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 from member Dawn Feltrop: I am hosting a Book Launch Party on Saturday, November 29th from 5-8pm. Also, I am asking people to join my Book Launch Team to share my Amazon book during the first week of December.  Please mark your calendar for JCCC’s 11th annual Cavalier Conference on Writing and Literature on Friday, Apr. 10, 2026, from 8 a.m. – 3 p.m. in the Capitol Federal Conference Center. This year’s conference theme is: Plot Twist!
Our one-day conference will explore the ways a plot twist can serve as a useful metaphor for our experiences as teachers. New technologies upend our profession. New regulations constrain us, but they also call up our creativity. Our keynote speaker will be Laura Moriarty, Professor of English at the University of Kansas and author of several novels, including The Chaperone, adapted for film by Julian Fellowes in 2018. Registration opens soon! Find conference details at jccc.edu/WritingConference. Poet Bill Sheldon will share an approach he's had success with, one designed to reduce the anxiety of a blank page/screen.  Members receive a Zoom link to monthly state programs via email. The link may also be accessed via the button below. November Program: Lowering Your Standards Presented by William Sheldon Poet Bill Sheldon will share an approach he's had success with, one designed to reduce the anxiety of a blank page/screen. Author William Sheldon was born in Colorado, and moved with his family to Emporia at age 5. Sheldon spent much of his life in Kansas, but also lived in California. He received his Master of Fine Arts at Wichita State University. Sheldon was a professor of English at Hutchinson Community College in Hutchinson, Kansas, where he taught creative writing. His poetry has appeared in such journals as Blue Mesa Review, Flint Hills Review, Coal City Review, and Midwest Quarterly. His books are Retrieving Old Bones (Woodley 2002, Kansas City Star Noteworthy Book), Into Distant Grass (chapbook Midwest Quarterly, 2008), Deadman (Spartan Press 2021), and When I Go West (Meadowlark Press, 2025).  Book Launch Party for Rosemary Chick: Pip, Zip, Hooray!
Saturday, November 29, 2025 • 5:00–8:00 p.m. Join local author Dawn Feltrop at Morning Grit Farm, 15499 SW 140th St., Rose Hill, KS, for a fun family event celebrating her new children’s book Rosemary Chick: Pip, Zip, Hooray! Enjoy story-time, a petting zoo, coffee/hot chocolate bar, s’mores by the fire, cupcakes, and book signings. RSVP by November 22: [email protected] More info: www.DawnFeltrop.com  Program: Lowering Your Standards Presented by William Sheldon Poet Bill Sheldon will share an approach he's had success with, one designed to reduce the anxiety of a blank page/screen. Author William Sheldon was born in Colorado, and moved with his family to Emporia at age 5. Sheldon spent much of his life in Kansas, but also lived in California. He received his Master of Fine Arts at Wichita State University. Sheldon was a professor of English at Hutchinson Community College in Hutchinson, Kansas, where he taught creative writing. His poetry has appeared in such journals as Blue Mesa Review, Flint Hills Review, Coal City Review, and Midwest Quarterly. His books are Retrieving Old Bones (Woodley 2002, Kansas City Star Noteworthy Book), Into Distant Grass (chapbook Midwest Quarterly, 2008), Deadman (Spartan Press 2021), and When I Go West: New and Selected Poems (Meadowlark Press, 2025). sign-on required
Join us at Washburn University's Carole Chapel, Thursday, October 23, 4:00-5:00 p.m., 1701 SW College Ave in Topeka. Carole Chapel is just south of the Memorial Union. The launch celebration of Writing from the Center will be livestreamed on our Facebook page.  The Derby Public Library will host Cathy Feemster for a Meet & Greet the Author on October 10 from 10 am to Noon. Cathy is the author of My Friend Rachel by Shep, the dog. Her book is appropriate for children ages 5 and up. It follows the adventures of Rachel's dog Shep who becomes a true hero. The book is based on a true story from Cathy's grandmother and takes place in 1901 on a farm on the Kansas prairie.   Members will receive link via Email Newsletter.
Link can also be accessed via sign-on to our member pages. Big Boys Don't Cry Book Launch The official launch of the book will be on Sunday, September 28, 2025, 2 pm to 4 pm, at the Missouri Pacific Railroad Depot, 401 North 2nd Street, Lawrence, Kansas.   You are cordially invited to Monarch Books & Gifts’ Grand Re-Opening on Saturday, October 4th at our new location from open to close.
Join us as we flutter down the block to our new home at 7733 W 151st St, Overland Park, KS 66223 in the Stanley Station shopping center (next to Jalapeños). We would love for you to be a part of our next chapter! This move allows us to create more cozy seating, revamp and expand our coffee bar with more drink selections and host even bigger community events, from boozy book fairs to profit shares! All while keeping the personalized and unique experience only a local bookstore like ours can provide. We'll have the new coffee bar set up for our expanded drink menu, Taylor Swift's new album playing, the prize wheel spinning, local authors ready to chat, double the points on all purchases and a costume character story time. Please feel free to come at any time on Saturday to celebrate the start of this new chapter with us! We’re excited to have you join us for the 14th annual Kansas Book Festival on Saturday, September 20, 2025, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Washburn University in Topeka! This free, public celebration will feature 45+ authors—including Bill Kurtis, Bryn Greenwood, and Kevin Young—plus children’s activities, live entertainment, book sales, and food trucks. Stop by the Kansas Authors Club table! We look forward to meeting you!  Please plan to attend the Annual Meeting of the General Membership on Saturday, October 11, 2025, at 1:30 p.m.
This meeting will be held on Zoom (sign-in required). The meeting link will be emailed to all members.  The Crow Lady: Barbara Waterman-Peters, a new book by Cathy Callen, will make its debut at the Topeka and Shawnee County Public Library, 1515 S.W. 10th, Topeka, Kansas. Please join us on Sunday, September 7, 2025 2:00 – 4:00 p.m. with Introductions and readings at 2:30 p.m. Books will be available for purchase. The Crow Lady, Barbara Waterman-Peters, is an introduction to Kansas artist Barbara Waterman-Peters, for young readers. It explores her interest in and identification with crows, asking readers to use imagination as they think about crows, flying and art. Barbara has provided four sketches of crows and 26 of her paintings to illustrate the book. The inclusion of Barbara's art makes this book a treasure for adults as well. The author, Cathy Callen, is a member of Kansas Authors Club residing in Lawrence, Kansas. Barbara Waterman-Peters is a member residing in Topeka.   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.
The following is re-posted from Hazel's blog and newsletter. Join Hazel and friends on August 31, 2:00 p.m., and Middle Ground Books, 606 Commercial, Emporia, Kansas. Reputation is my thirteenth published novel, and I am having my first book launch on August 31 at 2 pm at Middle Ground Books in Emporia, Kansas.
So how did I launch the first twelve novels? Previous new book announcement process:
While I have attended several book launches in the past, I’m still not sure what I should do at mine. Fortunately, my Emporia Writers friends, Tracy Million Simmons, Deb Irsik, and Lindsey Bartlett, have volunteered to help. With their experience in launching, I am less anxious and looking forward to my first book launch ever. What is Reputation about anyway? Reputation is everything to a woman and her team of detectives in 1861 St. Louis. From the top floor of the Gates Hotel to the caves beneath it, the search for a murderer takes Hannah True and her team into situations that compromise their reputations as women and as novice detectives. Meeting a man alone might be enough to ruin her reputation, meeting him in a saloon would definitely destroy it. Reputation is the fourth book in the Hannah True series. If you happen to be in Emporia, Kansas, on August 31, I’d love to have you celebrate its publication with me. If you prefer eBooks, visit my Reputation book page on Amazon or visit my Amazon Author page to view the first twelve.  Join us for Poetry Night at Gallery Twelve in Wichita! This will be an interactive presentation featuring KAC poet Janice Northerns. Janice will read ekphrastic poems (poems written in response to art work) from her award-winning book and share a few writing tips. You’ll then have a chance to walk through the gallery and respond to the art on display with your own writing. You don’t have to know anything about poetry to participate—come prepared for a little creative inspiration and fun! The event is free. This month’s exhibit features photographs by Bob Benson and glasswork by Scott Garrelts. Final Friday reception will be from 6-9 pm, Aug. 29. The poetry presentation will begin at 7 pm. Gallery Twelve is located at 412 E. Douglas, Suite A, Wichita, KS 67202.
Janice Northerns is the author of Some Electric Hum, winner of the Byron Caldwell Smith Book Award from the University of Kansas, the Kansas Authors Club Nelson Poetry Book Award, and a WILLA Literary Award Finalist in Poetry. The author grew up on a farm in Texas and holds degrees from Texas Tech University, where she received the Robert S. Newton Creative Writing Award. Her poetry has been nominated for Pushcart and Best of the Net prizes. After living in southwest Kansas for 25 years, she and her husband, the poet Bill McGlothing, moved to Wichita in 2023. She is active in the Wichita Authors (D5) chapter of Kansas Authors Club and has presented writing workshops locally and at the state level. Find out more on her website: www.janicenortherns.com.  On Saturday, Oct. 11, Newton Public Library will host its first-ever Local Author Day, a celebration of creativity and storytelling featuring authors from Harvey, Reno, McPherson, and Marion counties – and beyond.
The public will be invited to browse books, chat with authors, and discover new local reads during our author fair, 1:30-3:30 p.m. Come early for a panel discussion, 10:30-11:30 a.m., with featured authors sharing insights into their writing journeys and the publishing process. (More details TBA.) Registration for authors who live in Harvey, Reno, McPherson, and Marion counties will open on Monday, Sept. 1. Registration for authors who live elsewhere will open Monday, Sept. 15. We have room for around 32 authors, so please sign up ASAP! Questions? Email Sam Jack, [email protected], or call the library, 316-283-2890. Here's a fun note from member, Mary L. Schmidt! I'm having my first ever book signing with Barnes & Noble on Saturday, August 23, 2025, at the bookstore in Wichita at 1920 North Rock Road in Bradley Fair. My first ever. Thank you. This is HUGE for me. I'm going to have a young Kansas author with me, Willa Finnegan, who wrote her first book at age 11, published at age 12, and she is now age 13. If anyone can make it and show support, that would be awesome. Willa is a new member of Kansas Authors Club. Congratulations, Mary! We love to help Kansas authors celebrate these moments.  Instructions for purchasing Quarter Page Book Ads and other sizes for 2025-2026 are now available on the website. Place your order by August 15 for the Early Bird Rate. Those who meet the Early Bird deadline will also be published in Writing from the Center, 2025 edition. Sample Member Book Ads from 2024 Thank you to all who have supported our fall event and programs! This is your reminder to register for the 2025 Writing Retreat! The Leadership Lodge Loft rooms are going quickly, followed by the private rooms at Hansen. Just picture it -- Friday evening through Sunday noon -- time to take care of your muse! Write. Write. Write. Talk a walk on the beautiful Rock Springs campus. Nap. Write some more. We'll have some rooms full of prompts and inspiration if you need a nudge.
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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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