Category: Invitation To Attend

Topeka couple to offer D-1 program on co-authoring pitfalls, positives

5/4/2021

If you have ever considered entering the murky realm of co-authoring you'll want to hear what Stephen and Rosie Williams of Topeka have to say. They're presenting at the May 15 District 1 zoom meeting at 1 p.m. The couple launched their book, "Nine Pairs of Boots in Vietnam: Steps to Healing Every Veteran Needs to Know," during the pandemic and have been promoting it as part of the state veterans group Stephen coordinates, Point Man Ministries.
Information on the link to the zoom meeting will be posted later.

PRISCA BARNES ADDRESSES WRITING FOR CHILDREN AT D5 MEETING MAY 8

4/26/2021

Prisca Barnes directs Storytime Village and has written a children’s book on The Dockum Sit-ins, the first successful student-led sit-ins of the civil rights movement which happened in Wichita in 1958. She will speak about writing racially inclusive books for kids, followed by a writing prompted exercise for participants.

Join us on Zoom May 8 at 1:30 by clicking the button below to register for this informative presentation. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

Registration for May 8

"inspiring a lifelong love of reading for underserved Kansas children" www.storytimevillage.org

April 27, 7pm Author Talk - Register now to attend!

4/22/2021

April Author Talk: Ronda Miller

Author of:
I Love the Child

Winner: 2020 Kansas Authors Club Children's Book Award

Tuesday, April 27, 7pm
Click here to register
(must register to attend)

Ronda will be talking about education vs. entertainment, the importance of layered messaging, finding and working with an illustrator, inclusivity, and her objectives in writing this book.

Don't forget to support our Kansas Authors! Buy a book. Review a book. Send a note of appreciation about a book. You can order Ronda's book from her publisher, Kellogg Press, or wherever you buy books!

"After careful deliberation we have chosen I Love the Child, by Ronda Miller. First, the size and feel of the book would make it easy to read to a small group of children. The illustrations beautifully matched the poem on the page. There was diversity of ethnicity, physical condition, and gender. The Spanish co-text should make it appealing to a wide range of children. We could identify characteristics of children we have raised and known, and think that older children could see themselves in some of these characters. We think the book could be used with a wide age range. The cooking section expands the number of activities that could be used with the book. This is a book that we would like to give to important young people in our lives."

Allison and Gary Haworth, 2020 Judges, Kansas Authors Club Childrens' Book Award

Ruth Maus to present program on value of Submittable for authors at April 17 District 1 zoom

4/13/2021

The featured District 1 speaker for April will be Ruth Maus, giving a presentation on what is Submittable and how to use it to help you find opportunities for publication for your writing. She will give us a Power Point Presentation and a real time connection to the Submittable website to show how to keep track of work you've submitted, how to do key word searches and more. Learn how to use this free and easy program and increase your chances of getting published.

Ruth Maus, a native of Topeka, Kansas, has followed a love of learning around the world, with languages, curiosity, and an appreciation for all beings a constant thread.
She represented Smith College at the annual Glasscock Intercollegiate Poetry Contest where past contestants have included James Merrill, Sylvia Plath, Katha Pollit, Mary Jo Salter, James Agee, Frederick Buechner, Kenneth Koch, Donald Hall, William Manchester, Muriel Rukeyser, and Gjertrud Schnackenberg. Her poems have appeared in Inscape, Grecourt Review, Lighten Up Online, The Death Book Project, River City Poetry, and Orchards Poetry Journal.

Her poetry book “Valentine” was a finalist in the 2019 Meadowlark Birdy Poetry Prize.

She currently lives in Topeka where she writes poems, novels, and short stories when not teaching her cat amazing tricks with which to bore her friends.

Anyone wishing to join the District 1 zoom meeting at 1 p.m. on April 17 may join at this link.

Kansas Authors Club District 7 to meet April 17 in Garden City

4/3/2021

Members of District 7 of Kansas Authors Club will be meeting at the Clarion Inn, 1911 E. Kansas Ave., Garden City, at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, April 17 for their Spring Convention.

They invite other interested writers/authors to join the meeting to hear Janice Northerns, Liberal, review her new book Some Electric Hum.

Northerns, a native of Texas, is a retired professor of literature. She and her husband taught English and Creative Writing at Seward County Community College. Her poems range from Texas to Kansas. She will also entertain questions from the audience.

Please bring to the group any item of interest that you have produced recently, poetry or prose, to share with the group. For more information and to reserve a place at the meeting and luncheon, please contact Sheryl Brenn, Levant, at 785-443-1066.

It's not often you see a whole life that's gone into a book, but here we have just that. Janice Northerns lives this life intensely, and lives intensely in language. At the core of this book are the raw elements of birth, love, and death; while surrounding them are sophisticated yet impassioned readings of the violence of history, class, and social codes. These are poems to be read both largely and closely, for the stories they tell, and for their turns of poetic craft. You don't just read this book, you enter it.
--William Wenthe

Flash Fiction to Improve Your Writing Skills

4/2/2021

D5 is hosting Amy Sage Webb-Baza at their regular monthly meeting Saturday, April 10 at 1:30.

Amy Sage Webb-Baza teaches at Emporia State and judged KAC’s 2020 Flash Fiction contest. She will speak about writing effective flash fiction, followed by a writing exercise for participants in writing flash fiction and sharing what they've written.

Please join us for a fun exploration of flash fiction. This form is rewarding to practice and fun to read. Writing flash fiction also offers techniques that can enhance prose of many lengths and types, including short stories, novels, nonfiction essays, and memoirs. Flash fiction even overlaps with and informs poetry. All writers will find some inspiration for their projects in this form.

Registration is required. To register for the April 10 presentation at 1:30, please click the button below.

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

Annual Writing Contest--Categories for Youth through Adults--Open April 1 through June 15

4/1/2021

2021 Theme Categories:
"Writing through Difficulties"

Featuring: 7 additional categories in prose and 7 additional categories in poetry

All Kansas Authors Club members are eligible to enter, regardless of residence.

All writers living in the state of Kansas may enter, regardless of membership.

We recommend you review the contest guidelines before entering.

Entries accepted April 1 through June 15.

Awards will be announced at the annual convention in October.

Upcoming Author Talk Schedule

3/28/2021

Kansas Authors Club is hosting a monthly “Author Talk” featuring an award-winning writer, with first priority given to authors who have won KAC book awards. The author will talk about an aspect of writing, publishing, or marketing (author's choice). The presentations are expected to last an hour to an hour and a half and will include time for questions and answers.

These events are being planned via Zoom, to take place on the 4th Tuesday of each month. The event will be open to all Kansas Authors Club members. A recording of the event will be made available to members who cannot attend live.

All Kansas Authors Club members are invited to attend. Considering membership? Select "potential new member" and register for one free Author Talk. We'd love to meet you.

April 27 Author Talk by
Ronda Miller

April Author Talk: Ronda Miller

Author of: I Love the Child

Winner: 2020 Kansas Authors Club Children's Book Award

Tuesday, April 27, 7pm
Click here to register
(must register to attend)

Ronda will be talking about education vs. entertainment, the importance of layered messaging, finding and working with an illustrator, inclusivity, and her objectives in writing this book.

Don't forget to support our Kansas Authors! Buy a book. Review a book. Send a note of appreciation about a book. You can order Ronda's book from her publisher, Kellogg Press, or wherever you buy books!

May 25 Author Talk by Roy Beckemeyer

May Author Talk:
Roy Beckemeyer

Stage Whispers

Winner:
2019 Nelson Poetry Book Award

Tuesday, May 25, 7pm
Click here to register
(must register to attend)

Roy will talk about the writing of his poetry book, Stage Whispers. Discussion will include how the chapters and layout came about, and how the poems were assigned to the chapters. He will read from the book as part of the discussion.

Don't forget to support our Kansas Authors! Buy a book. Review a book. Send a note of appreciation about a book. You can order Roy's book from publisher, Meadowlark Press, or wherever you buy books!

DENISE LOW TO ZOOM SPEAK SATURDAY, MARCH 27 FOR D6

3/24/2021

Denise Low, a former Poet Laureate of Kansas, will speak on Zoom this Saturday, March 27 @ 1:30 PM (CST).
Whether you write poetry or prose, Professor Low will read poetry from her newest book, Wing, and explain how the two genres are alike and different in order to show and tell.
Denise Low, Ph.D., has taught creative writing at the University of Richmond and the University of Kansas, and she founded the creative writing program at Haskell Indian Nations University, where she taught 25 years.
Denise will be joining the meeting from her home in Healdsburg, CA.
If you're interested in attending this free virtual event, contact Jim Potter, jim@copintheclassroom.com or 620-899-3144.

March 23 Author Talk - Michael D. Graves, author of All Hallows' Shadow

3/21/2021

March Author Talk:
Michael D. Graves

All Hallows' Shadows

Winner:
2020 J. Donald Coffin Memorial Book Award

Tuesday, March 23, 7pm
Click here to register
(must register to attend)

Mike will be talking about research methods he has used in writing the Pete Stone books.

Use Coupon Code: KAC21
in the Meadowlark Bookstore for 10% off of the Pete Stone novels. This coupon is good for KAC members through the end of April.

"In All Hallows’ Shadows, Michael D. Graves serves up both homage and an original take on the hard-boiled detective genre. The mean streets of the novel are historic Wichita, Kansas, which Mr. Graves renders impeccably, edging in a history lesson with his mystery. Graves, an evident baseball fan, hits through the cycle of the genre’s tropes, but does so in a manner entirely his own, realizing a style entirely his own. Out of a field of strong competition, my choice for the J. Donald Coffin Book Award is Michael D. Graves’s All Hallows’ Shadows."

-William Sheldon, judge, 2020 J. Donald Coffin Memorial Book Award

PROGRAM ON GRAPHIC DESIGN FOR BOOK COVERS, INTERIORS AT D1 ZOOM ON SATURDAY, MARCH 20

3/15/2021

Longtime District 1 member Carol Yoho will be presenting a program to members during the regular zoom meeting on Saturday, March 20 at 1 p.m. The focus of her presentation will be graphic design for book covers and interiors.

Carol has focused her career on graphic arts after earning a BFA degree from Washburn University and a MS degree in Media Technology at University of Wisconsin-Stout. She worked 6 years for Josten’s Yearbook Co. in Topeka, 13 years for the Media Development Center at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, 6 years for the University of Kansas Medical Center in Kansas City, KS, then returned, in 1996, to Topeka where she became an Adjunct Professor at Washburn University, teaching computer graphic design and web site development. She retired in 2015.

All members are welcome to attend this event via Zoom. Please email D1 President, Anne Spry, for an event link. Contact Anne

Roupe and Norris Speak at D5 on March 13 at 1:30

3/2/2021

Cindy Roupe is the Director of Reference and Eric Norris is the State Librarian for the Kansas State Library. They will speak about Kansas Notable books and the Kansas Book Festival. Annually a committee of academics, librarians, and authors of previous Notable Books identifies 15 quality titles from among those published the previous year, and Eric Norris, the State Librarian, makes the final selection. Books must be either written by Kansans or about a Kansas related topic. The Kansas Notable Book List gives visibility to contemporary writers in Kansas and encourages readers to enjoy their best writing. For 20 years September has brought the National Book Festival to Washington, DC. One notable book is selected from Kansas' award winners to be highlighted at this festival and an event honoring Kansas writers is held in Topeka. Learn more from our speakers!

Following a question and answer session, a brief club meeting and read-around will take place. Pieces are limited to less than 500 words. The suggested topic: A Positive Discovery I Have Made Due to the Covid-19 Lockdowns.

NOTE: This is a Zoom meeting. To register, click the button below.

D5 March 13 Meeting

Don't forget to register for our next Author Talk: Chuck Warner, author of Birds, Bones, and Beetles...

2/15/2021

The improbable career and Remarkable Legacy of University of Kansas Naturalist Charles D. Bunker

Tuesday, February 23, 7pm
Click here to register (must register to attend).

University Press of Kansas has agreed to offer members of KAC a 30% discount on copies of Warner's book. Beginning today, this offer is good through March 31, 2021, and applies only to online purchases from University Press of Kansas using the Promo Code KAC30. (https://kansaspress.ku.edu/978-0-7006-2773-8.html)

Winner:
2020 Martin Kansas History Book Award
&
2020 "Looks Like A Million" Design Award

“While reading Chuck Warner’s book, I felt myself being transported back in time and seeing life through the eyes of Charles Bunker. Birds, Bones, and Beetles tells the story of naturalist Charles Bunker's life from his early years in Illinois in the late 1800s through his long career at the University of Kansas. Much like Charles Bunker, the book itself is unassuming and down to earth. Warner takes care to not only reveal Bunker's strengths but also his flaws. Yet, the book is more than a biography. Warner ties Bunker into a larger world that include his relationships with his colleagues and family, developments within the University of Kansas, and the natural history of the state. This well written and well researched book is not only a treat to read but is a valuable contribution to the history of Kansas.”

-Thomas C. Percy, PhD, judge, 2020 Martin Kansas History Book Award

District 5 extends Invitation to attend February Meeting

2/6/2021

You are invited to a Zoom meeting.

When: Feb 13, 2021 01:30 PM Central Time (US and Canada)

Register in advance for this meeting:
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZUqc-yopjwoHN2ioy00kkxQgCeOpVsOReY9

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

Indie Publisher Meadowlark Press Presents Lessons Learned for Independent Authors

Tracy Million Simmons will introduce Meadowlark Press and share an overview of Meadowlark's model of publishing, including a review of today's tools of the trade. Tracy will share tips and tricks for navigating the quickly changing world of print-on-demand, including time for Q&A.

Tracy is an amazingly productive publisher and gives generously of her time to Kansas Authors Club. Her presentation will be invaluable for anyone writing and seeking to see their writing in print!

Bring paper or computers to do some writing if there is time after Tracy’s presentation.

Join us for the regular monthly meeting of D5 on Zoom, Saturday, February 13 at 1:30. Contact D5 president, Connie White, if you have questions.

February Author Talk, Chuck Warner, winner of the 2020 Martin Kansas History Book Award

1/30/2021

February Author Talk: Chuck Warner

Birds, Bones, and Beetles: The Improbable Career and Remarkable Legacy of University of Kansas Naturalist Charles D. Bunker

Winner:
2020 Martin Kansas History Book Award
&
2020 "Looks Like A Million" Design Award

Tuesday, February 23, 7pm
Click here to register (must register to attend).
University Press of Kansas has agreed to offer members of KAC a 30% discount on copies of Warner's book. Beginning today, this offer is good through March 31, 2021, and applies only to online purchases from University Press of Kansas using the Promo Code KAC30. (https://kansaspress.ku.edu/978-0-7006-2773-8.html)

“While reading Chuck Warner’s book, I felt myself being transported back in time and seeing life through the eyes of Charles Bunker. Birds, Bones, and Beetles tells the story of naturalist Charles Bunker's life from his early years in Illinois in the late 1800s through his long career at the University of Kansas. Much like Charles Bunker, the book itself is unassuming and down to earth. Warner takes care to not only reveal Bunker's strengths but also his flaws. Yet, the book is more than a biography. Warner ties Bunker into a larger world that include his relationships with his colleagues and family, developments within the University of Kansas, and the natural history of the state. This well written and well researched book is not only a treat to read but is a valuable contribution to the history of Kansas.”

-Thomas C. Percy, PhD, judge, 2020 Martin Kansas History Book Award

March Author Talk: Michael D. Graves

All Hallows' Shadows

Winner:
2020 J. Donald Coffin Memorial Book Award

Tuesday, March 23, 7pm
Click here to register (must register to attend).

"In All Hallows’ Shadows, Michael D. Graves serves up both homage and an original take on the hard-boiled detective genre. The mean streets of the novel are historic Wichita, Kansas, which Mr. Graves renders impeccably, edging in a history lesson with his mystery. Graves, an evident baseball fan, hits through the cycle of the genre’s tropes, but does so in a manner entirely his own, realizing a style entirely his own. Out of a field of strong competition, my choice for the J. Donald Coffin Book Award is Michael D. Graves’s All Hallows’ Shadows."

-William Sheldon, judge, 2020 J. Donald Coffin Memorial Book Award

April Author Talk: Ronda Miller

I Love the Children

Winner:
2020 Kansas Authors Club Childrens' Book Award

Tuesday, April 27, 7pm
Registration Link to Come (must register to attend).

District 6 Invites Members to tune in for talk by JEFF BROOME, AUTHOR OF INDIAN RAIDS & MASSACRES: ESSAYS ON THE CENTRAL PLAINS INDIAN WAR

1/21/2021

Meeting on Saturday, January 23 at 1:30pm on Zoom.

See this page for complete details.

Broome is an expert historian and writer on the interactions of the settlers, the army, and the Indians of our Western Plains. While many writers give a romanticized view of the West, Broome offers a view of warfare that includes an examination of the atrocities from both sides.
Thanks to the use of seldom seen original Indian depredation files held at the National Archives, Broome gives a rare first-hand account of the Wild West.

Coming 2021: Author Talks

1/16/2021

Kansas Authors Club will host a monthly “Author Talk” featuring an award-winning writer, with first priority given to authors who have won KAC book awards. The author will talk about an aspect of writing, publishing, or marketing (author's choice). The presentations are expected to last an hour to an hour and a half and will include time for questions and answers.

These events are being planned via Zoom, to take place on the 4th Tuesday of each month. The event will be open to all Kansas Authors Club members. A recording of the event will be made available to members who cannot attend live.

You must be a Kansas Authors Club member to attend an Author Talk. Not a member? Join today!

January Author Talk: Jon Kelly Yenser

The News as Usual

Winner: 2020 Nelson Poetry Book Award

Tuesday, January 26, 7pm
Click here to register (must register to attend).

The News as Usual is available from Twice Told Tales Bookshop, and wherever you buy books! Support Kansas literature by supporting a Kansas Author!

"The title for Jon Kelly Yenser’s 2019 collection of poems, The News as Usual, accurately and profoundly describes his poetry although the “usual” here is shown to be startling and wondrous and occasionally wry and subtly humorous. Yenser writes from the ground up in choosing both his words and the subjects for his poems, reflecting his recognition that the "news," that is, ordinary life during all seasons in Kansas—in fields, in the backyards of its small towns, and in friendships—can be astonishing.

"Neither idealizing nor prettifying his Kansas, Yenser chooses language precisely and astonishingly. He creates metaphors that make the familiar spring wondrously into new life, thereby making the usual news become unusual."

--Elizabeth A. Schultz, judge, 2020 Nelson Poetry Book Award

Tuesday, February 23, 7pm
Click here to register (must register to attend).

March Author Talk: Michael D. Graves

All Hallows' Shadows

Winner:
2020 J. Donald Coffin Memorial Book Award

Tuesday, March 23, 7pm
Click here to register (must register to attend).

HATTEBERG CONNECTS WITH PEOPLE

1/5/2021

Larry Hatteberg captured the hearts of Kansans because he connected with everyday people. He will be sharing his secrets for an award winning career in photojournalism and writing at the D5 monthly meeting Saturday. This talented, Kansas-raised man gained national acclaim.

Larry's presentation to D5 via Zoom is on Saturday, January 9 from 1:30 to 2:30. In the next couple of days, President Connie White will be emailing an invitation to D5 members at your email address on record.

A warm invitation is extended to all KAC members. Your district president will be able to forward the Zoom invitation to you.

Wichita Library Virtual Discussion: The Hard Verge: Britain 2025, by Gretchen Eick

1/5/2021

Book Event Announcement from Gretchen Eick:

January 27th 6-7:30 PM, the Wichita Public Library will have a virtual discussion of my 2019 near-future book The Hard Verge: Britain 2025.

Gretchen Eick of District 5 is the author and will be present for the discussion. The library has copies so no one needs to purchase the book. If people register, they will receive the Zoom address 24 hours in advance. Call 688-9580 or visit wichitalibrary.org/events to register online: https://wichita.evanced.info/signup/eventdetails?EventId=11744

The novel is about asylum seekers in London in the post-Brexit years of an Ultra Right party's dominance of British politics. When a Syrian woman journalist disappears, her partner's search for her leads into the legal and illegal refugee community and to a small group of Members of Parliament willing to investigate what is happening in the privatized detention centers. Investigations that ensue uncover disturbing activity at Poton Downs, a top secret British weapons laboratory, and the Ultras' alarming increase of surveillance. Is she still alive? Will Ana be found? What about the tens of thousands of others seeking asylum? And their children?

LARRY HATTEBERG PRESENTS SECRETS TO AN AWARD WINNING CAREER

12/28/2020

This Hatteberg presentation promises to be a treat. Join Kansas Authors Club District 5 as they host Larry Hatteberg on January 9 at 1:30 via Zoom. Connie White, D5 president, will email the link to D5 members and KAC district presidents a few days prior to the event. All KAC members are welcome. Contact your district president for Zoom credentials.

For 51 years, Larry Hatteberg brought a special kind of television to Kansas. His constant search for ordinary people, whose stories illuminate larger issues, put him in a position to develop a personal relationship with Kansas viewers.
On November 25, 2014, Larry left KAKE-TV to pursue stories that he’s wanted to do for years, but could not, due to the requirements of daily television journalism.
Throughout the nation, he is known as an Emmy award-winning video storyteller who can touch people through his television journalism. With over 120 national, regional and state awards, Larry has set broadcast standards for television journalists all over the world.
His national award-winning Hatteberg’s People series was the longest running television feature in Kansas. Nearly two thousand Kansans have been profiled. The series took Larry to 17 foreign countries in search of Kansas People.
Larry published two books and DVD’s called Larry Hatteberg’s Kansas People. These best-selling books and DVD’s profile Kansans who make the state a unique place to live.
Larry’s awards include a regional Emmy from the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, an Emmy for Lifetime Achievement, and the National Edward R. Murrow Award for Writing. He was twice named National Press Photographers Television News Cameraman of the Year.
He received three of the highest awards in photojournalism given by the National Press Photographers Association. He is a past-president of NPPA.
Larry is a nationally known teacher of photojournalism. He has consulted with over 40 television stations across the United States and worked with the Defense Department instructing military photo-journalists and combat camera crews in video storytelling techniques.
Hatteberg grew up in Winfield, Kansas. His interest in photography began at Winfield High School where he was photo-editor of the school newspaper and yearbook.
Larry's wife, Judy, is a retired teacher from the Wichita school system. She is a writer and poet. They have two married daughters, Sherry and Susan. Sherry is a teacher living in the Kansas City area.  Susan works in the public relations field in Wichita.

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April 27 Author Talk by​Ronda Miller

May 25 Author Talk by Roy Beckemeyer

The improbable career and Remarkable Legacy of University of Kansas Naturalist Charles D. Bunker

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April 27 Author Talk by
Ronda Miller