and operated a bookstore in El Dorado. Her humorous, touching, and unique sense of voice is especially effective when she writes about the joys and challenges of being a first-time mother at the age of forty-four.

Audrey Phillips is a Kansan through and through. She grew up in Overland Park, attended the University of Kansas, and is now living in Kansas City, Missouri. Audrey loves to represent her favorite parts of being a Kansan by cheering on her Jayhawks or Chiefs or Sporting Kansas City. Audrey loves Kansas because of the way everyone feels like family here. She is a proud midwesterner and strives to promote the kindness that midwesterners possess. She has always loved to write, even from a young age. She was and continues to be inspired by her famous Aunt Mary-Lane Kamberg who has published many books in her time as an author. Even though now she lives right across the state line, Kansas will always be her home.

Cynthia Schaker (Cindy), a retired Kansas educator of thirty-seven years, grew up on a farm outside of Hamilton, Kansas, in Greenwood County. Cindy taught grades six through eight at Towanda Grade School and served as school counselor at Circle Middle School in Butler County. One of her favorite places in Kansas is the Flint Hills because they remind her of going home. She currently resides in El Dorado, Kansas, with her rescue dog Moxie. Cindy does volunteer work in the Gift Shop at Susan B. Allen Memorial Hospital in El Dorado. She serves as President of the SBAMH Auxiliary. She loves humorous writing and penning stories from her childhood. She recently had her humorous murder mystery play performed at Cardinal Creek Farm in Butler County.

Julie A. Sellers was raised in the Flint Hills near the small town of Florence, Kansas. She currently resides in Atchison, Kansas, where she is an Associate Professor (Spanish) and Chair of the Department of World Languages and Cultures at Benedictine College. Julie’s creative work has appeared in publications such as Cagibi, Wanderlust, Unlost, The Write Launch, and Kansas Time + Place. Julie was the 2020 Kansas Authors Club Prose Writer of the Year, and the Overall Poetry Winner (2022) and Overall Prose Winner (2017, 2019) of the Kansas Voices Contest. She is the author of Kindred Verse: Poems Inspired by Anne of Green Gables (Blue Cedar Press, 2021) and the novel, Ann of Sunflower Lane (Meadowlark, 2022).

Perry Shepard is a Vietnam veteran who has written two novels: The Hero versus Me and Monkey Jo, and Hard Love. He co-wrote two plays in the anthology titled Annabelle. He won a second-place award in Eber and Wein’s Best American Poetry of 2013, and an honorable mention in Writer’s Digest 84th annual Poetry Competition. Perry is a member and former District 2 president of Kansas Authors Club. He makes his home in Eudora, Kansas.

A month after the sudden death of her second husband, Anne L. Spry had a mystical dream that detailed a new business based on capturing personal history for writing memoir. She had already begun publishing books through Createspace for herself and others following a twenty-seven-year career as a newspaper publisher and editor. Since the fortuitous dream, Spry and partner Cheri Battrick have developed a DIY Memoir Kit and Spry has expanded her book publishing to some two dozen titles under the Personal Chapters LLC banner. They include children’s books, memoir and fiction, and a few titles authored by Spry. Anne serves as President of District 1 of Kansas Authors Club and produces a newsletter for that group and another for a local Sweet Adelines group. She is married to a retired military pilot, and they live on a family acreage south of Topeka where Anne spent her first five years.

Chuck Warner is a lifelong Kansan. After growing up in Wichita, he has lived in Lawrence since first attending the University of Kansas in the 1960s. With business and law degrees, he embarked on a nearly forty-year career in business and banking. After he retired in 2008, he began writing about his maternal grandfather and in 2019 Birds, Bones, and Beetles: The Improbable Career and Remarkable Legacy of University of Kansas Naturalist Charles D. Bunker was published by the University Press of Kansas. In 2020 his book was recognized as a Kansas Notable book, and also won awards for the best Kansas history and best book layout from the Kansas Authors Club, and was a finalist in the High Plains Book Awards.

Barbara Waterman-Peters is an artist by training and a writer by chance. Both pursuits have come together over the years in her articles about art and artists for such publications as Topeka, Kansas, and New Art Examiner magazines, in her book cover paintings for authors such as Marcia Cebulska’s Watching Men Dance, and in her collaborations with poets, most recently, Two Ponders: A Collaboration with Dennis Etzel, Jr. Co-owner of Pen & Brush Press with author Glendyn Buckley, Waterman-Peters illustrated their first two children’s books, The Fish’s Wishes and Bird which won awards from Kansas Authors Club. She co-wrote and illustrated their third book, TING & the Caterbury Tales, which came out this spring. Recently her fiction piece, “The Critique,” appeared in The Pen Woman and her creative non-fiction and poetry have been included in several anthologies. She lives in Topeka and her studio is in the NOTO Arts & Entertainment District. She spent five years living in rural Jackson County and Holton.

Cat Webling is an actress and author based in Kansas. She loves everything mad and macabre, philosophical and silly, so that’s exactly what she writes! Scifi, fantasy, and poetry are her mainstays when she’s not writing about literature, theater, gaming, or fan culture. She currently has a novel, a couple of short story collections, and several poetry collections under her belt. She works as an editor for SUPERJUMP Magazine, is an active member of the Kansas Authors Club, and daylights as a copywriter for hire. Cat writes from her home in Russell, which she shares with her loving partner, adorable son, and several very cute cats. You can find her work at www.catwebling.com.

Theme for Issue #5 (Nov 1 - Dec 31, 2022 Submission Period):
Animal Stories

Remember that our themes are simply prompts to spur your essays. There are so many directions you can go. Surprise us. Engage us. Help us remember what it was like to tame a nest of wild kittens. How did mom react when those kits turned out to be skunks? Ever snuggle with a turtle? Communicate with an owl? Swim with your pet snake?
Personal essays are welcome, but we are also looking for interviews, journalistic pieces, and more. Do you know a veterinarian who deserves the spotlight? Is there an animal shelter leading the way whose operations deserve to be highlighted? There are so many true stories that need to be told.
Remember, It must be a true story that happened, all or partially, in Kansas. Can your story leave the boundaries of Kansas? Sure! But you must show us that Kansas connection!

Learn More

2022 Literary Contest Results (Adult Prose & Poetry Categories

10/24/2022

Congratulations to
Duane Johnson
2022 Poet of the Year!

Congratulations to
Julie A. Sellers
2022 Prose Writer
of the Year!

Thank you to our
contest managers

Poetry Contest Manager: Linzi Garcia

Linzi Garcia plays with language in poetry, essays, book reviews, and publicity materials. Her full-length poetry collection Thank You was published by Spartan Press in 2018. She and her partner Jase Buck co-authored a chapbook, Live a Great Story (Analog Submission Press 2019), about their short but impactful time in England. Most recently, she co-authored a travel poetry collection While Away, with Kevin Rabas and Brett Seaton.

Linzi has a BA and MA in English and currently attends law school at Washburn University. Linzi also currently works as the Poetry Press Editor and Publicist for Meadowlark Press.

Linzi became involved with KAC after building friendships with members across the state, particularly in Salina, Emporia, and Lawrence. She served as the 2020 free verse poetry contest judge and, after joining the club in 2021, served as poetry contest manager in 2021 and 2022.

Prose Contest Manager: Lindsey Bartlett

Convention News and Wrap-Up!

10/24/2022

What a fantastic weekend we had in Lawrence, Kansas. Contest results and recordings of the speakers (for in-person and virtual attendees) will be loaded as quickly as we can get to them. Thank you for your patience!

Meanwhile, enjoy the slideshow of highlights on the convention page. Keep checking back as we will be adding more.

Thank you to all who presented, attended, coordinated, and worked to run the show!

Finding Markets for Publication

10/20/2022

Member Julie Stielstra, author of Opulence, Kansas, and Scratched, shared this note today on our Facebook page.

We thought it was worth passing along. (Shared with Julie's permission.)

Some sites I've found very helpful:

1) duotrope.com (annual fee optional for best functionality) - searchable data repository with links to publishing sources and literary agents, lots of stats, interviews with editors, submission tracker for your work.

(2) Submittable.com (free to use) - widely used submission tool, but under the "Discover" heading lists lots of calls for submissions, contests, etc. Only tracks submissions done through this platform.

(3) Newpages.com (free) - includes info for calls for submissions, contests, workshops, conferences, and more.

I check all three of these sites for opportunities to submit, and track my submissions on Duotrope and/or Submittable. Beats handwritten sheets! :-)

<<Previous

Forward>>

2022 Nelson Poetry Book Award Winner

2022 Coffin Memorial Fiction Book Award Winner

Members Invited to D3/D4's Open Mic (Zoom!) - Tuesday, November 15

If you would like a link to attend, submit your details here

Call for Entries: Transportation Theme

Member Publishing News from Duane L. Herrmann

Two Members Nominated for the 48th Annual Pushcart Award

CONGRATULATIONS!

Welcome New Member Angee Barcus

Welcome New Member Robert Lofthouse

Member Tom Mach Invites You to Visit His Facebook Page

Member Book Now Available on Audio

An Invitation from our Friends at The Writers Place

2022 Coffin Memorial Nonfiction Book Award

2022 Children's Book Award Winner

2022 Kansas Martin History Book Award

Jerilynn Henrikson Presents at D2 Monthly Meeting in Emporia

You are Invited to ATtend

If you are a member or guest who would like to receive the link to attend via zoom, please enter your information here:

Murder By the Books

Congratulations to the following members who will be published in Issue #4 (the food issue) of 105 Meadowlark Reader: A Kansas Journal of Creative Nonfiction

2022 Literary Contest Results (Adult Prose & Poetry Categories

Congratulations to
Duane Johnson
2022 Poet of the Year!

Congratulations to
Julie A. Sellers
2022 Prose Writer
of the Year!

Thank you to our
contest managers

Convention News and Wrap-Up!

Thank you to all who presented, attended, coordinated, and worked to run the show!

Finding Markets for Publication

Categories

Contact Us

Categories

Archives

If you would like a link to attend, submit your details here

CONGRATULATIONS!

You are Invited to ATtend

If you are a member or guest who would like to receive the link to attend via zoom, please enter your information here:

Congratulations toDuane Johnson2022 Poet of the Year!

Congratulations to Julie A. Sellers2022 Prose Writer of the Year!

Thank you to our contest managers

Thank you to all who presented, attended, coordinated, and worked to run the show!

Categories

Contact Us

Categories

Archives

Congratulations to
Duane Johnson
2022 Poet of the Year!

Congratulations to
Julie A. Sellers
2022 Prose Writer
of the Year!

Thank you to our
contest managers