WRWA Newsletter.pub - Wisconsin Writers Association
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<strong>Wisconsin</strong> Regional <strong>Writers</strong>' <strong>Association</strong><br />
The <strong>Wisconsin</strong> Regional Writer<br />
Volume 55, Number 4<br />
On the web at www.wrwa.net<br />
Winter 2006<br />
Tax Tips for <strong>Writers</strong> by John Campbell<br />
You just returned from the <strong>WRWA</strong> Fall Conference in<br />
Janesville. You spent money for registration, hotel, meals,<br />
mileage, and four books that promise to advance your writing<br />
career. What can you deduct as a legitimate business expense<br />
To answer that question you have to understand the tax obligations<br />
of your particular business entity. Most writers are<br />
doing business as sole proprietors, earning a little income here<br />
and there with book sales, non-fiction features, short stories,<br />
and a few bucks from poetry contests. If you show those earnings<br />
as income, you should be able to take legitimate business<br />
deductions.<br />
The real question is whether you see your<br />
writing as a business or as a way to pass the<br />
time, like a hobby If you actually make income<br />
from your writing, and if that income exceeds<br />
the expenses you have (or report), then you have<br />
every right to take your expenses as tax deductions.<br />
There’s no magic income minimum, but to<br />
take business deductions against income, you<br />
eventually have to show a profit or some rookie<br />
from the IRS is going to call you for a personal<br />
interview. If you have writing-related expenses<br />
this year, but no writing-related income, and<br />
anticipate income next year (for example, from sales of a book<br />
that is coming out next year), you can defer those expenses<br />
and take them in the following year.<br />
You can deduct the full value of almost everything you<br />
spend to advance your earning potential as a writer. Meals<br />
away from home and entertainment expenses are the exception.<br />
Both are only 50% deductible. If you entertained an<br />
agent or <strong>pub</strong>lisher, keep track of whom you were with, the<br />
business purpose, where you were, date and amount. Attending<br />
a writers’ conference or seminar, motel and hotel expenses<br />
are 100% deductible—all the more reason to book with a facility<br />
that offers a continental breakfast. For use of your automobile<br />
on business, you’re allowed 44.5 cents a mile this year<br />
(2006). Effective January 1, 2007, the business mileage deduction<br />
will increase to 48.5 cent a mile.<br />
You can also deduct the cost of business telephone calls.<br />
Simply circle the business-related calls on your monthly bills,<br />
total them and keep a copy in your business records. At the<br />
end of the year tally the 12 months and deduct the cost of<br />
those calls. Fees and taxes on the home phone are not deductible.<br />
If you do a lot of business on the phone, the best idea is to<br />
install a line or get a cell phone for business only. Then 100%<br />
of the telephone charges, including all those miscellaneous<br />
fees and taxes, are deductible.<br />
Other tax deductible items include magazine subscriptions,<br />
dues for business affiliations, postage, computer costs, facsimile<br />
and copy machine and their maintenance, photographs and<br />
camera used for business, the cost of a Website and Internet<br />
connections.<br />
If you’re self-employed and paying your own health insurance<br />
premiums, that cost may be deductible on Form 1040,<br />
but not as a business expense. Moreover, the deduction cannot<br />
be more than your business’ net profit. It’s not allowed if you<br />
are covered under other health care plans like that<br />
of an employed spouse.<br />
Even though you’re not taking a home office<br />
deduction, all the supplies necessary to conduct<br />
your writing business are deductible. You can<br />
deduct the cost of office furniture all in one year<br />
or spread it over a period of seven years. That’s<br />
known as depreciation expense. The IRS has a<br />
chart for depreciating items like desks, filing cabinets,<br />
and computers, which is another reason to<br />
seek the help of an accountant who stays on top of<br />
changing tax laws. Their cost is deductible.<br />
One of the more controversial tax deductions is the home<br />
office. The IRS says it must be space devoted exclusively to<br />
your business. If that’s the case, and you’re using 600 square<br />
feet of a residence that’s 2400 square feet, for example, you<br />
should be able to deduct one-fourth of your rent or mortgage<br />
payments, the annual insurance, heating, and electrical costs.<br />
However, if your kids are on that same computer you use during<br />
the day, and the office is a family room for watching the<br />
Packer games on evenings and weekends, you better think<br />
twice about using it as a deduction.<br />
To allay fears of an IRS audit, good record keeping is essential.<br />
Unfortunately, writers are generally lousy record<br />
keepers. For my own use, I composed a form called an Itinerary<br />
and Expense Sheet. I use one for each week. It has a space<br />
to show my mileage in and out each day with a line or two for<br />
a description of the trip and a space for expenses. Receipts are<br />
stapled to each sheet. From these weekly Itinerary and Expense<br />
Sheets my company reimburses me for expenses each<br />
month.<br />
You’ve heard the expression: An emergency properly prepared<br />
for never happens. That’s exactly how to handle your<br />
expense and income records. (Continued on page 4)
Page 2<br />
Pictures from the Fall Conference in Janesville<br />
(more on page 35)<br />
Ben Logan Dorothy Lund Mary Jacobsen Cary Fellman Judy Kolosso LaMoine MacLaughlin John Manesis<br />
LaMoine MacLaughlin Sandra Tully Berit Pietsch Margaret Been John Campbell<br />
LaMoine and Judy Julie Eger Cary Cary Neele Suklhatme-Sheth<br />
[Your editor apologizes for not knowing everyone’s name. I was able to get many by enlarging name tags. But not everyone’s showed.]<br />
“I can’t help it if your check bounced.” “The fish was that big. Really! Honest!” “You say I misspelled Claudia’s name”<br />
Jane Osypowski Bette Williams Don Schambow Nate Scholze Boyd Sutton Claudia Anderson
Contents<br />
Articles<br />
Tax Tips for <strong>Writers</strong> ………….……. 4<br />
Book List ……………………………. 24<br />
Columns<br />
Board Decisions & Actions …………… 19<br />
From Time to Time—Members’ Letters . 23<br />
Just the FAQs ……………………….. 19<br />
Midnight Musings ………………… . 17<br />
<strong>Writers</strong>’ Markets & Jobs ……………… 28<br />
Calendar ……………………………… ... 14<br />
Club News ……………………………. 5-12<br />
Fall Conference ………………….... 29-35<br />
Information & Announcements … 14-15<br />
Members’ Writing ……………….. 20-27<br />
Marta Hartung Crane ……… …………..20<br />
Don Schambow ……………………. 20, 22<br />
Claudia Anderson ………………….. 21<br />
Patty Miler …………………………. 21<br />
Art Schmitz ………………………… 22<br />
Peg Sherry …………………………. 22<br />
Marsha Jordan ……………………… 22<br />
Cary Fellman ……………………….. 23<br />
Pat Fitzgerald ……………………….. 23<br />
Boyd Sutton …………………………26, 27<br />
Kathy Conger ………………………. 27<br />
Mary Downs ……………………….. 27<br />
President’s Message ……………………..36<br />
<strong>WRWA</strong> Officers ……………………...….18<br />
The <strong>Wisconsin</strong> Regional Writer is <strong>pub</strong>lished<br />
quarterly by the <strong>Wisconsin</strong> Regional<br />
<strong>Writers</strong>’ <strong>Association</strong>, Inc. solely for the<br />
benefit of its members. Submission deadlines<br />
are February 15 (spring), May 15<br />
(summer), July 15 (fall), and November<br />
15 (winter).<br />
Send all e-mail submissions to the Editor<br />
at bdsutton at centurytel dot net or<br />
newsletter at wrwa dot net. Send regular<br />
mail to Boyd Sutton, 23059 Old 35, Siren,<br />
54872.<br />
Advertising Rates<br />
1/8 page $20<br />
1/4 page $35<br />
1/2 page $50<br />
1 page $90<br />
Same ad run in multiple editions:<br />
2 editions discount 10 percent<br />
3 editions discount 20 percent<br />
4 editions discount 30 percent<br />
Members may list books for sale at $5 for<br />
one edition or $10 for four editions (see<br />
page 19 for details). E-mail listings or requests<br />
for ads to the editor at the above<br />
address. Acceptance of an advertisement<br />
in this <strong>pub</strong>lication does not imply endorsement<br />
or approval of the product or<br />
service by the <strong>Wisconsin</strong> Regional <strong>Writers</strong>’<br />
<strong>Association</strong>, Inc. or its associates. #<br />
Editor’s Corner<br />
Page 3<br />
This edition marks the end of my second year as<br />
Editor of The <strong>Wisconsin</strong> Regional Writer. It also marks<br />
the real beginning of your <strong>Wisconsin</strong> Regional Writer<br />
as both newsletter and literary journal of the <strong>Association</strong>.<br />
In effect, TWRW has become the <strong>Association</strong>’s<br />
magazine. Although we have <strong>pub</strong>lished some members’<br />
creative writing for several issues now, it has always<br />
been on a “space available” basis. Starting with this<br />
issue, four to six pages per issue will be set aside for that purpose. If advertising<br />
supports the additional pages, I hope to increase that. We are, in effect, bringing<br />
back some aspects of an earlier <strong>WRWA</strong> <strong>pub</strong>lication—Creative <strong>Wisconsin</strong>, which<br />
used to be <strong>pub</strong>lished as a companion to the <strong>Association</strong>’s regular newsletter.<br />
I was disappointed by receiving so few creative submissions for this edition.<br />
Thanks to members of the Online Discussion Group, submissions picked up near<br />
the deadline. I hope that <strong>WRWA</strong> members will begin to realize that their work can<br />
get <strong>pub</strong>lished here and will submit it for consideration. Your writing not only gets<br />
disseminated to members via the hard copy <strong>Wisconsin</strong> Regional Writer, it appears<br />
in the online version and is accessible to millions of readers. I Googled some of<br />
the authors <strong>pub</strong>lished in the summer and fall editions (which are now online) and<br />
got links to their stories and poems. All submissions go into a folder. Those not<br />
selected for one edition remain eligible for future editions.<br />
Just as you got used to seeing e-mail addresses in a strange new format, our<br />
webmaster, Ralph Davis, discovered a way to present them online in the standard<br />
format without risking that they will be harvested by Web bots and sold to spam<br />
mongers. Accordingly, e-mail addresses will again be listed in the standard format.<br />
I’m also going back to listing addresses, phone numbers, and e-mail addresses for<br />
Board members and Club Reporters. These data are all presented on the <strong>WRWA</strong><br />
Web site’s page for Local Groups. It seems silly for me to keep them out of the<br />
newsletter when the same information is elsewhere on our Web site.<br />
Readers will see more coverage of how the Internet affects writing. More than<br />
75 percent of American households now have computers with Internet connections.<br />
Many <strong>pub</strong>lishers accept queries and submissions by e-mail, quite a few only<br />
by e-mail. Some even allow you to go to their Web sites and submit articles and<br />
photographs directly to the Web site. Many writers don’t use correct Internet terminology,<br />
or spell the terms incorrectly. So I’ve included an item in this edition to<br />
help writers get it right (page 27). Finally, the Internet is an incredibly rich resource<br />
for writers. Thus, I’m inaugurating a new regular feature, “Useful URLs,”<br />
to identify especially useful Web sites for writers (page 26). I welcome reader contributions.<br />
Finally, because this is such a long edition, I have used 10 point type throughout.<br />
That allows me to get in two extra pages with no increase in cost. If readers<br />
find that too small, please e-mail or call me to let me know and I’ll return to the<br />
font size I had been using.<br />
I hope that all of you have a Merry Christmas, Happy Chanukah, or whatever<br />
you celebrate at this time of year.<br />
Boyd Sutton<br />
Copyright Notice<br />
<strong>WRWA</strong> members whose writing is <strong>pub</strong>lished in The <strong>Wisconsin</strong> Regional Writer<br />
retain the copyright to their work. Submission of your work grants one-time rights<br />
for <strong>pub</strong>lication by TWRW. Items printed here should be regarded as “<strong>pub</strong>lished”<br />
and authors should make this known when declaring “prior <strong>pub</strong>lication” when<br />
submitting the work elsewhere. Because of our limited distribution, most editors<br />
probably will not regard that as an issue. Finally, the editor will do his best to uphold<br />
high standards of quality in the selection of what is printed here so authors<br />
may be proud of having their writing presented to the full <strong>WRWA</strong> membership. #
Page 4<br />
(Continued from page 1)<br />
Anticipate that you will get a call from someone at the Internal<br />
Revenue Department; and hope it never happens. But just<br />
in case, have those records ready.<br />
To reduce the possibility of an IRS audit, you should establish<br />
a business entity. It really is not difficult to establish, depending<br />
on what option you choose. You have the choice of<br />
doing business as a proprietorship, a partnership, an LLC<br />
(limited liability corporation), or an S or C corporation. Social<br />
Security payments and some deductibles are handled differently<br />
depending upon the entity you choose.<br />
Most writers do business as proprietorships or partnerships.<br />
When you’re self-employed as a proprietorship, you have to<br />
pay double the Social Security contributions you would pay as<br />
an employee of a company. It’s often referred to as a selfemployment<br />
tax, which is currently 15.3%. That doesn’t seem<br />
fair does it The good news it that you can deduct half that<br />
amount on your 1040 federal tax return.<br />
Operating your business as a sole proprietor requires only<br />
an address, phone number, and e-mail address. If you establish<br />
a partnership (with your wife, for example), you can employ<br />
your children and not be subject to Social Security taxes for<br />
them, provided they are under the age of 17. The child must<br />
perform services for the company and be compensated accordingly.<br />
What you pay them is a deduction for the business. If<br />
the child’s total income is under the standard deduction<br />
($5,150. for 2006) no federal income tax is due.<br />
There is no requirement for you to obtain an Employee<br />
Identification Number (EIN—Form SS-4, see http://<br />
www.irs.gov/<strong>pub</strong>/irs-pdf/fss4.pdfportlet=3) so long as you<br />
operate your business as sole proprietor and have no employees.<br />
Doing so, however, firmly establishes your writing enterprise<br />
as a business and eliminates the need for you to give<br />
your Social Security Number (SSN) to everyone who pays<br />
you for work. You can give them the EIN instead, thus reducing<br />
the risk of identity theft.<br />
A partnership does require an EIN, and unless you're part-<br />
nering with your wife, whom you trust dearly, I would recommend<br />
a partnership agreement, one prepared by legal council.<br />
Another option in <strong>Wisconsin</strong> is to form a limited liability<br />
corporation (known as an LLC). The filing costs just $135<br />
(www.wdfi.org), which can be taken as a business expense.<br />
An LLC limits your personal liability for losses and damages<br />
caused by you or your employees and agents. There’s less<br />
paperwork—annual reports and such—with an LLC than with<br />
an S or C corporation. With an LLC or corporation you must<br />
apply for an EIN from the federal government. When a <strong>pub</strong>lisher<br />
asks for your social security number, you give them<br />
your EIN instead.<br />
As an LLC or an S or C corporation, the company pays<br />
one-half the Social Security tax and you pay the other half in<br />
your wage deductions. If you are the only shareholder, you<br />
can see that both halves are still coming out of your pocket. If<br />
you’re the only employee, this means a lot more paperwork<br />
for you compared to being a sole proprietor or a one person<br />
LLC. In addition, S and C corporations are liable for unemployment<br />
taxes. On the other hand, if you’re doing business as<br />
an S or C corporation, the corporation is not relieved of the<br />
child’s Social Security tax. It’s generally not the way to go as<br />
a writer.<br />
If you are earning income from your writing, you should<br />
seriously examine the value of taking writing-related tax deductions<br />
and the benefits of establishing a formal business<br />
identity. Other than S or C corporations, it’s pretty easy—<br />
something you can do yourself, without the help of a lawyer.<br />
But tax laws change; so you should always get advice from a<br />
good tax accountant. That’s deductable, too, by the way.<br />
[Editor’s Note: This article is based on information in Chapter<br />
28 (Income and Expenses) in John Campbell’s book, Writing<br />
in Retirement (www.writingretirement.com), which covers<br />
the subject in greater depth. Copies may be purchased from<br />
John at cera@execpc.com.] #<br />
I don't like morning—it starts too early in the day. Yesterday<br />
morning was worse than most and started out bad from<br />
the get go. I always know it's going to be a lousy day when it<br />
begins with getting out of bed. I've had bronchitis for over a<br />
week, and to make matters worse, I awoke with a migraine the<br />
size of Hoboken, New Jersey. I was crabbier than a seaside<br />
restaurant.<br />
I'd had surgery on my hand and was taking pain medication<br />
that made me lethargic, so I just wanted to veg out, watching<br />
Gilligan's Island reruns and old movies. But right in the middle<br />
of "It's a Wonderful Life," my TV died. (Merry Christmas,<br />
Bedford Falls!) I don't know what went wrong with it, but it<br />
may have had something to do with the flames shooting out<br />
the back like fourth of July fireworks.<br />
Do you know how boring and frustrating it is to be cranky,<br />
tired, and sick but not have a TV for distraction I had to put<br />
up with my own company. That's as much fun as spending the<br />
day in a phone booth with a Pitt Bull that has PMS.<br />
Limburger Attitude by Marsha Jordan<br />
I decided to make Christmas cookies, but that endeavor did<br />
not go well. The first bowl of dough was runnier than my<br />
nose. The second batch was as sticky as used gum on a hot<br />
sidewalk, and I burned the third batch blacker than a grease<br />
monkey's finger nails. No wonder I hate to cook. After three<br />
flops, I gave up and vowed never to touch an oven mitt again.<br />
I think I'll become a commercial cook, cooking only what can<br />
be heated in the microwave during TV commercials.<br />
I grabbed the pitcher of juice and bumped it on the counter.<br />
The bottom exploded like an overcooked Johnsonville brat. A<br />
geyser of juice and shattered glass sprayed the cupboards and<br />
floor. After cleaning that up, I went into the den and slid<br />
across the room on a pile of dog vomit, smearing it all over<br />
the rug. Another mess to clean up.<br />
[Editor’s Note: With apologies to Marsha and to readers for<br />
having to chase the completion of her story across several<br />
pages. But that’s one way to use extra space.]<br />
(continued on page 11)
Page 5<br />
<strong>WRWA</strong> Online Discussion Forum: Patty Miler, Reporter pattyapplet@aol.com<br />
L. A VanVeghel, Moderator VanVeghelL@msn.com<br />
After suffering several serious problems<br />
with our Web host, and a lack of<br />
customer support, we changed Web<br />
hosts. Thanks for all the hard work by<br />
our moderator, Larry Van Veghel, and<br />
our webmaster, Ralph Sharp. Now,<br />
that all of the computer problems have<br />
been resolved we are once again chatting<br />
away about writing.<br />
We have discussed the post-Fall Conference<br />
writing spree, our <strong>pub</strong>lication<br />
dreams, translating books to movie<br />
screen plays, writing a book trailer (the<br />
jacket blurb), character development,<br />
and much more.<br />
The forum’s moderator, Larry Van<br />
Veghel, was elected to the position of<br />
Secretary and Media Director of the<br />
<strong>Wisconsin</strong> Council of Sport Fishing<br />
Organizations. With a full-time job, this<br />
important position in <strong>Wisconsin</strong>’s premiere<br />
fishing organization, serving as<br />
moderator of the Online Discussion<br />
Forum, and a successful career as a<br />
freelance outdoors writer, Larry epitomizes<br />
the old saw, “If you want to get a<br />
job done, give it to a busy person.”<br />
Welcome to our newest members:<br />
Star Davies, Gail Toerpe, Robert<br />
Barlow, Don Schambow, and Paul<br />
Vadney (Lois Rentmeester’s husband,<br />
who jumped in temporarily to help with<br />
a computer problem one of our members<br />
was having).<br />
We are now up to 43 members, including<br />
at least five members of the<br />
<strong>WRWA</strong> Board of Directors. The forum<br />
is an excellent place to get advice about<br />
writing, to discuss <strong>WRWA</strong> issues, and<br />
to just chat with like-minded writing<br />
friends. We welcome new members at<br />
any time. #<br />
Northwest Regional <strong>Writers</strong>: Bernice Abrahamzon, Reporter, Frederic, <strong>Wisconsin</strong><br />
Mary Jacobsen, maryj@sirentel.net<br />
Our clubs October meeting was held<br />
at the new home of former member,<br />
Sally Bair, in the woods near<br />
Washburn, <strong>Wisconsin</strong>, just south of<br />
Bayfield. We carpooled for the two<br />
hour trip and enjoyed potluck lunch<br />
together before our regular meeting. We<br />
asked Mary Jacobsen to read her short<br />
story which one third in the 2006 Jade<br />
Ring Contest and offered her congratulations.<br />
Sally Bair has long had a weekly<br />
meditation column in The Inter-County<br />
Leader, Frederick, and it now also appears<br />
in The Daily Press, Ashland.<br />
Sally continues to find inspiration in her<br />
secluded sanctuary.<br />
Three of our members, Alice Ford,<br />
Kathy Krantz, and Bernice Abrahamzon<br />
often have essays in “Yarns of<br />
Yesteryear,” a regular feature in The<br />
Country Today, <strong>pub</strong>lished in Eau Claire.<br />
Several members have <strong>pub</strong>lished<br />
items in the “<strong>Writers</strong>’ Corner” section<br />
of The Inter-County Leader.<br />
The Northwest Regional <strong>Writers</strong><br />
awarded a scholarship to member Don<br />
Miller for lodging expenses at the Fall<br />
Conference in Janesville. In addition to<br />
Don, Boyd Sutton, Mary Jacobsen,<br />
and LaMoine MacLaughlin (Amery)<br />
also attended, carpooling in Boyd's van.<br />
Their return ride was more exciting than<br />
bargained for, as Boyd suffered a burst<br />
blood vessel in his eye just as the conference<br />
ended, requiring a three-hour<br />
side trip to the University of <strong>Wisconsin</strong><br />
Medical Center in Madison. Boyd’s eye<br />
is OK. No vision loss.<br />
Bob McLean (Mac) and Bernice<br />
Abrahamzon enjoyed hearing a presentation<br />
by Jerry Apps at Frederick,<br />
sponsored by the local library. Bernice<br />
wrote the event up for the local newspaper.<br />
This was the fourth time since this<br />
spring that Apps came to Polk County<br />
to address groups.<br />
Five of our members have had books<br />
produced through the years by Bill<br />
Heins Publications (see his ad on page<br />
25), including Arleth Eriksson, Glendora<br />
Hauger, Alice Ford, Kathy<br />
Krantz, and Bernice Abrahamzon.<br />
Sharen and Ed Kaatz observed<br />
their 50th wedding anniversary at King,<br />
<strong>Wisconsin</strong>, on October 27. Sharen is<br />
our club’s <strong>WRWA</strong> Lifetime Member<br />
and we are very proud of her.<br />
Boyd Sutton’s “Community Voices”<br />
column in The Inter-County Leader,<br />
“Casting an Informed Vote,” was <strong>pub</strong>lished<br />
a week before the election. It can<br />
be viewed at http://www.the-leader.net/.<br />
Click on Community Voices (left column),<br />
then on the title of Boyd’s column.<br />
Eunice Kanne just turned 99 and is<br />
our club’s most senior member. She<br />
faithfully attends our monthly meetings<br />
and does the writing assignments. She<br />
continues to produce a weekly column<br />
in the Burnett Sentinel and has authored<br />
five books: Memories of the 20th century,<br />
From Far North Norway, Were<br />
They Really the Good Old Days, Big<br />
Gust, and Pieces of the Past. Every one<br />
sold out. She taught school for 52 years.<br />
She got her first computer at age 84<br />
“because it was easier to write my second<br />
book that way,” and recently announced<br />
that she now has a “more up to<br />
date computer.” So all you old fogies<br />
out there take note. It’s never too late to<br />
learn new tricks. #
Page 6<br />
<strong>Writers</strong> on the Rock: Ruth I. Sellnow, Reporter Watertown, WI writersontherock@yahoo.com<br />
http://my.exepc.com/~jayfox/writersontherock<br />
Susan Kileen was co-chair for<br />
WFOP Triad contest this year.<br />
Ruth Sellnow has two <strong>pub</strong>lished articles<br />
in the Autumn, 2006, issue of The<br />
Historical Review, a <strong>pub</strong>lication of the<br />
Watertown Historical Society. The titles<br />
are “Mondays in Watertown” and<br />
“Historical Changes in Shopping and<br />
Food Styles.” The issue was mailed to<br />
members of the society on October 20,<br />
2006.<br />
Our members are willing to listen to<br />
writers read their writing and to give<br />
constructive criticisms or helpful sug-<br />
gestions. The styles, philosophies, and<br />
genres of interest are as varied as the<br />
members of our group. We are presently<br />
meeting monthly at the Watertown Public<br />
Library. #<br />
Janesville Area <strong>Writers</strong>’ Club: Edna M. Thorp, Reporter mefarley@ticon.net<br />
Janesville, WI 53548-2987<br />
We were honored to have the <strong>WRWA</strong> Fall Conference held in Janesville in September. We enjoyed the conference, especially<br />
the interesting and knowledgeable presentations of the speakers, and hope to be chosen again for this event.<br />
Sherry Derr-Willie is writing a series of four books. The first in the series, Double M: The Malins, came out in September.<br />
Seducing Sir Gwain was <strong>pub</strong>lished in October.<br />
Early in the fall Sherry was asked by the Leon Saxeville Township Library to autograph a quilt block. She is one of 42 authors<br />
who did so. The quilt, fashioned from these autographed blocks, was auctioned off on November 11 th . Sherry and the other authors<br />
were invited to attend the festivities on that weekend. The library is in Pine River, <strong>Wisconsin</strong> #<br />
Unpolished Gems Writer’s Group: Betty Smedlund, Reporter Pfrolic@aol.com<br />
Kimberly, <strong>Wisconsin</strong><br />
Poetry by Barbara Jo Gauthier and<br />
Betty Smedlund was <strong>pub</strong>lished in the<br />
thirty-second issue of Fox Cry Review, a<br />
literary magazine <strong>pub</strong>lished annually by<br />
the University of <strong>Wisconsin</strong>-Fox Valley;<br />
Barbara Jo’s was titled “Nights Cattle<br />
Roamed” and Betty’s, “Packing Up.”<br />
The Poetry of Jan Elias and Don<br />
Wydeven was <strong>pub</strong>lished in the fall issue<br />
of Irish Stew. Titles for their work are<br />
“Class Conflicts” and “What About<br />
You,” respectively.<br />
Two articles by Betty Smedlund<br />
were <strong>pub</strong>lished in The Post Crescent,<br />
Appleton’s daily newspaper:<br />
“Northwoods home is No Golden Pond”<br />
and “Motherhood more than a part-time<br />
job.”<br />
Amy DeBroux’s article, “Adopting a<br />
Child is a True Family Experience,” was<br />
<strong>pub</strong>lished in The Post Crescent Newspaper<br />
on October 5.<br />
During the months of June, July and<br />
August, Barbara Jo Gauthier, Mary<br />
Pribbenow, Betty Smedlund, and Don<br />
Wydeven read their poetry and flash<br />
fiction at Barnes and Nobel to celebrate<br />
Irish Stew and its <strong>pub</strong>lisher, Joanne<br />
Flemming.<br />
Two dinner theatre performances of<br />
“A Night of Fairy Tales and Bedtime<br />
Stories For Children 21 to 121” will be<br />
held at the Atlas Coffee Mill & Café in<br />
Appleton. On the nights of November<br />
11 and 14, Amy DeBroux, Barbara Jo<br />
Gauthier, Betty Smedlund, and Don<br />
Wydeven will perform their twisted<br />
versions of Grimm’s fairy tales as the<br />
evenings’ entertainment.<br />
Don Wydeven continues to facilitate<br />
meetings of the Pros on Prose Writing<br />
Group that meets at Barnes & Noble<br />
twice monthly. #<br />
Fond du Lac Area <strong>Writers</strong>: Jane Osypowski, Co-Reporter martyandjane@powerweb.net<br />
W972 Birchwood Drive, Cambellsport, WI 53010 920-553-3044<br />
Gary Scheinoha has had letters to the editor <strong>pub</strong>lished in The (Fond du Lac) Reporter and The Campbellsport News. Evelyn<br />
Scheinoha also had a letter to the editor <strong>pub</strong>lished in The Reporter. C. Ross Purcell is putting together a monthly <strong>pub</strong>lication<br />
entitled Reed. Jane Osypowski’s poem, “Blind Words,” was <strong>pub</strong>lished in Free Verse.<br />
We discussed character types at the August meeting and wrote pieces based on character type for September. In October, we<br />
wrote and shared Halloween stories.<br />
John Silah has created a web site for our group. It is a link on the Fond du Lac Community Theater’s site and can be found at<br />
www.fdlct.com. Go to the bottom and look for The Fond du Lac Area <strong>Writers</strong>. We regularly meet on the fourth Tuesday of each<br />
month at Moraine Park Technical College in Fond du Lac. #
Page 7<br />
Hayward Northworders: Dorothy Lund, Reporter dlund10@centurytel.net<br />
Hayward, WI<br />
President Laura Burlage has come out with a C.D. of songs she has composed and recorded called “Legends of the Trubadors,”<br />
produced by Heartistry Music. She has been busy travelling and speaking in carrying out her duties as <strong>Wisconsin</strong>'t Honey<br />
Queen.<br />
Sue Burgess and her husband, Tom, have researched and produced a collection, Tales of La Courte Oreilles, stories of those<br />
who settled on its shores.<br />
Barbara Rang, a Peace Corps volunteer in her early adult life, has <strong>pub</strong>lished The Road Taken: Two Years in the Tropics.<br />
Betty Haling is known for her chapbook of poetry, A Look at Life.<br />
Don and Doris Black write a monthly column, “Tales from the Black Forest,” which goes out to forty regular readers and is<br />
<strong>pub</strong>lished in a church newsletter. #<br />
Dorothy Lund is winner of the <strong>WRWA</strong> Jade Ring award for her article "Cameo of Dad." She earlier took a first place for her<br />
short-story, "Mushroom Mixup" in the Bo Carter Memorial Writing Contest sponsored by the Waukesha <strong>Writers</strong>' Workshop. Her<br />
flash fiction story, “The Mission" was selected for <strong>pub</strong>liication in spring 2006 edition of The <strong>Wisconsin</strong> Regional Writer. #<br />
Pauquette Wordcrafters: Marge Inselman, Reporter minselmanwriter@mymailstation.com<br />
W5538 Hwy 60, Poynette, WI 53955 (608) 635-4657<br />
umn of the Portage Daily Register. Muriel Getchel, "My<br />
Hero, My Friend, My Sister.” Bea Heberlien, "Tis the Season<br />
of the Golden Crow." Marge Inselman, "A Magic Christmas<br />
Eve." This December and January, several more articles will<br />
appear, written by Idella Anacker, Lou Roach, Dave Manthey<br />
and Charlotte Clark. Titles were not available when<br />
this report was submitted.<br />
The Pauquette Wordcrafters meet Wednesdays, bi-monthly<br />
at 9:30 a.m. in the Portage Public Library. New members are<br />
always welcome.<br />
[Editor’s Note: Correction for Summer <strong>Newsletter</strong>: Sarah<br />
Mautz had a poem <strong>pub</strong>lished in the magazine Purpose. Her<br />
poem was titled "Mary's Nard". In the summer newsletter the<br />
word nard was spelled nerd. Nard means a fragrant lotion<br />
used in ancient times.] #<br />
St. Croix Valley PEN and ThINK: Beverley Larsen, Reporter, Hudson, WI<br />
bjlarsen@pressenter.com<br />
Bev Larsen notes the enthusiastic<br />
beginning of a new writers’ group in<br />
Hudson, <strong>Wisconsin</strong>, just across the river<br />
from St. Paul, MN. Our group is called<br />
Pen and ThInk. We have a day group<br />
and an evening group. The day group<br />
meets the second Tuesday from 9:30 to<br />
11 at the Hudson Library—a nice big<br />
room with soft chairs!! The first gathering<br />
was at a local coffee shop to determine<br />
interest and we had 11 show up! I<br />
immediately knew we had a good start<br />
to successful writing. The library is free<br />
Millie Stanley spoke to about 40 people at the Pardeville<br />
Garden Club at the John Muir Memorial Park in Montello,<br />
WI. Her talk was based on her book, The Heart of John<br />
Muir's World, <strong>Wisconsin</strong> Family and Wilderness Discovery,<br />
<strong>pub</strong>lished in 1995 by Oak Press, Madison.<br />
Lou Roach's article, “Personhood Demands Accountability,”<br />
was <strong>pub</strong>lished in the <strong>Writers</strong>' Write column of the Portage<br />
Daily Register. Lou also earned First Honorable Mention<br />
in the Jade Ring contest for her article "Film Maker Best<br />
Flourishes in An Unlikely Place.". She also had a poem in the<br />
2007 WFOP Poet's Calendar titled "Seasonal Dilemma.".<br />
Idella Anacker has a Haiku poem in the 2007 WFOP<br />
Poet’s Calendar. Idella is included in John Campbell's book,<br />
Writing In Retirement, for an article she had in Working<br />
Writer.<br />
The following also had articles in the <strong>Writers</strong>' Write coland<br />
convenient for all. The first meeting<br />
for the evening group will be at the Hudson<br />
Bagel and Coffee Shop on the third<br />
Wednesday of each month starting in<br />
November.<br />
We reach south to River Falls and<br />
North to near Stillwater at the present<br />
time and have grown from one man to<br />
four in just three months! We have<br />
about 15 members now and I think we<br />
have a good mix of writers, genres, and<br />
backgrounds. The group ranges in age<br />
from 17 (Hudson high school girl) to a<br />
retired journalist who is probably 80<br />
The best part is the fabulous cooperation<br />
that I have from the members. Election<br />
of officers was very easy because they<br />
volunteered and are very involved!<br />
Yeah!<br />
Bev Larsen, Sandra Whalen, and<br />
Lonna Possehl agreed to be board<br />
members through December 31, 2006.<br />
We look forward to some great opportunities<br />
with several members eager<br />
to “get their works in print.” #
Page 8<br />
Poco Penners: Audrey Stensvold, Reporter, 24 120th St., Deer Park, WI 54007<br />
Lonski@amerytel.net<br />
Carolyn Lumsden has been our most prolific writer these<br />
past months. Carolyn and husband Gary joined efforts on a<br />
series of three articles <strong>pub</strong>lished by Engineers and Engines<br />
magazine. "My Grandfather's Steam Engines." Part one was<br />
<strong>pub</strong>lished in the June/July 2006 issue. "Changing Times" (part<br />
two) was in the Aug/Sept 2006 issue. The third one will be<br />
<strong>pub</strong>lished soon. A short fiction story, "Summer Love," was<br />
<strong>pub</strong>lished in the The <strong>Wisconsin</strong> Regional Writer summer<br />
2006 issue. Carolyn also submitted a poem, "Seduction," to<br />
the International Library of Poetry. She recieved the Editor's<br />
Choice Award and Certificate. This will be included in their<br />
book and also be a part of a CD poetry collection, "The Sound<br />
Of Poetry," read by a professional reader.<br />
Several of our members have been <strong>pub</strong>lished in the <strong>Writers</strong><br />
Corner of The Inter-County Leader:<br />
"I Must Have Moved," Carolyn Lumsden 6/7/06<br />
"Picnic Thoughts," Brenda Mayer 8/2/06<br />
"A Brain Too Big," Audrey Stensvold 8/2/06<br />
"For The Birds," Joyce Thompson 9/27/06<br />
"A Freckle Faced Boy," Carolyn Lumsden<br />
"Under The Red Water Tower," Brenda Mayer 10/25/06. #<br />
Round Robin Groups: Credessa Williams, Reporter 920-748-9443<br />
N4849 Robinson Road, Black River Falls, WI 54615<br />
Winners of the 2006 end of term contests are:<br />
Article Club: “Meeting New Friends,” by Lee Ann Balman,<br />
Independence, WI. “Life is a Journey,” by Wilma Leonard,<br />
Baraboo, WI. “Return to Pearl Harbor,” by Lee Nelson,<br />
Waco, TX.<br />
Word Spinners Poetry Club: First Prize – “Recessional,” by<br />
Barbara Germiat, Appleton, WI, and “Grandfather’s Favorite<br />
Cousin,” by Connie Sanderson, Eastman, WI. Second<br />
Prize – “Egret-Waiting,” by Peg Sherry, Madison, WI. Third<br />
Prize – “Golden Orchestration,” by Phyllis Reisdorf, Madison,<br />
WI. Honorable Mention – “To Live-The Rest of It,” by<br />
Inez Stewart, Baraboo, WI.<br />
Coordinators for the 2006-07 term are:<br />
First Flight Club: Lee Balman, Independence, WI.<br />
Article Club: Grady Gutknecht and Betty Steele, Black<br />
River Falls, WI.<br />
Children’s <strong>Writers</strong> Robin: Darlene Buechel, Chilton, WI.<br />
Essay Club: Joan Rozanski, Milwaukee, WI.<br />
Novel Club: Dee Jucius, Salem, WI.<br />
Word Spinners Poetry Club: Patricia Weisberg, Milwaukee,<br />
WI<br />
Short Story Club: Shirley Rice, Logansport, IN #<br />
St. Croix <strong>Writers</strong>: Jo Stewart, Reporter 715-378-2723<br />
P.O. Box 102, Solon Springs, WI 54873<br />
One of our newest members, Harry Sarazen, won second<br />
place in the Nostalgia category with his essay, “A Close<br />
Shave." Congratulations to all the Jade Ring winners.<br />
Occasionally I get asked, "Does the Club News section<br />
only want news of those who have been <strong>pub</strong>lished" That<br />
sometimes seems to be the case, but I know that it is not the<br />
purpose. When our group was formed in 1989, we had 14<br />
charter members. We now have 40 members who attend the<br />
meetings when they can. We are enriched by each member's<br />
contribution whether or not it reaches <strong>pub</strong>lication status.<br />
Some of our members who have been <strong>pub</strong>lished recently<br />
are an Ann Penton (in Free Verse), Bonnie Johnson (in the<br />
St. Paul Pioneer Press, "Bulletin board"), Thomas W. King,<br />
Harry Sarazen, and Joe Stewart (in the Daily Telegram,<br />
Superior, "Senior class" feature), and Mary Ellen Ryall,<br />
(Washburn County Register, “Senior Focus”). Mary Ellen is<br />
editor of Butterflies and Gardens. Jackie Remlinger a new<br />
member of St. Croix <strong>Writers</strong>, is a newsletter copy editor.<br />
Authors reading their original works at the Joan Salmen<br />
Memorial Library in Solon Springs in July, August, and September<br />
were Kate Karras, Renee Butterfield, and Kathy<br />
Swanson.<br />
[Editor’s Note: Club News is a place to celebrate more than<br />
just getting <strong>pub</strong>lished. Club Reporters should include significant<br />
activities, accomplishments other than <strong>pub</strong>lication, and<br />
whatever it is that your club is particularly proud of. But<br />
please try to keep it short. We have a limited number of pages<br />
and are trying to set aside space to <strong>pub</strong>lish articles and features<br />
and more members’ writing.] #<br />
Fox Valley <strong>Writers</strong>’ Club: Marain Athens, Reporter mathens@juno.com, Appleton, WI<br />
See the club’s web site at http://www.focol.org/foxvalleywriters/<br />
Fox Valley <strong>Writers</strong> Club member Randal Files had a script accepted in Tennessee. It has been filmed and is in the editing<br />
stage now. He is not sure of the release date yet. #
Shawano Area <strong>Writers</strong> (SAW): John J. Mutter, Jr., Reporter jjmutter@athenet.net 715-524-4520<br />
N2787 McDonald Road, Shawano, WI 54166<br />
Page 9<br />
On the weekend of August 11-13, Shawano Area <strong>Writers</strong><br />
had a table set up at the 28th Annual Shawano Folk Music<br />
Festival, where they sold their books and handed out information<br />
about SAW and their 40th anniversary. SAW was part of<br />
the Saturday program, as they talked for an hour about, "The<br />
Writing Life." Linda Kunda, Marcie Leitzke, Trilby<br />
McIntosh, John Mutter, Jr., Marianne Severson and Irma<br />
Timmons read some of their work to the audience.<br />
Irma Timmons wrote a play entitled, "History of Churches<br />
in Shawano County." The play was performed at the Shawano<br />
County Fair in early September.<br />
Jan Schreiber and John Mutter, Jr., each had a letter to<br />
the editor printed in the Shawano Leader.<br />
Ward K. Peterson was<br />
presented an award in appreciation<br />
for sharing his<br />
life through his writing,<br />
especially his book titled<br />
“Grandpa Remembers.”<br />
Shawano Area <strong>Writers</strong><br />
President John Mutter<br />
said he appreciated Ward<br />
“opening up your life through the written word, growing up in<br />
rural <strong>Wisconsin</strong>,” and added, “It was a life well lived.”<br />
John also presented<br />
an award to<br />
charter member<br />
Marcie Leitzke at<br />
the celebration the<br />
club had at the Farm<br />
Inn to mark the 40th<br />
anniversary. John<br />
presented her with a<br />
certificate signed by<br />
him and by Shawano<br />
Mayor Lorna<br />
Marquardt. As he presented the award, he noted all the information<br />
and entertainment Marcie has provided over the years<br />
with her poetry, columns, and other writing, adding that she<br />
“made the world a better place.” #<br />
Waukesha Writer’s Workshop: Mickey Burgermeister, Reporter 262-679-0862<br />
S69 W17349 Kirkwood Drive, Muskego, WI 53150-8851<br />
Gloria Anzilotti of Waukesha and Florence, Italy, reports<br />
the sale of a poem, “Only More in Store,” to The Shoenstatt<br />
Family quarterly magazine, Fall 2006 issue, a Waukesha <strong>pub</strong>lication.<br />
Ramon Klitzke won the Minocqua Beef-A-Rama Poetry<br />
Contest. He was awarded $50 in Beef-A-Rama dollars to be<br />
used at the annual Beef-A-Rama celebration on September 30.<br />
He also served as Celebrity Judge on the Roast Beef Cooking<br />
Competition.<br />
At the Fall Conference of the <strong>WRWA</strong>, three Waukesha<br />
Writer’s Workshop members were named as winners in the<br />
Jade Ring Contest. In the Article category, Mickey Burgermeister’s<br />
“The Creek” won Third Place. Ramon Klitzke was<br />
award Third Place in Nostalgia for a piece entitled “The<br />
Switchyard.” Nancy Schultz’s “Lady Brett Ashley” received<br />
Honorable Mention in the Essay Category.<br />
At the September meeting of WWW we were honored to<br />
have past-member Carol Ortman as guest speaker. She is<br />
known for her articles <strong>pub</strong>lished in the Appleton Post Crescent<br />
when working as a stringer. She has won awards for fiction,<br />
non-fiction and poetry in Door County, Canada, North<br />
and South Dakota, Minnesota, <strong>Wisconsin</strong>, and in an International<br />
contest. <strong>Wisconsin</strong> Poets’ Calendar <strong>pub</strong>lished her poems<br />
in two consecutive years. Presently she is writing lesson<br />
plans and teaching at the Hart Park Senior Center <strong>Writers</strong>’<br />
Workshop. Her current title is “Treat Your Readers As<br />
Friends – How to Connect to That Invisible Audience.” #<br />
<strong>Writers</strong> of Wausau (WOW): Dee Schofield, Reporter 1310 McIndo St., Wausau, WI 54403<br />
d.schofield@verizon.net<br />
<strong>Writers</strong> Of Wausau presented their annual writing awards at The Wright House Restaurant. The winners are: Joann Opsahl for<br />
Most Published, Shirley Schroeder for Fiction, Lori Brzezinski and Nina Green share the Poetry award, and Susan Engebrecht<br />
won the Nonfiction category.<br />
We are now meeting at the Marathon County Public Library, 300 N. 1st St. Wausau. #
Page 10<br />
<strong>Writers</strong> Ink of Cudahy and Milwaukee: Gail Larson Toerpe, Reporter, gtoe@aol.com<br />
3034 Wentworth So., Milwaukee, WI 53207 www.writersink.writernetwork.com<br />
L. A. Van Veghel: WI Fishing Club <strong>Newsletter</strong>; Numerous<br />
articles WI Fishing Club website; WI Council of Sport Fishing<br />
org.;Midwest Outdoors; <strong>WRWA</strong> Writing Discussion site,<br />
website article; Press releases; Article Great Lakes Fishing &<br />
Hunting; 2 articles WOCA Recrod; Washington Island Observer.<br />
Marjorie Pagel: History of Friends of the Franklin Library;<br />
Franklin Historical Society <strong>pub</strong>lished 50 year history;<br />
Press releases for Women's Club & <strong>Writers</strong> Ink; Editor <strong>Newsletter</strong><br />
(4 times year) for Women of the ELCK Greater Milwaukee;<br />
History of H.C. Woman's Club-Special & Newspaper<br />
contribution; Article about Pastor's family; e-<strong>pub</strong>lication<br />
through Milwaukee church groups and two-page spread in<br />
HAB.<br />
Jason M. Waltz: The Custer-Hawk Gazette<br />
Gail Larson Toerpe (President, Wirters Ink) Oak Creek<br />
Historical Soc. <strong>Newsletter</strong>; Observer; Press Releases for Oak<br />
Creek Hist. Soc.; Photo in Minneapolis Star-Tribune Travel<br />
section; Letter to Editor, Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. Gail,<br />
<strong>pub</strong>lisher/editor of the Washington Island Observer, wrote 50-<br />
60 articles and contributed several photos for the paper this<br />
year. She has owned the paper since her husband gave it to her<br />
as a gift 15 years ago.<br />
Art Schmitz: In the Spirit, Chit Chat sub; We're Coming<br />
Over, Christmas Time in the City. #<br />
<strong>Writers</strong> Ink of Cudahy and Milwaukee<br />
Club Spotlight<br />
<strong>Writers</strong> Ink was<br />
formed on September<br />
26, 1977,<br />
to provide an inexpensive<br />
forum<br />
for writers and<br />
would-be writers<br />
to discuss writing<br />
techniques, how to<br />
sell articles, and<br />
how to go about<br />
getting <strong>pub</strong>lished. Members are men and<br />
women of varying ages, 25 through 94,<br />
and come from all walks of life. They<br />
are informal and friendly, but nonetheless<br />
earnest and dedicated. Some write<br />
seriously for <strong>pub</strong>lication, while others<br />
for personal satisfaction. Their varied<br />
vocations, interests, and perspectives are<br />
mirrored in their subject matter and writing<br />
style. Some have had a book or two<br />
<strong>pub</strong>lished, several have seen hundreds of<br />
their articles in print, while still others<br />
are contributing editors to national <strong>pub</strong>lications.<br />
There are, however, some still<br />
waiting to be discovered.<br />
Some of the original members were:<br />
Lorraine Sordahl, Dolores Tichkowski,<br />
Sister Mary Julitta, Sister<br />
Mary Joanne, Shirley Belleranti, and<br />
Shirley Mudrick. Of these, the first<br />
three were the actual originators but the<br />
others came in shortly thereafter. They<br />
have always met at the Bank One building,<br />
for which our group is most grateful.<br />
We have had many prominent<br />
speakers over the years, some of whom<br />
include: Bill Nelson (Milwaukee Journal),<br />
John Gurda (Milwaukee historian),<br />
Elaine Bergstrom (science fiction<br />
author), Alan Borsuk, Joel McNally,<br />
Gary Markstein (Milwaukee journalists),<br />
Roy Reiman, Bob Ottum<br />
(Reiman Publications), Wayne Frank<br />
(author and past Milwaukee alderman),<br />
Martha Bergland (author of several<br />
books), and the list goes on.<br />
Many success stories, too, have come<br />
out of our group. Patricia Lorenz<br />
(author, lecturer, many <strong>pub</strong>lished arti-<br />
cles in Chicken Soup books as well as<br />
Christian periodicals), Sharon Hart<br />
Addy (five children's books <strong>pub</strong>lished),<br />
Jack Byrne (became a writers agent<br />
after joining), May Thibaudeau (our<br />
oldest member, in her 90s, has <strong>pub</strong>lished<br />
several histories, including one on Frederick<br />
Layton from which information<br />
is used by the Smithsonian Institution in<br />
D.C.), Yarn Spinner Paul Larson, from<br />
Arizona, Nancy Allan (had her own<br />
column in CNI newspapers for many<br />
years), Larry Van Veghel, (sports<br />
writer, <strong>pub</strong>lished in many periodicals),<br />
and Gail Toerpe, who owns and edits<br />
the community newspaper on Washington<br />
Island (The Washington Island Observer).<br />
Many more of our members<br />
have had success and many choose only<br />
to write without any thought of being<br />
<strong>pub</strong>lished.<br />
We enjoy the many readings and critiques<br />
and are pleased to have so many<br />
wonderful speakers. We also have a<br />
"brag session," which we call a "Round<br />
Table." Our group is always looking for<br />
speakers for Monday nights. E-mail our<br />
President, Gail Toerpe, at<br />
Gtoe@aol.com if you know of someone<br />
who would like to present a topic. #<br />
New Members Needed—Recruit New Members<br />
Any member who brings in five or more members between January 1st and March 31st will receive a free book<br />
and will be spotlighted in a future edition of the newsletter. Please be sure to have the new member list your name<br />
in the appropriate block on the membership form to receive credit.
Northern Lakes <strong>Writers</strong>’ Guild: LaMoine MacLaughlin, Executive Director 715-268-6811<br />
lammacl@amerytel.com www.northernlakescenter.org<br />
Page 11<br />
At the end of September, Northern Lakes Director<br />
LaMoine MacLaughlin attended the Fall Conference of<br />
<strong>WRWA</strong> in Janesville and helped with the presentation of<br />
the association’s Jade Ring Award for Poetry. He had<br />
been asked by the association to judge the material for<br />
this year’s award and found the winning entries to be<br />
remarkable. It was his task to select three winners and<br />
three honorable mentions from among 140 entries.<br />
In October, The Northern Lakes <strong>Writers</strong>’ Guild<br />
teamed with the Northern Lakes Theater Guild to open<br />
the Northern Lakes 2006/2007 concert and performance<br />
season with two interesting events: the first, an evening<br />
of old-time radio and the second, an evening of scary<br />
stories and poems.<br />
At the Guild’s October meeting there was discussion<br />
of material <strong>pub</strong>lished in The Hometown Gazette, which<br />
<strong>pub</strong>lishes local writers’ work as part of its regular coverage<br />
of news and local highlights focusing upon the Clayton<br />
area. Published this past issue were Ed Moersfelder,<br />
Jeanne Murphy, Ralph Weber, and Patricia Hansen.<br />
During November, Northern Lakes’ Director LaMoine<br />
MacLaughlin was asked to become a regular columnist<br />
for another local <strong>pub</strong>lication, What’s Playing, a bimonthly<br />
magazine that highlights local arts and cultural<br />
events, including creative writing by writers from our<br />
area, and is <strong>pub</strong>lished by Schoolhouse Productions in<br />
Clear Lake. The November/December issue includes<br />
MacLaughlin’s poem, “A Christmas Swallow,” which<br />
he read at last years’ <strong>WRWA</strong> fall conference in Wiscon-<br />
sin Rapids. The beauty of our natural surroundings will<br />
be the focus of MacLaughlin’s column. Anyone interested<br />
in contributing should e-mail manuscripts to<br />
LaMoine at the above address.<br />
In December, the <strong>Writers</strong>’ Guild will be finishing<br />
work on selections to be <strong>pub</strong>lished in Northern Lakes’<br />
Soundings, the literary <strong>pub</strong>lication of the Northern Lakes<br />
Center for the Arts. The upcoming January 2007 issue<br />
will complete 16 years of <strong>pub</strong>lishing original stories,<br />
poems, and essays by local authors. The magazine has<br />
been <strong>pub</strong>lished semi-annually since 1991. So this past<br />
quarter there have been several opportunities for members<br />
of the Northern Lakes <strong>Writers</strong>’ Guild to <strong>pub</strong>lish<br />
their work and to share it with the general <strong>pub</strong>lic.<br />
We are beginning to organize the annual regional<br />
gathering of northwest area writers to be held on Saturday,<br />
April 21 at the Northern Lakes Center for the Arts<br />
in Amery. It will include a workshop by <strong>Wisconsin</strong> author,<br />
Jerry Apps. Plan on attending. This annual event<br />
is held in rotation by the Northwest Regional <strong>Writers</strong>,<br />
the Poco Penners, and the Northern Lakes <strong>Writers</strong>’<br />
Guild and is open to all writers.<br />
The Northern Lakes <strong>Writers</strong>’ Guild, an affiliate of the<br />
Northern Lakes Center of the Arts, is located at 113 Elm<br />
Street in Amery, <strong>Wisconsin</strong>. For more detailed information<br />
about activities of the Northern Lakes <strong>Writers</strong>’<br />
Guild, please call the Northern Lakes Center for the Arts<br />
at (715) 268-6811. #<br />
(Limburger Attitude, continued from page 4)<br />
The last straw was when I went to the drug store for antibiotics.<br />
When the pharmacist told me it would cost $60 for three<br />
days' worth, I got madder than a constipated rattlesnake. And<br />
like a rattlesnake, I wanted to bite somebody. I didn't have that<br />
much money on me, so I had to leave without the pills.<br />
When I got back home, I stomped around complaining<br />
about everything that annoyed me. Being crankier than a giraffe<br />
with strep throat, I couldn't think of a single thing that<br />
didn't bug me.<br />
Coincidentally, while listening to the radio, I heard a country<br />
song entitled, "I hate everything." My sentiments exactly!<br />
Then I recalled a funny story about a kid pulling a prank on<br />
his grandpa. While the old man slept, his grandson wiped<br />
Limburger cheese on his mustache. When grandpa woke up,<br />
he complained that the room smelled bad. When he walked<br />
into a different room, that one smelled the same way. Finally,<br />
he went outside to get away from the odor, but it followed<br />
him. Grandpa exclaimed, "The whole world stinks!"<br />
Yesterday, even without Limburger cheese on my face, I<br />
felt like the whole world stunk.<br />
Of course, I know that this kind of thinking results from<br />
focusing on the negative and not seeing the positive. When I<br />
do that, I say things like "always, " "never," or "everybody."<br />
For instance, "EVERYBODY else has a better life than I do."<br />
Or "Things NEVER work out for me." And "Why do bad<br />
things ALWAYS happen to me" I know very well that everybody<br />
doesn't have a better life. Bad things don't always happen<br />
to only me, but yesterday, it sure did seem that way.<br />
When I have a "Limburger attitude," and feel like the whole<br />
world smells bad, I need to challenge my false self talk. To<br />
adjust my "stinkin' thinkin'," I remind myself that I cannot<br />
control my circumstances, but I can control my attitude. Reversing<br />
a Limburger attitude requires developing an attitude of<br />
gratitude. When I feel that everything is bad and the world<br />
stinks, I need to stop and make a conscious effort to focus on<br />
the positive. I think of the good things for which I can be<br />
(completed on page 18)
Page 12<br />
Members at Large: Please send your items to the Editor at bdsutton@centurytel.net or via mail at<br />
23059 Old 35, Siren, <strong>Wisconsin</strong> 54872 (715) 653-4376<br />
Charles P. Ries had his short story, “Dad Drives,” appear<br />
in the Peninsula Pulse’s Special Summer Literary Issue; and<br />
his short story, “Albino Prunes,” receive an Honorable Mention<br />
in the <strong>Wisconsin</strong> Regional <strong>Writers</strong>’ <strong>Association</strong> 2006<br />
Jade Ring Contest. Charles’ poetry reviews have been accepted<br />
in Poetic Diversity, Lummox, Poesia, and Blind Man’s<br />
Rainbow. Charles’ poetry will appear in Strong Verse, The<br />
Café Review, League of Laboring Poets, Back Street Quarterly,<br />
World Poetry Press, Presa, Voices of Israel Anthology,<br />
and Concrete Meat Press. He will be featured reader on December<br />
8, 2006, in Santa Clara, California, at the Wired<br />
Wash Poetry Reading.<br />
Lifetime member Dorothy Carey (Green Bay) recently<br />
<strong>pub</strong>lished a genealogy of the Laurie and Drumb families,<br />
early Door County settlers. Other recent credits include<br />
awards from the Cultural Arts Program of <strong>Wisconsin</strong> Regional<br />
Activity Personnel (WRAP) for a short story, “The<br />
Teacup,” and an article entitled “All the Best Men Are Married.”<br />
Dorothy’s writing swept the organization’s competition<br />
for the second year in a row, earning the Best of Show award.<br />
Two of her short stories, “The Water Boy,” and “Michael,”<br />
appeared in the Door County Peninsula Pulse. 54301.<br />
Marsha Jordan’s essay, “Hunky Magoo,” won honorable<br />
mention in the most recent "America's Funniest Humor" contest<br />
(http://www.humorpress.com/Results/Essays-200608-09/<br />
c-HonMens/JordanMarsha-Essay-200608-09-<br />
HunkyMagoo.htm). Her essay, “Storm Debris,” is among<br />
several of her essays that have recently been <strong>pub</strong>lished on the<br />
Sermon Illustrator (http://www.sermonillustrator.org). She<br />
also was interviewed by “Once Upon a Romance” (http://<br />
www.onceuponaromance.net/MarshaJordanInterview.htm).<br />
Nancy Rafal attended the Geraldine R. Dodge Poetry Festival<br />
in New Jersey. She read several of her poems at a Grist<br />
Mill open mic event. Nancy's essay, “Kangaroo Lake As I<br />
See It,” is <strong>pub</strong>lished in The Nature of Door (CrossRoads<br />
Press, Ellison Bay, WI). The book is a collection of essays<br />
and poems focusing on protected areas of the Door Peninsula<br />
and is sponsored by the Door County Land Trust. E-mail<br />
Nancy for more information at mrsticket@dcwis.com.<br />
Birney Dibble, long-time <strong>WRWA</strong> member and two-time<br />
Jade Ring winner (Juvenile Fiction, 1980, and Adult Fiction,<br />
1985), released his latest book, THE SAME GOD this past<br />
summer. It compares the Bible with the Koran, matching<br />
verses under chapter headings such as Heaven and Hell, War<br />
and Retaliation, Predestination, Attitude Towards Females,<br />
the Resurrection, Divorce, the Creation Stories, and many<br />
other ideas, concepts, and beliefs. It also compares the stories<br />
of Moses, Abraham, Jesus, and half a dozen other characters<br />
who appear in both books. Unlike most of the articles and<br />
books comparing the two books, this one does not take sides<br />
or point a finger at either religion. It merely juxtaposes<br />
verses, allowing the reader to make up his own mind about<br />
the similarity or dissimilarity of the passages. See<br />
www.dibblebooks.com for a brief description of all seven of<br />
Birney’s books, as well as a brief autobiography.<br />
H. B. Huisinga’s story, "Spirit Cemetery," was recently<br />
<strong>pub</strong>lished in The iNK, Freeport, Illinois’ community newspaper.<br />
See HB’s Web site (http://www.hbhuisinga.com/) for all<br />
the latest news about HB’s book, Deracination, and other<br />
<strong>pub</strong>lication successes.<br />
Ruth Wucherer, Milwaukee, sold an article, “New Hi-<br />
Pines Eagle River Campground in Eagle River, <strong>Wisconsin</strong>,<br />
Becomes Fully Operational in the 2006 Season.” It was <strong>pub</strong>lished<br />
in the September 2006 issue of Camping Today magazine<br />
(page 32). Ruth teaches a non-fiction article-writing<br />
class in the Milwaukee Public Schools and hands out a few<br />
extra copies of The <strong>Wisconsin</strong> Regional Writer to her students.<br />
They have expressed interest in writing, but none have<br />
taken advantage of our new student rate to become members<br />
yet. Keep trying, Ruth. #<br />
Notes from the Group Coordinator: Earle Garber, groups@wrwa.net 715-421-0244<br />
483 Airport Ave., <strong>Wisconsin</strong> Rapids, WI 54494<br />
This past summer has been one great one for new groups. It is after all about helping people who would write find a home.<br />
The St. Croix Valley PEN and ThINK group is well on its way. Contact is Bev Larsen 715-378-2723 in Hudson.<br />
Aspiring Authors of the Stevens Point Area (AASPA) announced a first meeting at the George White Portage County Library<br />
October 30, 6:30 p.m. <strong>Writers</strong>; all ages are welcome. Contact Alicia Razni 344-9451.<br />
<strong>Writers</strong> in the Burlington area have a leader who is canvassing local membership and preparing a flyer for non-members to<br />
form a group. Contact Elizabeth Bruno 767-1357 ext 11.<br />
Inquiries have been received from members in Green Bay and DePere. We’re looking for help in Packerland! #<br />
<strong>Wisconsin</strong> Fellowship of Christian Authors (WFCA) Announce "CELEBRATING THE WORD" -- <strong>Writers</strong>' Conference<br />
April 21, 2007, at Appleton Alliance Church, 2693 W. Grand Chute Blvd, Appleton, WI 54913<br />
www.wisconsinchristianauthors.com
Page 13<br />
Welcome 23 New Members<br />
Michael Farmer<br />
James Kaiser<br />
Barbara Seguin<br />
David White<br />
Art Gallardojohnson<br />
Gene Cooper<br />
Jamie Rhodes<br />
Kathleen Phillips<br />
Jamilah Kolocotronis<br />
Lauretta Kaplan<br />
Dana Van Haden<br />
Gloria Anzilotti<br />
Edward Moersfelder<br />
Bailey’s Harbor<br />
Milwaukee<br />
Beloit<br />
Milwaukee<br />
Ellsworth<br />
Luck<br />
Lake Geneva<br />
Waukesha<br />
Milwaukee<br />
Coloma<br />
Mauston<br />
Waukesha<br />
Amery<br />
Corey Jahnke<br />
Patty Schopp<br />
Renae Boydston<br />
Greg Koepel<br />
Amy Jo Barhite<br />
Susan Litehiser<br />
John Downs<br />
Arden Thorsbakken<br />
Judith Mazzie<br />
Shirley Babcock<br />
Cameron<br />
New Berlin<br />
Whitewater<br />
Marshfield<br />
Green Bay<br />
Solon Springs<br />
Crivitz<br />
Eau Claire<br />
Brookfield<br />
Rhinelander<br />
Please send Club News to bdsutton@centurytel.net or 23059 Old 35, Siren, WI 54872. Keep to no more than 300 words.<br />
Items may be sent as e-mail text (preferred), as an e-mail attachment, or through regular mail. One picture sent with club<br />
news will be used if space permits. Some reporters have asked whether to report only on <strong>WRWA</strong> members in their clubs.<br />
Definitely not! Club News items in the newsletter are just that, news about the clubs and their members. There is no requirement<br />
that the reporter or anyone else in the club be a member. We want the clubs to report because it helps to build a sense of<br />
the larger writing community in <strong>Wisconsin</strong> and because it helps <strong>WRWA</strong> members who do not already belong to a club find<br />
one in their area. So please feel free to note the accomplishments of people who belong to your club and are not <strong>WRWA</strong><br />
members. #<br />
<strong>WRWA</strong> Board Approves Honorary Life Membership Policy<br />
<strong>WRWA</strong> Honorary Life Membership is a respectful tribute<br />
for meritorious service.<br />
1. Meritorious service is demonstrated by: (1) making extraordinary<br />
and/or distinguished contributions as an active<br />
member of <strong>WRWA</strong>. This might be accomplished by working<br />
within the structure of <strong>WRWA</strong> as Board Member, Officer,<br />
Committee Member, Conference Chair, or as a member fulfilling<br />
tasks, projects, or activities authorized, encouraged,<br />
and assigned by the Board; (2) possessing extraordinary and/<br />
or distinguished credits, awards, or other evidence<br />
that identifies the candidate as a recognized, wellknown, and<br />
<strong>pub</strong>lished writer, poet, or author.<br />
2. The Board shall appoint an Honorary Life Membership<br />
Committee consisting of at least three members.<br />
3. Any <strong>WRWA</strong> member may propose a candidates name to<br />
the Life Membership Committee for consideration for Life<br />
Membership status. A member proposes a candidate by submitting<br />
a written summary of the candidate’s activities,<br />
achievements, contributions, and other qualifications, using<br />
the above criteria as a guide. This written summary can be<br />
used for <strong>pub</strong>licity in the <strong>Newsletter</strong>, the Web site, etc.<br />
4. The Committee shall consider the merits of all the proposed<br />
candidates and make its recommendations to the Board.<br />
The Board shall elect Honorary Life Members by a majority<br />
vote.<br />
5. Honorary Life Members shall owe no Annual Dues from<br />
the date of their election and shall enjoy all the privileges and<br />
benefits of membership in <strong>WRWA</strong>.<br />
Notes:<br />
1. There is no reference to longevity. Longevity doesn’t equal<br />
extraordinary or distinguished service, nor does it necessarily<br />
produce noteworthy contributions and achievements. One<br />
member may make extraordinary and distinguished contributions<br />
within a very short period of time while another member<br />
may be a member for forty years and do nothing extraordinary<br />
or distinguished during that time.<br />
2. In number 2 above, there is no reference to <strong>WRWA</strong> membership.<br />
This would allow the Board to] bestow Honorary Life<br />
Membership status on a writer, poet, or author who is not a<br />
<strong>WRWA</strong> member, but who (for whatever reasons) members<br />
and/or the Board desire to honor the person with this status.<br />
3. By submitting the qualifications and achievements in writing,<br />
the <strong>Association</strong> has a written record for examination by<br />
both the Committee and the Board as well as a written record<br />
of facts that can serve as the basis for either the nominator or<br />
someone else to write a story for inclusion in the newsletter,<br />
for the President or other presenter to use during the presentation<br />
ceremony, and for any other <strong>pub</strong>licity, including the<br />
<strong>WRWA</strong> Web site. A short blurb and picture of each Life<br />
Member on the Web site would be an excellent way of honoring<br />
selectees. #
Page 14<br />
What’s Happening at Redbird<br />
Studios in Milwaukee<br />
YOUNG AUTHORS<br />
See the web site for descriptions and registration<br />
forms<br />
www.redbirdstudio.com/YoungAuthors<br />
To writers awaiting The Redbird Review<br />
- Young Author Edition:<br />
We are awaiting delivery of the books<br />
and will mail them to you as soon as possible.<br />
YOUNG AUTHORS ROUNDTABLE -<br />
Grades 7-12<br />
with Kim Suhr, Director of Young Author<br />
Programs<br />
SUNDAY AFTERNOONS (2nd Sundays)<br />
1:00-3:00pm<br />
$65 includes all 4 meetings in session<br />
Jan-Apr Session: Jan 14, Feb 11, Mar 11,<br />
Apr 1<br />
YOUNG AUTHORS' SUMMER PRO-<br />
GRAM -- Dates for '07<br />
Mon-Fri 9am-2:30pm $325 ($100 deposit)<br />
Students entering: Grades 7-9 July 9-13<br />
Grades 4-5 July 16-20<br />
Grades 6 July 23-27<br />
Grades 9-12 July 30-Aug 3<br />
4. ADULT PROGRAMS<br />
<strong>WRWA</strong> 2007 Calendar<br />
January 1 Al P. Nelson Feature Article Contest Opens<br />
January 12 Site Committee Meeting at Holiday Inn, Manitowoc, 10 a.m.<br />
January 15 Florence Lindemann Humor Contest Opens<br />
Jan 15-Mar 15 Spring Conference featured on Home Page<br />
February 15 Spring <strong>Newsletter</strong> Sub<br />
March 15 Lindemann and Nelson Contests Close<br />
March 15 Jade Ring Contest Opens<br />
Mar 15-May 15 Spring Conference and Jade Ring Contest Featured on Home Page<br />
April 1 Deadline for entries for SOAR Scholarship from <strong>WRWA</strong><br />
April 2 Spring Conference Flyers Mailed<br />
April 21 Northwest Area <strong>Writers</strong>’ Conference, Amery, WI<br />
May 4 Board Meeting at the Holiday Inn, Manitowoc, 1 p.m.<br />
May 5 Spring Conference at the Holiday Inn, Manitowoc<br />
May 6-Jun 15 Jade Ring Contest and Fall Conference Featured on Home Page<br />
May 10 Jade Ring Contest Postcard Reminders Mailed<br />
May 15 Summer <strong>Newsletter</strong> Submission Deadline<br />
June 15 Jade Ring Contest Closes<br />
June 15-Sep30 Fall Conference Featured on Home Page<br />
July 30 Fall <strong>Newsletter</strong> Submission Deadline (note change)<br />
September 18 Deadline for Fall Conference Registration with <strong>WRWA</strong><br />
September 28 Board Meeting at Voyageur in Reedsburg, 1 p.m.<br />
Sept. 29-30 Fall Conference at Voyageur in Reedsburg<br />
November 1 Winter <strong>Newsletter</strong> Submission Deadline (note change)<br />
Dec 1—Jan 15 Round Robin Group Featured on Home Page<br />
Please submit calendar items to the <strong>Newsletter</strong> Editor for consideration. We’d like<br />
to include contests and regional conferences sponsored by <strong>WRWA</strong> affiliated<br />
clubs that are open to all members and other events of broad interest to<br />
<strong>WRWA</strong> members. #<br />
See the web site for descriptions and registration forms<br />
www.redbirdstudio.com<br />
SHUT UP AND WRITE!<br />
Our premier seminar, with Judy Bridges<br />
Eight Mondays 6:30-8:30pm $345 ($100 deposit)<br />
Jan/Feb Session Jan 8, 15, 22, 29, Feb 5, 12, 19, 26<br />
Mar/Apr Session Mar 12, 19, 26, Apr 2, 9, 16, 23, 30<br />
THE GROUND FLOOR WRITERS' ROUNDTABLE<br />
A workshop/roundtable group, with Jo McReynolds-<br />
Blochowiak.<br />
Meets on the ground floor of our building. W/C access. All<br />
levels welcome. No pre-requisite.<br />
2nd & 4th Thursdays 12:30-2:30 pm $85 (Rm 103, Marian<br />
Center)<br />
Jan-Feb: dates tba<br />
POETRY ROUNDTABLE<br />
A "home port" for poets, with John Lehman.<br />
First Thursdays 6:30-8:30pm $85<br />
Jan-Apr Session: Jan 4, Feb 1, Mar 1, Apr 5<br />
WRITING FICTION FOR TEENS AND YOUNG READ-<br />
ERS:<br />
The Secrets of Getting Published with Debbie Lynn Jacobs<br />
A workshop for adults writing for teens and younger readers<br />
Saturday, Feb 17, 9:30am-3pm $85<br />
ROUNDTABLE CRITIQUE GROUPS with Judy Bridges and<br />
Robert Vaughan<br />
Dedicated writers receive supportive feedback and build a<br />
network of writing friends.<br />
Pre-requisite: Shut Up & Write! or equivalent<br />
Returnees get first dibs in wait listed classes, then "Shut Up"<br />
grads, then new friends.<br />
Tuesday Afternoons with Judy Bridges 12-2:30 $85 (waiting<br />
list)<br />
Jan-Feb: Jan 16, 30, Feb 13, 27<br />
Wednesday Evenings (The Inkslingers) with Judy Bridges<br />
6:30-9 $85 (waiting list)<br />
Jan-Feb: Jan 10, 24, Feb 7, 21<br />
Thursday Evenings with Robert Vaughan 6:30-9 $85 (4 mtgs.
Page 15<br />
(Redbird Studios continued)<br />
One per month)<br />
Jan-Apr: Jan 18, Feb 15, Mar 22, Apr 19<br />
Friday Mornings with Robert Vaughan<br />
9:30-12 $85 (waiting list)<br />
Jan-Feb: Jan 5, 19, Feb 9, 23<br />
Judy Bridges 414-481-3195<br />
3195 S. Superior St. #429<br />
Milwaukee, WI 53207<br />
jb@redbirdstudio.com<br />
Want help starting a writing<br />
club<br />
Contact Earl Garber at:<br />
groups at wrwa dot net or at:<br />
Groups<br />
483 Airport Avenue<br />
<strong>Wisconsin</strong> Rapids, WI 54494-6515<br />
715-421-0244<br />
We have several helpful resources for<br />
starting up a club, including sample Articles<br />
of Organization, tips on managing<br />
a club, and a form to help <strong>WRWA</strong> keep<br />
track of affiliated clubs. #<br />
Call for E-mail Addresses<br />
All <strong>WRWA</strong> members who use e-mail<br />
please send your e-mail addresses to<br />
Robin Butler, Membership Secretary, at<br />
thebutlers1408@comcast.net. It will<br />
be used only to contact you on <strong>WRWA</strong><br />
business and will not be shared outside<br />
of <strong>WRWA</strong>.<br />
New and Renewal Membership Application<br />
<strong>Wisconsin</strong> Regional <strong>Writers</strong>’ <strong>Association</strong>, Inc.<br />
(This application reflects the new rate structure adopted January 2006.)<br />
Your membership includes a quarterly newsletter with information on activities of other writers,<br />
conferences, annual contests and, when space is available, selected writings by <strong>WRWA</strong> members.<br />
_______ I want to become a member. _______ I want to renew my membership.<br />
_______ I do NOT want my name shared with other writing resources<br />
(To check your renewal due date look at the top left corner of your newsletter mailing label.)<br />
I have enclosed $ ______ for ____ year(s) regular adult <strong>WRWA</strong> membership.<br />
($25 for one year)<br />
I have enclosed $ ______ for ____ year(s) student <strong>WRWA</strong> membership.<br />
($12.50 for one year—must be a full-time student.)<br />
I have enclosed $ ______ for ____ year(s) family <strong>WRWA</strong> membership.<br />
($35 for one year for a two-member family living at one address.)<br />
($40 for one year for a four-member family at one address.)<br />
I have enclosed $ ______ for ____ year(s) class <strong>WRWA</strong> membership.<br />
($25 for one year. One student per class may attend <strong>WRWA</strong> conferences.)<br />
(One copy of the <strong>WRWA</strong> <strong>Newsletter</strong> will be sent to one address.)<br />
Name: ___________________________________________<br />
Telephone________________________________________<br />
Address__________________________________________<br />
City _____________________________________________<br />
State ___________________ Zip code _________________<br />
E-mail ___________________________________________<br />
Did a <strong>WRWA</strong> member encourage you to join Yes _____ No ______<br />
If so, who was it _____________________________________<br />
Do you belong to a writers’ group Yes __________ No __________<br />
If so, what group ____________________________________<br />
If no, would you like information on clubs near you Tes ______ No ______<br />
( If you need financial assistance for membership, contact the Membership Chair. All inquiries<br />
are kept confidential.)<br />
Make checks payable to <strong>WRWA</strong>, Inc. and send to:<br />
Robin E. Butler, Membership Chair<br />
1408 Columbus St.<br />
Manitowoc, WI 54220-5602<br />
(920) 682-1795 membership@wrwa.net<br />
<strong>WRWA</strong> Annual Membership<br />
Rate Structure<br />
Regular individual membership<br />
$25.00<br />
Family, two people, one address<br />
$35.00<br />
Family, four people, one address<br />
$40.00<br />
Student, individual membership<br />
$12.50<br />
Student, classroom membership<br />
$25.00<br />
(One student may represent the<br />
class at <strong>WRWA</strong> conferences)<br />
ATTENTION "SNOW BIRDS" AND OTHER TEMPORARILY<br />
“AWAYS”<br />
We need to be sure you won't miss getting the <strong>WRWA</strong> newsletter when you<br />
head South (or in some other direction) for the winter and leave the rest of us to<br />
shovel snow. Because the newsletter is bulk-mailed, the Post Office will not<br />
forward it. Please send your temporary away address to Robin Butler, membership<br />
chair, at thebutlers1408@comcast.net and note the usual duration of your<br />
enjoyable absence from the rest of us, e.g. "Oct 1-May 1" etc. Even if you sent<br />
that information last year, please send it again. My record-keeping system has<br />
changed and a repeat of your alternate address will provide a check. Thanks for<br />
your help in keeping the <strong>WRWA</strong> membership records current and correct.<br />
Robin
Page 14<br />
New Magazine Seems Tailor-made for Many <strong>WRWA</strong> <strong>Writers</strong><br />
Thanks to <strong>WRWA</strong> member Dave Rank for this tip for a new<br />
<strong>pub</strong>lishing opportunity.<br />
DRG Publishing is launching a new magazine, Town<br />
Square, which celebrates life and nostalgia in small town<br />
America, and they're looking for writers to share stories and<br />
photos!<br />
Town Square is a magazine in which readers share the joys<br />
they find from simply living in their towns. This magazine<br />
wants to highlight vibrant, active, smaller communities where<br />
people know their neighbors, count many of them as friends,<br />
and often depend on them. The <strong>pub</strong>lishers says, Town Square<br />
will be filled with stories and photos from people who live in,<br />
or used to live in, smaller communities and absolutely loved<br />
it, showcasing people from coast to coast, sharing the joys of<br />
small-town life.<br />
To submit an article, all it takes is a letter or picture that<br />
describes what you believe to be the best parts of living in<br />
your hometown. Are you part of a quilting circle Do a bunch<br />
of you meet at a local diner and crochet Maybe a bunch of<br />
you meet at a friend’s house every week to scrapbook. Whatever<br />
it is, tell us about it and send in a picture of you doing<br />
what you do. Is there someone in your town who always<br />
brightens your day Maybe it’s the mail carrier who always<br />
hands you the post with a smile, or the counter lady at the<br />
local bakery who slips in an extra cookie for your child. Is<br />
there an annual event that brings everyone in your town together<br />
Share photos of past events and tell a little bit about<br />
your annual church rummage sale, pumpkin festival, fireman¹s<br />
picnic, carnival and fair. The more unusual the event, the bet-<br />
ter. Be sure to include the dates of your next event so readers<br />
can be invited to join in the fun. Do you have a signature dish<br />
you¹re practically required to bring to every potluck gathering<br />
Do you have a few surefire favorites that draw raves and<br />
requests—and guarantees an empty dish to bring home Share<br />
the recipe with the rest of us—along with a photo of the last<br />
gathering you brought your dish to!<br />
Don¹t be shy. Send them in! You can start by checking out<br />
www.TownSquareMag.com. You can send your submissions<br />
directly from our Web site, by e-mail to stories@townsquaremag.com,<br />
by regular mail to Town Square<br />
stories, 306 East Parr Rd., Berne, IN 46711, or by fax to 260-<br />
589-8093.<br />
[Editor’s Note: This magazine seems tailor-made for many<br />
<strong>WRWA</strong> writers, so I e-mailed Town Square for submission<br />
guidelines and heard back from Managing Editor Dianne<br />
Schmidt: “We do not have formal writer's guidelines because<br />
we are not looking for professional writers. We are looking<br />
for fun, heartwarming, unique stories of small town life and<br />
activities. We will include stories of various lengths from only<br />
2-3 paragraphs to up to about 600 words. We will consider a<br />
story whether it is submitted electronically or sent by mail<br />
(even handwritten is ok). If writers in your association are<br />
from small towns they may have some great stories to send to<br />
us. For all stories <strong>pub</strong>lished we will send the contributor 2<br />
comp copies of the magazine as well as a special gift. If a<br />
story is submitted that we feel makes a good one-page feature<br />
and includes photos we will also pay a nominal fee<br />
(approximately $50-$75) as well.”] #<br />
Quality Women’s Fiction Now Based in Waukesha<br />
Less than two years after opening her creative writing studio,<br />
All<strong>Writers</strong>’ Workplace & Workshop, Waukesha writer<br />
Kathie Giorgio now takes on independent magazine <strong>pub</strong>lishing.<br />
The British literary journal, Quality Women’s Fiction,<br />
was originally launched in December 1994. Giorgio’s short<br />
stories appeared in the magazine several times. When the<br />
chance came to own and <strong>pub</strong>lish an already established magazine,<br />
Giorgio jumped at the chance. “QWF is an excellent<br />
international literary magazine, and I plan on taking it to the<br />
next level, and the next and the next,” she says. “I am very<br />
excited to be at the helm of a magazine that supports and encourages<br />
women writers.”<br />
The magazine now finds its home in Waukesha, <strong>Wisconsin</strong>.<br />
The first American <strong>pub</strong>lished issue, which will be QWF’s 50 th<br />
issue, is planned to come out in January 2007. Submission<br />
guidelines and subscription rates are listed on the All<strong>Writers</strong>’<br />
Workplace & Workshop website, http://www.allwriters.org/<br />
qwf.asp.<br />
All <strong>Writers</strong>’ Workplace and Workshop offers on-site and<br />
online writing courses in all genres and abilities of creative<br />
writing. It also provides coaching and editing services. A<br />
schedule of classes and registration is available online at<br />
http://www.allwriters.org. For more information, call (262)<br />
446-0284.<br />
<strong>Wisconsin</strong> Wrights New Play Project<br />
UW-Madison Continuing Studies in Theatre, in partnership<br />
with the University Theatre and the Madison Repertory Theatre,<br />
is proud to announce the <strong>Wisconsin</strong> New Play Project.<br />
Created to foster the development of new works, <strong>Wisconsin</strong><br />
Wrights features an opportunity for three playwrights to receive<br />
workshops and readings of their work as part of the University<br />
Theatre Summer 2007 season. In addition, one of the<br />
three selected plays will be featured as part of the Fall 2007<br />
Madison Repertory Theatre Madison New Play Festival.<br />
Deadline for submission: January 15, 2007<br />
Complete details about eligibility, submission guidelines<br />
and requirements, and the play selection process are available<br />
at the <strong>Wisconsin</strong> Wrights website.<br />
http://www.dcs.wisc.edu/lsa/theatre/new-play-project.htm<br />
WFOP Poetry Contest<br />
Muse Prize for Excellence in Poetry<br />
Sponsored by the <strong>Wisconsin</strong> Fellowship of Poets<br />
Opens December 1 and closes February 1, 2007<br />
Rules and Entry Form posted at: wfop.org<br />
Prizes: 1st place - $200.00 and trophy,<br />
2nd - $100.00<br />
3rd - $75.00<br />
skileen@globaldialog.com
Page 17<br />
Midnight Musings by Bill Nelson A Handfull of Gems for Resourceful <strong>Writers</strong><br />
“Every paragraph, every sentence,<br />
every word must carry its weight—<br />
must do a job.”<br />
That’s a snippet from Paul Raymond<br />
Martin’s The Writer’s Little Instruction<br />
Book, one I copied in a notebook and<br />
later posted on my computer.<br />
As a lifelong writer, I’ve kept an<br />
ever-growing notebook of written and<br />
spoken wisdom on wowing—or at least<br />
intriguing—readers. It’s a connection<br />
that starts by impressing an editor and<br />
earning <strong>pub</strong>lication.<br />
The insights might come from a TV or radio interview with<br />
an author. Or a magazine or newspaper feature on or by a<br />
writer. Or an informational piece on the Internet.<br />
Sometimes, in my next stint at the keyboard and if the project<br />
warrants it, I’ll incorporate one of the concepts.<br />
So, here’s a sampling of the pearls of wisdom highlighted<br />
in my notebook over the years:<br />
Don’t be impatient. Writing takes a long time and is a LIFE-<br />
TIME COMMITMENT. If that’s your inclination, keep at<br />
it. FOUR of our deepest desires are to think well of ourselves;<br />
to have others think well of us; to have things to<br />
look forward to; and to be constantly challenged. Writing<br />
delivers all FOUR.<br />
Good writers see the world as their journalism laboratory, a<br />
storehouse of article/story ideas. They have an eye for the<br />
offbeat and they’re voracious collectors of information,<br />
which means that they take notes like crazy.<br />
They immerse themselves in the story/article. They live it,<br />
breathe it, dream it. They plan and rehearse the story passionately,<br />
writing it in their minds, considering their options,<br />
always looking for new directions and fresh information.<br />
“Seize the subject,” a Roman statesman once<br />
said, “and the words will follow.”<br />
They love to tell stories. They are constantly searching for<br />
the human element, for voices that enliven the writing.<br />
Figure out the obvious way to write an article/story. Then<br />
don’t write it that way. In other words, when others zig,<br />
that’s often a good time to zag.<br />
Art requires an instinctive knowledge of what to include and<br />
what to leave out. (Luckily, you get better as your experience<br />
grows.)<br />
Good writers understand that an important part of the writing<br />
process is the mechanical drudgery of organizing the ma-<br />
terial. They respond to this by developing careful filing<br />
systems and plotting out the basic course of their material<br />
early in the process.<br />
They regularly rewrite. They love computers because they<br />
permit maximum playfulness during revision. They can<br />
move paragraphs around, invert word order for emphasis,<br />
find stronger verbs and occasionally purge the entire story<br />
to achieve a fresh start. As you’ve heard several times in<br />
Midnight Musings, good writers tend to be Bleeders, not<br />
Speeders. Hemingway put it nicely when he said, “Easy<br />
writing makes for hard reading.”<br />
To amplify Paul Raymond Martin’s advice, cut out every<br />
unnecessary word, phrase, sentence and paragraph. Except<br />
for the first few takes of Genesis, every story ever<br />
written would be better if it was 10% shorter. Remember,<br />
too, that personal is better than impersonal; simple forms<br />
are best (limit the use of words bearing prefixes and suffixes),<br />
and short is better than long. Another tip: Listen to<br />
what your ears tell you. They’re a great ally to the eyes.<br />
(Read your work aloud.)<br />
Good writers take chances in the writing. They love the surprising<br />
and the unconventional approach. They prefer<br />
failing in print from time to time because those failures<br />
represent the price of inventiveness.<br />
Remember, too, that good writing, like music, has rhythm.<br />
Vary your sentence lengths and structures. Short, punchy<br />
anecdotes, strong quotes and, where appropriate, a touch<br />
of humor help keep the reader reading. An old-time city<br />
editor once wrote: “<strong>Writers</strong> must learn to avoid adjectives<br />
and to swear by the little verbs that bounce and leap and<br />
swim and swoop.”<br />
Yes, it’s true. The standards of skilled writers grow higher and<br />
higher so that early drafts seem painfully weak and incomplete.<br />
But that adds to their impetus in tackling subsequent<br />
drafts.<br />
Fiction has its origins in personal experience. It may be necessary,<br />
however, to modify that experience to make it usable.<br />
Also, fiction must grow toward universality—an<br />
I’ve-experienced-that-too-feeling—even though the piece<br />
is based in personal experience.<br />
All writers, even the most successful, need editors to provide<br />
objectivity and another viewpoint.<br />
Stories/articles are never really finished until they are <strong>pub</strong>lished.<br />
All good writing is in some sense experimental, which makes<br />
writers creative people and their profession constantly<br />
challenging. #<br />
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Page 18<br />
2006 Board of Directors, Committees, and Other Contacts<br />
President<br />
Donald Schambow<br />
18045 W. Crabtree Lane<br />
New Berlin, WI 53146-2702<br />
(262) 782-5737<br />
President@<strong>WRWA</strong>.net<br />
Vice-President<br />
Nate Scholze<br />
9708 Idell Ave.<br />
Sparta, WI 54656-4424<br />
(608) 269-8541<br />
Vpresident@<strong>WRWA</strong> dot net<br />
Secretary & Membership<br />
Chair<br />
Robin Butler<br />
1408 Columbus St.<br />
Manitowoc, WI 54220-5602<br />
(920) 682-1795<br />
Secretary at <strong>WRWA</strong> dot net<br />
Membership@wrwa.net<br />
Treasurer<br />
Jim Williams<br />
P.O. Box 115<br />
Nashotah, WI 53058-0115<br />
(262) 966-3491<br />
treasurer@<strong>WRWA</strong>.net<br />
Board Members<br />
Roxanne Aehl<br />
Sauk City, WI 53583<br />
(608) 643-3229<br />
bookfair@<strong>WRWA</strong>.net<br />
Claudia Anderson<br />
N630 Howard Road<br />
Whitewater, WI 53190-3020<br />
(262) 473-7764<br />
The_writing_unicorn@yahoo.com<br />
John P. Danish<br />
6400 W. Lakeland Dr., Apt. 3<br />
Milwaukee, WI 53219-4158<br />
(414) 545-5304<br />
johnpdanish@yahoo.com<br />
Earle W. Garber<br />
483 Airport Ave.<br />
<strong>Wisconsin</strong> Rapids, WI 54494<br />
(715) 421-0244<br />
Groups@<strong>WRWA</strong>.net<br />
Barb Jensen<br />
410 Winnebago Ave.<br />
Portage, WI 53901-1230<br />
(608) 742-6848<br />
Lindemann@<strong>WRWA</strong>.net<br />
Jack Magestro<br />
739 Winston Way<br />
Hartland, WI 53029-2537<br />
(262) 367-5469<br />
magestro@earthlink.net<br />
Dorothy Schwenkner<br />
543 S. Fremont Street<br />
Janesville, WI 53545-4213<br />
(608) 754-5223<br />
Bette Williams<br />
P.O. Box 115<br />
Nashotah, WI 53058-0115<br />
(262) 966-3491<br />
<strong>pub</strong>licity@<strong>WRWA</strong>.net<br />
Immediate Past President<br />
Kathleen McGwin<br />
N4549 County Road Y<br />
Montello, WI 53949-9333<br />
(608) 297-9746<br />
mcgwin@verizon.net<br />
Round Robin Chair<br />
Credessa A. Williams<br />
N4849 Robinson Road<br />
Black River Falls, WI 54615<br />
(715) 284-5948<br />
Nominating Committee<br />
Claudia Anderson<br />
Local Groups Coordinator<br />
Earle W. Garber<br />
Groups@<strong>WRWA</strong>.net<br />
Lifetime Members<br />
Jerold W. Apps<br />
Patricia Dunson Boverhuis<br />
Dorothy Carey<br />
Betty Epstein<br />
Elayne Clipper Hanson<br />
Lorraine Hawkinson<br />
Sharen Kaatz<br />
Darlene Kronschnabel<br />
Ralph “Bud” Mason<br />
Kathleen McGwin<br />
Margaret Nelsen<br />
Libbie Nolan<br />
Publicity<br />
Bette Williams<br />
Publicity at <strong>WRWA</strong> dot net<br />
Ambassador of Goodwill<br />
Ralph “Bud” Mason<br />
8526 W. Keefe Avenue<br />
Milwaukee, WI 53222-2821<br />
(414) 463-3652<br />
goodwill@<strong>WRWA</strong>.net<br />
Poet Laureate Representative<br />
Charles P. Ries<br />
5821 W. Trenton Pl.<br />
Milwaukee, WI 53213<br />
(414) 607-0183<br />
CReis@literati.net<br />
Conference Registration<br />
Jane Osypowski<br />
W972 Birchwood Drive<br />
Campbellsport, WI 53010<br />
(920) 533-3044<br />
registration@wrwa.net<br />
<strong>WRWA</strong> Historian<br />
Lorraine Hawkinson<br />
3836 Rutland-Dunn Road<br />
Oregon, WI 53575-2409<br />
(608) 873-3129<br />
<strong>Newsletter</strong> Editor<br />
Boyd Sutton<br />
23059 Old 35<br />
Siren, WI 54872<br />
715-653-4376<br />
<strong>Newsletter</strong>@<strong>WRWA</strong>.net<br />
bdsutton@centurytel.net<br />
Web Master<br />
Ralph Sharp<br />
Webmaster@<strong>WRWA</strong>.net<br />
Online Forum Moderator<br />
L. A. Van Veghel<br />
5557 S. Disch Ave.<br />
Cudahy, WI 53110-2603<br />
(414) 769-6846<br />
VanVeghelL@msn.com<br />
Conference Sites Chair<br />
Barb Jensen<br />
Spring Program Chair<br />
Roxanne Aehl<br />
Fall Program Chair<br />
Nate Scholze<br />
Jade Ring Contest Chair<br />
Jennifer Turner<br />
5135 Bush St.<br />
Stevens Point, WI 54481-4919<br />
jadering@<strong>WRWA</strong>.net<br />
(715) 342-0795<br />
jadering@<strong>WRWA</strong>.net<br />
Al P. Nelson Contest Chair<br />
Bill Nelson<br />
2365 Mary Beth Court, Brookfield,<br />
WI 530054968<br />
nelson@<strong>WRWA</strong>.net<br />
Florence Lindemann Contest<br />
Chair<br />
Barb Jensen<br />
lindemann@<strong>WRWA</strong>.net<br />
(Limburger Attitude, continued from page 11)<br />
thankful. If nothing else, I can be thankful that I woke up this<br />
morning. (Well, maybe there are some days when that doesn't<br />
SEEM like such a positive thing.)<br />
When I count my blessings, I feel bad about the way I<br />
whine and feel sorry for myself. I have a lot more than many<br />
others do. I have much to be thankful for and nothing to complain<br />
about.<br />
Negative self talk can make me feel like the whole world<br />
stinks, but positive thinking is just as powerful. Practicing<br />
thankfulness often turns my outlook around. A Limburger<br />
attitude can become an attitude of gratitude. #
Board Decisions and Actions<br />
by Boyd Sutton, based on Board Minutes by Robin Butler, Secretary<br />
The <strong>WRWA</strong> Board of Directors has<br />
met three times since the last summary,<br />
on June 23 rd , and on September 22 nd and<br />
24 th . In addition, your Board has begun<br />
to conduct business via e-mail when<br />
necessary, so some decisions and actions<br />
are taken between formal Board meetings.<br />
Each newsletter will include a<br />
summary of key decisions and actions.<br />
For additional information, please contact<br />
the <strong>WRWA</strong> Secretary, Robin Butler.<br />
Beginning with the spring 2007 edition<br />
of The <strong>Wisconsin</strong> Regional Writer,<br />
the Board will <strong>pub</strong>lish the <strong>Association</strong>’s<br />
annual Income and Expense report so all<br />
members can have access to that information.<br />
The Spring 2007 Conference will be<br />
May 5, 2007, at the Holiday Inn in<br />
Manitowoc. The Fall Conference will be<br />
September 28-29, 2007, at the Voyaguer<br />
Inn in Reedsville. The <strong>Writers</strong>’ Roundtable<br />
will be held starting at 6:30 p.m.<br />
on Friday evenings for those who come<br />
Friday. The Board decided to begin its<br />
regular semiannual meetings at 1 p.m. so<br />
Board members have plenty of time to<br />
conduct a full business meeting and so<br />
that members who wish to do so can<br />
attend the <strong>Writers</strong>’ Roundtable on Friday<br />
evening.<br />
A formal policy for Honorary Lifetime<br />
Membership was approved and is<br />
presented on page 13 of this newsletter.<br />
Jim Williams and Jack Magestro will<br />
act as an Ad Hoc committee to investigate<br />
ways in which <strong>WRWA</strong> members<br />
can financially support the mission of<br />
<strong>WRWA</strong> through such avenues as wills,<br />
memorials, endowments, etc., and will<br />
report to the Board at a future meeting.<br />
If any members have experience or specific<br />
thoughts along these lines, please<br />
contact Jim or Jack.<br />
Effective immediately, the Board will<br />
meet formally in person only in conjunction<br />
with the Spring and Fall Conferences,<br />
unless there is a special reason to<br />
have an additional in-person meeting.<br />
As much business as possible will be<br />
conducted via e-mail in order to speed<br />
up decisions and actions. The Secretary<br />
will retain a written record of such business<br />
and will report it in conjunction<br />
with the minutes of the semiannual inperson<br />
meetings. Members should raise<br />
issues requiring Board attention to any<br />
Board member.<br />
Starting with the 2007 Spring Conference<br />
and continuing thereafter, the cutoff<br />
for conference registration will be<br />
five days before the hotel requires a final<br />
meal count. That will make the cutoff<br />
dates a little earlier than they have<br />
been. The Registration Chair, Jane Osypowski,<br />
suggested that the Board look<br />
into the possibility of accepting credit<br />
Page 19<br />
cards for conference registration and<br />
meal fees.<br />
The Family Membership fee was increased<br />
from $30 to $35. All other membership<br />
fees remain the same, subject to<br />
review next September.<br />
A committee was established to implement<br />
the proposal, approved at the<br />
General Meeting on Saturday, September<br />
23 rd , to establish a First Chapters<br />
contest. As he made the proposal, Boyd<br />
Sutton will chair the committee. Additional<br />
members are Claudia Anderson,<br />
Jeffifer Turner, and David Rank. Anyone<br />
who wishes to express an idea or<br />
viewpoint on a First Chapters contest<br />
should contact one of the committee<br />
members. The committee’s implementation<br />
plan will be delivered to the Board<br />
for action in early 2007.<br />
Roxanne Aehl, Robin Butler, Barb<br />
Jensen, and Jim Williams were welcomed<br />
as new Board members. Their<br />
terms expire in September 2010, The<br />
Board elected officers to the following<br />
positions, their terms as Board officers<br />
(not Board members) to expire in 2008:<br />
Don Schambow, Predident; Nate<br />
Scholze, Vice President; Robin Butler,<br />
Secretary; Jim Williams, Treasurer.<br />
The next regular Board meeting will<br />
be held at 1 p.m. on Friday, May 4 th ,<br />
2007, at the Holiday Inn in Manitowoc.<br />
#<br />
Just the FAQs by J.R. Turner<br />
Q. Do I need an outline for my novel, or is it okay to just write the book<br />
A. Writing anything is so subjective, it would be unfair of me to dictate which style is best for any author. The rule of thumb is to<br />
write the way that most inspires and excites you. However, there are pros and cons to writing with or without an outline. Writing<br />
free form can lead to confusion, difficulty in creating a concise plot, and character mistakes—such as blue eyes in chapter one and<br />
grey eyes in chapter seven. On the other hand there are those who, once they’ve completed an outline, feel the story is already<br />
written and they lose the excitement of seeing the book unfold before them.<br />
I recommend playing with different approaches until you find one that suits you. I found an outline with Roman numerals and<br />
chapter headings too constrictive for my tastes. Eventually I developed a way to free-write, while still having a simply structured<br />
synopsis to follow. Study different styles of outlining, how to draft a synopsis, and visit author Web sites or read biographies,<br />
preferably in styles that resonate with you. Other options may be using a “book bible,” which is a compilation of scene summaries<br />
written once the scene is completed or keeping charts that maintain important details about your characters. Many character chart<br />
templates can be found online and in writing how-to books. Try combining different aspects until you discover what works best<br />
for you.<br />
Have a question for award winning author J.R. Turner Send an email, subject heading to Just the FAQs, to jturner4@charter.net<br />
or snail mail J.R. Turner at 3135 Bush st. Stevens Point, WI 54481 We’d love to hear from you!
Page 20<br />
It seems fitting to me that we begin this special edition of<br />
Members’ Writing with a tie-in to our past. As many of you<br />
know, the <strong>WRWA</strong> used to produce a magazine to <strong>pub</strong>lish<br />
works by members. The first one was named Pen and Plow.<br />
That was followed by Rural <strong>Wisconsin</strong> in Prose and Verse,<br />
and finally by Creative <strong>Wisconsin</strong>.<br />
The first Editor of Creative <strong>Wisconsin</strong> was Al Nelson and<br />
the first edition went out to 2,300 people. Unfortunately, it<br />
folded after the summer 1961 edition, as it had simply become<br />
too expensive to produce. Hopefully, by combining creative<br />
writing with the newsletter, we’ll be able to sustain the effort<br />
this time.<br />
Here is the cover from the Autumn 1956 edition, followed<br />
by a poem—Gone—that appeared in that edition.<br />
Gone<br />
by Marta Hartung Crane<br />
Orion lies high in the early morn,<br />
Sharp geometrical night shadows fade.<br />
Out of the freezing north, come grey-black geese winging<br />
southward — seeking<br />
Rest spots and earth-giving food for the migrants.<br />
Behind bulrushes that streak perpendicularly along the brack<br />
ish marsh<br />
Lurk well-fed, strong unkind humans<br />
Bearing steel, death-poised, waiting to strike<br />
Overhead, the metered flight of grey-black wings.<br />
Leaders ahead signal the flight to stop.<br />
Ranks break. Their calls spiral earthward.<br />
Blasts shake the air<br />
Tumbling, zigzagging, now in faulty lines<br />
Wings list downward — necks no longer stretch.<br />
Frightening screams of fellow geese rise upward.<br />
Gurgling water — gasps.<br />
The flight has ended.<br />
Ruthlessness has again destroyed the destiny of<br />
The wing-ed ones.<br />
#<br />
Building Castles With Heirs<br />
by Don Schambow<br />
Sunlight warms the November air.<br />
I survey a recently raked lawn.<br />
Gentile breezes rustle fallen leaves.<br />
An unwelcome chore awaits me.<br />
With trusty rake in hand<br />
I attack the wretched task,<br />
Removing leaves from a twice-raked lawn.<br />
It had been a beautiful day!<br />
At my side are my two faithful companions,<br />
Pre-school grandsons.<br />
The younger squeals with glee<br />
As, with each swing of his toy plastic broom,<br />
He scatters the leaves I’ve gathered.<br />
Despite his efforts the piles grow, leaf upon leaf.<br />
“Look, Grandpa, we’re building castles.”<br />
It is a beautiful day!<br />
#<br />
Submission Guidelines<br />
<strong>WRWA</strong> members whose dues are up to date may submit articles, essays, historical/remembrances, short stories, or poems for consideration to<br />
The Editor at 23059 Old 35, Siren, WI 54872 or via e-mail to newsletter@wrwa.net. I strongly prefer e-mail submissions, but will accept typescript<br />
submissions. If sending via e-mail, please include the manuscript in the body text and not as an attachment. If typescript, please submit on<br />
clean white paper, single-spaced, using 12 point Times New Roman or Courier New font. The maximum length is 800 words, though shorter is<br />
preferable and will have a higher chance of being printed. I will, on occasion, take longer items, but only rarely. Short stories, historical/<br />
remembrances, and poetry may be submitted without prior coordination. If you wish to submit an article or essay, however, it is best to discuss<br />
that with me in advance via e-mail, letter, or phone. I will only accept articles and essays about writing. I will try to acknowledge receipt of all<br />
submissions. That’s easy via e-mail. However, if you send something via regular mail, please include your phone number, as I will not respond<br />
by mail. No manuscripts will be returned. The editor retains the right to edit any submission for clarity, punctuation, spelling, and grammar, but<br />
will not edit for style, length, or content. Submission constitutes the author’s permission for one-time <strong>pub</strong>lication rights in The <strong>Wisconsin</strong> Regional<br />
Writer. The author retains the copyright and all future rights. #
Her owl-like eyes pierced the darkness, hoping, praying for<br />
movement of any kind. Anything to reassure her that it was<br />
indeed another day. Another dance. The bars before her were<br />
invisible, yet she knew their distance. One push too far and<br />
the cold, hard steel would leave an indentation in her delicate<br />
features.<br />
So she waited. She was wide awake; she had been for almost<br />
an hour. Time had no meaning to one waiting in the<br />
shadows, for soon there would be release from the oppressive<br />
darkness. She softly begged to be set free. But no one answered.<br />
No one cared.<br />
A noise from afar startled her – could it be Could it finally<br />
be time The hallway clock chimed in the shrouded<br />
distance. She counted the bells. One, two, three, four – oh,<br />
please! It’s time! For the love of life let me out! But life<br />
droned on mechanically, second to second, moment to moment,<br />
unbearable in its agonizing monotony. She stood up,<br />
she sat down. Comfort had no meaning in her restricted existence;<br />
all she sensed was that it was time.<br />
Footsteps approached, across the upper floor, down the<br />
stairs. She stood, she danced, she sang. Hurry! Set me free!<br />
The blackness was pierced by the bright light of a thousand<br />
suns, and she trembled with excitement. She rocked the walls<br />
of her confinement back and forth, pushing on the walls, her<br />
body fully thrust against the bars. She had behaved long<br />
enough. Been subservient long enough. The need for freedom<br />
pulsed through her veins, overwhelming her senses, taking<br />
any sane thought and drowning it in the cauldron of insanity.<br />
Set me free!<br />
Her metal cage creaked as the door swung open. Madness<br />
rose to the forefront as she tore out of her unholy confinement.<br />
She had to get away. Far away. Dizzy with excitement, she<br />
searched for a way out. Another door opened, and, finally<br />
free, she made a mad dash out into the glowing light of dawn.<br />
The smell of grass and flowers became overwhelming as she<br />
ran into the arms of Mother Nature and all her blessings. The<br />
chill of the morning made the hair on the back of her neck<br />
stand up, invigorating her, breathing life into her once stale<br />
body. Running through the field and down the lane, she became<br />
one with the rising sun.<br />
Somewhere from behind she heard her name being called.<br />
Sweet and melodious, she heard the nymph singing her name<br />
over and over. Calling her, pleading with her to return into<br />
the folds of warmth and protection. At first she ignored the<br />
siren’s song -- after all, she was free! She was one with the<br />
earth and the sun and the wind. Her primal nature overtook<br />
The Taste of Freedom by Claudia Anderson<br />
Page 21<br />
her senses – surely she couldn’t be any closer to heaven than<br />
out here under the pink ribbons of dawn.<br />
Yet the musical voice called her name, teasing her, taunting<br />
her with the promise of a future filled with pleasure. Should<br />
she listen Should she surrender all that she was, just for a<br />
moment’s gratification<br />
The voice became louder, more insistent. She tried to bury<br />
her face in the dew covered grass, but the message was relentless.<br />
Was there a subtle change in the tone of the voice Did<br />
she detect a tinge of sourness in the sweet melody of love<br />
For one fleeting moment she wanted to take off – to run with<br />
wild abandon helter skelter until she couldn’t run anymore.<br />
But the voice reminded her of a more pressing need. Her<br />
body had shrunk under the stress of a night in the dark, and a<br />
deep, demanding hunger filled her senses. The voice promised<br />
satisfaction beyond her wildest dreams. Her willpower,<br />
her wanderlust, were emotions of the past. The only thing that<br />
kept her alive now was the burning urge that ran through her<br />
loins.<br />
Invisible fingers slowly pulled her back to the arched entrance<br />
of her captivity. She turned one last time, her brown<br />
eyes looking at the open field, sighing softly at the freedom<br />
that could never be. Turning, she disappeared beneath the<br />
arches that bridged reality and fantasy.<br />
The voice was high pitched and excited now, and the reward<br />
for her obedience appeared before her. Yes! Sustenance!<br />
Sprawling, half crawling, she devoured her food, eating<br />
with wild abandon, not caring who watched or how she<br />
looked. She surrendered to the physical, to her hunger, filling<br />
herself with all that she could bear. Then…cold water. All<br />
she could drink. She drowned herself in the sparkling liquid,<br />
quenching her desires, her needs, mouthful after mouthful.<br />
Filling herself, she found she could not stand still. Not<br />
after the spiritual high she just experienced. She needed to<br />
dance! To run! Freedom! Madness! Forever!<br />
The sun beamed in the front window, the morning light<br />
falling warm and bright across a huge, round floor pillow.<br />
Freedom could wait; something more important waited for<br />
her. Something just on the other side of freedom, on the other<br />
side of the room. It was her destiny to find the final piece of<br />
the puzzle, the final reward at the end of the rainbow. How<br />
could it be so simple How could the answers be in front of<br />
her all this time<br />
There was nothing better than curling up on the pillow and<br />
chewing her bone in the sunlight, a doggie treat or two thrown<br />
in for good measure.<br />
No, there was nothing better. #<br />
Rose<br />
by Patty Miler<br />
red, yellow, pink<br />
soft, tender<br />
fragrant petals<br />
strewn down isles<br />
a sign of love<br />
Morning Coffee<br />
by Patty Miler<br />
gazing out window<br />
stirring hot, black, eye opener<br />
watching the day<br />
come to life
Page 22<br />
Abloom<br />
by Art Schmitz<br />
She woke and lifted up her head<br />
And cocked one eye which plainly said<br />
Is someone here to look at me<br />
Or must I cry in misery<br />
Her glance went round and saw me there<br />
She took the time for a longer stare<br />
Then opened her lips in pleasure wide<br />
And smiled as I stood by her side<br />
Her warm and fuzzy form I took<br />
To the shoulder and my elbows crook<br />
Then jauntily we turned around<br />
To mother with a happy bound<br />
Mother laid her down with care<br />
And peeled off this and that from there<br />
Revealing a red spotted shape<br />
Recipe for Editing a Poem<br />
by Peg Sherry<br />
Poise your sharpest knife, slice the meat, trim the fat,<br />
parcel out the customary bits, tossing scraps and bones.<br />
Chop celery; chop strong onions; weeping tears, add feeling.<br />
Boil the richest stock, then simmer slowly, slowly.<br />
Sniff. Inhale the rising steam, envision blackened stoves<br />
hot with crackling wood, iron pots that bubble broth.<br />
Listen to the essence sigh. Hum, hum low and long<br />
till deep within the soup its spirit sings your song.<br />
A Cute Little Stinker<br />
By Don Schambow<br />
Our olfactory senses sound alarm whenever he is near.<br />
He exudes an offal odor,<br />
qualifying him for the endangered species list.<br />
His capacity to offend knows no end.<br />
Does he associate with unsavory characters<br />
Possessing very good traits,<br />
among his own he’s regarded with pride.<br />
His mate finds him attractive.<br />
His offsprings idolize him<br />
and emulate all his moves.<br />
He embraces black and white.<br />
Is his vilification unmerited,<br />
existing only in the eye of the beholder<br />
We tend to avoid, reject, exterminate him,<br />
change our life styles, alter our activities, and<br />
beat a hasty retreat; if it’s likely we might meet.<br />
How do we communicate with those<br />
who don’t speak our language<br />
Do we try to live in peaceful coexistence,<br />
to see the world through his eyes,<br />
to share his point of view,<br />
to avoid the territory he often roams<br />
He merely attempts to survive and<br />
live life as normal as possible.<br />
We invade his territory,<br />
threatening his home and life style.<br />
He retaliates in the only way he knows.<br />
And, if he didn’t create such an awful smell,<br />
We’d call him a cute little stinker.<br />
Emergency Room by Marsha Jordan<br />
I was driving home from church one snowy Sunday when<br />
my van skidded on a patch of ice and overturned. As the ambulance<br />
transported me to the hospital, police phoned the husband<br />
to notify him.<br />
I lay in the emergency room eagerly waiting for him to<br />
come. "What could be keeping him" I asked the nurse.<br />
"Well, the police said they can't reach him," she explained.<br />
"But I know he's home," I told her. "He wasn't planning to<br />
leave the house today. He's working on his boat."<br />
"I need to check on your x-rays," she said, walking to the<br />
door. "I'll see if there is any news on your husband too."<br />
When she came back, she told me, "The police are still trying<br />
to reach him. They've called several times but they got no<br />
answer. They even went to your house, but nobody came to<br />
the door when they knocked. They did talk to your neighbor,<br />
though. He said he'd go into your house, find your husband,<br />
and let him know you're here."<br />
I fumed for hours until that evening when the husband finally<br />
arrived. I was more than a little perturbed.<br />
"Where in the world have you been" I demanded.<br />
"I was in the basement all day," was his innocent reply.<br />
"Weren't you curious about why I didn't come home from<br />
church this morning" I asked through clenched teeth.<br />
"I was busy and didn't notice the time," he said. "I thought<br />
you were just on an all-day shopping marathon."<br />
My temper was ready to blow like a bald tire on a Volkswagon<br />
bus. "Why didn't you answer the door or the phone" I<br />
snapped.<br />
"I didn't hear them," he said defensively. "The neighbor<br />
didn't come over and give me the message till five o'clock."<br />
"Five o'clock" I shrieked. "It's seven thirty now! What<br />
took you so long to get here"<br />
He winced as if he knew his answer wouldn't please me.<br />
Then he stammered, "Well…I had to…stop…at the junk yard<br />
to see the damage to the car."<br />
Lucky for him I was restrained by a back brace. If I hadn't<br />
been strapped to the table, he might have needed emergency<br />
surgery—to remove my purse from his forehead. #
Page 23<br />
From Time to Time—Members’ Letters Robin E. Butler, Membership Chair<br />
Elayne Clipper Hanson of Portage writes: “I have been a<br />
member since 1967. I served on the Board from 1969 to 1999.<br />
I was president seven or eight years and during our 50 th anniversary<br />
celebration. It was during my tenure that we [had to<br />
reorganize the <strong>WRWA</strong>], renewing incorporation with the<br />
state, getting past records up to date, etc., an extremely trying<br />
and busy time. I spent almost full time on the organization<br />
[bringing] it from an almost deficit [condition] to one where<br />
we had C Ds in savings.... Don Schambow used to be my pastor<br />
in Portage years ago.” When Don (a former Lutheran pastor)<br />
became president, Bill Heins (a former United Church of<br />
Christ pastor) was still treasurer and I (a former Presbyterian<br />
pastor) was just secretary, all we needed was an ex-clergyman<br />
vice president to fill out a “divine” executive committee. Contrary<br />
to what you might believe, we have been unable (so far)<br />
to perform miracles.<br />
Irene Luethge of Sheboygan writes: “I was awarded a membership<br />
in May 1988 as a winner in the Yarns of Yesteryear<br />
contest. I have enjoyed and found useful most of the articles in<br />
the <strong>WRWA</strong> newsletter ever since. That [contest] put me in<br />
touch with the Sheboygan <strong>Writers</strong>’ Club. I joined and found it<br />
highly enjoyable and helpful over the years since. Their critiques<br />
of my two manuscripts resulted in the <strong>pub</strong>lication of<br />
two books. I reread my collection of <strong>WRWA</strong> newsletters from<br />
time to time and continue to find helpful contents.” Again, a<br />
long-time member from a one-year prize membership. Seems<br />
like an issue for the Board to consider reinstituting.<br />
Kimberly Link of Cambria writes: “I enjoy writing and<br />
want to do more of it. Barb Jensen encouraged me to join a<br />
few years ago while teaching a creative writing class in Portage<br />
at MATC.” That reminds me to remind other members to<br />
get out and recruit more new members.<br />
I DO ENJOY the notes from renewing members, and the<br />
help I get from members I contact now and then to clarify, or<br />
verify, records. I've been checking the winter addresses of<br />
"snow birds" recently and got this note from Peter Sherrill,<br />
who is not a "snow bird" but has a technique for enduring<br />
<strong>Wisconsin</strong> winters. He says: "I just burrow my head a little<br />
deeper under the covers." (I've tried that, but then my wife<br />
complains that I'm pulling all the covers.)<br />
SPEAKING OF "snow birds," if you haven't sent me your<br />
alternate address, or if you've changed it, be sure to let me<br />
know. Our newsletter is bulk-mailed which means the Post<br />
Office will not forward it. If I have your alternate address, and<br />
know the period of time you will be in the Sunny South, I will<br />
adjust the newsletter mailing list accordingly and you will<br />
receive The <strong>Wisconsin</strong> Regional Writer wherever you are!<br />
I GET SOME COMPLAINTS, too, now and then, and constructive<br />
criticism, and problem-solving suggestions. I don't<br />
have the authority to deal with most of these items, but they<br />
are not lost. Board and non-board <strong>WRWA</strong> members are constantly<br />
working "behind the scenes" to solve problems and<br />
innovate solutions and changes. I won't embarrass anyone by<br />
mentioning names but here are a few member concerns and<br />
comments I have rephrased:<br />
1. <strong>WRWA</strong> seems to concentrate on short stories and poetry.<br />
2. How about an "Advisory Board" of experts to answer questions<br />
about copyright, tax deductions, recommended agents<br />
and editors, <strong>pub</strong>lishing and self-<strong>pub</strong>lishing<br />
3. Most conferences are too far away.<br />
4. No listing of members who could be contacted for advice<br />
on writing matters. (This member would be willing to pay for<br />
it.)<br />
5. Maybe a presentation on <strong>pub</strong>lic speaking do's and don'ts, if<br />
taken to heart by some speakers, would make a more satisfied<br />
audience.<br />
6. Do we have members who would be willing to just read<br />
(and comment on)<br />
someone else's manuscript, for a fee<br />
I do pass on such matters to the Board of Directors where<br />
each member's input is definitely taken seriously. There is one<br />
thing we never get enough of, though—suggestions as to<br />
HOW these ideas might be implemented. Yours are always<br />
welcome.<br />
Rosemary Varney writes that she "really like[s] the newsletter<br />
layout and content." Take a bow, Boyd.<br />
SOMEONE SENT me a newspaper clipping of the obituary<br />
of Florence R. Poehlman. It was just a small piece of paper<br />
fluttering unnoticed to the floor at my desk. When I eventually<br />
noticed it, I could no longer identify whose envelope it fell<br />
from. I'm sure there's a story here, so whoever sent it please<br />
contact me.<br />
Dolores George writes that she has been a member of<br />
<strong>WRWA</strong> since 1948, the year <strong>WRWA</strong> came into existence.<br />
Maybe she can be persuaded to share memories of some of the<br />
early days of <strong>WRWA</strong> with the rest of us<br />
David White says he heard "a couple of guys on the radio"<br />
coming back from a trip to LaCrosse Saturday, Oct. 12 and<br />
that apparently inspired him to join <strong>WRWA</strong>. Welcome David!<br />
The "guys on the radio" were our President, Don Schambow,<br />
and Vice President, Nate Scholze, who were being interviewed<br />
about <strong>WRWA</strong> on the <strong>Wisconsin</strong> Public Radio network.<br />
RECENT NEW MEMBER Liz Fentress of Louisville,<br />
Kentucky, is responsible for making <strong>WRWA</strong> international.<br />
She persuaded Sue Chenette of Toronto Ontario, Canada, to<br />
join also. Welcome to you both!<br />
SHERRIE HELLRUNG, a former <strong>Wisconsin</strong>ite now living<br />
in Florida recently contacted me in search of information<br />
about her aunt. Mrs. Ben Crane, who <strong>pub</strong>lished some poems<br />
many years ago in Creative <strong>Wisconsin</strong>, a magazine then <strong>pub</strong>lished<br />
by <strong>WRWA</strong> when it was "Rural <strong>Writers</strong>" instead of<br />
"Regional <strong>Writers</strong>." With the help of two Honorary Lifetime<br />
Members, Lorraine Hawkinson, our wonderfully knowledgeable<br />
historian, and Libbie Nolan, who was a staff member of<br />
(Continued on page 24)
Page 24<br />
(Continued from page 23)<br />
Creative <strong>Wisconsin</strong> when the poems were <strong>pub</strong>lished, the information<br />
requested was found and relayed to Mrs. Hellrung.<br />
Libbie wrote: "Believe it or not, I am a charter (1948) member<br />
of <strong>WRWA</strong> and, as a board member, made the motion to<br />
change our name from "Rural" to "Regional." Bob Gard and<br />
Al Nelson were old friends!"<br />
ANOTHER HONORARY LIFETIME MEMBER, Sharen<br />
Neumann Kaatz, writes: "Starting in 1987 I served <strong>WRWA</strong> as<br />
Club Liaison [now served by Earle Garber] for many years. I<br />
was the contact for new members and clubs. I served <strong>WRWA</strong><br />
for eight years on the board of directors and planned and directed<br />
two <strong>WRWA</strong> conferences—back when the local club<br />
was responsible for the entire conference—speakers, food,<br />
hall, help, and all. I formed a writer's club in Eau Claire which<br />
produced two other <strong>WRWA</strong> board members. After my eighth<br />
year Bill Bottoms was elected, followed by Rev. Bill Heins. I<br />
think you will find me in the <strong>WRWA</strong> history booklet."<br />
YOU SEE, FOLKS, "talking" to <strong>WRWA</strong> members like this<br />
is just one of the intangible rewards of being your membership<br />
chair. #<br />
The <strong>WRWA</strong> Book List<br />
Pathways Through Life - <strong>Writers</strong> & Artists from the Lowell Center, 2005, $15, lschill@lowellcenter.org or mail to<br />
Lowell Center 220 Third Avenue South, Wisc.Rapids 54495; 34 short life stories, 15 paintings; their lives and skills.<br />
Deb Baker, Murder Passes the Buck, $12.95, Midnight Ink, www.debbakerbooks.com<br />
Hilarious romp in the Michigan back woods. First of the Yooper mystery series, featuring 66-year-old Gertie Johnson.<br />
Deb Baker, Dolled Up for Murder, $6.95, Berkley Prime Crime, www.debbakerbooks.com<br />
Death on Phoenix’s Camelback Mountain and an expensive French fashion doll add up to murder.<br />
Ludmilla Bollow, DR. ZASTRO’S SANITARIUM—for the Ailments of Women, $16, Behler Publishing, bollow@earthlink.net<br />
A novel—reviewed in Pub Weekly and Midwest Books.<br />
Ludmilla Bollow, IN THE RESTROOM AT ROSENBLOOMS, $8, bollow@earthlink.net<br />
A play, an hilarious comedy, numerous productions and reviews.<br />
Mary T. Carlson, Journey from Cornwall, 2000, 272 pages, $5.00 from englishmary@charter.net or Box 214, Abbotsford, WI 54405<br />
A novel about two families, Cornish immigrants to <strong>Wisconsin</strong> and an English family in World War II.<br />
John Manesis, With All My Breath: Selected Poems, 2003, 109 pages, $13.00, or CD at $10, Jmanesis@earthlink.net<br />
Portraits and insightful treasures invite the reader on an alluring nostalgic trek with humor and poignancy.<br />
John J. Mutter, Jr., To Slay a Giant, 2000, 6 x 9 in., 176 pages, paperback, $20.20, www.burstonellc.com.<br />
The Fight to Protect the Wolf River From the Proposed Crandon Copper Mine. A lengthy battle, that we won!<br />
Burnette V. Mutter, The Hobo Poet, 2001, 6 x 9 in., 96 pages, paperback, $15.70, www.burstonellc.com.<br />
Poetry about the seasons, life, childhood fantasy, holidays, nostalgia. There's something for everyone.<br />
John Mutter, Jr., Out in the Country, 2005, 8 ½ x 11 in., 96 pages, paperback, $16.15, www.burstonellc.com.<br />
33 stories about nature and rural living, including 3 award winners. Animals, trees, and life experiences.<br />
Dan Ritter, a.k.a., God, 2005, 157 pages, $17.84, www.xlibris.com/ritter<br />
The Old Testament is great literature; as religious premise it is counterproductive.<br />
James P. Roberts, Darkling I Listen, and for Many a Time...and Other Imaginations, 2005, $15 paperback, $30 hard cover.<br />
23 science fiction/fantasy/horror tales. Orders to James P. Roberts, 324 Kedzie St., Madison, WI 53704, or jrob52162@aol.com.<br />
Shirley J. Starck, Gabrielle’s Gamble, 2005, 95 pages, $12.00, shirlee@cvol.net - 12-year-old Gabrielle leaves parents and Germany behind in<br />
1860, seeks better life in <strong>Wisconsin</strong>, encounters challenges, finds adventure.<br />
Jean Willett, DEAR MOM, or Why Raising Four Boys Was Neither Boring nor Monotonous, 2005, 472 pages, $21.88, dannjean@sbcglobal.net.<br />
Humorous with universal appeal to all generations<br />
Billie Williams, Watch for the Raven, 2005, 151 pages, $12.95, www.billiewilliams.com<br />
1853 Colorado, Indian friend/enemy hauls 15-year-old hurt boy to Indian cap. Survival adventure begins.<br />
Billie Williams, Skull Music, 2005, 289 pages, $14.95 print, www.billiewilliams.com<br />
Love/obsession, Scientific experiment/medical breakthrough, insurance fraud/espionage; a bizarre mystery.<br />
Billie Williams, Purple Haze, 2005, 214 pages, $ 5.99 electronic only, www.billiewilliams.com<br />
Can twisted serial killer murders be solved before another dies Only clues: feather, froth, and haze, all purple.<br />
A one-time listing costs $5, but $10 will get up to three books listed in every edition for a full year. Send your listings to the Editor via e-mail or letter. Make<br />
checks out to <strong>WRWA</strong>, Inc. Cost must include shipping. Contact may be a web site, your e-mail or regular mail address, or your phone number. Each line may<br />
be no more than 115 characters, including spaces and punctuation. #
How To Send Blind Copy E-mail Messages<br />
by Cary Fellman<br />
Like me, occasionally you receive a Cc: (carbon copy) e-<br />
mail with a whole bunch of e-mail addresses in the “To” box.<br />
This means your e-mail address is included within the group<br />
and has been made visible to everyone on the list.<br />
This is both bad and good. Why bad Because my e-mail<br />
address is available to all those people without my permission.<br />
Why good I now have the e-mail address of everyone else on<br />
the list. That could be useful to me when my books are <strong>pub</strong>lished<br />
and I”m doing an e-mail advertisement. Would it be<br />
ethical for me to use that information I”m not sure! But I’m<br />
collecting addresses like mad.<br />
When I send the same e-mail to a bunch of people, I send<br />
blind carbon copies (Bcc), thereby protecting other people’s e-<br />
mail addresses.<br />
Here is the step-by-step process I use so you can do it, too,<br />
whenever you wish. I use Microsoft Outlook Express provided<br />
by Compaq. Your system may be different, but will be<br />
similar.<br />
It takes some time so, if you have limited Internet minutes,<br />
you can do this work off line.<br />
Get to your “read mail”, then click on “create mail.”<br />
When “create mail” box pops up, click on Cc: (carbon copy).<br />
You will then see Bcc: (blind carbon copy). Click on the Bcc.<br />
Your e-mail address list of names will pop up.<br />
Highlight a name and click on Bcc: and that name will appear<br />
in the Bcc: box.<br />
Keep doing that until all names you want to include are entered.<br />
Click OK and the names will appear in the Bcc: line of your e-<br />
mail so you can check to see if you’ve included everyone that<br />
you want to send the message to. But only the specific receiver’s<br />
name will appear on each individual e-mail sent.<br />
If you regularly send e-mails to a certain group of names, another<br />
way to do the above is to create a group list. Here’s how:<br />
Click on Addresses.<br />
When the address window pops up, click on “new.”<br />
Chose “new group” and type whatever “group name” you<br />
wish to use in the offered box, then click on “select members.”<br />
“Members” list pops up. Highlight a name you want on the<br />
group list and click “select.”<br />
Do this, one at a time, for each name to be included.<br />
When the list is complete, click O.K. The group list will pop<br />
up. If complete, click O.K.<br />
The group name, in bold, will be on your e-mail address list.<br />
When you want to send a Bcc:, click Cc: on the e-mail you are<br />
writing. A “select recipients” box will pop up. Type in the<br />
group name or scroll down to the group name, highlight it and<br />
click Bcc: and then O.K.<br />
This brings you back to the “create” e-mail box where the<br />
name will appear in the Bcc: line.<br />
This many seem complicated, but give it a try. And, if you<br />
don”t know who I am, and your spam blocker doesn’t trash<br />
me, and my e-mail tells you about my new book, please send<br />
money with your order. #<br />
Page 25<br />
Book Reviews by Pat Fitzgerald<br />
Stark Knight, by J.R. Turner. Sara Stark and Drake Knight combine<br />
forces in this thriller to save America from nuclear disaster.<br />
They seek the fortress of Victor Acosta, who possesses the weapon<br />
to wreak havoc on the United States. Acosta is also responsible for<br />
the death of Sara’s father, making their mission both an act of patriotism<br />
and personal. If that’s not personal enough, Sara and Drake<br />
must confront their ever-growing sexual attraction, a situation complicated<br />
by the fact Drake once considered Sara “a sister to him, but<br />
no blood relation.” J. R. Turner keeps the action flying and tension<br />
flowing to her novel’s last seconds. Stark Knight is available<br />
through Echelon Press at Turner’s<br />
web site: www.jennifer-turner.com<br />
Innocent People, by Linda Jamilah Kolocotronis. Sadia Abdullah<br />
watches the September 11th attacks “on the couch in my living<br />
room, in my small Midwestern town,” but the disaster affects Sadia<br />
differently than most Midwesterners. She, her husband, Salahuddin,<br />
and their five sons are Muslim. The boys’ Islamic school temporarily<br />
shuts down due to threats. Salahuddin’s restaurant also suffers<br />
threats. Fearing being mistaken for a terrorist rather than a loyal<br />
United States citizen, Sadia contemplates leaving her home minus<br />
the scarf she’s worn since accepting the Islamic faith. But Sadia<br />
manages to handle 9-11's aftermath with dignity and the quiet humor<br />
of a loving wife and mother. Ms. Kolocotronis has written a<br />
compelling story of a family’s love for one another and how they<br />
cope, grow and move forward during a disrupting time for all<br />
Americans. Innocent People may be purchased through http://<br />
jamilahkolocotronis.writerswebpages.com. #
Page 26<br />
This edition of The <strong>Wisconsin</strong> Regional Writer marks the<br />
addition of a new regular feature, “Useful URLs.” A “URL” is<br />
a Uniform Resource Locator—Web speak for the address of a<br />
Web site. The World Wide Web (WWW) includes literally<br />
hundreds of millions of sites. Many are helpful to writers. I’d<br />
like to encourage all <strong>WRWA</strong> members to submit the URLs for<br />
sites that you believe would be of broad interest and value to<br />
members. Please submit only those sites relating to writing.<br />
Send the URL and a brief description (use the items below for<br />
examples). I will try to include a few in every edition and will<br />
acknowledge the member who contributes each one. Here are<br />
a few of my favorites to get us started. Remember, I’m looking<br />
for quality, not quantity.<br />
—————<br />
http://www.worldwidewords.org/<br />
Michael Quinion’s World Wide Words provides a rich source<br />
of information on word origins and meanings. The site includes<br />
articles, questions and answers, reviews, topical words,<br />
turn of phrase, and weird words. Have you ever wanted to<br />
know where such terms as these came from.<br />
Bulldozer; Hokey-pokey; Mongo; Bellwether; Across the<br />
board; Ultimo; High dudgeon; Swan song; Biosimilar;<br />
Gringo; On the ball; Darknet; The elephant in the room; Barbarian;<br />
Since Hector was a pup; Pulchritudinous; Losing one's<br />
marbles; Fink; Geronimo; Impignorate.<br />
If so, this is the site for you.<br />
—————<br />
http://www.quoteland.com/<br />
Quoteland.com helps you find just the right quotation for the<br />
point you want to make. It’s also useful if you want to be sure<br />
you get it right. And, who said that You can look up quotes<br />
by topic—love, friends, dreams, happiness, sports, and many<br />
more—by author, and by other criteria. The site also supports<br />
a variety of user forums, such as “Who said it” “I need a<br />
quote,” and “Scholarly Pursuit.”<br />
----------<br />
http://www.fictionfactor.com/<br />
This is an online magazine for fiction writers. It contains articles<br />
on the craft. You are offered the opportunity to “Select a<br />
Writing Category.” Your selection takes you directly to articles<br />
on the subject of your choice, such as author interviews,<br />
Useful URLs Compiled by Boyd Sutton<br />
writer alerts, markets (by category), nuts and bolts, creating<br />
characters, novels, short fiction, children, romance, horror,<br />
fantasy, agents, copyright, and many more.<br />
----------<br />
http://www.poynter.org/<br />
This site is for people who think of writing as journalism. You<br />
don’t have to be a professional journalist to gain value from<br />
this site. And it isn’t essential that you be writing for newspapers.<br />
The site offers articles on writing, such as “Sentence<br />
Length and Power,” by Peter Clark. It allows you to post<br />
questions about writing and get answers from staff and others.<br />
There is a lot on this site and it often is a challenge to find<br />
what you are looking for, but the result is certainly worth the<br />
effort<br />
----------<br />
http://rhymezone.com/<br />
This multifaceted site is an online dictionary (and much, much<br />
more) with several great features. You can type in a word and<br />
instantly find other words that rhyme with it, synonyms, antonyms,<br />
definitions, related words, similar sounding words,<br />
homophones, and quotations in which the word is found. The<br />
site also offers a way to search for words and phrases found in<br />
Shakespeare, to search for famous quotations by many authors,<br />
to search for words or phrases in the Old and New Testaments<br />
of the Christian Bible, the Constitution, the Declaration<br />
of Independence, and the complete Mother Goose stories.<br />
Hey! I didn’t put the site together. I’m just telling you what’s<br />
there. Cool!<br />
----------<br />
http://www.imdb.com/<br />
You might be surprised that I list this site—the Internet Movie<br />
Database—as a writers’ resource. Well, this site gives you the<br />
plot, characters, actors, producers, directors, and more for just<br />
about every movie or TV program ever made in the US. Just<br />
think, how often have you read a book or watched a movie in<br />
which the dialogue involved some reference to movies, TV<br />
programs, famous episodes, special characters, and the like A<br />
lot! You can search by titles, episodes, names, companies, key<br />
words, characters, quotes, bios, plots, or all of the above<br />
(inclusive). #<br />
<strong>Wisconsin</strong> Center for the Book: Annual Book Mark Poetry Contest<br />
The <strong>Wisconsin</strong> Center for the Book/<strong>Wisconsin</strong> Academy of Sciences, Arts, and Letters announces its Annual Book Mark Poetry<br />
Contest. Submissions must be postmarked by June 1, 2007, and the winner will be notified August 1, 2007. The grand prize is<br />
1,000 bookmarks with your poem & photo and a reading at the <strong>Wisconsin</strong> Book Festival. The contest is for <strong>Wisconsin</strong> poets only.<br />
Guidelines for submission:<br />
1) Submit 3 un<strong>pub</strong>lished poems, 18 lines maximum for each poem, any style or theme, and a $10 entry fee payable to WCB/<br />
<strong>Wisconsin</strong> Academy.<br />
2) Enclose a single cover letter with your name, address, and phone. Names should not appear on poems themselves.<br />
3) Send copies only; poems will not be returned.<br />
4) Mail contest entries and fee to: Mary L. Grow, WCB Book Mark Poetry Contest, 307 S. Lexington Street, Spring Green, WI<br />
53588.<br />
5) E-mail to Mary Grow - growml@merr.com, Margot Peters - margot @gdinet.com, or James Gollata - james.gollata@uwc.edu<br />
[Thanks for the tip from Chris Byerly, Frederic Public Library.] #
Preferred Spelling of Internet and Other Computer Terms Compiled by Boyd Sutton<br />
Many terms pertaining to the Internet, computing, and electronic<br />
devices have entered our vocabulary and our writing in<br />
recent years. I thought it might be helpful to have a handy<br />
reference to how these should be spelled. I used The Associated<br />
Press Stylebook as the guide, because it is the “bible” of<br />
journalism editors. Use these spellings (and capitalizations)<br />
and you can’t go wrong. Note carefully which words are capitalized,<br />
which are hyphenated, which are combined as one<br />
word, and which are considered two words. I have also noted<br />
where Webster’s Dictionary is different. When there is a difference,<br />
I suggest you stick with the AP Style Book. But, in the<br />
final analysis, the editor to whom you submit will select his or<br />
her preference.<br />
cell phone (two words, not as in Webster’s)<br />
chat room (two words)<br />
cyberspace<br />
dot-com (adjective describing companies that do business<br />
mainly on the Internet)<br />
double-click (not doubleclick or double click)<br />
download (not down load)<br />
dpi (not DPI--dots per inch)<br />
e-mail (not email)<br />
end user (noun)<br />
end-user (adjective)<br />
firewall (not fire wall)<br />
freeware (free software—not free ware)<br />
home page (not homepage)<br />
Internet (not internet)<br />
JavaScript (not Java Script—it’s a scripting language<br />
developed by Netscape)<br />
kilobyte or KB<br />
The Old Maple Tree<br />
by Kathy Conger<br />
Resplendent in flaming fall foliage,<br />
she stands poised<br />
on our front lawn,<br />
impeccably attired,<br />
A callous wind plucks at her brittle sleeves,<br />
rustels, her crimson petticoats,<br />
sets are too shivering until she.<br />
drops her fading frock<br />
round her ankles in a heap.<br />
And there the old gal stands,<br />
like a naked mannequin<br />
waiting for the first snowfall,<br />
next season’s gown.<br />
{The editor thanks Susan Twiggs and other members of the<br />
Marshfield Poetry Society for judging.]<br />
Winning Poems, Spring 2006 Contest<br />
Page 27<br />
listserv (a software program for maintaining discussion<br />
groups through e-mail, such as the <strong>WRWA</strong> online forum)<br />
login, logon, logoff (noun)<br />
log in, log on, log off (verb)<br />
megabyte or MB<br />
megahertz or MHz<br />
Net (not net)<br />
offline, online (one word, no hyphen, exception to Webster’s)<br />
plug-in (a smaller, add-on computer program)<br />
shareware (software that may be tried without cost but<br />
requires a registration fee if kept)<br />
source code (a set of instructions or tags in a programming<br />
language)<br />
URL (Uniform Resource Locator, Internet address for a<br />
Web site)<br />
Usenet (a worldwide system of discussion areas called<br />
newsgroups)<br />
Wikipedia (a free collaborative online encyclopedia built<br />
collaboratively using Wiki software)<br />
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page<br />
World Wide Web (a subset of the Internet, the WWW is<br />
a global system of linking documents, images, sounds,<br />
and other files across the Internet; developed in 1991,<br />
but not fully available until the mid-1990s)<br />
Web<br />
Web site (not web site, not website)<br />
Web page (not web page, not webpage), but...<br />
webcam, webmaster are correct<br />
Inebriate<br />
by Mary Downs<br />
I am high<br />
on the color of autumn—<br />
the rich rosé of maple leaves,<br />
the amber chablis of birch,<br />
burgundy sumac burning a ridge<br />
below the hill.<br />
I am exhilarated with the sweet<br />
purple wine of wide asters<br />
marking the wayside,<br />
the orange liqueur of pompous<br />
pumpkins mocking the sun,<br />
the chartreuse of gaudy gourds.<br />
I drink to the riot—<br />
refill my cup, revel<br />
in the bacchanal as long<br />
as time shall last. #
Page 28<br />
<strong>Writers</strong>’ Markets by Sylvia Bright-Green<br />
Farm & Ranch Living<br />
5925 Country Lane<br />
Greendale, WI. 53129<br />
E-Mail Queries: Yes<br />
editors@farmandranchliving.com<br />
Guidelines Online: http://tinyurl.com/<br />
ynewqx<br />
This bimonthly magazine features articles<br />
for and about families who farm or<br />
ranch fulltime. Its focus is people. Articles<br />
include humor, inspirational, interview,<br />
profile, personal experience, nostalgia,<br />
and photo features of farmers/<br />
ranchers and their properties and homes.<br />
Article length is 750-1200 words. Query<br />
via standard mail or e-mail and state<br />
availability of photos.<br />
Buys: First Rights<br />
Pays: On <strong>pub</strong>lication-- up to $300.<br />
----------<br />
Her Sports<br />
245 Central Ave., Suite C<br />
St. Petersburg, FL. 33701<br />
E-Mail Queries: editorial@hersports.com<br />
Guidelines Online: No<br />
http://www.hersports.com<br />
For women in their 20s through early 50s<br />
who love individual sports, this magazine<br />
covers issues of importance and intrigue.<br />
Articles include pieces on health, nutrition,<br />
sports, sports training, travel, profiles<br />
on everyday athletes as well as professionals,<br />
and inspirational articles.<br />
Does not want anything about team<br />
sports. Length runs 800-1200 words.<br />
Query via standard mail or e-mail and<br />
include <strong>pub</strong>lished clips.<br />
Buys: First Rights<br />
Pays: On <strong>pub</strong>lication--$200-$350.<br />
----------<br />
Ugly Duckling Presse<br />
106 Ferris Street, Second Floor<br />
Brooklyn, New York, NY 11231<br />
http://www.uglyducklingpresse.org/<br />
"Ugly Duckling Presse is a nonprofit art<br />
& <strong>pub</strong>lishing collective<br />
producing<br />
small to mid-size<br />
editions of new<br />
poetry, translations,<br />
lost works,<br />
and artist's books. The Presse favors<br />
emerging, international, and "forgotten"<br />
writers with well-defined formal or conceptual<br />
projects that are difficult to place<br />
at other presses. Its full-length books,<br />
chapbooks, artist's books, broadsides,<br />
magazine and newspaper all contain<br />
handmade elements, calling attention to<br />
the labor and history of bookmaking. "<br />
Full Guidelines:<br />
http://www.uglyducklingpresse.org/<br />
submissions.html<br />
----------<br />
New Directions Publishing Corp.<br />
80 Eighth Avenue<br />
New York, NY 10010<br />
USA<br />
http://www.nd<strong>pub</strong>lishing.com/home.html<br />
New Directions was founded in 1936,<br />
when James Laughlin (1914 - 1997), then<br />
a twenty-two-year-old Harvard sophomore,<br />
issued the first of the New Directions<br />
anthologies. “I asked Ezra Pound<br />
for career advice,” James Laughlin recalled.<br />
“He had been seeing my poems<br />
for months and had ruled them hopeless.<br />
He urged me to finish Harvard and then<br />
do 'something' useful.” Intended as a<br />
place where experimentalists could test<br />
their inventions by <strong>pub</strong>lication, the ND<br />
anthologies first introduced readers to the<br />
early work of such writers as William<br />
Saroyan, Louis Zukofsky, Marianne<br />
Moore, Wallace Stevens, Kay Boyle,<br />
Delmore Schwartz, Dylan Thomas, Thomas<br />
Merton, John Hawkes, Denise<br />
Levertov, James Agee, and Lawrence<br />
Ferlinghetti. Soon after issuing the first<br />
of the anthologies, New Directions began<br />
<strong>pub</strong>lishing novels, plays, and collections<br />
of poems. Ezra Pound and William Carlos<br />
Williams, who once had difficulty<br />
finding <strong>pub</strong>lishers, were early New Directions<br />
authors and have remained at the<br />
core of ND's backlist of modernist writers.<br />
And Tennessee Williams first appeared<br />
as a poet in the early Five Young<br />
American Poets.<br />
Full guidelines: http://<br />
www.nd<strong>pub</strong>lishing.com/contact.html<br />
----------<br />
Northern Woodlands Magazine Seeks<br />
Submissions<br />
Our audience consists of conservationminded<br />
people with an interest in all aspects<br />
of the forests of the Northeast. We<br />
are not a trade magazine for the forest<br />
products industry or an advocacy magazine<br />
for preservationists. Write to us with<br />
a story idea that fits our audience. We<br />
like to surprise our readers with stories<br />
they won't find anywhere else. Or, submit<br />
a short piece for Knots and Bolts<br />
(200-600 words). We cover a wide range<br />
of short subjects in that section and it's<br />
the best bet for new writers breaking in.<br />
Either way, send along some clips or<br />
other writing samples.<br />
Pays $50-100 for columns and book reviews,<br />
$.10/word for feature articles.<br />
http://www.northernwoodlands.org/<br />
writers_guidelines.php<br />
----------<br />
LAKE SUPERIOR MAGAZINE<br />
http://www.lakesuperior.com/editorial/<br />
editguidelines.html<br />
The magazine about the world's largest<br />
fresh-water lake and the people who list<br />
and visit there. We may pay up to $600,<br />
according to length, importance of story<br />
and writer's experience. Top dollar is<br />
earned by a well-written and researched<br />
manuscript-photo package. The average<br />
feature runs 1,600 to 2,200 words. Departments<br />
and Columns average 900 to<br />
1,400 words and usually pay from $65 to<br />
$125. #<br />
Creative writing—short stories, poems, articles on writing<br />
(see page 20 for submission guidelines)<br />
Historical articles about the <strong>WRWA</strong><br />
Club Spotlight articles (see page 10 for example)<br />
Useful URLS (see page 26 for examples)<br />
Computer/Internet tips for writers<br />
Questions for “Just the FAQs” column (see page 19)<br />
<strong>WRWA</strong> Members Are Encouraged to Submit...<br />
Your comments and ideas (to newsletter@wrwa.net)<br />
If you see certain authors appearing in The <strong>Wisconsin</strong> Regional<br />
Writer more often than you might expect, it is because<br />
they are submitting. This is your <strong>Association</strong> and your newsletter/journal.<br />
Please help make it the best it can be by participating.
<strong>WRWA</strong> Fall Conference in Janesville<br />
Thank you to the following businesses and individuals<br />
whose contributions greatly enhanced the success of our Fall<br />
Conference.<br />
Janesville Businesses and Individuals (for contributions to the<br />
conference “Goodie Bags”)<br />
M & U Bank, 1005 Main St., Janesville – pens and note pads<br />
Johnson Bank, 1 S. Main St., Janesville – pens<br />
Minuteman Press, 303 W. Milwaukee, Janesville – note pads<br />
Book World, 2457 Milton Ave., Janesville – Bookmarks with<br />
20% off Coupons.<br />
Sherry Derr-Wille – <strong>WRWA</strong> Member – 1116 Yuba St. Janesville<br />
– Calendars<br />
Janesville Area Convention and Visitors Bureau, 51 S. Jackson<br />
St. – Brochures of Janesville and Rock County, Car Fresheners,<br />
and the “Goodie Bags.”<br />
Edna Thorpe and Janet Fugate – Name Tags.<br />
Thank You<br />
Door Prize contributors:<br />
Page 29<br />
Swiss Colony – two tins of butter toffee<br />
Lois Bonde – book - Hot Bytes<br />
Ralph Mason – 10 books – One World, One Heart<br />
John Campbell – book – Jade Ring Anthology<br />
Boyd Sutton – book – Come Read With Me, Northwest Regional<br />
<strong>Writers</strong>’ 5 th Anthology.<br />
Kalmbach Publishing Co. – Kristina Badura, Events Marketing<br />
Coodinator – 100 copies of The Writer magazine for attendees,<br />
a gift certificate for a free subscription, and another free<br />
subscription through a drawing.<br />
An especially big THANK YOU! Cary Fellman for serving as<br />
Jade Ring Contest Chair for the last three years.<br />
Thank all of you for all you do and for this extra effort to give.<br />
Don Schambow<br />
Jennifer Turner presents Launching a Career – A Novel Journey by Bill Bright<br />
The line-up of speakers at this fall’s<br />
<strong>WRWA</strong> Conference in Janesville was<br />
absolutely capital. Not least of these was<br />
J. R. (Jenny) Turner: authoress, homemaker,<br />
and dynamo.<br />
I’ve read one of Jenny’s books, Stark<br />
Knight, and am now reading the second in<br />
the series, Silent Knight. I know Jenny<br />
from earlier conferences, and she’s an<br />
active part of our online <strong>WRWA</strong> group. I<br />
already liked her. So.it’s fun to be able to write about this Energizer<br />
Bunny’s presentation.<br />
She first talked about when she started writing and told us a<br />
cute story about her childhood introduction to writing. Then<br />
she told us why she writes: “We write to understand life better,<br />
ourselves.... Most authors struggle with life and how to<br />
put it down on paper,” she said, and illustrated.<br />
Jenny intimated that she doesn’t have a particular fondness<br />
for doing research—unlike the rest of us, I’m sure. She joined<br />
the Romance <strong>Writers</strong> of America, whereupon she was roped<br />
into mentoring others while still paying RWA a fee. That, she<br />
claims, despite the fact that she needed help herself.<br />
Jenny revealed her favorite writing books: James R. Frey’s<br />
How to write a damn good novel (I and II), Alice Orr’s No<br />
More Rejection, and Donald Maass’ Writing the Breakout<br />
Novel.<br />
Jenny said that she stayed constantly engaged and challenged<br />
herself: contests, Website with giveaways, blog,<br />
listserves, forums, networking, being constantly on the lookout<br />
for “what’s hot and new” for subject matter and professional<br />
direction. She told us of the struggle to find an agent,<br />
and deciding against the traditional <strong>pub</strong>lishing market after a<br />
string of refusals and confusing incidents wherein agents and<br />
editors kept disappearing on her. She finally landed a contract<br />
with Echelon Press. Now, Bullet Proof Bride, Stark Knight,<br />
and Silent Knight are all available for those of us who enjoy<br />
action, adventure, and romance. My Biker Bodyguard is just<br />
around the corner.<br />
Jenny gave us an exercise to pick our three favorite authors,<br />
and from these decide what we’d be best at writing. Why<br />
Because these are the things that excite us.<br />
Jenny talked about promoting yourself: podcasting, networking<br />
online, speaking, newspapers, etc.<br />
A few items discussed during Q&A: podcast promotion<br />
through U-Tube trailers, romance writer’s groups, contracting<br />
without the help of an agent, the time of day to write, using<br />
Lulu.com for self-<strong>pub</strong>lishing a book. Other items can be seen<br />
at Jenny’s blog.<br />
Nuggets from Jenny:<br />
•It’s important to understand who you are (to know what to<br />
write).<br />
•Publishers <strong>pub</strong>lish their submission guidelines, but they<br />
don’t really know what they want: sometimes editors<br />
change, the company changes policy regularly, etc.<br />
•It’s affirming to (re)visit the geography of your writings.<br />
•Exciting for me = exciting for the reader.<br />
•Self-esteem and courage aren’t necessarily mutually exclusive.<br />
If you can’t get the confidence to say who you are<br />
(to an audience), how will you ever get the confidence to<br />
be who you want to be<br />
Jenny’s blog: http://jr-turner.blogspot.com (Here you’ll<br />
also be able to find the answers to questions asked during the<br />
conference.)<br />
Jenny’s website: http://www.jennifer-turner.com
Page 30<br />
Writing Poetry Successfully: 99 Propositions - Tom Montag by Joan T. Zeier<br />
Tom Montag advised us to pick and<br />
choose from his 99 propositions, and use<br />
those which work for us. I managed to<br />
scribble down about 96 keepers. Contemplative,<br />
witty, hard-edged, or metaphoric,<br />
they all rang true—even the ones that contradicted<br />
each other as truths sometimes<br />
do.<br />
Still, his opening proposition, repeated<br />
at least four times, is surely his central<br />
theme: Listen to the poem. What is it trying to say Let it<br />
follow its own form. It is a chrysalis—a midwife—a radio.<br />
(It’s not too hard to figure out those metaphors.). It is all<br />
about the poem, not about you. The poem knows. Listen to<br />
it, not to those around you who have their own agendas.<br />
Tom’s presentation offered several pithy quotes.<br />
•“Use a word just for its sound (as important as meaning); If<br />
sound is not as important to you as meaning, you may not<br />
be a poet.”<br />
•“Poetry is not self-expression, not therapy. Put your feelings<br />
in your diary.”<br />
•“Trim the first lines. Be ruthless. Poetry is subtraction, not<br />
addition.”<br />
•“Three essentials are measure, sound, and image.”<br />
Literary Agent, Jack Byrne by Deb Baker<br />
Milwaukee literary agent, Jack Byrne,<br />
presented a comprehensive analysis of an<br />
agent’s role in the <strong>pub</strong>lishing process,<br />
beginning with guidelines to selecting an<br />
agent. He cautioned against unscrupulous<br />
agents who charge reading fees or suggest<br />
payments to book doctors. A reputable<br />
literary agency does not expect any<br />
monetary output until the manuscript is<br />
•“If it ain’t broke, break it (use surprise and change).”<br />
Using the examples of Walt Whitman, Emily Dickinson,<br />
and Lorine Niedecker, Montag tells all writers, “Believe in<br />
yourself when no one else does. And always, listen to the<br />
poem.”<br />
[Editor’s Note: All 99 of Tom’s most excellent Propositions<br />
can be found at http://middlewesterner.typepad.com/<br />
middlewesterner/2006/09/writing_poetry_.html.] #<br />
sold.<br />
A literary agent’s help isn’t necessary for short fiction,<br />
technical writing, or poetry, but a writer should have representation<br />
for full-length fiction and non-fiction proposals. The<br />
principal reason is to protect the writer’s rights, negotiate advances<br />
and payout schedules, and to act as a buffer between<br />
the writer and editor.<br />
To stand out and improve your chances of finding an agent,<br />
write a great cover letter and submit only your best work. #<br />
Chris Roerden—Voice: Sounds from the Submission Pile by David Rank<br />
There's a reason 99 percent of manuscripts<br />
never get past the first read at a<br />
<strong>pub</strong>lisher or literary agency, Chris Roerden<br />
said in her Saturday afternoon presentation,<br />
"Voice—Sounds from the Submission<br />
Pile," at the <strong>WRWA</strong> Fall Conference:<br />
Most writers fail to polish their<br />
work from "average" or "amateur" writing<br />
to an "above average," professional<br />
level.<br />
Roerden, who has a 40-plus year background in writing,<br />
<strong>pub</strong>lishing, teaching, and editing, said slush pile screeners, the<br />
first readers of unsolicited manuscripts, have a job to do, and<br />
that "is to lower the piles as quickly as possible. They dismiss<br />
(manuscripts) very quickly. They have to, that's their job."<br />
Screeners do that by looking first for sloppy appearance—<br />
manuscripts not formatted as the <strong>pub</strong>lisher or agent requested,<br />
or the genre of the work is not clearly and precisely defined.<br />
Pass those initial tests, and the screeners will actually start<br />
reading your work, Roerden said, looking for signs of weak<br />
writing that will get the work rejected. Some signs of amateur<br />
writing include a description or back story “dump” and extraneous<br />
information told too early. "Not in the first chapter,"<br />
Reorden said.<br />
She told us to avoid chit-chat, unfocused dialog; eliminate<br />
past perfect tense; dull writing; unnecessary transition scenes.<br />
These are other "clues," that a manuscript is not professional<br />
enough to <strong>pub</strong>lish.<br />
Roerden's latest advice book for writers is Don't Murder<br />
Your Mystery: 24 Fiction-Writing Techniques to Save Your<br />
Manuscript from Turning Up DOA, in which she lists the simple<br />
mistakes that can get your work rejected. #<br />
Remember to enter the Lindemann and Nelson Contests<br />
Al P. Nelson Feature Article Contest opens January 1, closes March 15<br />
Florence Lindemann Contest opens January 15, closes March 15
Page 31<br />
Patricia Fry—The Right Way by Dorothy Lund<br />
Patricia Fry has contributed articles to<br />
two hundred magazines and written<br />
twenty-five books. She is an editor, ghost<br />
writer, promoter, and self-<strong>pub</strong>lisher. The<br />
president of Small Publishers Artists and<br />
<strong>Writers</strong>' Network (SPAWN), she is the<br />
author of The Right Way to Write Publish<br />
and Sell Your Book.<br />
Patricia began her presentation by informing<br />
us that if we wanted to write a<br />
book, we should look upon the actual writing as our last step.<br />
She eased our puzzled minds by outlining the steps that should<br />
come first.<br />
•Study the <strong>pub</strong>lishing industry; know which <strong>pub</strong>lishers deal<br />
with the type of book you plan to write and how friendly<br />
they are to your subject. Know your options.<br />
•Write a book proposal, keeping in mind why you want to<br />
write this book and what needs it might satisfy for readers.<br />
Focus your work on today's market and reader's demand.<br />
Identify your target audience.<br />
•Ask yourself, “What is your platform or ways of reaching<br />
your audience” Possibilities could be joining or creating<br />
organizations dealing with your subject or doing writeups<br />
for newsletters, magazines and the Internet. Always<br />
look for promotional opportunities you can build into<br />
your book. For instance, a character in your novel may<br />
have a secondary dimension involving an infirmity, such<br />
as diabetes, or a special interest, such as horse training,<br />
bird watching, or collecting antique cars. These are mar-<br />
kets to pursue.<br />
•Start talking about your book; set up speaking gigs, workshops,<br />
mailing lists, and a Web site. Become a storyteller.<br />
Get yourself out there.<br />
Patricia concluded that if writers are going to successfully<br />
write, <strong>pub</strong>lish, and sell their books, they must shift from the<br />
creative right-brain process to the rational left brain. This can<br />
save time in the long run, and, by focusing your writing in the<br />
proper direction, you may very well facilitate the creative<br />
process and make things easier and more gratifying when you<br />
switch back to the right side of your brain and write your<br />
book. #<br />
Get Published in<br />
2007<br />
Order Patricia Fry’s Book:<br />
The Right Way to Write,<br />
Publish, and Sell Your<br />
Book<br />
(as discussed at <strong>WRWA</strong> Fall Conference)<br />
$19.95, 328 pages, Matilija<br />
Press, 2006<br />
www.matilijapress.com/rightway.html<br />
Jack Magestro: Changing the Paradigm of Publishing by Claudia Anderson<br />
A feisty and articulate speaker, Jack<br />
Magestro tackled the topic of <strong>pub</strong>lishing.<br />
He explained that there are two ends to<br />
<strong>pub</strong>lishing: self-<strong>pub</strong>lishing—or vanity<br />
<strong>pub</strong>lishing—on one end, and traditional<br />
<strong>pub</strong>lishing in the other. Vanity <strong>pub</strong>lishing<br />
(Print on Demand and other forms of<br />
self-<strong>pub</strong>lishing) entails the most risk for<br />
the author, as the editing, design, distribution,<br />
and <strong>pub</strong>licity fall largely in the<br />
author’s lap. The rewards for self<strong>pub</strong>lishing<br />
are lower <strong>pub</strong>lishing costs, higher percentage of<br />
sales returned to the author, and the ability to promote yourself<br />
the way you want.<br />
On the other end of the scale, traditional <strong>pub</strong>lishers take all<br />
the risk—finding editors, typesetters, graphic designers, and<br />
others who do the legwork to promote your book. Their<br />
amount of involvement is the reason why it is hard to get a<br />
<strong>pub</strong>lisher to take a risk on a new author.<br />
To make <strong>pub</strong>lishing our writing easier, Jack suggested we<br />
find a way to manage the risk, finding a middle ground between<br />
doing everything ourselves and waiting for someone<br />
else to do all the footwork for us. That means doing some of<br />
the work ourselves. Suggestions included finding someone to<br />
edit your writing objectively, designing your own work<br />
through programs such as InDesign or Microsoft Word, submitting<br />
your work to objective readers and working their comments<br />
into your manuscript, and even producing a full mockup<br />
of your book, similar to a galley proof.<br />
Jack suggested there are several programs on the Internet<br />
that can help you create a professional-looking document.<br />
Www.lulu.com has a free utility that helps distill (translate)<br />
Microsoft Word documents into PDF files. Once you convert<br />
your document, he recommended having the PDF file mailed<br />
to you so that you can see how it looks. Then you can have<br />
your manuscript printed and bound with a soft cover in up to<br />
five copies for a very low cost just to demonstrate the final<br />
product. According to Jack, the closer you are to producing a<br />
manuscript in its final form, the more likely you are to get it<br />
read by an agent or <strong>pub</strong>lisher, and the less risk there will be,<br />
both for you and the <strong>pub</strong>lisher.<br />
Final submissions and production depends on how much<br />
we are willing to risk; how much we are willing to put out to<br />
succeed. Self <strong>pub</strong>lishing can be a bonus to getting picked by a<br />
larger <strong>pub</strong>lisher if you have a selling record. But preparing a<br />
professional looking document will take you one step closer to<br />
being considered by a larger <strong>pub</strong>lisher. #
Page 32<br />
Article - Jennifer Brantley<br />
Positives: It was an honor for me to read these submissions<br />
and I thank all of the entrants for their work. Overall, I<br />
thought the contributions were quite interesting and very enthusiastic.<br />
Of the top 10, it was difficult to make the sometimes<br />
minor distinctions among award winners. All the essays<br />
were rich with information and some of the essays that did not<br />
win awards were still very moving, even you want moving me<br />
to tears, but I looked for a blend of professionalism good writing<br />
and emotion.<br />
Negatives: In the midst of good writing, clichés and grammatical<br />
mistakes, as well as proofreading errors, can mar an<br />
otherwise good submission. Some of the submissions seem<br />
too brief to give this reader a full flavor, providing instead a<br />
surface treatment of what could be some interesting subjects.<br />
Perhaps my biggest complaint, however, has to do with source<br />
of information. If an article is factual-based, then the sources<br />
need to be clearly delineated. In some cases, the writer is relying<br />
on interviews and personal knowledge. These seem clear.<br />
In other cases, the source of the information is very unclear.<br />
Essay - Carolyn Wedin<br />
It is an indication of the high level of the set of essays that I<br />
had a terrible time choosing the winners. They are all winners<br />
in various ways, and I would have had no trouble writing winning<br />
paragraphs about any one of them. There is a lot of variation<br />
in writing style and in subject, which is as it should be,<br />
and different essays would be effective with different audiences.<br />
A couple of things I noticed might be of some help or<br />
interest in the non-stop, never-ending task we all face of improving<br />
or writing. First, many essays had, I thought, relatively<br />
ineffective conclusions. It is difficult to come up with<br />
the right sentence or phrase to pull the whole thing together<br />
and yet not say too much. Second, in the abstract, but all too<br />
real matter of tone, there was sometimes a bit of a "tin ear," I<br />
thought, with the author coming off as haughty or judgmental.<br />
This was especially true in the essays on poetry, which tended<br />
to dismiss or condemn whole undefined categories, such as<br />
"academic poetry." Perhaps, it bears repeating that one can<br />
more effectively comment negatively on something very specific,<br />
but better yet, convey the positive and let the reader supply<br />
the other side.<br />
Nostalgia - Wilma Bednarz<br />
Your subjects and ideas were good. However, some of you<br />
showed little knowledge of preparing a manuscript, even using<br />
single spacing. Chances are, with the number of manuscripts<br />
an editor must read in a day, they would not read a<br />
single-spaced manuscript. Always set your first manuscript<br />
aside for a few days and then go back to it. Read it aloud to<br />
yourself while taking notes. Now is the time to make changes.<br />
Listen to your verbs. Are they strong enough to make the<br />
reader see how, for instance, "the trapped bird flutters in his<br />
cage" Are you using too many "was" and "were" Get rid of<br />
them with a strong verb. Remember, strong verbs are more<br />
Judges’ Comments on the Jade Ring Entries<br />
descriptive than nouns or adjectives. Also, I want to remind<br />
you that your first sentence should hook the reader. Read<br />
books on writing. One of my favorites is William Zinsser’s<br />
"On Writing Well." Good luck to all of you.<br />
Adult Short Story – Anthony Bukoski<br />
As judge of the adult fiction competition for 2006, I faced a<br />
daunting task—to read 43 manuscripts totaling 430 pages,<br />
then to choose the several works I fell to stood out. As you<br />
know, rules limited judges to selecting first, second, and third<br />
place winners, plus three honorable mentions, a difficult undertaking<br />
when I found at least 10 manuscripts, I thought especially<br />
worthy of notice. Each of the 43 submissions, by the<br />
way, pleased me in some way, so I want no one to leave discouraged.<br />
I also want you to know I am grateful for the opportunity<br />
to have read your work, which was filled with humanity,<br />
goodness, and warmth.<br />
On the other hand, I can offer these general, critical observations<br />
that might be of use to you. I thought that too many<br />
stories relied on unlikely plot coincidences or introduced characters<br />
that were merely types, not fully developed characters. I<br />
felt that too many stories dealt with "big" problems (love and<br />
death, for example), a difficult thing to do convincingly, especially<br />
with stereotypic characters. And finally, I felt that conflicts<br />
were sometimes too easily, too patently, resolved, and<br />
thus lacked the mystery of accomplished artistic creation, or<br />
that stories concluded with unearned surprises.<br />
Juvenile Short Story – Cornell M. Brellenthin<br />
it is always exciting to read what young voices are writing<br />
today. Perhaps the most significant strength in this group of<br />
2006 fiction entries is the appreciation these writers have the<br />
skills, crafts, and labors of their own family enterprises: readers<br />
who have never worked in a bakery or on a bass boat can<br />
learn a great deal of what it must be like to live and work in<br />
such environments. Many young writers, too, are able to<br />
imagine themselves beyond familiar places, finding themselves<br />
behind the eyes of so many of our four-legged friends,<br />
whether wild or domesticated, to observe the human condition<br />
with objective eyes. Some writers are able to travel even further,<br />
into fantastic places and times where we learn that the<br />
power of "magic" is in love and compassion—all the time<br />
keeping readers grounded with reminders of the mundane.<br />
These 2006 fiction entries display remarkable innovation and<br />
the writers have a knack for descriptive writing, richly engaging<br />
the the senses—sight, sound, smell, touch, and taste—and<br />
the use of simile and metaphor is fresh and exciting. Perhaps<br />
what sets the winning an honorable mention stories above the<br />
rest is the additional attention to all the formal elements of<br />
fiction that are so critical in telling a good story—plot development,<br />
characterization, setting, and a strong sense of voice.<br />
Each of these elements must work together to underscore the<br />
theme, and in a winning story will also create just enough<br />
attention to keep readers turning the page! #
Some Reflections on the <strong>WRWA</strong> Jade Ring Contest, 2006 – Poetry Category<br />
by LaMoine MacLaughlin, First Poet Laureate of Amery, <strong>Wisconsin</strong> – 2006 Poetry Judge<br />
Page 33<br />
The Poetry Category of the 2006 Jade Ring Contest included<br />
135 entries by 52 writers. I was delighted to be able to<br />
judge this category and, after review of the material, I would<br />
like to offer several recommendations. Specific comments on<br />
each winning entry are included at the end.<br />
First, I would suggest that in the future a separate category<br />
be considered for humorous verse. Judging humorous verse<br />
along with more serious poetry is really weighing apples<br />
against oranges (or perhaps watermelons against cherries).<br />
The humorous verse will usually be judged second best. Humorous<br />
verse possesses its own unique set of standards and<br />
should be appreciated for those special qualities and characteristics<br />
contained within its special genre. I mention this because<br />
there was some very good humorous verse among the<br />
poems I read and judged, but they don’t show up on the final<br />
screen. Humorous verse deserves its own separate category. I<br />
believe that <strong>WRWA</strong> should separate humorous verse from the<br />
rest of poetry for the same reasons that it separates prose into<br />
various categories.<br />
Second, and I suppose this is one curse of living in the age<br />
of Harry Potter, so much of what tries to pass as poetry in our<br />
time gives evidence that contemporary writers trying to write<br />
poetry do not read very much poetry—at least their poetry<br />
reflects that they have given up reading the great past masters.<br />
Our manic preoccupation with development of an individual<br />
style does not give us the right to suspend the principles of<br />
good writing, which have always involved clarity of expression,<br />
considerate communication with our audience, and careful<br />
crafting of our material. I remember one of my teachers<br />
reminding us that the more we try to be different, the more we<br />
look like everyone else. There is no place for purposeless misspelling,<br />
and improper usage is grammatically incorrect in<br />
poetry as well as in prose. The basic principles of good writing<br />
apply equally to prose and to poetry. We don’t have<br />
enough time to read everything, so I would urge writers to<br />
develop their models by reading the best. Read Blake, and<br />
Keats, and Whitman, and Dickinson, and Yeats, and Frost,<br />
and Roethke, and Wright. And when you finish them, reread<br />
them.<br />
Third, and I suppose this is another curse of our early 21 st<br />
century, so much of what tries to pass as poetry in our time<br />
gives evidence that it is written totally as individual expression<br />
with little or no care for writing as communication designed<br />
to reach another human being as audience. An audience<br />
presumes a concern for community and for communication,<br />
and many writers have written of the disintegration of the<br />
concept of community during the last half of the 20 th century.<br />
The danger, of course, is that the concept of community will<br />
eventually drop from our vocabulary and it will altogether<br />
vanish from our consciousness. Moreover recent disasters<br />
have shown the extreme fragility of the fabric of community<br />
in urban areas. As human beings we all need community, real<br />
community, and it is far too important a concept to be allowed<br />
to disappear.<br />
Sometimes, as contemporary poets, we seem to have lost<br />
our sense of audience and believe that if a reader doesn’t un-<br />
derstand our poetry, that is not our problem; we have done our<br />
part. Sometimes it seems as if aspiring poets believe that writing<br />
poetry frees them from the need to communicate.<br />
Writing poetry is serious work and does not free anyone to<br />
be a bad writer. As writers, we all need community, real community,<br />
to keep us honest and to keep us truly communicating<br />
with other human beings. Sometimes we refer to virtual<br />
(almost, but not quite) reality and at times we seem unable to<br />
distinguish it from genuine reality. As writers, and perhaps<br />
especially as poets, we need to reclaim our local communities<br />
as the source of our audience and our touchstone for authentic<br />
communication. Without a real audience, so much that tries to<br />
pass as poetry degenerates into cutesy-pie word-play or incoherent,<br />
meaningless babble. How about considering the following:<br />
Talk with your Mayor about establishing the position of Poet<br />
Laureate in your village or city. Shamelessly proselytize for<br />
poetry. Become your town’s wild poetry prophet.<br />
Visit your local schools and help teachers spread poetry<br />
throughout their classes.<br />
Run for school board or city council. I might even accept<br />
church council. You might not win, but try it anyhow. Do<br />
something to enter deeply into the life of your local community.<br />
Read Vachel Lindsay’s “The Gospel of Beauty.”<br />
Get a group of friends together and share one of your poems<br />
with them. Ask them to respond to the poem. Or perhaps<br />
read it aloud in a local park or coffee shop for people you<br />
don’t know. Ask them to respond.<br />
And let us never forget William Faulkner’s 1949 Nobel<br />
Prize Acceptance Speech in which he eloquently states the<br />
reasons why poetry is so important:<br />
I believe that man will not merely endure: he will prevail.<br />
He is immortal, not because he alone among creatures<br />
has an inexhaustible voice, but because he has a<br />
soul, a spirit capable of compassion and sacrifice and<br />
endurance. The poet’s, the writer’s, duty is to write about<br />
these things. It is his privilege to help man endure by<br />
lifting his heart, by reminding him of the courage and<br />
honor and hope and pride and compassion and pity and<br />
sacrifice which have been the glory of his past. The<br />
poet’s voice need not merely be the record of man, it can<br />
be one of the props, the pillars to help him endure and<br />
prevail.<br />
Finally, having said all this, I must commend those poets I<br />
have selected as my top three choices and honorable mention<br />
recipients. Their poetry ranges from traditional forms to free<br />
verse, but all of it is thoughtfully developed and carefully<br />
crafted. I have reread all of these poems dozens of times and<br />
they remain new and fresh with each reading—a hallmark, I<br />
believe, of good writing. Bravo! And thank you.<br />
Winning Entry Poems:<br />
First Place: “The Ascent of Icarus” (Jade Ring Winner)<br />
This very carefully crafted sonnet of rhyming couplets<br />
(continued on next page)
Page 34<br />
(Poetry continued)<br />
sings a consistent music from beginning to end. We are<br />
carried aloft toward the heavens with the same delight<br />
and power sensed by Icarus himself and we experience<br />
with him his final triumph rather than the usual apparent<br />
tragedy.<br />
Second Place: “The Clutter Brothers”<br />
This seriocomic narrative proceeds well toward its conclusion<br />
within the amazingly tight structure created by the<br />
poet. The line repetition from stanza to stanza and returning<br />
to the beginning, a kind of rondel or rondeau, can be a<br />
stifling straight jacket, but it works very successfully<br />
here.<br />
Third Place: “Crossing A Great Distance”<br />
These four stanzas present images which very effectively<br />
reflect its title in a manner reminiscent of Wallace Steven’s<br />
“Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Blackbird.”<br />
Honorable Mention:<br />
Honorable Mention One: “Summer of Horses”<br />
I love this strange, almost haunting story, in many ways<br />
reminding me of John Keats’ “La Belle Dame Sans<br />
Merci.”<br />
Honorable Mention Two: “Origins”<br />
I feel that this very successful litany perfectly unites form<br />
and content, carrying the reader along in the musical<br />
droning of the chant.<br />
Honorable Mention Three: “A Proper Farewell”<br />
Some rather prosaic introductory remarks develop into an<br />
interesting middle, an almost sacrificial offering, and lead<br />
the reader to a very poignant conclusion.<br />
The chance to dine with fellow writers and discuss all we<br />
had learned over the past two days made The Jade Ring Banquet<br />
an apt wrap-up for the 2006 Fall Conference. Postbanquet<br />
honors began with the presentation of the Robert E.<br />
Gard Foundation’s Award for Excellence to Ben Logan, author<br />
of <strong>Wisconsin</strong>’s all-time best selling book, The Land Remembers.<br />
LaMoine MacLaughlin, board member of the<br />
Robert E. Gard Foundation, introduced former Award for Excellence<br />
winner, Harvey Stower (current Mayor of Amery,<br />
WI). Stower presented the award, thanking Logan for showing<br />
us all how the land remembers. During his acceptance speech,<br />
Ben Logan reminded us that history reveals itself by the telling<br />
of stories, and if we stop telling our stories, we cease being<br />
a people.<br />
Cary Fellman took over mistress of ceremony duties to<br />
announce the Jade Ring contest winners.<br />
ARTICLE<br />
Jade Ring, Dorothy Lund, “Cameo of Dad”<br />
2 nd Nancy Bauer-King, “Tobacco Ties”<br />
3 rd Mickey Burgermeister, “The Crick”<br />
Honorable Mention:<br />
John Friedell, “Call the Question”<br />
Lou Roach, “Filmmaker’s Best Flourishes In a Most Unlikely<br />
Place”<br />
Betsy Foley, “A Woman Ahead of Her Time”<br />
Contest Judge: Jenny Brantley<br />
ESSAY<br />
Jade Ring, Judy A. Kolosso, “One Less”<br />
2 nd Julie C. Eger, “La Que Sabe’s Bag of Tricks”<br />
3 rd Sylvia Oberle, “An Afternoon and Evening at the Free<br />
Clinic”<br />
Honorable Mention:<br />
Dee Trein-Jucius, “Am I Old”<br />
Mary Farley, “Perennial Springtime”<br />
Nancy Schultz, “Lady Bratt Ashley”<br />
Contest Judge: Carolyn Wedin<br />
NOSTALGIA<br />
Jade Ring, Barbara Megna, “No Proper Goodbye”<br />
Jade Ring Awards Banquet by Pat Fitzgerald<br />
2 nd Harry Sarazin, “A Close Shave”<br />
3 rd Ramon A. Klitzke, “The Switchyard”<br />
Honorable Mention:<br />
Ruth G. Smith, “Our Way of Life”<br />
Margaret Nelson, “The Dutch Knew How”<br />
Lola M. Huber, “Grandpa Added The Spice”<br />
Contest Judge: Wilma Bedmarz<br />
JUVENILE SHORT STORY<br />
Jade Ring, Brenda Nelson-Davis, “Elena and the Worries”<br />
2 nd William G. Ladewig, “Turtle Hunting on the Bayou”<br />
3 rd Cathy Conger, “Having Hula”<br />
Honorable Mention:<br />
Mary Jo Stitch, “The Bakery”<br />
Steve Betchkal, “How the Bear Ran Out of Patience”<br />
Rachel DeRosa “The Sock-Nest Monster”<br />
Contest Judge: Cornell M. Brellenthin<br />
ADULT SHORT STORY<br />
Jade Ring, Les Huisman, “The Ice Cream Man”<br />
2 nd Neela K. Suklhatme-Sheth, “Two Tigers Cannot Share<br />
One Hill”<br />
3 rd Rebecca K. Blemberg, “After the Shooting at 12 th Street<br />
Station”<br />
Honorable Mention:<br />
Charles P. Ries, “Albino Prunes”<br />
Mary Jacobsen, “The Red Patch”<br />
Richard E. Carter, “Reunion”<br />
Contest Judge: Anthony Bukoski<br />
POETRY<br />
Jade Ring, John Manesis, “The Ascent of Icarus”<br />
2 nd John L. Campbell, “The Clutter Brothers”<br />
3 rd Berit Aaker Pietsch, “Crossing A Great Distance”<br />
Honorable Mention:<br />
Margaret Been, “Summer of Horses”<br />
Sandra Tully, “Origins”<br />
Judy Kolosso, “A Proper Farewell”<br />
Contest Judge: LaMoine MacLaughlin #
More Pictures from the <strong>WRWA</strong> Fall Conference<br />
Page 35<br />
We did it again, friends. We came, we talked, we listened, we read, we networked, we enjoyed each other’s company.<br />
There is something very special about the fellowship of writers. We are blessed to be able to enjoy it whenever two or<br />
more of us get together. Let us all look forward to seeing each other again at the Spring Conference in Manitowoc. #
<strong>Wisconsin</strong> Regional <strong>Writers</strong>’ <strong>Association</strong><br />
1408 Columbus St.<br />
Manitowoc, WI 54220-5602<br />
For and About <strong>Wisconsin</strong> <strong>Writers</strong><br />
President’s Message - Donald Schambow<br />
We need your help. But first, let<br />
us deviate to give thanks to the<br />
many people who contributed to<br />
the success of our Fall Conference<br />
and Jade Ring Contest. (Please see<br />
the detailed list of those deserving<br />
special thanks on page 29).<br />
We need your help. As successful<br />
as the Fall Conference and Jade<br />
Ring Contest were, let’s strive to<br />
increase participation in our conferences<br />
and contests. Every body, organism or organization<br />
that continues to grow and live depends upon each member’s<br />
essential contributions. Help us discover and implement<br />
changes that will encourage you and others to participate.<br />
Please share your suggestions with me, Board Members,<br />
someone. <strong>WRWA</strong> is your organization. You are a vital, invaluable,<br />
irreplaceable member. Nonparticipation lessens<br />
<strong>WRWA</strong>’s ability to reach its potential and jeopardizes its<br />
growth. Help us help you by making <strong>WRWA</strong> an even more<br />
effective and helpful organization, for you and for other<br />
members.<br />
Responding to members’ requests to hear/read winning<br />
entries in the Jade Ring Contest, we are assembling, printing,<br />
and distributing booklets containing winning entries from the<br />
2006 Contest. As we benefit from reading past issues of <strong>pub</strong>lications<br />
to which we plan to send submissions, it is also<br />
beneficial to read and study Jade Ring Contest winning entries.<br />
Due to editors’ differing interpretation of what <strong>pub</strong>lished/<br />
previously <strong>pub</strong>lished means, some winners opted not to have<br />
their entries included. The following have indicated their<br />
willingness to have their manuscripts included: Mickey<br />
Burgermeister, Nancy Bauer-King, John Friedell, Dorothy<br />
Lund, and Lou Roach – Article; Mary Farley, Sylvia Oberle,<br />
Nancy Schultz and Dee Trein-Jucius – Essay; Cathy Conger<br />
and Bill Ladewig – Juvenile; Lola Huber, Ramon Klitzke and<br />
Ruth Smith – Nostalgia; Margaret Been, John Campbell, and<br />
John Manesis – Poetry; and Rebecca Blemberg and Neela<br />
Suklhatme-Sheth – Short Story.<br />
The booklet will be an exquisite but economical 81/2 by<br />
11 paperback. Bill Heins is assembling and printing them.<br />
Nancy Rafal is designing a suitable cover. I have established<br />
a special bank account for the Jade Ring Booklet. If you<br />
choose to purchase a booklet for $10, please make out your<br />
check to Jade Ring Contest Booklet and mail to Don Schambow,<br />
18045 W. Crab Tree Lane, New Berlin 53146-2702 by<br />
December 30 th .<br />
To help keep our Web site current and relevant, I’m looking<br />
for volunteers to form a committee to identify deserving<br />
members and generate short articles recognizing their<br />
achievements for inclusion on the “Spotlight On Our Members”<br />
page of our Web site.<br />
Keep up the good writing and enjoy the holidays.<br />
Don