2009 Spring - Wisconsin Writers Association

Page 8Fox Valley Writers’ Club: Marian Athens, Reporter mathens@juno.com, Appleton, WISee the club’s web site at http://www.focol.org/foxvalleywriters/The Fox Valley Writers Club has had an active winter in spite of the Alaskan type weather. The Curtis Brown writingcontest has announced its winners for this year. This contest is open to members and the public.This year's topic was, “If you were to interviewed on public television, who would you like to interview you and whatquestions would you like to be asked?” The winners were: First place: Raisa M. Ramos, “What's Baby Thinking?”Second place: Vic LeClair, “Bean Bag.” Third place: Judy Verhoven, “Shirt Tails.” The second and third place winnersare members of FVWC.Earl Gates - The Post Crescent Community Commentary - essay - February 1st, 2009 edition.Vic LeClair’s new book, Vesuvious, is now available.The topic for our annual Shirley Lee Contest is “I Should Have Grown UP In The Gay Nineties.” This contest isopen to members only. Winners will be announced in May.Bill Bright - Article regarding Lions Club missions to Mexico in the Lion’s Paper and in the Greenville Newsletter.Jessica Beckencorf - “How Can I Forget?” in The Lutheran Message. #Writers Ink of Cudahy and Milwaukee: L. A. VanVeghel vanveghell@msn.com5557 S. Disch Ave., Cudahy, WI 53207 www.writersink.writernetwork.comWe’ve picked up some new members, and this is terrific.This adds additional perspectives, ideas and positive critiques.Our club knows the value of good critiques, since in our approximate30 years of existence; our writers have sold a vastnumber of manuscripts.Chris Peppas is in mid-season form, and baseball springtraining has just started. His work is increasingly seeing print.Our vice-president has a piece, “A Whole New Life,” on theFroedert Hospital Web site. Healthy Thoughts magazine isusing his essay on aging. This piece used the general idea ofthe aforementioned piece, and it shows how writers, by usingsome thought, can do more than just one piece on a topic. Peppasis preparing a passel of poems for the upcoming WritersDigest contest.Barbara Robish has finally been able to unearth her writing.She had been using the desk for box storage space aftermoving. Besides being the person who arranges our speakerdates, Robish has had a poem published in The WashingtonIsland Observer. Anyone who would like to speak to our clubcan contact Robish at hollandam85@hotmail.com.Gail Toerpe, our president (for life), has had seven articlesand two photos in The Washington Island Observer. Toerpejoined Writers Ink many years ago, and she had not sold anything.To show the effectiveness of our club, Toerpe now isthe owner and editor of The Washington Island Observernewspaper. Toerpe has recently portrayed her civil war“Molly” character in a presentation to the DAR. Toerpe wrotethis play that shows how the ladies who followed the soldiershad helped them throughout the war. Our president is also thenewsletter editor for the Oak Creek Historical Society, and shehas recently submitted an article to Acorn magazine.L.A. Van Veghel, aka Larry, is also the publicist for WritersInk. In the latter capacity, he’s sent numerous press releasesregarding club speaker meetings. He does the same forthe Wisconsin Fishing Club, Ltd., http://www.wisconsinfishingclub.com/ as their media director, andagain does the same as the secretary and media director of thestatewide Wisconsin Council of Sport Fishing Organizations,WCSFO. Regarding the latter, he’s had a recent article on theWCSFO blog, “Writer’s Ink – Spring 2009.doc.” He also hasan article in On Wisconsin Outdoors. He’s working on twobooks. One book is a collection of blonde jokes, and the secondis a Fishing Glossary covering fishing, equipment, river,lake and biological terms. He’s currently working on a bookreview piece for the WCSFO blog site. His new, personal blogis at http://anglerwriter.spaces.live.com/blog/. Larry is stayingactive despite having just gone through colon cancer and gallbladder surgery, and he undergoing chemo.Celia Koch, our secretary, treasurer and archivist, provesthat it is great to remain active as a senior. We appreciate allshe has stepped in and is doing for our club. Koch is workingon revisions of her latest article, and she hopes to have itready for submission to the Al Nelson WRWA contest.Stoy Jovic, a new member, is working on a book, plus he’srevising his latest writings. He already is fitting into our clubas though he’s been a member for a much longer time.Jason Waltz remains super busy as an editor, publisher andwriter. He will have a story in an upcoming anthology.Adolfo Perez is a recent new member, and he’s alreadyabout 90% through the writing on his first book. Said a clubmember who looked over what Perez has written, “He writesreal life stuff.” Perez knows how the book will end, but he’salso refining this ending.WRWA president, Robin Butler was our speaker at theFebruary 19, 2009 meeting. As expected, he did an outstandingjob both on his topic and on fielding questions regardingthe everyday activities and upcoming events ofWRWA. #