Current News from the Kansas Authors Club

The Magic Eye Book Launch, July 17, 7 p.m., Raven Bookstore

7/14/2025

The Magic Eye
A Story of Saving a Life and
a Place in the Age of Anxiety

A Memoir to be released July 15, 2025
by Mammoth Publications
ISBN: 9781939301574

“No endorsement can do justice to this vivid, lyric, wise, wry, compassionate, profoundly spiritual memoir of passage through some severe life trials.The Magic Eyeis a microcosmic epic of unvaunting human triumph. Bursting with life in its myriad forms, this is a book to love and to share.”
~ Stephanie Mills, author of In Service of the Wild and Epicurean Simplicity

“Nothing could have prepared me for being diagnosed with a rare and deadly eye cancer in the middle of trying to save the Kansas land where my husband and I live,” Caryn Mirriam-Goldberg writes of her new memoir, The Magic Eye: A Story of Saving a Life and a Place in the Age of Anxiety. Harriet Lerner calls The Magic Eye "....a luminous, poetic meditation on survival, community, and resilience. With tenderness and humor, her memoir speaks to the fierce beauty of holding on to life, to land, and to hope when the odds seem insurmountable. A deeply human story, this book is a testament to courage and the power of place that will stay with you long after you turn the final page.”

The Magic Eye encompasses a mythic, quirky, and timely journey with a cast of unforgettable friends that make surviving the odds—both the danger of invasive cancer in a body and invasive development vying for tallgrass prairie—possible. Crossing through the pandemic, this memoir is guided by tenderness, curiosity, and more than a dash of magic as Mirriam-Goldberg writes of giving endangered turtles names such as Gandalf and Harrison Ford, undergoing surgery to insert a radioactive disk in her eye, outsmarting a tornado, and the Rube Goldberg contraption of the body.

The Magic Eye investigates what it means to reinhabit our bodies and ecosystems.

Caryn Mirriam-Goldberg, Ph.D., the 2009–13 Kansas Poet Laureate is the author of over two dozen books, including How Time Moves: New & Selected Poems; Miriam’s Well, a novel; The Sky Begins At Your Feet: A Memoir on Cancer, Community, and Coming Home to the Body. Her poetry and prose have been widely published in hundreds of literary magazines and anthologies over the years.

Founder of Transformative Language Arts (writing, music, storytelling, and other word arts for social and personal transformation), Caryn is a beloved writing workshop facilitator and writing coach with over thirty years of experience. She regularly teaches for Lighthouse Writers, Writers.com, the Transformative Language Arts Network as well as offering private classes, all focused on how writing can bring us greater meaning, vitality, connection, and joy. She loves life-giving collaborations: she offers Your Right Livelihood with Kathryn Lorenzen, Brave Voice with Kelley Hunt, and The Art of Facilitation with Joy Roulier Sawyer.

Caryn offers weekly “Write Where You Are: A Writer’s Companion” through her Patreon and her long-running blog, “Everyday Magic.”

As elaborated upon in this memoir, she makes her home with eco- logical writer Ken Lassman south of Lawrence, Kansas where the deer and the wild turkeys roam, a dog and cat keep house, and their adult children frequently visit.

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New Book by Caryn Mirriam-Goldberg: The Magic Eye

6/13/2025

“Nothing could have prepared me for being diagnosed with a rare and deadly eye cancer in the middle of trying to save the Kansas land where my husband and I live,” Caryn Mirriam-Goldberg writes of her new memoir, The Magic Eye: A Story of Saving a Life and a Place in the Age of Anxiety. Harriet Lerner calls The Magic Eye "....a luminous, poetic meditation on survival, community, and resilience. With tenderness and humor, her memoir speaks to the fierce beauty of holding on to life, to land, and to hope when the odds seem insurmountable. A deeply human story, this book is a testament to courage and the power of place that will stay with you long after you turn the final page.”

The Magic Eye encompasses a mythic, quirky, and timely journey with a cast of unforgettable friends that make surviving the odds—both the danger of invasive cancer in a body and invasive development vying for tallgrass prairie—possible. Crossing through the pandemic, this memoir is guided by tenderness, curiosity, and more than a dash of magic as Mirriam-Goldberg writes of giving endangered turtles names such as Gandalf and Harrison Ford, undergoing surgery to insert a radioactive disk in her eye, outsmarting a tornado, and the Rube Goldberg contraption of the body.

Read a feature on The Magic Eye by Max McCoy here: https://kansasreflector.com/2025/06/08/in-a-forthcoming-memoir-a-kansas-writer-sees-the-land-and-herself-anew/.

Please check out Caryn’s book tour, including a launch July 17th at the Raven Bookstore and many readings around and beyond Kansas: https://www.carynmirriamgoldberg.com/magic-eye

Members Ruth Maus and Caryn Mirriam-Goldberg to be Panelists at 2025 Kansas Book Festival

5/7/2025

This news items is shared from the website of member Ruth Maus. Click here to follow Ruth and sign up for updates.

I know you're all familiar with the Kansas Book Festival held at Washburn University. This year it will be on Saturday, September 20th, so save the date!

I've been asked to be a panelist there at the 9:00 a.m. panel discussion Ad Astra: Emergencies, Emergences and Restorations, with top-notch memoir authors Caryn Mirriam-Goldberg and Dr. Craig Yorke as we discuss struggles and "to the stars with difficulty." Because our three books contain plenty of "difficulty." This is a huge honor for me. Thank you, KBF organizers!

Caryn’s book The Magic Eye depicts her struggle with a rare eye cancer, coupled with prairie restoration and wildlife refuge, moving toward surviving the personal emergency and the emergency of our environment.

Craig’s book, subtitled Steep, A Black Neurosurgeon’s Journey, depicts the strict expectations that he will be an honor to his race, his difficult training in medicine, his coming to Topeka (at first working at Menninger), the emergencies he attended to in performing complicated brain surgery, and then his coming to peace with the steep price he has paid. His retirement includes being on the board of The Children’s Discovery Center as it was founded and developed, and he and his wife Mary created a prairie on the center’s land in Gage Park.

My novel Lunacy And Acts of God, though not a memoir, also takes place in Kansas. My young narrator is trying to understand a confusing world of race relations, religion, picketers, and mental illness in 1950s Topeka, as well as survive a blizzard and being struck by lightning, (because we all know about Kansas weather!) and make peace with her chaotic life.

I hope you can join us on September 20th for Ad Astra: Emergencies, Emergences and Restorations and what's sure to be a great conversation about struggles and successes.

Website of Ruth Maus

Kansas Book Festival

Upcoming Classes from Member Caryn Mirriam-Goldberg

5/1/2025

June 4 - July 18: Twelve Poets to Change Your Life (online): This 6-week generative class, offered through the Transformative Language Arts Network, is all about immersing ourselves in life-changing poets and poetry, sparking our own new writing. I love all the poets here: Ilya Kaminsky, Gwendolyn Brooks, Czeslaw Milosz, Muriel Rukeyser, Joy Harjo, Galway Kinnell, Diane Seuss, Li-Young Lee, Emily Dickinson, Linda Pastan, Walt Whitman, and Ada Limón.

June 4 - July 29: The Body and Soul of Your Memoir: Shape, Focus, and Write Your Memoir (online): This 8-week class through Writers.com is all about finding the focus, structure, craft, and inspiration to write a memoir, writing 50 pages or more along the way, and making new writing friends.

New Book by Member Caryn Mirriam-Goldberg

3/29/2025

From Member Caryn Mirriam-Goldberg:

Do you write book reviews for publications, blogs, podcasts, or other sources? Or do you host writers with new books on blogs or podcasts? I have a hard-won new book coming out July 17 from Mammoth Publications – The Magic Eye: A Story of Saving a Life and a Place in the Age of Anxiety – and I would love to connect with you about the possibilities (I can also send you a PDF of the book and its cover pronto).

Here’s a little about the book:
Harriet Lerner calls The Magic Eye "....a luminous, poetic meditation on survival, community, and resilience. With tenderness and humor, her memoir speaks to the fierce beauty of holding on to life, to land, and to hope when the odds seem insurmountable. A deeply human story, this book is a testament to courage and the power of place that will stay with you long after you turn the final page.”

The Magic Eye encompasses a mythic, quirky, and timely journey with a cast of unforgettable friends that make surviving the odds—both the danger of invasive cancer in a body and invasive development vying for tallgrass prairie—possible. Crossing through the pandemic, this memoir is guided by tenderness, curiosity, and more than a dash of magic as Mirriam-Goldberg writes of giving endangered turtles names such as Gandalf and Harrison Ford, undergoing surgery to insert a radioactive disk in her eye, outsmarting a tornado, and the Rube Goldbeg contraption of the body.

The Magic Eye investigates what it means to reinhabit our bodies and ecosystems.

You can also see the press release here.

August Program Recording Now Available: Poetry as a Healing Path

8/22/2024

The recording of the August program is now available for viewing by members at this link. (Member sign-on required.) This video will be available until replaced by the September program recording.

Save the Date for Next Month's Program

September 21, 2024

How to Write a Series

No matter what genre you write, you've probably heard that the best way to sell your current book is to write more books. The problem? Series writing is hard. Trying to plan and outline three or more books can be overwhelming, especially with the amount of information you have to manage. In this presentation, we're going to talk about how you can know if your concept is sturdy enough for a series, and then we'll go deeper into your characters and your worldbuilding. We’ll discuss strategies to organize your plots, your characters, and your world’s details without melting your brain (too much). We’ll also talk about tips for the messy middle of Act 2, methods to incorporate foreshadowing, and how to know the way your story ends before you write chapter one.

A.C. Williams (also known as Amy C. Williams) is a coffee-drinking, sushi-eating, story-telling nerd who loves cats, country living, and all things Japanese. Author of more than 20 books, she keeps her fiction readers laughing with wildly imaginative adventures about samurai superheroes, clumsy church secretaries, and goofy malfunctioning androids; her non-fiction readers just laugh at her and the hysterical life experiences she’s survived. If that’s your cup of tea (or coffee), join the fun at www.amycwilliams.com.

Read Amy's Books!

Poetry as a Healing Path: August 17 State Program with Caryn Mirriam Goldberg

8/12/2024

Poetry as a Healing Path

Presenter: Caryn Mirriam-Goldberg

Location: Broadcast via Zoom

Presentation Category:
Poetry, Inspiration, Writing

The practice of poetry can help us better understand our own heart, health, and callings in life. At the same time, the sheer practice of making something out of words can bring us more alive, giving us greater meaning, energy, and even joy in the process. Come explore—through writing in community, reading our words (always optional), and sharing our discoveries—how writing and reading poetry can help you craft a practice that brings you deeper into your own healing and resilience.

Caryn Mirriam-Goldberg, Ph.D., the 2009-13 Kansas Poet Laureate is the author of 24 books, including How Time Moves: New & Selected Poems; Miriam's Well, a novel; and The Sky Begins At Your Feet: A Memoir on Cancer, Community, and Coming Home to the Body.

Founder of Transformative Language Arts, she is a beloved writing workshop facilitator and writing coach. For over 20 years, she has facilitated workshops for people living with serious illness and for other groups exploring writing and healing. She also directed the Transformative Language Arts master's program--focusing on writing for individual and community transformation--for 20 years at Goddard College.

Caryn offers classes and retreats through YourRightLivelihood.com with Kathryn Lorenzen, Bravevoice.com with Kelley Hunt, and ArtofFacilitation.net with Joy Roulier Sawyer. Her weekly “Care Packages for a Creative Life” through her Patreon.com/carynmg Find more about her, including her long-time blog, “Everyday Magic” at CarynMirriamGoldberg.com.

Members Access Zoom Link (sign-on required)

We are excited to bring monthly programs to our members across the state (and beyond) via Zoom. Some of our members combine this programming with monthly in-person meetings. Some attend from the comfort of their own homes.

Membership in Kansas Authors Club is open to anyone with an interest in writing.

All members will also receive the link for attendance in the monthly email newsletter.

Invitation from member Caryn Mirriam-Goldberg

3/17/2024

TLAN is hosting our first in person conference since 2019 and we would love to your feature your creativity, wisdom and experience in a conference workshop or performance.

From now until April 1st, we invite you to submit a proposal for a workshop and/or a small performance that focuses on writing, storytelling, spoken word, theater, songwriting and composing, etc. as well as bringing in other arts such as visual arts, music, dance and movement. (Don't ponder too long—our call for proposals really does close April 1, 2024).

Here are 10 reasons to send us your proposal:

1. You're a writer, storyteller, musician, performer, educator, leader, or healer who knows firsthand how words save and change lives.

2. You have (or are ready to develop) a joyful, meaningful, life-enhancing workshop or performance you're ready to share with a deeply appreciative group of humans.

3. Presenting is a great way to build the kind of meaningful relationships that grow your reach.

4. You love witnessing others finding and sharing their truest words in writing or out loud.

6. Your work resonates with our conference tracks: Narrative Medicine/ Healing Stories, Social Transformation, Engaged Spirituality, Eco-TLA, and/or Right Livelihood.

7. There's no other conference quite like the Power of Words, and you want to be part of building and sustaining the community of transformative language artists.

8. You're ready to be part of a vibrant group of presenters, including writers, storytellers, performers, musicians, educators, activists, healers, health professionals, community leaders, and more from throughout (and perhaps beyond) the U.S.

8. You've been presenting workshops or performances for a while and you're ready to bring one to the Power of Words.

9. Your body and soul tell you this is the time.

10. We are your people, and you are ours.

Click the text links here or the buttons below to find out more about our Sept. 26-29, 2024 Power of Words conference at beautiful Unity Village in Kansas City, MO and more about submitting a conference proposal.
We look forward to reading your proposals!

Kitra Cooper and Caryn Mirriam-Goldberg
Power of Words Conference Co-Chairs

Conference Information

Submit Proposals

Members to be Published in Landmarks Issue of Kansas Journal of Creative Nonfiction

9/28/2023

The next issue of 105 Meadowlark Reader includes essays by the following Kansas Authors Club Members.
The theme of this issue is Landmarks, and expected ship date for this publication is early November, 2023.

Congratulations writers!

Lindsey Bartlett, Emporia
Boyd Bauman, Overland Park
Linda Cook, Manhattan
Ann Christine Fell, Winfield
Monica Graves, Emporia
Carolyn Hall, Lenexa
Cheryl Heide, Baldwin City
Thomas Holmquist, Smolan
Nancy Julien Kopp, Manhattan
Marilyn Hope Lake, Columbia, MO
Caryn Mirriam-Goldberg, Lawrence
Julie A. Sellers, Atchison
Julie Stielstra, Ellinwood
Sandee Lee, El Dorado
Barbara Waterman-Peters, Topeka
Jon Kelly Yenser, Albuquerque, NM

Next Submission Theme: Intersections

Ships in November: Subscribe Today

20 Memoirs by Kansas Authors

6/19/2023

A LIST OF BOOKS BY KANSAS AUTHORS CLUB MEMBERS, PAST AND PRESENT

Inspired by the June program by Denise Low, "Embellishing Prose and Poetry with Memoir," we pulled books by Kansas Authors Club nembers that illustrate the many and varied techniques of memoir writing.

If you have examples of member books to add (your own or a friend's) please put your addition in the comments section.

Members - View June Program

sign-on required

Posts of a Mid-Century Kid, by Ann Vigola Anderson (Anamcara Press, 2021)

Anderson takes us on a journey to 1950s and 60s Kansas and treats the reader to hometown cooking in her tasty memoir Posts of a Mid-Century Kid. With humor and richly crafted details, she chronicles her mid-century childhood, offering a sampling of another era. This delightful and mischievous memoir advocates coloring vividly outside of the lines!

Headwinds: A Memoir by Edna Bell-Pearson (Meadowlark, 2019)

When World War II made her way to southwest Kansas, Edna Bell-Pearson’s life was forever changed. After meeting her husband Carl Ungerer—a pilot stationed in Liberal for the war— Edna’s moved to the opposite corner of the state, and she became one of the first private female pilots in Kansas. Her story takes place over the course of five years and tells of Ungerer Flying Service, a family-owned and operated business stationed in Marysville. As the business is born and takes on the challenges of life, Edna learns to appreciate the importance of the little things: hunting and fishing trips, a good housekeeper, and crisp, autumnal days without wind.

Running Out of Footprints, by Cathy Callen (2013)

Running Out of Footprints is the true story of three generations of the Neff family, who arrived on the scene in Kansas City in the late 1800s full of energy and potential, contributed as political, business, religious and medical leaders in the city, and then gradually disappeared into obituaries and census data. The author, a fourth generation Neff herself, came into possession of a metal box full of old letters, documents and photographs after her father's death. The questions she asked about these keepsakes and the answers she sought and found, led to writing this collection of biographies.

Lovers, Dreams & Thieves, by Marcia Cebulska (Flint Hills Publishing, 2023)

"With a novelist’s eye for detail and a poet’s gift for language, Cebulska has written a visceral knockout of a memoir packed with vibrant, unforgettable family members and unexpected happenings. Cebulska is a brilliant, big-hearted, and luminous storyteller who can capture a world in a short vignette. I was entirely captivated by these intimate and moving family portraits that have shaped the author's life and work.” -Harriet Lerner, author of The Dance of Anger and Why Won’t You Apologize?

High Plains Homestead, by R. Kent Crawford (Post Rock Press, 2023)

Scorching heat. Bitter cold. Relentless wind. No trees. Scarce water. That’s what settlers faced on the Kansas plains. Crawford grew up on a farm in Russell County that his great grandparents homesteaded in 1879. Tales of hardship, humor, and grit merge with details of the enormous changes in mechanization, economics, and political forces as the country transitioned from a mostly rural nation to a mostly urban one. Crawford's personal story coupled with meticulous research on the evolution of farming from the homestead years to the recent prairie fires describe the birth and transformation of his family farm. The narrative concludes with a thought-provoking discussion of the future of rural communities, the options for farmers, and High Plains farming.

In the Shadow of the Wind, by Ann Christine Fell (2014)

Following a series of tragic losses, thirty-year old Ann Fell struggles alone in a strange and frightening world. The young widow and bereaved mother retreats to the wilderness for comfort and healing. Planning to stay forty days, she sets up a solitary camp on the river bank of her family’s abandoned farm homestead. Marooned by rising flood waters after only a few days, she faces her own mortality.

And I Cried, Too, by Mike Hartnett (Meadowlark Press, 2020)

Mike and his wife, Barbara, moved to Lincoln, Illinois, in 1972. The town of 17,000 was charming, friendly, and safe. As employees of Lincoln College, a small, private junior college, they quickly grew to enjoy the subtle pleasures of small-town living. Then the campus was hit with a series of burglaries and a student disappeared. Finally, the murders began. This is Mike Hartnett’s personal story, memories that have taken him more than forty years to write. This is not a true crime exposé or a who-dunnit mystery. This is simply a story about one man on the periphery of a series of events that devastate a community for a time. It is a story about the guilt that lingers and the questions that remain.

31 Days (Nights), by Reginald Jarrell (Blue Cedar Press, 2022)

Reginald D. Jarrell’s book of essays is a thoughtful exploration of experiences that molded him as a Black man growing up and raising his family primarily in Kansas. Mr. Jarrell also lived in Mississippi, Iowa, California, and Washington, D.C. As a pastor, lawyer, communications professional, and university professor, Mr. Jarrell is first of all a truth teller.

The Art of Listening to the Heart, by James Kenyon (2016/ 2022)

In this memoir collection, retired veterinarian James Kenyon recalls his days in veterinary practice. From heartwarming to heartbreaking and everything in between, Kenyon writes of his care for beloved family pets, livestock, and their human caretakers. His memories illustrate a true devotion and love for veterinary work, as well as a passion for people and local history. Each chapter relates a specific memory of working with a quirky, loyal, and loveable animal, as well as the quirky, loyal, and lovable humans who owned them. The work offers not just insight into the work of a veterinarian, but to human nature and the manner in which people relate to and care for each other, as well as their animals.

Jigsaw Puzzling: Essays in a Time of Pestilence, by Denise Low (Meadowlark Press, 2022)

Writer of poetry, essays, memoir, and fiction—Denise Low did what so many of us did in the spring of 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic sent us to spending long days at home. Denise’s jigsaw puzzling went well beyond pictures put together piece-by-piece, however. The 15 essays in this book document the pestilence that impacted our entire world. In them, Low explores the very culture of jigsaw puzzles while providing poetic lessons in art, geography, history, and more.

Diary of a German War Bride, by Trudy McFarland (2006)

"Trudy McFarland's telling of her mother's story in diary form, from her parents' 'love at first sight' meeting in post World War I Germany to 1988 when her mother's very full life ends, is a remarkable account of family relationships, historical events, and the characteristics which make a family strong and memorable. It is a fascinating read!"
--Evie Green, Coordinator of Write Stuff

My Flint Hills Childhood, by Gail Lee Martin (Blurb, 2009)

A childhood on the Kansas prairies in the 1930s springs vividly to life in the detailed memories of Gail Martin. Her simple accounts of long ago school days, celebrations and family life are a treasure. Travel back in time to life in the Flint Hills during the Great Depression and the time leading up to World War II. The memories include her father's work in the oil field, trips to town in the family's Model A, raising her pet badger, fishing on the Cottonwood River, and wearing dresses made from feed sack material. The book also explores her family's role in early Kansas history with details of covered wagons, homesteading, the Civil War and fledgling industries. These range from Tyro to Teterville to Eureka.

Courtesy Boy: A Memoir of Addiction, by Mike Matson (Flint Hills Publishing, 2021)

“Thirty years after my last ingestion of chemicals, I inventoried the traits and behaviors connected with my addiction, chronicled my early adult life, and wrote a book. My motivation is to help those suffering and their loved ones connect the dots between the destructive traits and behaviors—and the potential for addiction. In so doing, infuse some fresh air into the oppressive stigma that clings to addiction and mental health.

The Sky Begins At Your Feet, by Caryn Mirriam-Goldberg (Ice Cube Press, 2009)

I cannot figure out who I am as a body these days, writes Caryn Mirriam-Goldberg in this powerful, tender and humorous memoir about resiliency and love in the face of cancer. Mirriam-Goldberg braves breast cancer, the breast cancer genetic mutation and the loss of a parent by connecting with an eclectic Midwest community, the land and sky, and a body undergoing vast renovation.

Cop in the Classroom, by Sgt. Jim Potter (Sandhenge Publications, 2007)

Learn how kids and cops connect at school. You will enjoy 33 personal stories about one officer's professional career as a deputy sheriff and school resource officer. Cop in the Classroom gives an insider's look at the emotional experiences behind the badge--and life lessons for us all.

I've been fighting this war within myself, poetry by Antonio Sanchez-Day (Meadowlark Press, 2023)

Even though he was often vastly outnumbered by enemies on the outside and by demons on the inside, Antonio Sanchez-Day took on life. He fought against racism as a boy, fought against family troubles, and fought as a street soldier for his gang which was the “family” he’d always wanted. Then he had to fight simply to survive 13 years of incarceration. Inside the walls, Antonio found his main weapon, his pen. He wrote brilliantly, and with pen in hand, he turned his life around. The 123 pages of new, unpublished poetry in this book was put together by Antonio’s friend and mentor, Brian Daldorph, to “cement [his] legacy” (Antonio’s words).

The Big Quiet: One Woman's Horseback Ride Home, by Lisa D. Stewart (Meadowlark Press, 2020)

At 54, Lisa Stewart set out to regain the fearless girl she once had been, riding her horse, Chief, 500 miles home. Hot, homeless, and horseback, she snapped back into every original cell. On an extraordinary homegoing from Kansas City to Bates and Vernon Counties in Missouri, Lisa exhausted herself, faced her past, trusted strangers, and stayed in the middle of her frightened horse to document modern rural America, the people, animals, and land.

Gravedigger's Daughter, by Cheryl Unruh (Meadowlark Press, 2021)

Gravedigger's Daughter: Vignettes from a Small Kansas Town is more than a story of the author and her father. It is a reminder of the relationships we all have, more than skin deep, an examination of the complexities of the people we love and care for. It is a love letter to the individuals who always exist at our very core.

It's All Showbusiness, by Connie Rae (Page Publishing, 2019)

Lee Edward Atterbury was born September 1, 1924, into the Atterbury Circus family. He was the fifth of seven children born to Robert L. and Rose Atterbury. By the time Lee was old enough for school, his older siblings were accomplished aerialists and his mother was a slack wire walker. The Atterbury Circus was a road circus, traveling the highways of rural America from Iowa and the Dakotas to Texas throughout the years of the Great Depression. (written by Connie Rae White)

Memoirs of the Dysfunctional? by Joann Garrity Williams (Meadowlark, 2018)

Memoirs of the Dysfunctional depicts the unconventional, but necessary lifestyle, and results, of a family forced to live a somewhat nomadic existence because the father, who was blinded as a child, had no means of support other than working as a street musician. The author, Joann Garrity Williams, is the oldest child of Ethel and Francis Garrity. She served for four years as state president of the Kansas Authors Club. This is the first time many, including family members and close friends, will learn the truth about Joann’s unique childhood and upbringing.

Welcome New Member Caryn Mirriam-Goldberg

11/10/2022

Photo credit: Dave Leiker

Today, we welcome Caryn Mirriam-Goldberg, a former Kansas Poet Laureate (2009-2013), to the Kansas Authors Club and District 2. She offers workshops and coaching services to other writers.

My offerings to writers of late:

I invite interested writers to consider joining me in the Poetry Playhouse, a six-week writing workshop online with three Zoom sessions. We set sail Jan. 9-Feb. 26, each week exploring another room in our memories, experiences, insights, and visions, including:

• Week One -- The Playroom: Creating With Abandon: Find your creative magic and mojo through a more playful relationship with your poetry.

• Week Two -- The Living Room: Drawing From Real Life: By leaning into our life's experiences, we can find ample material for poetry.

• Week Three -- The Family Room: Writing About Families of Origin, of Choice, and of Your Own Creation: "Anyone who survived a childhood has enough material to last him the rest of his days," says Flannery O'Connor.

• Week Four -- The Kitchen: The Nourishment of Intimate Exchanges: The kitchen is often the center of any party for a good reason: food, and the making and keeping of it, draws us together.

• Week Five -- The Bedroom: Dreams, Sex, and Other Adventures in the Dark: By exploring what makes us wild and takes us beyond daytime stories about who we are, we can access new ways into our poems.

• Week Six -- The Basement, Attic, and Porch: Poetic Roots and Wings: The basements and attics are where we store a lot of stuff: what comes out seasonally or not at all, what we're inherited from our ancestors, and what possibilities we may use one day

More information here: http://www.carynmirriamgoldberg.com/workshops-readings-talks/poetry-playhouse/.

I also offer writers coaching on beginning, developing, and finishing projects, whether an essay, a novel or memoir, a collection of poetry, or whatever else is calling your name on the page. If you’re interested, we can meet for a free 20-minute discovery call. Details here: http://carynmirriam-Goldberg.com/coaching

My latest writing: I’ve been working on a memoir with the working title of The Magic Eye about my sojourn through eye cancer and my family and my 35-year odyssey saving the family land, both of which happened before and during the pandemic. It’s a story about new ways of seeing and being in this world, the healing power of the earth, and what it can mean to fall in love with a piece of land and a community for the long term. I’m also writing a lot of new poetry which will surely come together around a theme to
be determined.

About Me: I’ve been writing for close to 50 years, starting with poetry and branching out to fiction, memoir, songs, and essays.

I’m the past Kansas Poet Laureate and the author of 24 books or anthologies, all of which you can find at my website (http://carynmirriamgoldberg.com).

I live south of Lawrence with the deer, turkeys, a loud tiny cat, a neurotic border collie, and a long-time husband on land we’ve been restoring to tallgrass prairie.