Current News from the Kansas Authors Club

Writers In Community: Battle of the Books

5/11/2026

Linzi Garcia (Kansas Authors Club), Amber Jackson (Kansas Press Association), and Tracy Million Simmons (Kansas Authors Club) at the 2nd annual Battle of the Books, May 8 in Emporia, Kansas.

Members Linzi Garcia and Tracy Million Simmons were delighted to attend Battle of the Books on Friday, May 8, as volunteer time keepers and questioners.

"Battle of the Books is a competition based on the love of literacy. Students compete by forming teams, reading the selected books, and then answering questions about them." -kspress.com

Participants are 3rd through 6th grade. This year 45 teams competed bringing 144 students, plus teachers and volunteers, to Emporia State University from across Kansas.

The day-long event utilizes the William Allen White Reading List for quiz material. The event is sponsored and coordinated by the Kansas Press Association.

"This was so much fun! To be in a room with 150 kids who ADORE reading! Yes! More, please. The energy was contagious. From their matching team shirts to the bookish hair clips and mascot bookworms, this is a competition I would have loved to have been a part of as a child. I was delighted to be able to take part as a reader of questions this year and look forward to returning. Many thanks to the Kansas Press Association for instigating this bookish fun!"
--Tracy Million Simmons

The ACTRK Readers were one of 44 teams at this year's competition, and champions of the 5th -6th grade division.

Linzi Garcia serves at timekeeper for the final round of the Battle of the Books.

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#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

Register Today! Author Publishing Bootcamp by the Kansas Authors Club

6/21/2025

Presented by the Kansas Authors Club, the Author Publishing Bootcamp is bound to provide some fruitful publishing information for every type of author. Whether you’re someone who has struggled to ink a deal with a small press or one of the Big 5, or if you’ve mustered enough courage and determination to try your hand at publishing your own book, this boot camp is for you.

Attendees are invited to attend four zoom sessions which will start with topics pre-recorded by our presenters and end with Q&A time with the presenters. All ticket holders will have access to the pre-recorded workshops and recordings of the Q&A portions of the sessions. Presentations will cover a wide-range of author publishing topics including all of the ins and outs related to preparing a manuscript publication, a breakdown of the design and print processes, marketing and branding post-publication, and much more.

Those presenting are considered experts in their respective fields as it relates to the world of publishing in today’s economic and technologically advanced climate. Even better, all panelists are Kansas Authors Club members you can trust and feel free to reach out to for more information.

Learn More and Register to Attend

#ReadLocalKS: More Than An Attractive Face by Sandra Lou Taylor

1/29/2025

I really enjoyed this debut novel by Sandra Lou Taylor, D5 president of Kansas Authors Club. Not only was the writing solid, well presented, and edited, she did her homework and put together a very attractive book, an element of the reading experience that is important to me. The cover is quite pretty and fits the time and setting of the book. I can easily see that the author was envisioning this being an attractive physical series set.

The characters were likable. Elizabeth classifies, in my book, as a strong female lead while maintaining her 1830s sensibilities. The relationships between the townsfolk felt real and the setting of the general store was a nice hub for the activity of the story to take place around.

I give Sandra high marks for attention to historical detail as well as for the creation of a feel-good story that held my attention from beginning to end.

--Tracy Million Simmons (Emporia)

Purchase Sandra's Book

Visit Sandra's Website

Sandra Lou Taylor is a member of Kansas Authors Club from Towanda. She currently serves as District 5 President, is a member of the State Board, and chairs the 2025 Writing Retreat Committee.

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.

2025 Kansas Authors Club Social: A Report

1/14/2025

January Social Attendees

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

2024 Achievement in Writing: Cheryl Unruh

11/10/2024

Cheryl Unruh began her membership in Kansas Authors Club in 2011, but her name in Kansas literature well predates her association with our club.

Cheryl Unruh was raised in the tiny town of Pawnee Rock in central Kansas. She graduated from the University of Kansas in 1981. She now resides in Emporia.

For 11 years she wrote her Flyover People column about Kansas topics for The Emporia Gazette. She has been a commentator on Kansas Public Radio. She has won awards from the Kansas Press Association and the Kansas Association of Broadcasters. In 2016, because of her writing focus on Kansas, Cheryl was named one of Kansas’ Finest by Kansas! Magazine.

She has published two books of Kansas essays. Flyover People: Life on the Ground in a Rectangular State received the Kansas Notable Book Award in 2011, and Waiting on the Sky: More Flyover People Essays received the Kansas Notable Book Award in 2015. Walking on Water, poems, was published by Meadowlark Press in 2017. Her most recent book, a memoir, titled Gravedigger’s Daughter: Vignettes from a Small Kansas Town, was awarded the 2022 Nelson Poetry Book Award and the 2023 Martin Kansas History Book Award by the Kansas Authors Club, the first time in the club’s history that these two awards were given to the same title.

Cheryl has been the editor of 105 Meadowlark Reader, A Journal of True Kansas Stories, since 2021. This popular Kansas publication has featured a total of 152 Kansas (and former Kansas) writers, representing 80 of the 105 Kansas counties, by setting of essay or author hometown, within the first eight issues of publication (Issue 8 will be available in November 2024). Cheryl created the position of and served as the first Welcome Wagon Chair for the Kansas Authors Club, pulling member introductory efforts into the modern age by giving new members the opportunity to introduce themselves to the Club via featured posts, created by Cheryl, on our website and on social media. Cheryl served in this position from 2021 to 2023.

Cheryl is a founding member of the Emporia Writers Group, an often informal, but sometimes ordered and structured meeting of writers that began with a handful of attendees in 2011. Today the facebook page for the group boasts 53 members, with somewhere between 6 and 20 attending the current monthly meetings. Cheryl’s leadership and cheerleading for writers across Kansas is unsurpassed. Her achievements as a wordsmith are to be commended.

Nomination by members of Emporia Writers Group
Lindsey Bartlett, Angel Edenburn, Linzi Garcia, Mike Graves, Hazel Hart, Roger Heineken, Jerilynn Henrikson, Deb Irsik, Emilie Moll, Kerry Moyer, Kevin Rabas, Tracy Million Simmons, Brenda White, Michelle Zumbrum

2024 Service Award: Sheryl Brenn

11/10/2024

At the Annual Meeting of the General Membership, held via Zoom on October 19, 2024, a Service Award was presented to Sheryl Brenn.

Awards are presented to members for achievement in writing (A), service to the club (S), and special award for particular accomplishment (SP).

Sheryl Brenn in attendance at the annual meeting. We will try to get a better picture of Sheryl with her plaque!

Sheryl Brenn has been the spark plug for Kansas Authors Club, District 7. Since joining the club in 2014, she has carried multiple offices, many times fulfilling the duties of Secretary, Treasurer, President, and Contest Manager all at the same time. She currently serves as District 7 Secretary and Treasurer, while also being the Representative to the State Board. Sheryl works hard to make sure that our western Kansas members are notified about meetings and events. She has coordinated countless meetings. To Sheryl, we owe a debt of gratitude for making sure our western Kansas members stay on the map of Kansas Authors Club

Nominated by Howard John Sanders & Tracy Million Simmons

12/10/2024 Update: Sheryl receives her award at the Pioneer Memorial Library in Colby. Pictured here with Howard John Sanders and Millie Horlacher. (photo credit: Melany, Pioneer Memorial Library)

Book Talk Tuesday: Quiet Storm Services and Tracy Million Simmons

11/9/2024

November 12, 2024
10:00 AM
YouTube Live w/
Tracy Million Simmons

Join Quiet Storm Services for Book Talk Tuesdays in 2024! We have great conversations in store with authors, book people, literacy organizations & more.

Learn more and follow on Facebook.

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

#ReadLocalKS : Clocked Out: A Josie Posey Mystery by Anna St. John

9/1/2024

Member Tracy Million Simmons, Emporia, writes about her latest Kansas read, Clocked Out by member Anna St. John, Haysville.

Clocked Out is the second book in the Josie Posey Mystery series by Anna St. John. I had every intention of reading Doomed by Blooms, the first book of the series (a 2024 Kansas Notable title!) but I was shopping at Watermark in Wichita and this one, a signed copy, was on the shelf, so I grabbed it!

This is a cozy mystery, and the protagonist is very much the type of person I admire and can relate to. She's a journalist, retired from her big city job and now living in a small town in the great state of Kansas. As much as figuring out the mystery, watching Josie put her skills to work for the local police department when a talented young clock maker dies, I really enjoyed learning about the art of making clocks! Horology is a subject I had not spent a lot of time contemplating before this book. I love when a good read includes some educational bonus material.

I appreciated Josie's friends, her relationship with the police chief, and the fact that's she's got a blossoming love interest. This is a very enjoyable book and I look forward to seeing what else is in store for Josie in future editions.

--Tracy Million Simmons, Emporia,
author of Tiger Hunting, a novel,
and A Life In Progress and Other Short Stories.

Visit Anna St. John's Website

July Program Recording Now Available: The Case for Reading Local

7/24/2024

Tracy Million Simmons provided a well-received program on the importance of reading books by local authors. This post includes links that are mentioned in the recording, as well as links that were inadvertently left out. There was some excellent discussion at the end of the approximately 1/2 hour program which is summarized below.

Where to find books by Kansas Authors

Kansas Authors Club Website

Member Blogs & Websites
Member Book Announcements
Past & Present Book Awards (see menu bar on the left of our website: "Book Awards-->

Washburn University's Map of Kansas Literature

State Library of Kansas, Notable Books & 150 "Best" Kansas Books List

Regional Presses

Sign up for their newsletters & follow them on social media.
If you know of a regional press missing from this list, please send us a note via "submit news" (right menu bar).

Ambitious Stories

Anamcara Press

Author's Voice Publishing

Blue Cedar Press

Flint Hills Publishing

Kellogg Press

Lost Aardvark's Press

Meadowlark Press

Personal Chapters Publishing

Post Rock Press

Quiet Storm Services

Story Scribe

Time Honored Productions

University Press of Kansas

Discussion Notes from the July Meeting

Many local libraries have rooms or sections dedicated to Kansas literature, past and present.
Examples: Topeka & Shawnee County Public Library, Mabee Library on Washburn's campus

Most libraries have a process for suggesting new titles for library aquisition.

Member Ruth Maus has a page on her website with instructions for posting book reviews to Amazon & Goodreads.

Members are also invited to submit their book reviews to the Kansas Authors Club website. Posting reviews or even just "what am I reading now" photos on social media would work too.

Kansas Authors Club maintains a Resources for Writers database. This is in the "member" section of the website. Sign-in is required. Members may add themselves if they provide services to other writers and those looking for services can view the entries.

105 Meadowlark Reader maintains a Resources for Writers document that is updated twice a year and available to download for free.

IDEA: What about creating an award for members who read and/or review the most books by Kansas writers.

Social Media Hashtags: Let's all use #readlocalKS
and #kansasauthorsclub

Additional post ideas for the Kansas Authors Club website. Posts with book lists centered around a theme. Members are encouraged and welcome to submit these to our website.

Midwest Independent Booksellers maintains an Indie Road Map that includes Kansas bookstores.

Ideas to add? Please feel free to share them in the comments to this post.

Show Us Your Books! Members at the July Program on Zoom display books by Kansas Authors.

Join Us for our July Program: Tracy Million Simmons, Presenter

7/15/2024

Saturday, July 20, 2024, 1:30 p.m.

Join us on Zoom for this month's program: The Case for Reading Local, by Kansas Authors Club Executive Director, Tracy Million Simmons.

We are excited to bring monthly programs to our members across the state (and beyond) via Zoom. Some of our members combine this programming with monthly in-person meetings. Some attend from the comfort of their own homes.

Membership in Kansas Authors Club is open to anyone with an interest in writing.

Members Access Zoom Link (sign-on required)

All members will also receive the link for attendance in the monthly email newsletter.

The Case for Reading Local

Presenter: Tracy Million Simmons, Executive Director of Kansas Authors Club

Location: Zoom

Presentation Category: Inspiration

As the owner of a small regional press, Tracy has spent the last ten years working with authors to bring books of prose and poetry to the public. As 24-year Kansas Authors Club member, she has learned the stories of hundreds of local authors. Tracy will give us an overview of the realities of the world of book publishing today, with a focus on the state of regional and small presses and independent authors.

This program will focus on the power of readers to shape and influence and make an impact. Please join us, and feel free to invite your book-loving friends.

Tracy Million Simmons had a twenty-year freelance career spanning work with entrepreneurs on newsletters, marketing materials, and website design, and published more than 500 articles and essays in niche to national publications. During that time she worked as an editor and on layout and design for assorted small press publishers and book packagers. She is currently the owner/publisher of Meadowlark Press, celebrating ten years in business in 2024. Meadowlark has published more than 70 titles, including six Kansas Notables. Meadowlark books have been recognized by the High Plains Book Awards, Midwest Book Awards, and every category of Kansas Authors Club book awards.

Tracy is the author of Green Bike (with Kevin Rabas and Michael D. Graves), A Life in Progress and Other Short Stories, and Tiger Hunting, the 2013 J. Donald Coffin Memorial Book Award winner from the Kansas Authors Club. Tracy currently serves as the Executive Director of the Kansas Authors Club.

June 2024 Program Now Available: Save the Date for July 20 Program

6/20/2024

The recording of the June program is now available for viewing by members at this link. (Member sign-on required.) This video will be available until replaced by the July program recording.

Join us for the July 2024 Program

Coming - July 20, 2024

The Case for Reading Local

Presenter: Tracy Million Simmons, Executive Director of Kansas Authors Club

Location: Zoom

Presentation Category: Inspiration

As the owner of a small regional press, Tracy has spent the last ten years working with authors to bring books of prose and poetry to the public. As 24-year Kansas Authors Club member, she has learned the stories of hundreds of local authors. Tracy will give us an overview of the realities of the world of book publishing today, with a focus on the state of regional and small presses and independent authors.

This program will focus on the power of readers to shape and influence and make an impact. Please join us, and feel free to invite your book-loving friends.

Free Summer Programs at Red Rocks Stat Historic Site

5/13/2024

Sunday, May 19, 2:00 PM
Red Rocks State Historic Site
927 Exchange Street, Emporia, KS

Writing & Publishing Creative Nonfiction
Presentation by Tracy Million Simmons
Meadowlark Press & 105 Meadowlark Reader

Tour Red Rocks FREE in 2024
Wednesdays through Sundays.

EMPORIA, Kansas - “Writing and Publishing Creative Nonfiction” will be presented on Sunday, May 19 at 2 p.m. at Red Rocks State Historic Site, 927 Exchange Street. Tracy Million Simmons, owner and publisher of Meadowlark Press based in Emporia, will present this program focusing on the writing and publishing of creative nonfiction.

Simmons, a native of Dodge City, founded Meadowlark Press in Emporia in 2014. In ten years of operation, Meadowlark has brought to print 70 books of poetry, fiction, and nonfiction. Five volumes have been named Kansas Notable Books, one was named a High Plains Book Award winner and three finalists, and many other Meadowlark books have been cited for various awards.

“In the beginning, I wanted to build the type of press I was looking for as an author, and as an author, I wanted a partner in the process of publishing. I wanted someone who could answer questions and advise me yet honor my story and my voice.” Simmons explained. “My focus was on writers with whom I shared deep roots, writers from Kansas, voices of the Midwest. Meadowlark publishes prose (fiction and nonfiction) and poetry because the best communities are the ones where all voices are heard. Maybe that’s the vision: to build a community with strong connections between writers and readers.”

In 2021, Tracy Simmons as publisher and Cheryl Unruh as editor launched 105 Meadowlark Reader: A Kansas Journal of Creative Nonfiction. The seventh edition of the semiannual journal with the theme of “Intersections” was released this May. The journal aspires to publish writers of true Kansas stories set in or references one or more of the 105 Kansas counties.

Simmons characterized the initiative this way, “When Cheryl and I began talking about publishing a journal, we knew we wanted to focus on true stories. We are both essayists, at heart. I think in the end, we both agreed that a publication like 105 Meadowlark Reader would serve our purposes of strengthening the Kansas literary community with a publication where people who were sharing their stories for the first time would be welcomed among more seasoned writers.”

“William Allen White was a prolific writer, published in all genres. He was an early member of the Kansas Authors Club, an inaugural judge for the Book-of-the-Month Club, and a true mentor friend to so many writers and journalists.” said Roger Heineken, White Community Partnership program chair. “Editor White would be delighted to know Meadowlark Press is based in his hometown of Emporia.”

The Sunday at the Site programs are free, and the public is invited to attend. Donations in support of the site are always appreciated. Tours of the site are free in 2024, Wednesday through Sunday.

The William Allen White Community Partnership, Inc. is the local organization that works in cooperation with the Kansas Historical Society to present Red Rocks State Historic Site, the legendary home of the White family. The Partnership helps fund operations of the historic site and, each year, presents a program series to interpret the White family story and associated history.

The entire selection of Meadowlark books can be viewed online at meadowlarkbookstore.com.

The Adventures of Bottle Calf at Volland

3/16/2024

Ann Vigola Anderson, D2 member, and artist, Sara Long, had a wonderful event for The Adventures of Bottle Calf at Volland-the place for art and music, in the Flint Hills, Sunday, March 3.

Kids and grown up of all ages enjoyed the story and the art!

Kansas Authors Club Executive Director, Tracy Million Simmons

1/19/2024

Tracy Million Simmons has been a member of Kansas Authors Club since 2000 where she joined as a D7 member from her then-home near Dodge City. She has been an active member of D1 (while residing in Topeka) and D2 (while residing in Emporia) and has served the club on the district and state level in a variety of capacities, starting with prose contest chair in 2004. She was the yearbook editor from 2006-2016, produced the newsletter for several years, became Assistant Financial Secretary 2017-2019, Financial Secretary 2018-2020, State Vice President in 2021, and State President in 2022. Tracy became the club's first (quarter-time) paid manager in 2022. In short, Tracy believes in the power of the literary community of Kansas and is proud to be associated with this 120 year-old organization.

Tracy celebrates a twenty-year freelance career spanning many aspects of the written word, from helping entrepreneurs with newsletters, marketing materials, and website design, to publishing more than 500 articles and essays in niche to national publications. She worked as an editor and on layout and design for assorted small press publishers and book packagers.

She is the author of Tiger Hunting, the 2013 J. Donald Coffin Memorial Book Award winner from the Kansas Authors Club, and A Life in Progress and Other Short Stories.

As the founder of Meadowlark Press (established 2014), Tracy has worked with more than 40 authors publishing books of poetry and prose, including five Kansas notable titles. Meadowlark is the home of the Birdy Poetry Prize and 105 Meadowlark Reader, a Kansas journal of creative nonfiction.

Visit Meadowlark Press Bookstore

Follow Meadowlark Press on Facebook

Learn About 105 Meadowlark Reader

Follow 105 on Facebook

Learn More: Birdy Poetry Prize

Group Enjoys Zoom Open Mic

1/13/2023

Each month on 2nd Tuesdays, District 3 & 4 members have been gathering on ZOOM to share their written work.

You are invited!

The featured reader in February is Duane Johnson (Topeka member and former state president, 2020-21). Duane will be reading poems from his 2022 award-winning chapbook. After the featured reader, attendees are invited to share their own work (prepare for reading 3-4 minute excerpts, please).

Updated: This event has been moved to March
Save the date: Tuesday, March 14, 7pm

Members Nila Jean Spencer (Maryland), Tracy Million Simmons, Kris Polansky, Duane Johnson, Vickie Guillot, James Kenyon, and Nancy Julien Kopp met in January on Zoom for an Open Mic. Districts 3 & 4 began hosting this 2nd Tuesday meeting in 2021. All members of Kansas Authors Club are invited to attend.

Appreciation for our 2022 State Executive Board Members

12/28/2022

Please take a moment to thank the officers who have shared their time and talent with writers across the state of Kansas and beyond. The following individuals served on our 2022 State Board.

Tracy Million Simmons, President
Emporia, Kansas

Tracy Million Simmons enjoys writing about the people and places of her home state of Kansas, both real and imagined. Her writing resume includes more than 500 articles in print, from feature articles in national and niche publications to ghostwritten material for busy health professionals. She has worked with small press and book packagers on everything from book layout and design to editing. She is a past mini-fellowship winner from the Kansas Arts Commission and has been an honorable mention in the Kansas Voices contest (Winfield). Tracy is the author of Tiger Hunting (a novel) and A Life in Progress (short stories, fiction).

Tracy is the founder of Meadowlark Press, an independent publisher that focuses on stories and authors from the heartland. The press is the home of The Birdy Poetry Prize (since 2019) and 105 Meadowlark Reader: A Kansas Journal of Creative Nonfiction.

Tracy joined Kansas Authors Club in 2000. She has been a member and has served in various offices of Districts 7, 1, and 2. Tracy produced the Kansas Authors Club yearbook from 2006-2016. She has also served as Prose Contest Chair (2004), Newsletter Editor (2007-2010), Assistant Financial Secretary (2017-19), Financial Secretary (2018-20), and State Vice President (2021). In 2022, as well as fulfilling the role of president, Tracy served as the club’s first paid part-time manager.

Monica Graves, Financial Officer
Emporia, Kansas

Monica Graves is the Director of Dental Assisting and Division Chair of Health & Human Services at Flint Hills Technical College in Emporia, Kansas. She was recognized as a Distinguished Alumna of FHTC in 2017. Monica writes engaging stories about her upbringing in the rural Flint Hills where she lived with her parents, five sisters, one brother, and a couple of aunts in a farmhouse furnished with one bathroom and lots of love.

Monica has been published in 105 Meadowlark Reader. She has been a member of Kansas Authors Club since 2015.

Monica makes her home in Emporia with her husband, Michael D. Graves, author of the Pete Stone Private Detective series. Mike and Monica currently sponsor the First Chapter of a Book category of the annual literary contest.

Cathy Callen, Secretary
Lawrence, Kansas

Cathy Callen graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a bachelor's degree in English and elementary education, and from the University of Kansas with a master's degree in early childhood special education. She also attended the Kansas City Art Institute for two years, majoring in photography. Cathy spent her career with Topeka Public Schools as a teacher and later as coordinator of the district’s preschool special education program. Cathy has had poetry published in Inscape, a publication of Washburn University, and in Tallgrass Voices, a publication of poems by members of the Kansas Authors Club, edited by Gary Lechliter. Her non-fiction article, “Reconstituting Allen,” appeared in the Fall/Winter 2012 edition of Connections, a journal published by the Indiana Historical Society. Her non-fiction article, “Magic Mondays,” appeared in the Summer 2013 edition of UU World, the magazine of the Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations. Cathy’s article, “The Kansas City Daily Drovers Telegram and its leading role covering the livestock industry,” is included in the summer 2016 issue of the Jackson County (Missouri) Historical Society journal. In addition, she has written four books: Running out of Footprints (a family history), in 2013; Words in Rows, Poetry and Prose (a collection of poems and short prose), in 2016; Ginkgo Glen (a novel) in 2018; and Marble Shorts (essays) in 2022.

Cathy has been a member of the Kansas Authors Club since 2008 and was KAC state treasurer for 6 of those years. Cathy resides in Lawrence, Kansas.

Her website is: www.cathycallen.com

Kristine A. Polansky, Vice President
Manhattan, Kansas

As a writer, Kris Polansky, is best known for her poems, four of which were published in Tallgrass Voices edited by Gary Lechliter. She experiments with various poetic forms, studying how content and form shape each other. She grew up in Western Kansas (short grass country), writing puppet plays and short stories. She took a fiction writing class from James Gunn at the University of Kansas and went on to teach middle school English and social studies ten years before returning to school, the Washburn University School of Law in Topeka, Kansas, where (she jokes) she learned to write creative nonfiction. She has been named KAC Poet of the Year three times, most recently October 2021. Her poem, “Turning Points” won the 2016 Martin Luther King, Jr. Art and Writing Contest, adult division, Manhattan, Kansas. She has served KAC for four years (2010-13) as Youth Contest Manager, 2021 as KAC Financial Secretary, and multiple years as District 4 Treasurer. She has also served as a judge for the youth contest.

2022 Convention: Connie Rae White Service Award

11/23/2022

Connie Rae White
Merit Award for Service to the Club
October 22, 2022

Nominated by Tracy Million Simmons, D2 (Emporia)

Connie Rae White joined Kansas Authors Club in 2014 and has been leading, in my eyes, ever since. Connie has served the last two years as president of District 5. Prior to that she filled the office of secretary. In 2019, Connie helped organize our convention in Wichita. She also sat on the committee that produced our first virtual convention in 2021.

When 2020 stopped our in-person meetings, Connie made no excuses. She got right to work finding a way to continue D5 meetings virtually. Connie never used fear of technology as an excuse. She signed up D5 for its first Zoom account and took the attitude of "I've got to learn these things," and learn she did.

Connie also served as a member of the restructuring committee, always with an eye to the future of our organization.

Connie has published children's books and a fascinating book called It's All Show Business, a story she collected while caring for a man named Lee in her profession as a nurse. Connie also works as a editor for hire.

I nominate Connie Rae White for a merit award for service to the Kansas Authors Club.

-Tracy Million Simmons, D2 Member (Emporia)

2022 Convention: Gretchen Eick Service Award

11/19/2022

Gretchen Eick
Merit Award for Service to the Club
October 22, 2022

Nominated by Tracy Million Simmons, D2 (Emporia)

Gretchen Eick is an accomplished author, publisher, and educator. She joined our organization in 2016.

Gretchen has served District 5 as vice president and program manager. If you are curious, take a look at the terrific lineup of 2022 speakers on the D5 portion of our website.

Gretchen service on the Committee to Restructure Kansas Authors Club, taking time out of a busy writing schedule to learn more about our organization. Gretchen's questions often brought about immediate improvement. Our website features several enhancements and/or clarifications that came about via discussions with Gretchen.

I nominate Gretchen Eick for a merit award in service to Kansas Authors Club.

-Tracy Million Simmons, D2 Member (Emporia)

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