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.
 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. Member Peg Nichols tells us to check out the latest issue of Coal City Review. Kansas Authors Club members published in this issue include Boyd Bauman, Perry Shepard, Peg Nichols, and Brian Daldorph. The issue also includes a review of The Set Up: 1984: Britain's Biggest Drug Bust, by Gretchen Cassel Eick  Coal City Review $10.00
Welcomes submisisons of poetry and short fiction. Send poetry and fiction to: Brian Daldorph, Poetry Editor University of Kansas English Department Lawrence, KS 66045 Please include SASE for reply. Dear Kansas Authors, If you know anyone who appreciates mystery, baseball, or a walk down historical Wichita's memory lane, I recommend Pete Stone detective stories from Meadowlark Press, Watermark Books, and your local library. If you desire an author visit, Kansan Mike Graves will engage your audience to suit your event. My All Hallows' Shadows review is available on GoodReads. You are welcome to read and share my review of Shadows & Sorrows on GoodReads. "Who dun it?" What is the motive, means, or opportunity? Carmaine Ternes, Kansas Authors Club Member Librarian, Author, Editor, Presenter "A child who reads will be an adult who thinks!" StoryCorps One Small Step     
GRINNELL, Kan. (KSNW) — When a tornado ripped through the small town of Grinnell last month, it left behind shattered homes, a ruined church, and the loss of another vital piece of the community — the school library.
In a social media appeal from the State Library of Kansas, the Moore Family Library and the Northwest Kansas Library System are calling on Kansans to help restock the shelves with gently used children’s picture books, chapter books, and young adult titles. The donations will be used to rebuild the school’s library and classroom collections ahead of the fall semester, when students return to class in a temporary building. Organizers say donated books won’t just fill shelves — they’ll help restore a sense of stability for children returning to school after disaster. Book donations can be sent to: Northwest Kansas Library System 2 Washington Square Norton, KS 67654 Thanks to member Mary-Lane Kamberg for bringing this notice to our attention. ​  "Was That Thunder? More Than a Boston Marathon Bombing Story" by Greg Kalkwarf If you desire a challenge or appreciate stories including family life, building relationships, developing fortitude, displaying sportsmanship, and ordinary people completing extraordinary feats, read "Was That Thunder? More Than a Boston Marathon Bombing Story" by Greg Kalkwarf. With experiences in Nebraska, Colorado, and Kansas, Greg’s “journey through adversity,” is beyond typical marathon training. Kalkwarf’s professional connections and knowledge of baseball and distance running guided him as he faced a snowstorm during the Peak 2008 marathon. Elevation, rugged terrain, technical footing, and icy conditions challenged the athletes; nonetheless, teamwork helped them conquer the mountain. With a memory for dates and a keen sense of humor, Kalkwarf’s quest to support those truly facing adversity, he endorsed the Make-A-Wish Foundation, Underwearness, the Alzheimer's Association, and other organizations. Digesting various books, assorted publications, and inspirational biographies from the local library provided Greg with mental training. With an “I run so I can eat” attitude, Kalkwarf trained by running up and down Colorado mountains, parking garages, office stairs, and myriad courses in addition to Kansas and Nebraska rolling hills and plains despite inclement weather. Encountering a raging forest fire near his Colorado home, the sudden death of a family member, diagnosis of a fatal disease of another family member, a car collision, and a terrorist attack, Greg chose happiness over fear. With the unwavering encouragement of his wife Kirsta before, during, and after her two pregnancies, Greg was inspired and determined. Was it divine intervention that Greg “finished the Boston Marathon with a personal record of 3:56:03,” then minutes later, a loud boom cracked the sky? By finishing earlier than anticipated, Greg, his wife, and young children were spared. As a result of this tragedy, three died, a dozen lost limbs, hundreds were injured, and numerous PTSD victims, runners, and volunteers were emotionally scarred. Enduring the 2013 marathon was more severe than insanity drills, injuries, agony, and the effort balancing work, family, and training exercises. “Face your fears” and read "Was That Thunder? More Than a Boston Marathon Bombing Story" with 26.2 chapters focused on an incredible journey to move others forward. At the time of this publication, Greg completed ten marathons in Colorado, Florida, Massachusetts, and Nebraska. If he is not spending time with his family, running, hiking, or watching baseball, you can connect with Greg at www.gregkalkwarf.com. Respectfully submitted, Carmaine Ternes Librarian, Author, Editor, Presenter April 2025 Carmaine Ternes is a member of Kansas Authors Club. You can follow her reviews on Goodreads. 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.
 In Traci Brimhall’s latest poetry collection, LOVE PRODIGAL (Copper Canyon Press, 2024), she tackles topics such as the end of a marriage, the loss of her mother, the pandemic, and learning to live with chronic pain and illness. This list might lead you to think the book’s primary connective tissue is sadness and regret, but on the contrary (and as the title suggests), the poems are woven into a cohesive collection by love: love that is exuberant and celebratory, even as it acknowledges the messy business of heartbreak and death and pain. There are also pieces in the book about a new relationship, and these are—yes—love poems. As she writes about darker topics, Brimhall leans into the pain for what it can teach her about herself. The lesson over and over is that she is worthy, she is strong, she is capable of self-love. In “Cold, Crazy, Broken,” she explores her mistreatment in a previous relationship: “I’m sorry I held his breath between / my horns until he explained me to myself, said cold / said crazy said broken …” By the end of the poem, she has reframed these insults with her own powerful meanings: “I became the story / of me—cold as mint, crazy as holding my shadow’s hand / broken as the night when the new moon rises through it.” In “Why I Stayed,” the title implies remaining in a relationship, but the relationship it references is the speaker’s relationship with life. She writes “all summer I wanted // to die … Instead, I took 99 / of the peacock’s eyes, half the checking account, and left.” The explanation for staying comes in these closing lines: “I found // a thousand small pleasures that made me want to live, and / they were bridges, birdsong, strawberries, sunlight, and lambs.” LOVE PRODIGAL is infused with these “small pleasures” that make it a delight to read. One of Brimhall’s many strengths as a writer is her ability to startle and stun with fresh, inventive language. I underlined so many gorgeous phrases and lines like these:
I could list more examples, but they are best enjoyed within the context of the poems. Brimhall’s work can be witty and playful with nods to pop culture (“I Would Do Anything for Love, but I Won’t” and “Long-Distance Relationship as Alt Text” ) as well as poems inspired by other poets, like “Someday I’ll Love Traci Brimhall” (after Ocean Vuong’s “Someday I’ll Love Ocean Vuong”). “Someday I’ll Love Traci Brimhall” encapsulates many of the themes in the book as she writes of accepting herself, her pain, and her family, including her mother. Her linguistic chops are also on full display: “I’ll boast ornament & scandal”; “I’ll crisis & satisfy”; “[I’ll] Unbutton / myself, let the shames scuttle out”; “I’ll bumble like a bee…”. The hardest person to love is often oneself, and though the conceit of this poem describes her love for Traci Brimhall as “nearly” here, in truth, the book is studded with a clear acceptance and celebration of the poet’s self. Perhaps that is the secret to the joy spilling out of these pages. I have loved Traci Brimhall (and her words) for about six years now, since I first read her poetry. Of her earlier books, COME THE SLUMBERLESS TO THE LAND OF NOD was my favorite, and as I awaited the publication of LOVE PRODIGAL, I wondered if this new book could measure up. I am happy to report that it does. If you, too, would like to love Traci Brimhall, it’s as easy as reading her poetry. #readlocalks Member Janice Northerns shared this review of member Traci Brimhall's book, Love Prodigal. 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.
Member Janice Northerns shares a review of member Michael Poage's Heart: Collected Poems 1975-2024.
HEART contains 14 books and spans almost 50 years, and it was wonderful to hear Mike read from it at Watermark Books recently! Here's my review of the book:
HEART: COLLECTED POEMS 1975-2024 by Michael Poage offers a rare opportunity to trace a poet’s evolution over time. Much of his work is spare and philosophical but still capable of profound impact, as in this early poem from BORN, his 1975 collection: The First Person with Skin The fog she thought would cover her bones was only a tongue, a door. In these few short lines, Poage contrasts the expectation of protection with the discovery of vulnerability and openness. I enjoyed finding another poem much later in the book (from 2001’s GOD WON’T OVERLOOK US) that reminded me of “The First Person with Skin”: Slipping Into Something Comfortable She took off her clothes. It was that simple. In this later poem, the subject is at ease in her own skin. These pieces may seem only tangentially related, but one of the delights of reading Poage’s collected works is finding poems published many years apart that speak to one another—each enriched by the conversation. These pieces also illustrate the author’s knack for making his titles do much of the work; the titles are the key to understanding these two poems. Poage’s poetry is lyrical but features plenty of concrete detail and vivid description, with poems set in varied locations, including Kansas, Bosnia (where he spends time teaching each year) and Gaza. Two of my favorite pieces evoked radically different emotions. A poem late in the book, “a swarm of bees”, which is dedicated to George Floyd, chilled me to the bone. The poem is literally about a video of a swarm of bees, but the figurative meaning as we interpret it in the context of George’s Floyd’s tragic case resonates deeply. The bees are “moving barely enough / to notice.” But the speaker notices “the sound. a / grinding, slow business / cooking above your head.” From there the poem builds to a powerful and haunting conclusion. Another favorite, “Loose Change” stirred happier feelings. The poem describes a coffee date in a book store between a woman and the poem’s speaker. The language is erotically charged throughout, from these early lines—“you came up behind me. / I felt the light touch / of your breasts through / your blouse and my shirt / against my back” to the closure: “you slipped your hands / into my front pants pockets. / You were not searching / for nickels or dimes.” As might be expected in a collection that spans fifty years and includes fourteen books, these poems cover a wide range of subjects. There is much more to discover than I have mentioned here. Don’t be intimidated by the length of the book (900+ pages). You can start at the beginning and read the book chronologically, or you can dip in at any point and emerge with core samples from different eras of Michael Poage’s poetry. Both methods yield rich rewards. #readlocalks Member Janice Northerns shares this note about member Tammy Hader's book, Walking Old Roads: A Memoir of Kindness Rediscovered.  If you, like me, find yourself growing grumpier by the year, check out this memoir by my friend Tammy Hader! WALKING OLD ROADS: A MEMOIR OF KINDNESS REDISCOVERED by Tammy Hader. Tammy Hader structures this memoir around revisiting childhood memories in an attempt to find the cure for the cynicism that plagues many of us as we grow older. She describes growing up in the small town of Belle Plain, Kansas, and expresses longing for the past when neighbors and strangers seemed friendlier and more open to helping one another. The book features a dual plot line as each short chapter focuses on a visit to her aging mother. Together, mother and daughter sort through old photographs and these often spark the memories that form the bulk of the book. In writing about the weekly visits to her mother, Hader also reflects on role reversal as she poignantly contrasts memories of her parents caring for her with the details of her new role: taking her mom to medical appointments, helping her with daily tasks, and offering comfort and reassurance. The author recalls her childhood with details such as these, as she thinks about the five-and-dime store she and a friend visited often: “The store’s curious odor blended necessities and indulgences into a thick promise of discovery. …. Bubble gum and Milk Duds in hand, the creaky wood floor kept track of us until the door chime announced our departure.” She also vividly describes her parents as newlyweds, captured in a short home movie that she finds at her Mom’s house: “Smartly attired in his Army uniform, Dad reached up to straighten his military-issue dress hat. There was no audio of Dad joking with his bride or Mom’s laughter, but I heard them anyway. Mom grabbed Dad’s hand ….. They climbed into their blue two-tone 1955 Pontiac and drove off in the direction of a new beginning.” Readers will enjoy these glimpses of life in small-town Kansas, as well as Hader’s chronicle of her quest to rediscover the kindness she grew up with. Insights and reflections throughout the book are infused with dry humor, adding another layer to the memoir. The author’s examination of her changing relationship with her mother is just as interesting as her childhood recollections, and anyone who is in a similar stage of life will appreciate that aspect of WALKING OLD ROADS as well. #readlocalks 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.
 Members visit Sandra Lou Taylor at Reliant Bookstore in El Dorado, Kansas, for the launch of her debut novel, More than an Attractive Face. 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.
 Member Skyler Lovelace reviews poetry volumes by Tyler Robert Sheldon, Olive L. Sullivan, and Laura Lee Washburn from the back catalog of Meadowlark Press at The Shout. "Meadowlark Press' roster of memoir, poetry, short stories, and novels has expanded the Midwest’s literary scene, emphasizing books and writers who possess a distinctly Kansas vibe. It’s the best place to find poets who follow in the footsteps of well-known, Kansas-connected writers like William Stafford, Steven Hind, and Kevin Young — all poets whose work connects nature and landscape while addressing personal identity. " 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.
 A Novel by Susan Kander and Warren Ashworth Paperback: 204 pages Publisher: Blue Cedar Press, Wichita (2021) This novel challenges any reader who picks it up, and I invite you to do so. Using an unlikely narrative device, authors Warren Ashworth and Susan Kander tell the century-long story of a house through a dialog between the house itself and a portrait hanging on the wall in the dining room. It took me a couple of chapters (they’re short) to get comfortable with this storytelling ploy, but once I was, I raced through the novel. The house, called Ambleside, actually exists in Newton, Kansas. The portrait subject, Mrs. S. Peale, is fictitious, though the artist who painted her was not. Through a healthy dose of willing suspension of disbelief, we listen to a conversation begun between the house and the woman in the portrait. The house can see the world outside (through its windows) but has only limited awareness of its insides. Mrs. Peale, mistakenly called Mrs. Speale by the generations of family who live there, can only see what is before her, which is almost exclusively the dining room. Yet all of the 20th Century (and parts of the centuries before and after) pass through the house as world events affect the residents and visitors, and the world arrives in many ways in tiny Newton, which grows as well during the novel. At the beginning of their dialog, Ambleside is almost childlike and asks Mrs. Peale to explain what is happening in the small part of the world outside it can see and about the people who live within it. Mrs. Peale is a bit of a scold, but she brings her understanding of the conversations she overhears and what she had experienced of the world before her death to answer Ambleside’s questions. (Just go with it.) In a way, it is very much a conversation for our age of instantaneous communication with people we will never meet. Yet as the novel progresses, both characters show growth. Both change through their interactions and in their understanding. They are true, round characters in a story. Like many long friendships, there comes a parting. But there is a happy gift for the reader in the last two pages. Paul Lamb lives and writes in Overland Park, Kansas. As a member of the Kansas Authors Club, he gotten to me many interesting and talented people. His novels, One-Match Fire and Parent Imperfect, are available at Blue Cedar Press. 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.
 Great sentences from the book Words is a Powerful Thing: Twenty Years of Teaching Creative Writing at Douglas County Jail, by Brian Daldorph. Brian Daldorph is a Senior Lecturer in English at KU. His book, published in 2021 by the University Press of Kansas, won a Notable Kansas Book Award. This is a compelling book, offering glimmers of solace to inmates through writing, but acknowledging the harsh realities of incarceration. Daldorph taught a 2-hour writing class each week. He never knew who would show up. He didn’t know what crimes the inmates had committed. But he did know the jail held people who were charged with murder, aggravated assault, possession of opiates, and DUIs. Many have multiple charges, and many have been diagnosed with mental health problems. He writes, “I look at hard-used faces, tattered and battered as one inmate wrote, even the young guys. A lot of tattoos, most of them homemade, and the sort of jaded look we most often see here – substance abuse is exhausting, as is being locked up.” Inmates wrote poetry such as, “My name is methamphetamine but you can call me speed/I last much longer than cocaine and I’m so much better than weed.” “I breach this cell with every thought I think – imagination knows no cinder blocks.” “I watch as time slowly chews away on men’s sanity/where confusion reigns supreme.’ Daldorph wrote that after two decades of those classes, he wishes he could go back, start over, and hold each one of those classes again. He said that he enjoyed those classes more than any other of his teaching experiences. A colleague of his echoed these sentiments. She said, “In writing, inmates begin to face up to their troubles rather than succumbing to them, and show a resistance to their bleak existence and dehumanization, the mind-numbing routine, and feelings of worthlessness and loneliness.” Another colleague wrote, “Out of this emotional intensity comes writing of an urgency I rarely see in the calmer waters of a university classroom.” Inmates wrote, “Enough powered medication flows through me/2 feed a sick house of the ill.” “I can still feel the prick, oh man, what a rush/like an ice-cold rushing river up my arm.” “I hit the streets and I was off and running/I tried to fight it but how could I/When I just kept wanting.” A long-time staff member wrote, “I’m not sure that writing programs keep offenders from making bad choices when they return to the community. But learning to write opens an important door for many people who feel voiceless in the criminal justice system. And writing can contribute to self-awareness and insights about others. That is no small step in the direction along the path to a better life.”  Member Mike Durall, from Salina, shares this installment of "Great Sentences" with Kansas Authors Club members. If you would like to subscribe to this series, please contact Mike Durall at [email protected]. You will have the option to opt out at any time. Mike Durall grew up in Hays. He has written 12 books, three of which are about Kansas people, history, and culture. He currently writes columns for the Salina 311, Abilene 311, and McPherson 311 newspapers. The Kansas Reflector newspaper has published three of his essays. His podcast is titled Four Minute Stories from the Kansas Plains, available wherever you get podcasts. He spends a lot of time poking around museum archives in central Kansas. 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.
 "Kansas is everywhere." -Jim Gilkeson I raced through, The Eleven Directions of Kansas by Jim Gilkeson this weekend. These well-written memoir-vignettes take the reader on a journey from Kansas to Germany to Scotland and places in between. From funny to poignant to just downright entertaining, each little essay will make you think about life and all the directions it takes you. --Lindsey Bartlett, Emporia #ReadLocalKS 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.
 Between Meadowlark Press and my work with Kansas Authors Club, I read a lot of work by Kansans and spend surprisingly little time reviewing books. There are only so many hats one can wear. I wanted to take a moment to mention They Met at Wounded Knee by Gretchen Eick. This was the Coffin Memorial Book Award winner in 2021 by KAC. It is an amazing book. It certainly fills in the oh-too-many gaps from history classes. It's a book that informs and enrages. A healthy dose of rage is needed, I think, to make us better pay attention and make the much-needed connections between past and present. As well, it is an incredible dual biography, bringing a perspective on native and Euro Americans that I had not experienced before. Eick's ability to explain the setting and time (historically, culturally) while illustrating the details of the Eastman's lives is commendable. Her writing helped me fit so many pieces together. I recommend this book. --Tracy Million Simmons (Emporia) This is a "reprint" from a FB post Tracy made in 2021 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.
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   Everything is Ghosts, by Tyler Robert Sheldon Finishing Line Press "I loved this poetic trip back through the author's college days. It is filled with glimpses of an Emporia I know and love, through the eyes of another, with his own specific appreciations and history here. The poems left me reflecting on my own college days, a time of encountering strangers who immediately became friends, being open to the future while rubbing elbows with the past." --Tracy Million Simmons TYLER ROBERT SHELDON (D2) is the author of six other poetry collections including When to Ask for Rain (Spartan Press, 2021), a Birdy Poetry Prize Finalist. He is Editor-in-Chief of MockingHeart Review, and his work has appeared in Dialogue, The Los Angeles Review, Ninth Letter, Pleiades, Tinderbox Poetry Journal, and other places. Sheldon earned his MFA at McNeese State University. 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.
Tammy Hader's review of Ann Fell's memoir: If you're looking for inspiration, this is the book for you. I recognized Ann’s strength the moment she knocked on Marvin Swanson’s door. It took gut-wrenching tragedy and Mother Nature’s adversarial power to convince Ann she had the fortitude to rise from grief and focus on life. Have a tissue handy. You’ll share smiles and tears with Ann from start to finish. You may even catch a glimpse of your own inner strength along the way. #readlocalks  Mark Landon's Novel EntertainsShould you read Future Fugitives written by Mark Landon Jarvis? Absolutely. Just because it is a young adult, near-future, sci-fi, teleportation novel should not deter you. I normally read historical romance, and I found the book engaging. Once I had the novel’s world figured out, the characters grabbed me on an emotional level. Each of the main characters portrayed some aspect of my personality in a way that made me wonder what I would do if I found myself in similar circumstances. The clever use of Tic-Tacs added an original twist to the plot. I laughed, gasped, and wiped away an occasional tear as I internalized the plot. Future Fugitives is a worthy read. #readlocalks Submitted by member Sandee Taylor   The Set Up: 1984: Britain’s Biggest Drug Bust, Gretchen Eick, Blue Cedar Press, 2020. Brian Daldorph review It’s hard to fault the ambition of Eick’s novel, telling this story of “Britain’s Biggest Drug Bust” that brings into play not only the dangerous maze of Middle Eastern politics, but also the foreign policies of the U.S., U.K. and Israel, involving the CIA, the British secret service (MI5), arms dealers, the list goes on and on. Eick deftly weaves all these threads together. The basic plot, taken from actual events occurring in the mid-1980s, focuses on the crew of the yacht The Robert Gordon, sailing on a precarious mission off the coast of Lebanon to pick up a huge load of cannabis resin likely grown in the Bekaa Valley in Lebanon, and ferrying it back through the Mediterranean to the UK where it was delivered to drug runners. Turned out it was all a set-up: police and Customs officers were ready to spring their trap. Eick focuses on the five-member crew of the yacht, led by Keith Brown, the owner of a car-hire business, keen to make a bunch of money by bringing drugs into the UK. He assembles a crew of naifs and sails off to make the pick-up. At every point in the novel, you get the sense that this crew is way out of its depth in these waters, never more so than when they make the pick up off the coast of Lebanon from a group of black-masked, armed men, who just might be a Palestinian faction operating in Lebanon. They don’t really know. From the title of the book, and from plenty of suggestions throughout, we soon get the sense that the crew have been set up by the powers-that-be, pawns in a game that they have small chance of understanding. The book’s a treasury of inside information about the tangled politics of the time, in particular, the CIA plot, led by William Casey, director of the CIA in the Reagan Administration, to illicitly fund the Nicaraguan Contras fighting a bloody civil war against the left-wing Sandanista government. Eick’s research is impressive (sources listed in the back of the novel) as is her confidence in keeping track of all the tentacles of the beast. The historical context of the novel gives everything a kind of gravity and depth that adds to the import of each scene. Though Eick’s very good at painting the big picture, she’s best at showing us the plight of the smaller players in this global drama, the crew of the Robert Gordon yacht carrying tons of cannabis into the UK. They don’t understand the politics of it all: they’re all in it for a bit of adventure and a chance to make quick money. Two of the five crew don’t even know about the cargo, yet they still have to face imprisonment, trial and their lives irreparably damaged even after release. The novel ends with (Eick assures us) an actual exchange between crew member David Bennie and arms dealer and billionaire Adnan Khashoggi (who just might be the mastermind behind all the events here), when Bennie is trying to get his life back together after the trial. Bennie has been working on a yacht in Monaco but has faced police harassment because of his connection with the Robert Gordon case. He realizes that he won’t be able to work on yachts anymore, because of police harassment. Khashoggi’s limo approaches him on the dock and the man himself speaks to Bennie, sympathizing with him for his trouble. David’s response emphasizes the way that he was just one of the little fish caught in the net of the whole affair: “My mates were just ordinary dudes, not enough smarts altogether to organize a major drug heist.” Khashoggi tells him that he won’t be having any problems in the future, and you get the sense that with all the cards that Khashoggi holds as an international arms dealer, he’ll be good for his word. Eick’s so good at holding together the central narrative of this story while locations change quickly and characters come and go. We’re taken on a wild ride through the Mediterranean, to Brixton prison, to Cyprus, to Rhodes, to a ranch in Costa Rica used as a staging ground for shipping arms to Nicaragua. I always got the sense that I was in good hands, that the novelist would bring us, a little breathless, to that last scene in Monaco with Khashoggi saying so much without saying much at all. 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.
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