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  Join us at the Raven Bookstore at 4pm on Sunday, May 3rd for the Prose Keynote of the Free State Book Festival, given by Lawrence sci-fi author, editor, and educator Christopher McKitterick. Chris McKitterick will read from his new short-fiction collection, Visions of Space & Time, and a collector's edition reprint of his novel, Transcendence, created especially for this festival. Books will be available for sale and signing.     Head's up members, this event conflicts with our annual convention, but we are excited to see an author celebration taking place in western Kansas and are talking with them about coordinating schedules for future years. If you can't make the 2026 convention this year, perhaps this event will be a good fit for you. Wish we could be both places at once!  Note from the Jordaan Memorial Library in Larned:
My name is Amy, and I work at the Jordaan Memorial Library in Larned, KS. We are working on putting together an event that celebrates Kansas authors on Saturday, Oct. 3rd. We are hoping to reach as many Kansas authors as possible, to provide the opportunity to join us. There is no registration fee for authors, and they will be able to sell their books during the event. We will provide a table and two chairs. Our guest speaker is going to be Trooper Ben and his ghostwriter, Elaine McAllister, as they discuss how his forthcoming book came to be. To be a vendor at this event, you can find the form at our website www.jordaanmemoriallibrary.wordpress.com We are hosting this at the Larned Community Center so we have more room, but space will still be on a first come first served basis.  Connlyn Sinclair’s new romantic fantasy novella Mermaid Monday is out as an ebook. In a comedic reversal of The Little Mermaid, Mermaid Monday tells the story of an American boy and his romance with an outlandish mermaid named Brunhilda of Scalloway.
 Member News from Duane L. Herrmann (Topeka) The summer/sommer 2026 issue of Amaranth Journal, a somewhat bi-lingual (Deutsch/Englische) publication, has just been released. It contains my story, explanation, and recipe for stir fry meatloaf. This answers the parents age-old question of what to do with the oatmeal your children didn't finish for breakfast. See pp. 54-57. The link is : https://amaranthjournal.com/issues/ Member Jeanice Eagan Davis (Wichita) has a poem in the issue.  Salina's Red Fern Booksellers will be hosting two local artists for their Poet Night on Thursday evening, April 30 at 6 pm. This is a conclusion to the city’s Arts and Humanities April Poetry Series held at the Red Fern. Kansas Authors Club member Kevin R Peterson will be one of the presenters, sharing excerpts from his recent chapbook “A Poetic Wandering”.  Kevin R Peterson is a 4th generation Kansan (and Salinan) born on January 29 – Kansas Day. His affinity for poetry began in high school and grew as a result of a local writer’s group. He was fortunate enough to have many of his early works published by editors of numerous poetry magazines that were in print during the 1980s. During that period he published four poetry chapbooks.
In 1989 he authored a book which detailed the story of his daughter’s becoming one of the first children in the United States to receive a cochlear implant. Kevin pulled away from creative writing for about thirty-five years as he was involved with technical writing: creating brochures, writing magazine articles, posting internet articles, and sharing hundreds of case histories that explained processes and solutions for products manufactured by companies he worked with. Now retired, and settling back into “creative” writing, he recently published his newest chapbook A Poetic Wandering. He looks forward to becoming involved with, sharing, and meeting current writers of KAC.  Kansas Matters: America’s Social Faultline by Mark E. McCormick has a publication date of Juneteenth but is available to bookstores and libraries by early May. Review copies are available this month. ISBN: 978-1-958728-45-1 Paper ($24.99); ISBN: 978-1-958728-46-8 epub ($14.99)
Mark McCormick is a member of the Kansas Journalists’ Hall of Fame, a fellow at the Dole Center of the University of Kansas, former deputy director and communications director of the ACLU of Kansas, and a New York Times best-selling author with nearly thirty years of experience as a reporter, editor, and columnist, for five years at the Louisville, Kentucky’s Courier-Journal and for nearly fourteen years at the Wichita Eagle.. He was appointed by Kansas governor Laura Kelly to two state commissions and is a trustee of the William Allen White School of Journalism at the University of Kansas. He was inaugural director of the Kansas Black Leadership Council and served as executive director of The Kansas African American History. This collection of fifty short articles examines Kansas from three angles: the important history in danger of erasure, Kansans who have invested their lives in positive social change, and issues currently in the forefront in Kansas (and nationally), especially those where Kansas has taken a lead. McCormick writes pithy prose that reveals perspectives and factual information new to general readers. The history he reveals is often unknown to most Kansans and to those who view Kansas as only "fly over" country. From its early experiment in multiracial democracy called Quindaro, to the key roles Kansas and Kansans played in the civil war, student-led sit-ins, affirmative action, and school desegregation, readers will find these short pieces surprising and enlightening. McCormick highlights ordinary people doing extraordinary things out of their commitment to justice. The final section of the book explores issues like the right to choose abortion, police/community relations, and the impact of bail bonds, as well as the unfortunate tenacity of Jim Crow behavior in the state legislature and policy formation. McCormick is a beloved commentator on the state of the country. Here his views shine through the lens of Kansas, a state full of contradictions with a history of setting precedents the nation both political parties would follow. Thirty photos illustrate and enhance the text.  Matt Spezia is a community-driven, team-effort artist, combining an eight individual and six group national award-winning poetry style, along with 17 other nominations I Kansas City hip hop and thespian teachings. Matt has published three albums and book and has appeared in an anthology CD and book. He also has been in the 2020 award-winning national poetic album of the year, “Babylon.” Matt uses his platform to promote self-confidence and personal betterment, social awareness, and cultural change. He has worked to directly influence schoolchildren in 43 different school districts across Kansas, Illinois and Missouri. Matt will begin at 6:15 p.m. April is poetry month. Sign-up for open mic begins 6 p.m. Words in the Wind is sponsored by
Kansas Authors Club Topeka Chapter & Round Table Bookstore Our writing contest has a new category for 2026!  2026 Kansas Authors Club Literary Contest Contest closes June 15, 2026 Submit online at kansasauthorsclub.submittable.com Prose Categories:
Poetry Cateogories:
 Book Reading & Craft Talk Hear from author Jenna Brack as she shares from her newly released book Pass-Through Place Essays on Home, Hope, and Following the Horizon Tuesday, April 21, 2026 6:30 p.m. Eighth Day Books 2838 E. Douglas Wichita, Kansas  Ride along with Jenna Brack as she explores the vast and varied Kansas landscape, a place some consider flat and uninteresting. In this collection of personal essays that unfold as a coming-of-age memoir, Brack reveals how the land and people of Kansas have been catalysts for growth, healing, and identity. As Brack passes through wheatfields, historic ice storms, or the sprawling Flint Hills, she also travels through her own inner landscape of longing and loss. Together, these essays spotlight Kansas as much more than a pass-through place, and instead as a formative place of resilience and hope. Brack’s storytelling invites us to consider how our own pass-through places are infused with meaning—even how they might carry us home. Jenna Brack grew up in central Kansas and lived in the Midwest for over thirty-five years before moving abroad. Her essays and poetry have been featured in publications such as Every Day Poems, The Sunlight Press, Coffee + Crumbs, 105 Meadowlark Reader, and others. A former educator and college instructor, Jenna now encourages other writers through editing and coaching. She holds an MA in English from Kansas State University and enjoys exploring the goodness of every place alongside her husband and two children. Pass-Through Place is her first book.
Please join us on Saturday for our program with Ken Spurgeon Why Kansas Stories Matter  Program: Why Kansas Stories Matter
Presented by Ken Spurgeon Kansas has been overlooked, at times. Considered the flyover state or an area to pass through, but many writers have found success and deep interest with the Sunflower state. In this presentation, Ken Spurgeon discusses why Kansas matters to him and why it is an area that provides a wonderful canvas for storytelling. Ken Spurgeon serves as assistant professor of history at Friends University. He received his Bachelor of Art and Master of Art degrees in History from Wichita State University, while also completing hours in Secondary Education Social Studies. He has taught at Central High School in Burden, KS, and at Northfield School of the Liberal Arts and has been a director of instruction and education at Cowley College. His master’s thesis, “A Kansas Soldier at War,” later became a book published by the History Press in 2013. In 2004, he founded Lone Chimney Films Inc. and has written or co-written and directed three documentaries and a docudrama. Two of his films have earned the Western Heritage Award (Wrangler), and three have aired on PBS stations. Jessica Lunt grew up in Arizona, but since becoming a military spouse, has enjoyed living the nomadic lifestyle. When not writing, she takes advantage of exploring whatever part of the world she's in by napping with cheetahs, racing through the DMZ, and singing the U.S. national anthem in front of the original Star-Spangled Banner, among many other things. But her four young children weren't truly impressed with her until she wrote a book. Jessica writes historical fiction that dips into literary, romance, and suspense. Her debut novella, The Witch Hunter's Wife, received an editor's pick from Booklife(Publishers Weekly) and a Five Star rating from Readers Favorites.    Kansas Authors Club in Wichita is hosting Petals & Poems at the Koi Pond Pavilion at Botanica this month. You are invited to attend this interactive poetry experience.
April 8 6pm - April Pameticky 7pm - Kevin Rabas April 15 6pm - Jeanice Davis 7pm Clarence Carvel April 22 6pm Julie Ann Baker Brin 7pm Traci Brimhall Marie Asner and husband Harold Asner, known as "The Poetry Couple", participate in Open Mic the last Friday of the month, at the Bare Necessities Coffee House, Overland Park, Kansas, under the auspices of the Johnson County Resource Library. On Monday, March 2, 2026, the Asner's did a poetry reading at Asbury Hall, Prairie Village, Kansas as part of a fund-raiser for music scholarships. Marie Asner's poetry will be highlighted at the 2026 Convention of the Missouri Federation of Music Clubs on May 1-2, in St. Louis, Missouri. The theme of the Convention is "Music Can Change The World."  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. Annette's poem, "Bullets in Lieu of Brothers," has been nominated for a PushCart Prize.
I continue to do poetry/story-telling at non-profits throughout Kansas, most recently at Lawrence Public Library, as a selected presenter of Humanities Kansas Folklife Series which is part of the U.S. 250th anniversary celebration. This program runs through August. Julie is pleased to report that her essay “Of Mice and Owls and Snakes and Humans” has been published by Split Rock Review - you can read - or hear! - it here. Split Rock Review explores the complicated relations of people with the natural world, and she is honored by their acceptance of her take on the network of life she is part of in central Kansas.  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.
 There is no charge for entering the Youth Writing Contest by Kansas Authors Club. Our contests are open to all youth, grades 3-12, residing in the state of Kansas AND to all student members of the Kansas Authors Club, regardless of residence. Four Age Divisions: Grades 3-4; Grades 5-6; Grades 7-8; Grades 9-12.
Four Categories: Category #1 Poetry (to 40 lines; any form, including rhymed verse, free verse, haiku, classical form, song lyric); #2 Fiction (to 800 words; short story, chapter of a novel, drama); #3 Nonfiction (to 800 words; essay, research paper, factual narrative or drama based on real events and people); #4 Art (any medium, no AI work will be accepted) must be submitted as an image, JPG or PDF preferred. Note: All art submissions will be considered for the cover of the Youth Awards Book, regardless of place awarded.  Marcy A. Smalley is a musician, retired urban planner, writer and community volunteer. Her score for the After Persephone musical won the ‘Best in Show’ award at the Kansas City Fringe Festival. Her New Horizons Suite was premiered in 2024 at the University of Missouri Conservatory of Music. As an urban planner she played a key role in the development of the Kansas City Streetcar and taught at the University of Kansas. Her writing has appeared in The Sun and other publications. She edited Threshold – A Life’ s Journey to Prairie, by Elaine Jones, Blurb Press, 2024. Volunteer leadership roles include neighborhood political precinct captain, Races United, Racial Equity and Leaning REAL project team member, and City in Motion Modern Dance Theater board president. She and her husband Barrie Smith (a Habitat for Humanity builder) live near the Kansas City mid-town area near their children and grandchildren. Her first book is Piloting the Currents: Growing Up In Turbulent Times 1962-1973. Born into the uneasy normality of postwar Kansas City, a girl comes of age in the fast changing world of the 1960’s. With a government in crisis and social traditions failing, she navigates the counter-cultural rapids and family upheavals. Buoyant with curiosity, she creates an adulthood beyond the one expected of her. A look back then begins to reveal parallels with today’s world. And now she is writing songs!   LynnLee is the Integrator/COO at Tanganyika Wildlife Park in Goddard, KS, responsible for connecting all the people and pieces to bring big visions to life. In her free time she writes books, plays catch with her sons, and runs a consulting company for zoo professionals. LynnLee lives in Goddard. She has completed her first manuscript, Operation Okapi, a dual timeline historical fiction novel about a 1920’s Kansas widow and a 1960’s French mercenary who learn how to care again when they’re tasked with saving okapi decades apart. She says: "I love to swap writing with other authors and receive critiques on my work." Not every day KAC gets a new member who knows how to cuddle a hippo! Welcome, LynnLee!
 2026 Literary Contests Please read the guidelines before entering! Are you new to entering our contests? See the "how-to video by member Sandee Taylor. Adult Writers Contest - 2026 guidelines now posted! Youth Writers Contest - 2026 guidelines now posted! Our Literary Contests are open to:
Contest opens April 1, 2026 and closes June 15, 2026 Submit online at kansasauthorsclub.submittable.com Awards will be announced at the annual fall gathering & streamed live via Zoom. |
How to Submit News:
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. Categories
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