Current News from the Kansas Authors Club

New Book by Member Ginger Zyskowski

1/23/2025

Shattered
One Woman’s True Story of Trauma, Coercive Control and Survival

By Ginger Zyskowski

Part One takes place from 1978 – 1983 as the author spent time in Washington, California, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Kansas, and Nevada under the control of a man known as Black Lightening. The story begins with a double kidnapping – the author’s three young children (ages 4, 5, and 7) were abducted and the author, herself, was ruthlessly kidnapped. As she is held against her will and confined by her captors, she vows to do whatever it will take to reconnect with her children and reclaim her life.

She gets caught in a web of conflicts and complications caused by lies spoken by her family, her kidnappers, and the FBI. Eventually, with determination, resilience, and courage, she reunites with her three sons and, together, they begin the difficult, yet rewarding journey of recovery after trauma. The author shares her harrowing true story here for the first time.

2025 Kansas Authors Club Social: A Report

1/14/2025

January Social Attendees

The January 2025 Kansas Authors Club Social was held on Tuesday, January 15, at 7:00 p.m. via Zoom. Six members were in attendance. Tracy Million Simmons opened the meeting with some quotes from writers about the New Year.

"We spend January 1 walking through our lives, room by room, drawing up a list of work to be done, cracks to be patched. Maybe this year, to balance the list, we ought to walk through the rooms of our lives... not looking for flaws, but for potential." – Ellen Goodman

"New Year's is a harmless annual institution, of no particular use to anybody save as a scapegoat for promiscuous drunks, and friendly calls and humbug resolutions." – Mark Twain

What you get by achieving your goals is not as important as what you become by achieving your goals. –Zig Ziglar

Members then discussed New Year’s Resolutions, specifically in regard to writing goals.

Member Connlyn Sinclair (Lawrence) said his goal in 2025 was to actually finish some of his writing projects. He’s got three works-in-progress that he would really like to get to the end of this year.
Member and former Kansan, Ginger Zyskowski (Seattle WA) talked about her recently published book, Shattered: One Woman’s True Story of Trauma, Coercive Control and Survival.
Nancy Julien Kopp (Manhattan), of Writer Granny’s World, said she set a goal to write a little bit more this year. Last year she apparently “slacked off” a bit!
D5 President Sandra Taylor (Towanda) shared that she was in the midst of book launch planning. Her in-person launch will take place at Reliant Bookstore in El Dorado on January 27, from 4-6pm. That will be followed by a book launch on Zoom on February 5. Member Linzi Garcia (Emporia) will be helping Sandee with the virtual book launch. Sandra’s book, More Than an Attractive Face, is book 1 of a 4-book series. The 2nd book in the series is currently with a beta reader. She has a goal that it will be published mid-summer, and a plan for book 3 to be available at the end of the year. Book 4 is planned for 2026. Sandra said her goal this year is to be more intentional with the amount of writing and the type of writing she is doing. It’s time for it to be more than just a hobby.
District 4 Board Representative Mike Durall (Salina) shared that his newest book is filled with heartwarming stories from the Kansas Plains.
Kansas Authors Club Manager, Tracy Million Simmons (Emporia) said she had not made resolutions this year. Instead, she had selected a focus word: BALANCE.

After some discussion, Tracy shared reminders about submitting member book news to the state website and the new consolidated guidelines for 2025 book awards.

Sandee shared that the 2025 Writing Retreat Committee had selected a theme and were very close to having a logo ready for the fall event, which will take place at Rock Springs Ranch on October 3-5. The question of which district was hosting this year was asked. Tracy explained that the planning of the annual fall events had been pulled under the supervision of the state board for the last two years. As a plan to alleviate the toll on convention organizers, conventions and writing retreats are planned to be held every other year. It remains the goal to recruit committee members and event chairs from across the state. Those who had attended the events at Rock Springs Ranch in the last two years agreed that the site was an improvement from hotels with convention centers, primarily due to continued rising costs for rooms and food. Tracy and Sandee reported that Rock Springs has been wonderful to work with and that attendees, overall, have had positive feedback.

The group spent the second half of the hour sharing readings from their work.

Connlyn read an excerpt from a fantasy detective story set in magical Kansas.
Nancy read a poem she’d written commemorating January 27, National Holocaust Day, after a visit to a concentration camp in Czechoslovakia.
Ginger read a selection of poems from her book, Shattered.
Sandee read an excerpt from her novel, More Than an Attractive Face.
And Mike shared that he had been visiting archives and was enjoying the experience of simply asking the staff to bring him a box to explore. A recent box had the title of “clubs & organizations” and Mike read a selection of topics discussed by the Spring Valley Literary Society of Salina from the late 1800s.

Mike said, “People used to get together before television and the internet and talk about things.”

Prior to closing, Nancy mentioned that these gatherings were a good example of writers helping writers. She said as she listened to the discussion, there was a lot of feedback that included ideas for books to read, actions to take. Nancy’s most recent blog post is titled, Writers helping Writers.

Sandee said that the biggest value of gatherings like this are the little tidbits learned from other members.

The Kansas Authors Club Social takes place on the 2nd Tuesday of every month, via Zoom, starting at 7:00 p.m. All members of Kansas Authors are welcome to attend. There’s plenty of room on zoom, and you don’t have to add time for driving! For larger gatherings, the “rooms” feature of Zoom will be used to divide the group into suitable sizes so that everyone gets a chance to share without making the meeting too long.

Save the date for the next gathering, February 11, 2025.

Member Ginger Zyskowski Announces New Book

7/13/2023

From the beautiful mind of artist, composer, musician and author Ginger Zyskowski (D6) with illustrations by Hannah Weaver.

Pre-orders are available for only $30. The first 50 orders will also receive a complimentary copy of either Love and Lovers or Another Think Coming! poetry book. Visit GingerZ.Works to order now!

All orders must be received by July 31 to be eligible for first printing and author signing on August 19, 2023!

In a Word is based on the English alphabet with each letter beautifully illustrated and ready to lead the reader down a path of discovery and expanded concepts. The texts that partner with each word picture will stimulate one's imagination and entertain the mind. It could be called a puzzle book, a picture book, or a history book of a different kind. The author's goal is for this book to be used for fun, for play with the English language, and to promote creative thinking for all ages.

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.

Member Poem at Evergreen Arboretum and Gardens in Everett, Washington

4/16/2023

News from District 6 Member, Ginger Zyskowski.

Here are some photos from the event on April 1, 2023 at the Evergreen Arboretum and Gardens in Everett, Washington.

My poem was selected as 1 of 20 from over 100 entries for the contest "Out on a Limb: Poetry in the Trees" to celebrate 60 years in the Arboretum and Gardens.

The chosen poems were put on ceramic plaques and hung on tree limbs throughout the arboretum for the month of April. Poems were to reflect nature or trees.

My poem: The tree stands silent
In its winter nakedness
Waiting for spring frocks.

The opening reception was held in the classroom of the arboretum and featured readings by Washington State Poet Laureate, 2021-2023, Rena Priest, and Pulitzer Prize Winner and judge, Rae Armantrout.

D6 Member Ginger Zyskowski To Be Published in Evergreen Arboretum Project

2/3/2023

A verdant, green garden with a grey paved path overlooked by pillared arches. A metal cutout sign in front reads

Via Evergreen Arboretum and Gardens.

District 6’s Ginger Zyskowski is proud to announce that her poem, “The tree stands silent,” will appear in the “Out on a Limb” project at the Evergreen Arboretum in Everett, WA in April of 2023.
This project, co-sponsored by the Everett Public Library, takes two dozen poetic works from authors of all ages and inscribes them on clay tablets that will hang from the branches of the trees in the arboretum to “create and maintain an inspirational” setting, according to the management of the facility.
The exhibit will run for the month of April in 2023, which coincides with National Poetry Month. There will be a grand opening event on April 1, 2023, and additional events throughout the month that have yet to be announced.

Learn More

District 6 Meeting Invitation - Saturday, May 22, 2021

5/17/2021

Cover of Issue #1 - 105 Meadowlark Reader, A Kansas Journal of Creative Nonfiction Cover photo by Dave Leiker

If you want to learn about writing, editing, or publishing, then you’re invited to attend Saturday’s (May 22, 2021 - 1:30pm) District 6 meeting of the Kansas Authors Club. It’s free and open to the public.

The Zoom meeting will have five speakers. Tracy Million Simmons, founder of Meadowlark Press, and Cheryl Unruh, editor of 105 Meadowlark Reader: A Kansas Journal of Creative Nonfiction, will share their vision of gathering true Kansas stories. The first issue of the journal highlights 35 talented Kansas writers from 25 counties.

Virtual attendees will also meet the other three prolific writers, all Kansas Authors Club members, and learn how they created their essays for submission for the spring issue. Each story is an authentic Kansas experience. The speakers, their home base, and essay titles, are: Miriam Iwashige, Partridge, “A Pandemic Privilege”; Julie Stielstra, Ellinwood/Chicago, “Barton County”; and Ginger Zyskowski, Seattle (formerly Hutchinson), “A Kansan and His Machines.”

There will be time for questions and answers.
105 Meadowlark Reader may be purchased at your local book store or at 105 Meadowlark Reader.

To join the 1:30 PM (CST) meeting, or to become a part of a community of Kansas writers, contact Jim Potter, president of District 6, at [email protected] or 620-899-3144.

Kansas Authors Club Members to be Published in Inaugural Issue of 105: Meadowlark Reader

2/14/2021

The following Kansas Authors Club members had essays selected for publication in the first issue of 105: Meadowlark Reader, a Kansas journal of creative nonfiction. Issue #1, with the theme of "beginnings," is expected to be delivered to subscribers in early May, featuring 35 essays, including the following:

Gretchen Eick - D5
Marie Fletcher - D7
Beth Gulley - D2
Miriam Iwashige - D6
Nancy Julien Kopp - D4
Sandee Lee - D5
Don Marler - D5
Ruth Maus - D1
Julie Nischan - D1
Kevin Rabas - D2
Mark Scheel - D2
Julie Sellers - D4
Tyler Sheldon - D2
Julie Stielstra - D6
Barbara Waterman-Peters - D1
Jon Yenser - D7
Gloria Zachgo - D5
Ginger Zyskowski - D6

Cheryl Unruh (D2) of Quincy Press is the editor of the new journal, and Tracy Million Simmons (D2) of Meadowlark Press is the publisher. Readers are encouraged to subscribe before March 1 to take advantage of introductory pricing.

For those interested in submitting essays for issue #2, the theme will be "Kansas Travel Stories" and they will begin collecting those submissions in May and June of 2021

See 105meadowlarkreader.com for complete details.

D6 Member Publishes Poetry Book

11/17/2020

Ginger Zyskowski, District 6 member, has released her second book of poetry titled Another Think Coming! Poems and Stuff, published by Dancing Giraffe and printed by Mennonite Press. This chapbook is light-hearted and a bit whimsical.

Visit her website: Gingerz.works