Kansas Writers Association

Travel writer Diana Lambdin Meyer, who was our speaker at January’s workshop, has just published her eBook, Life As A Freelance Writer. It’s available for download now at www.lulu.com/content/e-book/life-as-a-freelance-writer/6423686.

Description from Lulu.com: “How to get started as a freelance writer. This 38-page booklet gives insight to the life of a successful freelance writer, the characteristics and skills needed to be successful and some solid direction on what to do to earn extra income as a freelance writer, or launch a new career.”

“Words with Antonya Nelson” is a series of reading and writing events with this former Wichitan, author of Nothing Right. On the back cover of Nothing Right, she has received praise from Michael Chabon, Francine Prose, Dave Eggers, Raymond Carver, David Foster Wallace, The New York Times Book Review, and the Washington Post Book World, and we’re thrilled to offer the following events with Toni in April:

Thursday, April 2, 2009 - 7 p.m.
Antonya Nelson Reading & Book Signing. Join us as we welcome Antonya Nelson for a reading and signing of her newest book, Nothing Right. This event will take place at Watermark Books & Cafe and is free and open to all.

Friday, April 3, 2009 - Noon - 1:30 p.m.
Antonya Nelson Lunch with Writing Groups. Writers are invited to attend this luncheon where Antonya will give a talk on the creative process and life as a writer. Q & A will be included. This ticketed event will take place at Watermark Books & Cafe and will include lunch and a signed copy of Nothing Right.
Cost: $35. Call (316) 682-1181 to reserve your space.

Friday, April 3, 2009 - 2 p.m.
Nothing Right for Book Clubs. Antonya Nelson will visit with selected book clubs about Nothing Right and will give them insight to think about as they read the stories. Attendees will receive a signed copy of Nothing Right.
Cost: $25. Call Beth at (316) 682-1181 to sign up your book club.

Saturday, April 4, 2009 - 1 - 5 p.m.
Antonya Nelson Workshop for Writers. Writers are invited to attend this four-hour workshop which will include writing exercises, discussion of various issues of the craft, including generating material and “texturizing” it, with examples of the process from Toni’s work. This ticketed event will take place at Watermark Books & Cafe and will include a signed copy of Nothing Right.
Cost: $75. Call (316) 682-1181 to reserve your space.

Watermark Books & Cafe is at 4701 E. Douglas in Wichita. Visit their website at www.watermarkbooks.com

By Courtney Ruthven, KWA President

After being off the board for about two years, I held my first KWA Board Meeting on Saturday, January 10, and I cannot stress enough that KWA members have a great, energetic, intelligent, hard-working Board.

I know, I know, good writers do not use so many adjectives— but I cannot help it as they are all those things and more. The Board members are lively and full of ideas on ways to make KWA an even greater organization than you now have. The present Board members are not trying to upset things as they are. Nor does the Board want to change things for the sake of change. They only want to continue to improve our organization. The board members know that they are building upon the hard and innovative work of preceding boards. The other Board members and I thank the Board of 2008 and prior for laying the groundwork for what we know will be a productive year.

This year has been a year of change: the election of our first president with acknowledged African-American heritage, a change of administration, two wars, and another reoccurring war in the Middle East, and the economic downturn that no one saw coming.

I especially appreciate the board members and their work because we in KWA are, as are all other non-profit organizations, going to be dealing with the fallout from the recent economic downturn. Many of us have lived through past economic downturns, and we know that such times are, well, interesting, to say the least.

At this time, the people of the world may have been given the purported Chinese blessing/curse of “may you live in interesting times.” We do live in interesting times. Interesting times are uncertain and there are always struggles in such times. No one knows what is around the next corner, which is exciting and at least a little scary. What you meet could be good, or bad, or blah, but no matter what happens, it will be, well … interesting. I don’t know about you, but I am almost overwhelmed by the possibilities for writing — fiction, non-fiction, short stories, novels, poems, essays — in short, anything that can be written can be inspired by the times in which we live. So, as the good writers you are, I know that you will use the inspiration all around us and write, write, write.

Planning to buy some books this weekend? You can contribute to a good cause at the same time.

A book fair on Saturday will help restock the libraries of three Chapman, Kansas, schools that were destroyed in a June 2008 tornado. Just visit the Barnes and Noble at 1920 N. Rock Road in Bradley Fair this Saturday, Jan. 24, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Proceeds from the sales at the book fair will go to buy new books for the schools.

Please come out Saturday, Dec. 6, to support one of our newest members, Samuel Nze, at the signing of his poetry book. It will be at 4:30 p.m. at Unity Church of Wichita, 2160 N. Oliver, (316) 682.7511. The event is hosted by Ms. Wilma Moore-Black.

Samuel came to Wichita from Nigeria this fall to attend Wichita State University. Let’s all congratulate him on his publication!

The 2008 National Book Award winners were announced on Nov. 20. They are:

FICTION: Peter Matthiessen, Shadow Country
NON-FICTION: Annette Gordon-Reed, The Hemingses of Monticello: An American Family
POETRY: Mark Doty, Fire to Fire: New and Collected Poems
YOUNG PEOPLE’S LIT: Judy Blundell, What I Saw and How I Lied

Have you read any of the winning books, or other works by the winning authors? Share your comments below!

You can find interviews with the winners, lists of runners-up, and more on the National Book Foundation website.

Dear writing buddies,

Laurie Dove, Erin O’Donnell, Carolyn Erickson and I had a great time talking with you about freelance writing resources, providing recommendations, and answering questions. Each of us had a different path of experience to share and hopefully it gave those of you that attended lots of ideas on how to proceed.

On October 11, Lois Ruby and Dian Curtis Regan held a reading and book signing at Watermark Books and I had the pleasure of attending. Lois’ new book, The Secret of Laurel Oaks, is out and she shared a very interesting photograph of a tree with a knot hole that looks a lot like an ear. She promised we’d learn about that from the book. Obviously she was inspired.

Dian brought the artwork for her two newest books to share with the audience and that was really enjoyable to see. Monster Baby and Barnyard Slam look like they will be lots of great fun for kids to read or have read to them. I believe she said they will be out next spring.

I also had the pleasure of meeting another Kansas writer, Beverley Buller, the author of From Emporia: The Story of William Allen White. She’s a Library Media Specialist at Chisholm Middle School in Newton. I haven’t had a chance to read her book, but I did see it and it is a beautiful book with wonderful illustrations.

If you get an opportunity to attend a reading and book signing, you should! They are interesting and you meet the some of the best people. It’s also a good idea to see what they are all about in case you decide to write a novel and have it published.

Being a writer isn’t just about writing. It’s also about learning the craft as well as networking with other writers and industry professionals. Writing is a journey; don’t forget to enjoy it!

Write on my friends,

BD (Bonnie) Tharp

2008 KWA President

Humorist and NPR mainstay Sarah Vowell will be at the Orpheum Theater 7 p.m. Wednesday, October 22, for a talk, Q & A, and signing of her new book, The Wordy Shipmates. Tickets are free and available at Watermark , which is sponsoring the event. Be kind and make a donation to the Orpheum, though, for helping Watermark make room for the event, which is sure to have a big turnout.

According to the publisher, “The Wordy Shipmates is New York Times–bestselling author Sarah Vowell’s exploration of the Puritans and their journey to America to become the people of John Winthrop’s ‘city upon a hill’—a shining example, a ‘city that cannot be hid.’” Publishers Weekly says, “Gracefully interspersing her history lesson with personal anecdotes, Vowell offers reflections that are both amusing (colonial history lesson via The Brady Bunch) and tender (watching New Yorkers patiently waiting in line to donate blood after 9/11).”

Dear writing buddies,

Another month has passed and a lot of great things have occurred in my writing life. I think I’ve told most of you that my novel Feisty Family Values has found a publisher, Five Star Publishing, Expressions Line, which is a dream come true. I received my executed contract recently and the proposed publishing date is February 2010. That seems like a long time from now, but no doubt I’ll be kept busy with edits and marketing and promotional plans. I understand that a year (or even two) is not unreasonable or unexpected in the publishing world. To a writer it may seem like forever, but there is a lot to be done: artwork to be chosen for the cover, pre-publishing reviews, obtaining comments for the covers from notable writers (that one has me temporarily stumped), etc. We want to have a great product when it’s done, so why rush?

I recently finished a children’s story, inspired by my six-year-old grandson who was very dirty at the time, called What Grows In The Cracks. We had so much fun imagining what might be growing in all the dirt that I wrote a story that lends itself well to illustration. During my consultation at the KWA Agent’s Workshop I pitched it to Joanna Stampfel, and she is interested in seeing it.

If you didn’t make it to the workshop you missed a fabulous time. We learned a lot and laughed a lot, because frankly Janet Reid is a hoot. Learning about the business of writing is important, but having an agent makes it easier. You form a business partnership that is mutually beneficial to both the writer and the agent and ultimately the publisher. There’s a lot to know about contracts and rights, and frankly it would make it much easier to have an expert (agent) selling my work instead of me. I’d rather be writing. The query to the agent is the key. Write a good story, pitch it in the query to as many agents as you can who represent your genre, then pick the one that works well with you and is excited about your work. If they aren’t excited about your work it will be difficult for them to sell it. The query should be in the same voice as the story. It needs to show how you well you write and briefly describe your novel.

My intent here is not to discourage or brag, but to INSPIRE. If publishing is your goal, you can do it. A writers group is an integral part of the process that will help you improve your craft and write a story that will not only knock the socks off of an agent, but off the publishing and reading world as well. Make time for it. I work a full-time job and have a part-time job freelancing for two magazines on a regular basis. I also do web copy editing for a local business. I have a family, grandkids, a very messy house, and a hubby who likes to have meals besides grilled cheese and Ramen, and yet I still get some reading and writing done. (My Crock Pot® is my favorite kitchen gadget.) Sometimes it’s hard. I write and read during my lunch hour, after the dinner dishes are done, and if I’m having trouble sleeping. On weekends I run off to the bookstore or library for a couple of hours and hide with my laptop. I carry a notebook with me almost everywhere I go. I love writing, so I find time to write whenever I possibly can — and SO CAN YOU. I’m living proof it can be done. And don’t forget that KWA is a big part of my life, too. Being president is a joy, a challenge, and an honor. Being a KWA board member is the same. The new year is fast approaching and it is my hope that some of you newer members will step up and volunteer for board positions.

Being a writer in this busy world is a balancing act and a challenge, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. If I didn’t devote so much time to the craft I wouldn’t have improved enough to publish. I enter contests and I don’t always win, but I always learn something that makes me a better writer. I attend workshops and at least one writers’ conference a year. I go to author readings and book fests — why? Because I meet wonderful people, I learn, and it’s paying off. It’s like being a turtle. You can’t get anywhere unless you stick your neck out, and slow and steady will win the day. Don’t be afraid to stick your writing neck out, folks, it’s worth it.

Write on my friends,

BD (Bonnie) Tharp

2008 KWA President

Lois Ruby and Dian Curtis Regan will be signing and reading from their books at Watermark Books on Saturday, October 11, from 10:30 a.m. until noon.

Ruby, the author of Shanghai Shadows, will be signing her newest book, The Secret of Laurel Oaks. It’s a wonderfully spooky ghost story set in Louisiana’s past and present.

Regan, author of
Princess Nevermore and Cam’s Quest, is a Wichita resident and the writer of an extensive list of books for middle-school and younger readers, including Cyberpals According to Kaylee, Chance, and I Know God is Near.