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Member Cynthia Chauhan, from Wichita, recently had an article published in the Journal of Cardiac Failure. The article is titled, "Heart Failrue in Patients with Cancer--A Patient's Perspective."  Heart Failure in Patients with Cancer – A Patient's Perspective
Chauhan, Cynthia Journal of Cardiac Failure, Volume 31, Issue 2, 464 From member Beth Gulley: Authors club members are invited to the Cavalier Conference on Writing and Literature April 11. The theme is The Future of Storytelling. Jose Faus is the keynote speaker. Proposals for individual presentations are still being accepted. For more information see the website: https://www.jccc.edu/conferences/cavalier-writing/  The Cavalier Conference on Writing and Literature will be held Friday April 11 at Johnson County Community College. This year's theme is "The Future of Storytelling" and the keynote speaker is the poet and artist Jose Faus. While the conference is broadly aimed at English and Writing teachers, all are welcome to attend.
From the conference website: "As teachers of literature and composition, we often focus on the usefulness of narrative or storytelling. Not only are students often more inspired by this genre, but even the "driest" and most analytical writing benefits from author's deliberate use of story. Whether used as a hook device, anecdotal evidence, a means of persuasion or the structure for epic stories and poems, the future is built by stories. How might we reimagine storytelling for future audiences? How has technology changed storytelling? What are the stories we need to hear and to tell today? What are ways we can include a broader range of stories in our classrooms? We invite you to share your thoughts as we talk through these questions and workshop solutions to form stories and connections that transcend boundaries." Registration is live here: https://www.jccc.edu/conferences/cavalier-writing/ Topeka poet Ruth Maus will be the featured poet at Kansas Authors Club District 1's open mic on Wednesday, Feb. 26 at Round Table Bookstore.   Great sentences from the book Words is a Powerful Thing: Twenty Years of Teaching Creative Writing at Douglas County Jail, by Brian Daldorph. Brian Daldorph is a Senior Lecturer in English at KU. His book, published in 2021 by the University Press of Kansas, won a Notable Kansas Book Award. This is a compelling book, offering glimmers of solace to inmates through writing, but acknowledging the harsh realities of incarceration. Daldorph taught a 2-hour writing class each week. He never knew who would show up. He didn’t know what crimes the inmates had committed. But he did know the jail held people who were charged with murder, aggravated assault, possession of opiates, and DUIs. Many have multiple charges, and many have been diagnosed with mental health problems. He writes, “I look at hard-used faces, tattered and battered as one inmate wrote, even the young guys. A lot of tattoos, most of them homemade, and the sort of jaded look we most often see here – substance abuse is exhausting, as is being locked up.” Inmates wrote poetry such as, “My name is methamphetamine but you can call me speed/I last much longer than cocaine and I’m so much better than weed.” “I breach this cell with every thought I think – imagination knows no cinder blocks.” “I watch as time slowly chews away on men’s sanity/where confusion reigns supreme.’ Daldorph wrote that after two decades of those classes, he wishes he could go back, start over, and hold each one of those classes again. He said that he enjoyed those classes more than any other of his teaching experiences. A colleague of his echoed these sentiments. She said, “In writing, inmates begin to face up to their troubles rather than succumbing to them, and show a resistance to their bleak existence and dehumanization, the mind-numbing routine, and feelings of worthlessness and loneliness.” Another colleague wrote, “Out of this emotional intensity comes writing of an urgency I rarely see in the calmer waters of a university classroom.” Inmates wrote, “Enough powered medication flows through me/2 feed a sick house of the ill.” “I can still feel the prick, oh man, what a rush/like an ice-cold rushing river up my arm.” “I hit the streets and I was off and running/I tried to fight it but how could I/When I just kept wanting.” A long-time staff member wrote, “I’m not sure that writing programs keep offenders from making bad choices when they return to the community. But learning to write opens an important door for many people who feel voiceless in the criminal justice system. And writing can contribute to self-awareness and insights about others. That is no small step in the direction along the path to a better life.”  Member Mike Durall, from Salina, shares this installment of "Great Sentences" with Kansas Authors Club members. If you would like to subscribe to this series, please contact Mike Durall at [email protected]. You will have the option to opt out at any time. Mike Durall grew up in Hays. He has written 12 books, three of which are about Kansas people, history, and culture. He currently writes columns for the Salina 311, Abilene 311, and McPherson 311 newspapers. The Kansas Reflector newspaper has published three of his essays. His podcast is titled Four Minute Stories from the Kansas Plains, available wherever you get podcasts. He spends a lot of time poking around museum archives in central Kansas. What are you reading? Help us lift and share the good news about Kansas literature. Tag your book loves and reviews on social media with #ReadLocalKS and submit here to be posted on the Kansas Authors Club website.
"There is nothing magical about setting up a writing group. But I have learned that something magical happens when writers share their thoughts and writings on a regular basis."
- Kris Polansky Here are the dates for the 2025 meetings of the Manhattan KAC Writing Group: February 13, 2025 February 27, 2025 March13, 2025 March 27, 2025 April 10, 2025 April 24, 2025 May 8, 2025 May 22, 2025 June 5, 2025 June 19, 2025 July 3, 2025 July 17, 2025 July 31, 2025 August 14, 2025 August 28, 2025 September 11, 2025 September 25, 2025 October 9, 2025 October 23, 2025 November 6, 2025 November 20, 202: December 4, 2025 December 18, 2025 Meetings are from 5:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. at whatever room can be reserve at the Manhattan Public Library. (Ask at the desk if you are new to the group.) Writers are invited to bring something to share--something they have written, a piece by someone else they think is particularly well-crafted, or questions and/or thoughts about writing.  My latest book, Ivey, Badge 44 will be published March 1st, 2025. It is a tribute story (True Crime/Biography) to raise awareness and honor the life, career and sacrifice of the man who gave all for the citizens protected by the Salina Police Department. Jerry was killed in the line of duty, June 13, 1975, and I am telling his story. I hope you all read it and come to enjoy it as much as I did in writing it.
Jan '25 progress:
Spillwords, posted one poem - "Who am I Today" 'Abdu'l-Baha: Serving Humanity - includes three stories (one in English for the first time) Vixen of Verse - posted a link to his work originally posted on The Short of It Harnisch Acres - short story about a boy finding a snake in the shower, in the basement. Plus a few things accepted for future publication. And, Please, PLEASE everyone, vote for his sci fi novel, Earth to Makana. It now needs less than 950 votes before the publisher will offer a contract to publish. The link to vote is: ‘Earth to Makana: the Journal of a Planetary Pioneer’ By Duane L Herrmann | Something or Other Publishing, LLC In June of 2021 I was interviewed for Belgian television. The documentary by Charles Antoine de Rouvre on Soeur Sourire was broadcasted on June 11th at 9pm on Belgium TV for Zeta Productions. "Qui a tue voix de Dieu?" (Who Killed the Voice of God?") I was interviewed for this program regarding my book, "Soeur Sourire: The Life and Death of the Singing Nun". It was during Covid-19 restrictions, so RTBF sent a cameraman to my house who did all the video and audio. Aaron Chervenak was very gracious and professional. I have also been interviewed or consulted on numerous projects on Soeur Sourire, including the CD from Music Choice of Germany entitled, "The Best of Soeur Sourire".   Date and time - Saturday, Feb 22 from 10am-3pm Location - Under the Cover, 607 E 31st St., Kansas City, MO 64109 Audience - local authors Do you have a publication coming up and don't want to use that iPhone pic from 5 years ago? Or maybe you're attending an author event and want to show off your best self! As a special offer for authors only, stop by Under the Cover from 10am-3pm on Saturday, February 22 for a speed headshot session for just $10! You'll get one high-res, lightly edited and touched up headshot of your choice for just $10! PLUS each author who participates gets a chance to win a FREE full branding session with AnnieBeth Photography. Walk-ins are welcome but those with appointments will be served first. Link to book appointment - https://rb.gy/3hnl7f  About AnnieBeth Photography: What's up besties? I'm Ann, the Chief Executive Nerd behind AnnieBeth Photography and I'm all about helping you have your main character moment. I'm not just a creative portrait photographer - I'm a portrait photographer FOR creatives. My joy and passion is helping you show off your latest creation, promote your newest project, or just feel like the baddie we all know you are. Find me on IG at @anniebeth_photography or Facebook at AnnieBeth Photography Member Jim Gilkeson will host a book event in Emporia at Middle Ground Books on Feb. 22nd at 3:00 p.m. He will be reading from Three Lost Worlds, which received last year's Coffin Memorial Book Award for nonfiction, as well as more recent writing. It would be wonderful to see you there!   Member Steven Linder (Wichita) shares his newest book release. The sheriff tossed a small object down on the desk. It was a shiny badge like the one pinned to his own shirt. Early stared at it for a long time. He had never envisioned himself as a peace officer, not even once. “Look, you’ve been out of work for a while, Mr. Early. Maybe you won’t mind earning a few dollars. You handle yourself well in a fight, but you’re smart enough to know it’s best to settle things without fighting. There’s no one else I respect more or would choose to have by my side in tough situations.” A voice from behind Early startled him: “He’ll take the job.” The sheriff laughed. "Thank you, Mrs. Early. All right, Tom, I know you're too smart to fight with Jane. Let's settle this matter now. Take the badge." Steven Linder lives in Wichita, Kansas and writes novels of western history, adventure, and suspense.  "Kansas is everywhere." -Jim Gilkeson I raced through, The Eleven Directions of Kansas by Jim Gilkeson this weekend. These well-written memoir-vignettes take the reader on a journey from Kansas to Germany to Scotland and places in between. From funny to poignant to just downright entertaining, each little essay will make you think about life and all the directions it takes you. --Lindsey Bartlett, Emporia #ReadLocalKS What are you reading? Help us lift and share the good news about Kansas literature. Tag your book loves and reviews on social media with #ReadLocalKS and submit here to be posted on the Kansas Authors Club website.
Kansas City, KS poet Bob Sykora's debut full length poetry collection, Utopians in Love, will be published March 25, 2025 by Game Over Books. The poems in Utopians in Love travel through time, considering historical American utopian colonies in the context of contemporary heartbreak. These poems ask what we actually can learn from the utopian dreams and failures of the past as we attempt to build a better world in the present. Preorders available here: https://www.gameoverbooks.com/store/p/utopians-in-love   Current members receive an link to the monthly program on Zoom via the monthly e-newsletter. The link is also available using the button above which takes you to our members-only pages. Sign-on is required. Program: Grand Openings
Presented by Mary-Lane Kamberg Covering: Craft (skills and techiniques), Writing Start your articles, stories and poems on the right foot. We hear so much about the importance of hooking the reader, but little about how to do that. This workshop gives practical tips and examples of some of the most effective types of opening leads to grab editors and agents and drag them into the work the rest. Presenter: Mary-Lane Kamberg, Olathe, Kansas, is a professional writer with more than twenty-five years’ experience. She is the author of more than 30 books. Her articles have appeared in Better Homes and Gardens, Marriage and Family Living, Christian Science Monitor, Healthy Kids and many others. Mary-Lane's poetry, essays and short stories have appeared in several anthologies and literary journals including: Chicken Soup for the Soul, A Celebration of Women, Beginning from the Middle (anthology); Sacred Feathers (anthology); The Season of Light (anthology); Kansas City Star, Late Knocking, Mediphors, Mid-America Poetry Review, Potpourri, and others. Her poetry chapbook Seed Rain was published by Finishing Line Press.  Between Meadowlark Press and my work with Kansas Authors Club, I read a lot of work by Kansans and spend surprisingly little time reviewing books. There are only so many hats one can wear. I wanted to take a moment to mention They Met at Wounded Knee by Gretchen Eick. This was the Coffin Memorial Book Award winner in 2021 by KAC. It is an amazing book. It certainly fills in the oh-too-many gaps from history classes. It's a book that informs and enrages. A healthy dose of rage is needed, I think, to make us better pay attention and make the much-needed connections between past and present. As well, it is an incredible dual biography, bringing a perspective on native and Euro Americans that I had not experienced before. Eick's ability to explain the setting and time (historically, culturally) while illustrating the details of the Eastman's lives is commendable. Her writing helped me fit so many pieces together. I recommend this book. --Tracy Million Simmons (Emporia) This is a "reprint" from a FB post Tracy made in 2021 What are you reading? Help us lift and share the good news about Kansas literature. Tag your book loves and reviews on social media with #ReadLocalKS and submit here to be posted on the Kansas Authors Club website.
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