“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 

Member Robert Phillips shares news about his new book.

I want to share with everyone how my book came about, Big Boys Don't Cry:

My Audio-Reader story.
About three years ago my wife and I retired, after selling our Bed and Breakfast/Wedding Venue we moved into Lawrence. My world stopped urning and my life turned to depression, anxiety, aggravated by PTSD brought on by my experiences in Vietnam. Nothing to do to occupy my time and get my thoughts going in a positive direction. My VA advisor, Dawn Claus suggested the Audio-Reader Program.

I failed to mention I am legally blind and do not drive any more. This only acerbated my situation. With my wife’s encouragement I started receiving taped books from the Kansas state Audio-Reader in Emporia. I started seeing improvement in my mental health after being able to immerse my mind in these stories and forget my negative thoughts lingering in the depths of my brain. This even started helping me get my thoughts off some of the physical pain, I was experiencing.

It wasn’t long before I had listened to all the books I really liked, that was memoirs of people living in Kansas in rural communities, especially about children growing up on farms. I kept kidding Maggie Wattie at the Emporia Audio-Book Library that I was going to write a book about me growing up near Virgil, Kansas and have it recorded. I am sure she was thinking to herself and maybe telling some of her co-workers, “You won’t believe what this crazy man told me he was going to do.

Now it is three years later and the book is written and that crazy man, now eighty years old has teamed up with the Audio-Reader Program here in Lawrence to launch this book. My contact person here is Martha Kehr. Listener outreach coordinator at Audio-Reader, University of Kansas.

I hope my experience will help other people learn about the Audio-Reader Program and maybe help put their minds in a more favorable state as it did me. Without the help of my wife Beverly, my friends and family, the great medical support both physical and mental provided by the Veteran Administration and the Audio Reader program this story would not have been told. My hat is off to you all.
​
For those of you who don’t qualify for the Audio-Reader Program this book can be purchased at a number of independent book stores and of course on line from Amazon. Not quite yet. In a few more weeks.

Robert W Phillips, Rp
Published Author 
"Big Boys Don't Cry"
www.robertwphillips.com
Facebook
Volunteer, Audio-Reader, KU

Member Mark Esping Shares the following:

​The Two Headed Doll is a recounting of interactions, usually involving both black and white persons. The author believes that several of the events in his life were orchestrated by a benevolent force. Seemingly some lives or portions of lives are choreographed.
 
The interactions took place in an atmosphere of preordination, which resulted in the author becoming almost human. The results of these stories guided him into eventually having access to some forms of African-America culture.
 
The five hundred Fridays east of Troost were spent attending weekly meetings of the most diverse audience discussing the most diverse subjects.
 
 
Eighty-Eight Pages
Cost    $22.00 + $5.00 shipping
 
Mark O.J. Esping
603 North 2nd Street
Lindsborg, KS. 67456

Member Dr. Marilyn Hope Lake was interviewed in the latest newsletter of the Missouri Writers Guild. ​

MWG: Your latest book, Our Mothers Ghost and Other Stories, (OMG) is a collection of thirteen connected stories that reveal shared hopes and dreams and the successes of ladies in one Midwest family throughout the 20th century. Sadly, we see you lost your own mother when you were 24 years old. How much did your mother’s memories influence this very successful book?

MHL: My mother’s memories were not shared enough, or they were “beautified.” Several of the stories in this collection are about my memories of her and my questions about her life. I wrote the “mother” stories to try to answer for myself why my mother did the things she did. I heard many family stories and anecdotes from my aunts, adult cousins, and my mother’s friends.

2024 J. Donald & Bertha Coffin Memorial Book Award by the Kansas Authors Club

​2024 Walter Williams Award 
​by the Missouri Writers’ Guild

Roy Stucky is a member of Kansas Authors Club. Roy has a wife and two sons in rural Kansas. Roy began writing as a senior in high school. He earned his Bachelors Degree in Management Information Systems, cum laude, from Sterling College. He pays the bills as the network administrator of an accounting firm. Roy's primary artistic output is song lyrics for the band "Mirror Covenant".Along with writing Roy has at one time or another been a tractor driver, Mensa member, roofer, photographer, logger, playground attendant, alternative energy retailer, computer programmer, cabinet maker, chess addict, graphic designer, painter, dairy farmer, student, inventor, sound engineer, auto mechanic, hunter, carpenter, web designer, and all too often a frightful bore. He has only excelled at the latter.

Member Carmaine Ternes shared this review of More than an Attractive Face, by member Sandee Taylor.

More than an Attractive Face
by Sandra Lou Taylor

A refined Albany, NY, young lady refused an arranged marriage years after the death of her parents and sister in a tragic drowning accident. Elizabeth Spaulding’s grandfather controlled her finances and possibly her future. Although her uncle and aunt became her guardians, there was little affection for Elizabeth. Her beauty, privileged life, and the family’s status provided and protected her to a degree.

To prevent a betrothal, Elizabeth accepted an invitation from family employee, Alister Murphy, to travel west. A sale of furniture was arranged; staff was let go; her pug Dolly, books, and a few possessions, and memories were Elizabeth’s comfort despite the primitive wagon’s bench seat. Mr. Murphy and his daughter Joan lead the team of two Morgans west to Indianapolis, a frontier town in 1837. The extended and arduous journey provided Elizabeth quiet contemplation and scenic views over the rugged terrain. This bouncing and crude conveyance presented an escape from a courtship Elizabeth avoided.

Alistair Murphy gained employment immediately upon arriving in Indianapolis. Joan planned to meet her fiancé Sam; they were happily wed and celebrated with captivating rhythms from the local musicians playing spoons and other instruments. A simple life was typically good for hopeful hard workers.

Moorestown, IN, is the small country town where Mr. Simon Talbot searched for a school teacher. Since Elizabeth was trained in music and possessed other academic talents, she accepted the opportunity to educate children. Her sincerity and willingness to nurture others demonstrated a caring strength that guided her through tremendous obstacles and emotional turmoil. As a newcomer, Elizabeth was determined to focus on her intelligence rather than her appearance, which gained her respect.

Mildred Hadley, the matriarch of the family, organized meal preparation, scheduled gardening and housekeeping while raising a family of five resourceful and responsible children. Henry Hadley was a farmer, rancher, and banker. The Hadleys owned the mercantile, and their eldest son Daniel operated as the store manager. Elizabeth roomed with their daughter Melissa in a loft above the store, where they assisted, and they both taught in the two room schoolhouse.

Faith and her mother’s treasured cameo broach pinned near her throat consoled and gave Elizabeth strength during the critical conversations with the Talbots, who controlled the community. Working at the store for room and board, preparing lessons, teaching, and learning about this western frontier opened Elizabeth’s eyes. Observing children’s behaviors and their parents’ interactions at church and community functions proved insightful.

Elizabeth remained resilient, balanced, and true to her convictions. She was determined to not fall to flattery or requests from widowers or men with different expectations or desires. Focusing on her students, Elizabeth delighted them with her patience, persistence, and playfulness. She encouraged creativity while giving purpose to their needs and talents. A music program she orchestrated even impressed the demanding Talbots. 

Similes, metaphors, personification, imagery, and humor engage the reader. Elements of foreshadowing and details of historical accuracy keep readers turning the page. If you are curious how a pet can influence a classroom, a community member can dominate, and a young lady of privilege connect, read More than an Attractive Face.

Respectfully submitted,
Carmaine Ternes
Librarian, Author, Editor, Presenter
April 2025

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. ​

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.

LUNACY AND ACTS OF GOD is a coming of age story set against 1950s real life events in Topeka, Kansas. With plenty of quirky, humorous characters and a compelling murder mystery, the book reflects the impact of family and community on prejudice passed through generations, marginalized peoples, our differences, similarities, and choices.

Available at Amazon, Bookshop.org, and wherever books are sold.

​What reviewers say about LUNACY AND ACTS OF GOD:

• “Melody tells her story reminiscent of the young girl Scout in To Kill A Mockingbird. She listens and observes others then weaves in an unsolved murder mystery in this page-turning and engaging read.”

— Michael Padilla, Mayor and lifelong resident of Topeka, Kansas

• “What a thoroughly enjoyable, moving read your book is!  Can this really be your first novel?  You must have a native gift for plotting and pacing and character development, and for blending it all together into a book that pulses with life.”

--Carl Holzman, artist, muscian

• “What a witty and wonderfully readable book! Full of laugh-out-loud scenes, Lunacy and Acts of God will keep anyone up all night to find out what happens next.”

— Anne Spry, author of Finally Noticing: Photos and Poems Prompted by a Pandemic; 2024 President, Kansas Authors Club

• “A charming and fantastical coming of age story. A young girl wrestles with the social ills of racism, mental illness, the abuses of powerful institutions, [and] life’s many nuanced shades of gray.”

— Dr. Karen Bellows, Former Menninger Clinic Faculty

• “This fine novel tells an American story featuring characters so broken and vulnerable and horrible and redeeming and real that you’d swear they can exist only in fiction—until you realize that you know them--right now. That is the power and the humility of Ruth Maus’ debut.”

— Craig Lancaster, two-time High Plains Book Award winner, author of Northward Dreams and 600 Hours of Edward

• “Ruth Maus’s character, Melody, belongs in that august pantheon of American child characters founded by Mark Twain who are able to expound upon the madness of their times with a magnificent wit and wisdom so far beyond their years, you keep turning the pages.”

— Andrew Farkas, author of The Great Indoorsman: Essays and The Big Red Herring

• “A refreshing glimpse into history and human nature.”

— Julie A. Sellers, author of Ann of Sunflower Lane and Kansas Authors Club Prose Writer of the Year (2020, 2022, 2023)

• “Follow the misadventures of Ruth Maus’ heroine as [she] tries to make sense of the prejudices and loving loyalties of her quirky Kansas community.”

— Tim Bascom, Director of Kansas Book Festival, author of Chameleon Days and Climbing Lessons


​

​
Farieh . . . a brilliant Iranian student begins her sophomore year in college.  The academic success so dazzling her first year proves uneven in the second, while violence and betrayal stalk her most intimate relationships.  Gifted with enormous personal power, she must summon all of it to make the hard choices facing her, choices familiar to young people everywhere.