Current News from the Kansas Authors Club

Petals & Poems at Botanica in Wichita

4/8/2026

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

2025 Poetry Contest Results

10/12/2025

Thanks to Janice Northerns for serving as our 2024 and 2025 Poetry Contest Manager!

Contest Manger Janice Northerns and Theme Honorable Mention, Jeanice Eagan Davis

Theme Category in Poetry
More Than a Manuscript: Words Take Root

First: High Plains Childhood, Janice Lee McClure, Sublette

Second: Summon the Muse, Arlice W. Davenport, Wichita

Third: The Beginning of All Things, Arlice W. Davenport, Wichita

HMs:
Cutting Wood, Jeanice Eagan Davis, Clearwater
How Few Know the Way, Arlice W. Davenport, Wichita

Whimsy: Kristine A. Polansky & Julie Ann Baker Brin

Category: Whimsy

First: The Two Hemispheres Of My Brain in The Middle Of The Night Are Like, Julie Ann Baker Brin, Park City

Second: Hidden in Plain Sight, Julie Ann Baker Brin, Park City

Third: Father Love, Kristine A. Polansky, Manhattan

HMs:
Stopping by Woods for a Tasty Morsel, Mary-Lane Kamberg, Olathe
Little Miss Muffet Noir, Conrad Jestmore, Wichita

Classic Forms: Kristine A. Polansky

Category: Classic Forms

First: For the Love of Elizabeth Barrett Browning - Janice Lee McClure, Sublette

Second: 2025, Kristine A. Polansky, Manhattan

Third: The Vinegar Works, Janice Lee McClure, Sublette

HMs:
Full Moon IV and Gage Park Carousel, Janice Lee McClure, Sublette
Only I Know, Duane Johnson, Topeka

Japanese Forms: Kristine A. Polansky & Julie Ann Baker Brin

Category: Japanese Forms

First: Autumn’s coming soon, Kristine A. Polansky, Manhattan

Second: Study Abroad Day 2: Panteon Municipal Santa Rosa, Beth Gulley, Olathe

Third: A gentle fall rain, Kristine A. Polansky, Manhattan

HMs:
[Music Everywhere], Julie Ann Baker Brin, Park City
I wake to bird songs, Kristine A. Polansky, Manhattan

Rural Voices: Kristine A. Polansky & Julie Ann Baker Brin

Category: Rural Voices

First: Firewatch, Kelly Johnston, Wichita

Second: Highway 40 Snowfall, Kristine A. Polansky, Manhattan

Third: High Plains Childhood: Summer, Janice Lee
McClure, Sublette

Honorable Mentions:
Flint Hills Elegy, Tim Keane, Manhattan
Cattle Control 2, Kelly Johnston, Wichita
Idyllic, Julie Ann Baker Brin, Park City
Night at the Farm, Brenda White, Emporia

Free Verse: Julie Ann Baker Brin

Category: Free Verse

First: Easter Morning, Brenda White, Emporia

Second: Mesmerized, Judy Oliver, Wichita

Third: Full Moon II, Janice Lee McClure, Sublette

Honorable Mentions:
Underground, Arlice W. Davenport, Wichita
Ten Years Before Cyberspace, Julie Ann Baker Brin, Park City
Meeting New Colleagues in Mexico, Beth Gulley, Olathe

New Poets: Mark Landon Jarvis & Joseph Zalewski

Category: New Poets

First: Filling Up, Deborah Linn McNeemee, El Dorado

Second: A Day Cutting Firewood, John Joseph Brown, Lawrence

Third: Bones He Can’t Grow Back, Mark Landon Jarvis, El Dorado

Honorable Mentions:
Tribe of Dan, Joseph Zalewski, Manhattan
Christmas Morning Poem, Cynthia C. Schaker, El Dorado
CJ, Until We Meet Again, Cynthia C. Schaker, El Dorado

Narrative Poems: Kristine A. Polansky, Mark Landon Jarvis, Jeanice Eagan Davis

Catagory: Narrative Poetry

First: Diving Lesson, Kristine A. Polansky, Manhattan

Second: Rick Webb, Barber, Mark Landon Jarvis, El Dorado

Third: Time Travel, Julie A. Sellers, Atchison

HM: Old Sheldon: Here is Hope, Jeanice Eagan Davis, Clearwater

Ekphrastic: Julie Ann Baker Brin

Category: Ekphrastic

First: Memento Volare, Julie Ann Baker Brin, Park City

Second: Here I Come, April Pameticky, Wichita

Third: Safe as Houses, Julie Ann Baker Brin, Park City

HM: Hesse and I Have Coffee, April Pameticky, Wichita

2025 poet of the year

Kristine A. Polansky
presented by Poetry Contest Manager, Janice Northerns

#ReadLocalKS : Future Fugitives

10/9/2025

Mark Landon Jarvis, Future Fugitives (prequel, Endless Tempest series)

I nearly had several tiny heart attacks as some chapters ended. While not exactly cliffhangers, since the action/adventure propelled me along (and didn’t perturb me like most cliffhangers do), the situations were harrowing enough and the characters endearing enough to make me concerned for their well-being. (And I’m not even a Mom — okay, I’m a Dog Mom.) I dare you to read chapter one, “Sneet” — all of two pages plus one line long — then honestly tell me you’re not hooked; I’ll buy your copy of the book. Jarvis seamlessly switches between the voices of his co-protagonists (or are they?!) and their POV while cleverly juggling a dual timeline — and occasionally more than two. News-article type “context files” punctuate the drama with facts that are fascinating in and of themselves, at least the ones that are nonfiction, and the fictional tidbits seem so scientific they make Jarvis’s world even more real. The novel is not without humor, including the brutal honesty of children, parodied lists of medical side effects, or casual mention of tin hats (and the types of people who are inclined to wear them). There’s a refreshing and proper display of 2nd Amendment rights. There’s even a teensy bit of Sci-Fi Poetry, which I didn’t know was a thing (I’m somewhat ashamed to admit, as a sci-fi fan and someone who claims to write poetry). I truly cannot wait for this movie. #ReadLocalKS

P.S. This was not — nor are any of my reviews — written with the help of AI, and I have been a fan of em dashes for as long as I can remember ... which is a long time, since I’m older than I look. As is one of the characters ... oh, wait, I don’t want to give any more away. Allow me add how glad I am to discover the ‘Endless Tempest’ series with this prequel; I’m going to go right out and buy the rest of the books this weekend! (Oh, and now that I’ve finally posted a review, I can eat some Tic Tacs. #IYKYK)

(For those doing the ReadICT 2025 challenge: Fits categories #3, 7, 8, 9, and maybe even #6 & 10.)

submitted by member Julie Ann Baker Brinn

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.

#ReadLocalKS: A Life in Progress, by Tracy Million Simmons

8/24/2025

Member Julie Ann Baker Brin shares her reviews on Goodreads and has given us permission to share them here! Thank you, Julie, for making the time to share the book you love.

A wonderful variety of slices of life

Ms. Million Simmons has a gift for speaking in many voices. From one poignant story to the next she channels a school girl, a rural widower, a young bachelor, and other assorted characters. In some ways it is “light reading,” because of the short, easy to read stories, and in some ways it is not, as she tackles subjects such as racism and xenophobia, Alzheimer’s, and the death of loved ones. But she does so in heartfelt, engaging chapters that made me wish each short story were part of a novel. Many of these characters felt like family members, even in the short time it took to get to know them. And it is interesting to speculate which story elements might have been autobiographical, and which were purely imaginative. Either way, the details and descriptions made each experience real.

A Life in Progress

A local donor has offered the following challenge to Kansas Authors Club members. Every #ReadLocalKS submission to our website from now through December 1 will be entered into a drawing for a $50 gift certificate to Bookshop.org.

Submit Here

#ReadLocalKS: Some Electric Hum, by Janice Northerns

8/17/2025

Member Julie Ann Baker Brin shares her reviews on Goodreads and has given us permission to share them here! Thank you, Julie, for making the time to share the books you love.

There’s a wild woman in these pages ... but I’m never quite sure if it’s the author herself, or the characters she so studiously scrutinizes ... and I sometimes felt like I was one of them. (We didn’t know each other at the time of publication, but we’ve been getting to know each other through Kansas Authors Club.) We certainly don’t need to ask Janice Northerns to “tell us what you really think!” In the tragedies and triumphs from the very first page, she is quick to expose irony and to call for justice—all with a flair for alliteration, internal rhyme, enjambment, and other poetic techniques. Yet no detail in life is too “unpoetic” for her pensiveness nor pen, no profession unworthy of reflection. It includes words you may not expect to find in a book of verse: proxy, Scooby Doo, bottomland, Mr. Pibb, unhobbled ... oh, there are more but I don’t want to ruin any surprises for you. And I realize this is not a poetic reaction, but it may be a telling one that I found myself saying “holy s***” several times after re-reading some pieces and having grasped their meaning—at least, I think I did. Most of the poems are free verse, but not all, and there’s a gem of sestina that’s an anniversary poem dedicated to her poet spouse—but absolutely not cheesy in any way, I promise. This award-winning debut is masterful and brilliant and I look forward to Ms. Northerns’ future works! #ReadLocalKS

Some Electric Hum

#ReadLocalKS: Waterbound, by April Pameticky

8/10/2025

Member Julie Ann Baker Brin shares her reviews on Goodreads and has given us permission to share them here! Thank you, Julie, for making the time to share the book you love.

Waterbound is Alchemy

Wherein we are reminded:
keratin is décor,
music is grit,
grief is a river,
listening is scratchy,
uncertainty is heroic,
paper is safety,
metamorphosis is mutiny,
blood is a badge,
love is a seastar,
and light is light is light is light is light.
And, of course, a word is magic.

(I thought a book of poetry deserved a poetic response; thank you for indulging me. Full disclosure: I’ve known April for several decades, but first as a fellow volunteer for a lot of years, and only more recently as a poet. I’ve heard her claim—after leading many, many, many writing workshops and, oh by the way, publishing several chapbooks and this book and an entire journal/website—that she doesn’t know what she is doing. I laugh at that statement but at the same time know her modesty is sincere, and so is her passion for the craft—as well as mentoring and encouraging others within it, and building community around it. This was my second read through, and I look forward to the third+, because there were some things I didn’t understand—but it’s OK if I never do. There’s enough wisdom and experience and curiosity in here to be relatable, to make me respond out loud—in agreement, in empathy, in surprise. #ReadLocalKS)

Order Waterbound

#ReadLocalKS: From Kansas, Not Dorothy, by Amber Fraley

8/3/2025

Member Julie Ann Baker Brin shares her reviews on Goodreads and has given us permission to share them here! Thank you, Julie, for making the time to share the book you love.

Visit Julie's Website

From Kansas, Not Dorothy: Essays and More from the Heartland by Amber Brejcha Fraley

My spouse had to listen to me gasp, laugh, and make other occasional involuntary sounds as I read this at bedtime over a few nights — pretty sure he could even hear me blush during some parts. Amber is a fearless writer who is not afraid to share the dirty details of hitting bottom ... and where she did it ... and who she did it with. But this is not a tragedy—oh no. Fiercely honest, this mini-memoir about growing up and personal growth is so relatable ... to anyone with a childhood and a family—even one as idyllic and Cleaver-family-like as my own (at least in the unrepressed portions of my memory; because you can’t have a family without dysfunction). Not to mention anyone who has ever been teased just because of where they live. Did I not mention it’s funny? OMG it’s so funny! Bonus materials include a few recipes whose accompanying notes/instructions are often chuckle-worthy, too. P.S. If you are lucky, you might also come across her chapbook ‘Poems from a Midlife Crisis,’ or find her work in other Great Plains area anthologies—bonus material for your brains and belly. #ReadLocalKS

Submit Here

#ReadLocalKS: Walking on Water, by Cheryl Unruh

7/27/2025

Member Julie Ann Baker Brin shares her reviews on Goodreads and has given us permission to share them here! Thank you, Julie, for making the time to share the book you love.

I was completely sold from the Table of Contents! And I wasn’t disappointed. But I could have maybe used a warning: for example, if you share the couch with someone while reading this, prepare to disturb them by shaking the furniture while attempting to mute your laughter throughout the entire second section. And then perhaps prepare to explain why your eyes are a bit weepy in the fourth. Ms. Unruh aptly represents many life stages and experiences throughout these hundred pages; even her childhood memories perfectly capture that particular logic, longing, and wisdom. Her imagination spans broad territory: from poodle skirts to Picasso, from Venus to Van Morrison, from coyotes to confessions—though her loyalty is to the Flint Hills. If no part of you knows the prairie, this has the magic to take you there; if any part of you can claim it, this has the magic to assure you that you are finally home. #ReadLocalKS

Walking on Water

Submit Here

#ReadLocalKS : THE WRITE BRIDGE JOURNAL: SUMMER 2025 – IDEALS AND ILLUSIONS

7/10/2025

The following Kansas Authors Club members have pieces in the Summer 2025 issue of The Write Bridge: Amber Fraley, Annette Hope Billings, Barbara Waterman-Peters, Beth Gulley, Boyd Bauman, Brian Daldorph, Chuck Warner, Connlyn Sinclair, Iris Craver, Julie Ann Baker Brin, Keri Ault, Kerry Moyer, Kevin Rabas, Maureen Carroll, Marilyn Hope Lake, Peg Nichols, Ralvell Rogers, T.A. Dugan.

Order copies from Anamcara Press.

Abbi Lee Writes for the Youth Market

1/31/2025

A review of Ghost Town Treasure Hunt
by Julie Ann Baker-Brin

I'm a kid at heart and found this an extremely fun and quick read. Geo-caching reminds me of a high-tech version of scavenger hunting that I loved when I was younger, and this also reminded me of the Nancy Drew mysteries I enjoyed. I may need to revisit both while I eagerly await the sequels! The adventures these kids take combine the best of both worlds: being out in nature and exploring the neighborhood, plus using technology in a way that builds friendships and community. And though the read is lighthearted and heartwarming overall, it does not shy away from bringing up issues like loneliness, risk-taking, family, learning, big life changes, and other items of concern to all ages. I’ve recently met Abbi via the Kansas Authors Club and she is a gem; looking forward to what she publishes next! #ReadLocalKS

2024 Kansas Authors Club Literary Contest: Prose Results

10/7/2024

Prose Contest Manager - K.L. Barron

Kristine A. Polansky, Anne Spry, and Janice Lee McClure

Prose Theme Contest: Words Take Flight: Choose Your Own Adventure (15 entries)

First Place: “The Cave” by Janice Lee McClure, D7

Second Place: “Up La Luz Trail With Penny” by Janice Lee McClure, D7

Third Place: “Encountering Hunger, Death, and Adventure in the Peace Corps” by Anne L. Spry, D1

Honorable Mention: “Bridge Over Cimarron” by Amy D. Kliewer, D5

Honorable Mention: “You Just Never Know” by Kristine A. Polansky, D4

Sandra Lou Talyor and S.L. Brown

Stories Written for Young Readers (14 entries)

First Place: “Catfish” by S.L. Brown, D2

Second Place: “Be Brave Bertie” by S.L. Brown, D2

Third Place: “Areon” by Sandra Lou Taylor, D5

Honorable Mention: “A Treasured Glow” by Abbi Lee, D5

Joe Bollig, S.L. Brown, and Julie A. Sellers

Short Story (14 entries)

First Place: “Sunflower State of Mind” by Julie A. Sellers, D1

Second Place: “Ficklin, Kansas” by S.L. Brown, D2

Third Place: “At the Roadside” by Robin St. James

Honorable Mention: “Just Another Day” by Ashley Masoni Huber, NM

Honorable Mention: “Dick Banal, Private Eye: Sticky Situation” by Joe Bollig, D2

Cynthia Mines, Janice Lee McClure, and Hazel Hart

Memoir/Inspiration (29 entries)

First Place: “Last One on the Line” by Don Money, D3

Second Place: “Students on a Stick” by Roger Heineken, D2

Third Place: “Breathe In, Release” by Cynthia Mines, D5

Honorable Mention: “Someone Else” by Hazel Hart, D2

Honorable Mention: “Idaho, 1950” by Janice Lee McClure, D7

Gretchen Cassel Eick and Julie A. Sellers

Humor (16 entries)

First Place: “Waiting for Daddy” by Kimberlee Bethany Bonura, D2

Second Place: “Local Professor Jailed for Crime of Fashion” by Julie A. Sellers, D1

Third Place: “The Brain Trade” by Gretchen Cassel Eick, D5

Honorable Mention: “How Gemma Changed My Life” by Margaret McKay, D5

Honorable Mention: “Brotherly Affection” by Amy D. Kliewer, D5

Sandra Lou Taylor, Hazel Hart, S.L. Brown, and Julie A. Sellers

Flash Fiction (8 entries)

First Place: “Distant Grief” by Kimberlee Bethany Bonura, D2

Second Place: “What She Ordered” by Hazel Hart, D2

Third Place: “Outlook” by Gretchen Burch, D2

Honorable Mention: “My Big Chance” by Sandra Lou Taylor, D5

Honorable Mention: “A Word Edgewise” by Hazel Hart, D2

Honorable Mention: “Deja New” by S.L. Brown, D2

Honorable Mention: “The Good Mood” by Julie A. Sellers, D1

Jerilynn Henrikson and Mike Graves (above her in the Zoom window)

First Chapter of a Novel (17 entries)

First Place: “The Yellow-Wellie Incident: An Inspector Wigford “Wiggy” Thorpe Mystery” by Kathleen E. Kaska, D2

Second Place: “A Mystery in Two Voices” by Michael D. Graves and Jerilynn Henrikson, D2

Third Place: “Birth of a Warrior” by Elmer Fuller, NM

Honorable Mention: “Shadows Deep” by Michael D. Graves, D2

Honorable Mention: “A History of Madness” by Alisha Davis, NM

Tracy Million Simmons and Julie A. Sellers

Playwriting (4 entries)

First Place: “The Magic Lamp” by Julie A. Sellers, D1

Second Place: “Community Meeting Chaos” by Cynthia Schaker, D5

Third Place: “The Heavenly Lounge” by Tracy Million Simmons, D2

S.L. Brown and Julie Ann Baker Brin

Prose Rural Voices (11 entries)

First Place: “Salt Plant” by Amy D. Kliewer, D5

Second Place: “Buried Treasure” by Julie Ann Baker Brin, D5

Third Place: “Stealing Dinner” by S.L. Brown, D2

2024 Kansas Authors Club Literary Contest: Poetry Results

10/7/2024

contest manager, Janice Northerns

S.L. Brown and Gretchn Burch

Theme “Words Take Flight, Choose Your Own Adventure” (27 entries)

1st Place: “To The Blueberry-Picking Festival” by Gretchen Burch, D2

2ndPlace: “middling paper” by April Pameticky, D5

3rd Place: “Sitting With The Cottonwoods” by Kelly Johnston, D5

Honorable Mention: “Firewatch” by Kelly Johnston, D5

Honorable Mention: “Sometimes now, words escape me” by Iris E. Craver, D2

April Pameticky, Brenda L. White, Julie Ann Baker Brin, and Gretchen Burch

Free Verse (51 entries)

1st Place: “Sixteen” by Gretchen Burch, D2

2nd Place: “Scars” by Judy Oliver, D5

3rd Place: Home of the Brave(s) by Julie Ann Baker Brin, D5

Honorable Mention: “Ekphrastic Mother/ Daughter Collaboration” by K. L. Barron, writer (D4) and Shawnee Barron (photographer)

Honorable Mention: “Itty Bitty Bio” by Jean Grant, D2

Honorable Mention: “Leaving” by Brenda White, D2

Honorable Mention: “On Speaking with My Brother Who is Dying” by Jeanice Eagan Davis, D5

Honorable Mention: “thursday in the shadow of kesoo” by April Pameticky, D5

Narrative (30 entries )

1st Place: “salt” by April Pameticky, D5

2nd Place: “High Plains Childhood: Spirits” by Janice Lee McClure, D7

3rd Place: “Eclipse” by Julie A. Sellers, D1

Honorable Mention: “you dreamed so hard it felt like permanence” by April Pameticky, D5

Honorable Mention: “Planting” by Arlice W. Davenport, D5

Honorable Mention: “Kansas is Burning” by Jeanice Eagan Davis, D5

Honorable Mention” “Fossils” by Kelly Johnston, D5

Janice Lee McClure

Classic Forms, 10 entries

1st Place: “Ghost” by Janice Lee McClure, D7

2nd Place: “Frozen Rain” by Janice Lee McClure, D7

3rd Place: “Wild At Heart” by Janice Lee McClure, D7

No HMs

Sam Barrett and Gretchen Burch

New Poets, 18 entries

1st Place: “Music Lessons” by Gretchen Burch, D2

2nd Place: “Sick as Dogs” by Samantha L. Barrett, D5

3rd Place: “Circus” by Gretchen Burch, D2

Honorable Mention: “Permission” by Gretchen Burch, D2

Honorable Mention: “Polka Dots” by Cynthia Schaker, D5

Kristine A. Polansky and Janice Lee McClure

Whimsy, 28 entries

1st Place: “Rebel with a Cause” by Janice Lee McClure, D5

2nd Place: “The King at the Door” by Arlice W. Davenport, D5

3rd Place: “Vultures” by Kristine A. Polansky, D4

Honorable Mention: “Dog in the Sun” by Arlice W. Davenport, D5

Honorable Mention: “What a Maroon!” by Arlice W. Davenport, D5

Julie Ann Baker Brin and Kristine A. Polansky

Japanese Forms, 15 entries

1st Place: “Oh, Sweet Canada” by Kristine A. Polansky, D4

2nd Place: “Swept” by Julie Ann Baker Brin, D5

3rd Place: “Mountain Haiku” by Jeanice Eagan Davis, D5

Honorable Mention: “Summer Night” by Aimee L. Gross, D1

Honorable Mention: “Mists Silence the Trees” by Kristine A. Polansky, D4

Jancie Lee McClure, Ashley Clayton Kay, and Gretchen Burch

Rural voices, 32 entries

1st place: "What I Hate About Living in the Country" by Gretchen Burch, D2

2nd place: "Hay Work" by Tim Keane, D4

3rd place: "Turning 7 in March" by Ashley Clayton Kay, D2

Honorable mention: "High Plains Childhood: Summer" by Janice Lee McClure, D7

Honorable mention: "Sledding in the Flatlands” by Jeanice Eagan Davis, D5

Poetry Chapbook Contest, 3 entries

1st, Published chapbook: Picking Fights in Book Club by Beth Gulley, D2

1st, Craft chapbook: faux pas: goofs, gaffes & other blunders by Martha Wherry, D5

April 27 Invitation from Anamcara Press - Lawrence, Kansas

4/22/2024

With much appreciation to our authors, artists, and readers we invite you to celebrate the publication of
THE WRITE BRIDGE JOURNAL: 2024 edition. Enjoy refreshments, great speakers
& A GOOD TIME!

SATURDAY, APRIL 27, 20243:30 - 6:30 PM
WATKINS MUSEUM, LAWRENCE, KANSAS

Find Out More
SELECT ARTICLES, POEMS, SHORT STORIES, PLAYS AND ARTWORK FROM AUTHORS AND ARTISTS WITH POWERFUL VOICES

The Write Bridge presents two opposing ideas for creators and readers to delve into—seriously or in fun—in order stretch our imaginations, to move beyond boundaries, to bridge the gap.
RNAL TOPIC: SOLITUDE and SOLIDARITYPUBLICATION DATE: MARCH 17, 202
AVAILABLE NOW HERE!

CONTRIBUTING AUTHORS & ARTISTS:
*denotes KAC member

Barry Barnes
Vern Barnet
Shelley Watts Barnhill
Stephanie A. Barrows
*Lindsey Bartlett
*Julie Ann Baker Brin
Patricia Cleveland
*Ian Cook
Louis Copt
*Brian Daldorph
*Anamarie Davis-Wilkins
*Thaddeus Dugan
Heather Duris
*Gretchen Cassel Eick
Andrew Evans
*Robert Fraga
*Amber Fraley
*Beth Gulley
*George Gurley
*Duane L. Herrmann
*D.A. Irsik
*Kelly W. Johnston
Kathleen Kaska
Julia Mathias Manglitz
Cathy Martin
J.A. McGovern
*Ronda Miller
*Peg Nichols
*Kevin Rabas
John Ritchie
*Troy Robinson
BruDe Rolfe
*Mark Scheel
*Diane Silver
Garold Sneegas
*Lori Stratton
*Connlyn Synclair
*Chuck Warner
*Barbara Waterman Peters
*Brenda White

2023 Poet & Prose Writer of the Year

10/14/2023

Each year we name a Poet a Prose Writer of the Year, based on placings in our annual literary contest. Congratulations to Julie Ann Baker Brin, 2023 Poet of the Year, and Julie A. Sellers, 2023 Prose Writer of the year.

Julie Ann Baker Brin placed in the following poetry categories:

1st place, Whimsy - "Renaming Yoga Poses for Greater Accuracy"
2nd place, Japanese forms - "Railroaded"
2nd place, Whimsy - "What am I made of?"
Honorable Mention, Whimsy - "Prescribe"

Julie A. Sellers placed in the following prose categories:

1st place, Theme contest - "A Lazy Sunday Morning"
1st place, Flash Fiction - "Doubt Thou The Stars are Fire"
2nd place, Playwriting - "Murder by the Books"
2nd place, Rural Voices - "Laneway Landmarks"
2nd place, First Chapter of a Book - The Penny Paige Shannon Home for Unwanted Books
3rd place, Stories for Young Readers - "The Singer and the Storyteller"
Honorable Mention, Flash Fiction - "The Wish"
Honorable Mention, Memoir - "Chien for the Win"
Honorable Mention, Short Story - "Empty"
Honorable Mention, Craft Chapbook - Skysong

Kansas Authors Club Literary Contest Winners 2023: Poetry

10/10/2023

Theme Contest - 27 entries
Judge: Amy Sage Webb Baza

1st - [there she is], by Ashley Clayton Kay
2nd - How to Write a Poem, by Arlice W. Davenport
3rd - Once You Have Rounded the Sun, by Arlice W. Davenport
HM - To Tim, by Brenda White
HM - Aubade: Trying to Decide the Kind of Poet She'll Become, by Laura Lee Washburn

Free Verse - 68 entries
Judge: George Franklin

1st - Why Blue Eyes Cry, by Janice Northerns
2nd - Ever Topeka, by Ruth Maus
3rd - The Wilding of Cynthia Ann Parker, by Janice Northerns
HM - Mike London's, by Janice Lee McClure
HM - You Are Not Diminished, by Janice Northerns

Classical Poetry - 15 entries
Judge: Jeanine Hathaway

1st - Some Things Can't Be Taken Back, by Kristine A. Polansky
2nd - Great-Great-Grandma and the Kitchen Wall, by Kristine A. Polansky
3rd - To the Stars, by Janice Lee McClure

Japanese Forms - 14 entries
Judge: David Romanda

1st - Cottonwood Seeds Land, by Ashley Clayton Kay
2nd - Railroaded, by Julie Ann Baker Brin
3rd - Pick-Up Sticks, by Iris E. Craver
HM - Prairie Wind, by Perry L. Shepard
HM - lavender splashes, by Duane R. Johnson

Narrative Poetry - 29 entries
Judge: Aida Dziho-Sator

1st - Trout Valley, W.Va., March 31, 1886, a found poem from family letters, by Roland Sodowsky
2nd - His Gentle Hands, by Cynthia J. Ross
3rd - Prairie Return, by Linda Beth Wilson

Whimsy - 26 entries
Judge: David Romanda

1st - Renaming Yoga Poses for Greater Accuracy, by Julie Ann Baker Brin
2nd - What am I made of? by Julie Ann Baker Brin
3rd - Slicing a Cantaloupe, by Janice Northerns
HM - Prescribe, by Julie Ann Baker Brin
HM - Manypaws, by Janice Lee McClure

Performance Poetry - 8 entries
Judge: Avery A. Marshall

1st - The Music of You, by Ronda Miller
2nd - Money, Money, Money, by Amanda Little
3rd - Prairie Song, by Mary Powell
HM - Full Moon at Noon, by Mary Powell
HM - Reason to Call, by Duane R. Johnson

New Poets
Judge: Ed Harkness

1st - Death, by Madison Morrill
2nd - The Laundry Brigade Marches On, by Heather G. Taylor
3rd - Death Warps Time, by S.L. Brown

Rural Voices - 30 entries
Judge: Sam Jack

1st - April 11, Again, by Laura Lee Washburn
2nd - Redneck Tornado, by Kelly Johnston
3rd - Wash House Memories, by Aimee L. Gross
HM - Mesquite and God, by Roland Sodowsky
HM - Landmarks, by Linda Ahrens-Brower

Chapbooks - 11 entries
Judge: Sam Jack

Published Chapbooks
1st - Since Corona Ruined Our Trip to the Library, by Beth Gulley
2nd - Nurdles and Other Poems, by Allison deFreese

Craft Chapbooks
1st - Neighborhood Crazies, by Martha Wherry
2nd - A Common Yearning, by Cammie Funston
3rd - Skysong, by Julie A. Sellers
HM - Unfolding, by Iris E. Craver

Congratulations to the Kansas Authors Club Members Published in 105 Meadowlark Reader, the Animal Issue

5/29/2023

The spring 2023 issue of 105 Meadowlark Reader features the following essays by Kansas Authors Club members:

A Cryptid Sighting in Kansas
by Denise Low (D2)

Love Bears All Things
by Amy D. Kliewer (D5)

Nocturnal Nuisance
by Elizabeth R. Schmidt (D5)

The Right Man for the Job
by Brenda L. White (D2)

Little Owl
by Lindsey Bartlett (D2)

My Heron
by Michael D. Graves (D2)

You Dirty Bird
by Jerilynn Jones Henrikson (D2)

Blessed is the Peacemaker
by Cheryl Suzanne Heide (D2)

Introducing the Black Tornado
by Cynthia Schaker (D5)

Buddy the Bookstore Beagle
by Linda Crowder (D6)

Princess With an Attitude
by Thomas N. Holmquist (D4)

Skiing in Kansas
by Boyd Bauman (D2)

Not a Playmate
by Carolyn Hall (D2)

Broken Heart
by Ann Vigola Anderson (D2)

I Did. I Saw a Camel!
by Marilyn Hope Lake (D2)

Invaders Via My Pre-vet Roommate
by Annabelle Corrick (D2)

Somewhere Over the Rainbow
by Pamela Yenser (D7)

This Is Not About Dogs
by Julie Ann Baker Brin (D5)

Congratulations to our members! 105 Meadowlark Reader is currently (through June 30, 2023) taking submissions on the theme of Landmarks.

Submission Guidelines

Subscribe to 105 Meadowlark Reader

Member Published in Night Forest: Folk Poetry & Story anthology by Flying Ketchup Press

1/27/2023

Julie Ann Baker Brin is thrilled to have three pieces published in the Flying Ketchup Press Night Forest: Folk Poetry & Story anthology, launched January 21, 2023 after a long wait (submitted in February, 2020 and accepted in April, 2020 … take a wild guess at what caused the publication delay)! Excerpts and purchasing info are in the “lament” section of Julie's portfolio site (link below). For lack of a better category—they were actually submitted for a “love” theme call for entries, but fall lopsidedly toward the unrequited and/or imperfect side of that topic.

Excerpts at JulieBrin.org

Visit Flying Ketchup Press for More Info

Julie is a member from Park City.

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.

Julie Ann Baker Brin Published in Mikrokosmos #68

5/17/2022

Julie Ann Baker Brin, District 5 member since 2020, has three poems published in Mikrokosmos issue #68. This Thursday, May 19th, she will join Rob Yates, Nancy "Blue" Preston-Ast, Tom Tanguma, and Ethan Mershon in presenting selected readings from the volume during the release party. Reception begins at 5 p.m. with readings at 5:30 at WSU’s Ulrich Museum of Art, McKnight Atrium, 1845 Fairmount, Wichita, KS 67260. More info:

http://mikrokosmosjournal.com/
https://ulrich.wichita.edu/

The Bicycle Issue of 105 Meadowlark Reader: A Kansas Journal of Creative Nonfiction

4/25/2022

105 Issue #3 Cover Photo by Scott Branine, flickr.com/photos/scott_branine/

Congratulations to Kansas Authors Club members with essays in the “True Bicycle Stories” issue (#3) of 105 Meadowlark Reader.

(D2) Bicycles: A Love Story by Boyd Bauman

(D5) Where I Like by Julie Ann Baker Brin

(D1) BlueBoy by Annabelle Corrick

(D2) A Green Bike by Monica Graves

(D2) The Bucket List by Beth Gulley

(D2) Going to C’ago by Carolyn Hall

(D2) Whoa by Jerilynn Henrikson,

(D2) Blue English Racer by Deb Irsik

(D2) My First, Last, and Only Bike by Sally Jadlow

(D5) What I Learned from Riding the Bicycle by Amy Deckert Kliewer

(D5) Bicycles in Kansas Yards by Sandee Lee

(D2) Dust on My Shoulders by Kerry Moyer

(D2) A Rolling Start by Peg Nichols

(D6) I Didn’t Have a Bicycle but I had a Paper Route by Jim Potter

(D5) Country Biking in Kansas by Cynthia C. Schaker

(D1) They Traded My Horse for a Bicycle by Anne Spry

(D1) The Race by Barbara Waterman-Peters

(D2) Bicycles: Bane or Boon by Brenda White

(D2) On Shaky Wheels by Mary Kate Wilcox

(D7) Bike Ride by Sheree Wingo

The Bicycle Issue will be delivered to Partner Bookstores and Subscribers beginning in May.

The submission period for the Fall 2022 issue is May 1-June 30. The theme is (True) Food Stories.
Learn more at 105MeadowlarkReader.com

About 105 Meadowlark Reader

Our Mission
To create a forum for sharing the work of Kansas writers.
To build and uplift the community of Kansas writers.
To share and promote resources for Kansas writers.

105 Meadowlark Reader will strive to represent the diversity of writers in Kansas.

105 Meadowlark Reader is a journal of creative nonfiction by and for writers who live or have lived in Kansas.

Each issue will contain a directory of area resources for writers. Publishers, printers, editors, book designers, cover/interior artists, bookstores, writing clubs, and anyone who provides services to writers is invited to submit details for our directory at no charge.

Welcome new member Julie Ann BAKER BRIN

9/23/2020

We are excited to introduce our newest KAC member: Julie Ann Baker Brin! She joins us from Park City, District 5.

We asked Julie a few questions so we could learn a bit about her.

Name:
Julie Ann Baker Brin (or Julie Brin … but NOT Julie Baker Brin, because my maiden name became my second middle name, just to confuse anyone with a database … or really anyone).

Town:
Wichita (technically: Park City, but USPS’s zip code lookup stubbornly insists it’s Wichita).

What kind of writing do you do?
Poetry-like substances, lyrics, and micro-stories for fun. (Meeting minutes for work … and for anyone with insomnia.)

If you would like to, please share information about writing projects you’ve completed or are currently working on.
I am honored to be amongst so many talented and experienced writers featured in Gretchen Eick and Cora Poage’s The Death Project: An Anthology for our Times, which was just published (ISBN: 978-1-7342272-6-0 paperback or 978-1-7342272-7-7 ebook) and whose net proceeds will fund frontline COVID-19 workers.

Do you have a website or a facebook page that you'd like us to share with other KAC members?
juliebrin.org (or juliebrin.com, but I’m a dot-org kinda gal).

Is there anything else you’d like other KAC members to know about you?
I just resigned from the classic rock cover band I’d fronted since 2009, in order to return to original writing and hopefully buy back my soul. (Also, I may be hopelessly addicted to parentheticals … and ellipses.)

What would you like to gain from your membership with KAC? (Networking and/or friendships with other writers; Entering the KAC writing contests; Information on the writing craft; Information on publishing; Information on promotion)
Yes, please. All of the above.

Welcome, Julie!

When Julie's name first showed up in my inbox, it sounded familiar. And that's because she placed in both the poetry and prose categories in the District 7 Writing Contest recently. Congratulations!

Please take a few minutes to visit Julie's creative and well-designed website and read some of her pieces.

[cu]

<<Previous

Petals & Poems at Botanica in Wichita

2025 Poetry Contest Results

2025 poet of the year

#ReadLocalKS : Future Fugitives

#ReadLocalKS: A Life in Progress, by Tracy Million Simmons

#ReadLocalKS: Some Electric Hum, by Janice Northerns

#ReadLocalKS: Waterbound, by April Pameticky

#ReadLocalKS: From Kansas, Not Dorothy, by Amber Fraley

#ReadLocalKS: Walking on Water, by Cheryl Unruh

#ReadLocalKS : THE WRITE BRIDGE JOURNAL: SUMMER 2025 – IDEALS AND ILLUSIONS

Abbi Lee Writes for the Youth Market

2024 Kansas Authors Club Literary Contest: Prose Results

2024 Kansas Authors Club Literary Contest: Poetry Results

April 27 Invitation from Anamcara Press - Lawrence, Kansas

2023 Poet & Prose Writer of the Year

Kansas Authors Club Literary Contest Winners 2023: Poetry

Congratulations to the Kansas Authors Club Members Published in 105 Meadowlark Reader, the Animal Issue

Member Published in Night Forest: Folk Poetry & Story anthology by Flying Ketchup Press

Julie Ann Baker Brin Published in Mikrokosmos #68

The Bicycle Issue of 105 Meadowlark Reader: A Kansas Journal of Creative Nonfiction

Welcome new member Julie Ann BAKER BRIN

Categories

Archives

​2025 poet of the year

Categories

Archives

2025 poet of the year