We inform, support, encourage & promote writers
We’re so proud of KWA member Joyce Markley for making the front page of East Wichita News! Check out the April issue here. The newspaper’s story is about Joyce’s collaboration with Ken Gale to create the musical Save Me a Dance, inspired by the statue of a little girl seen in Wichita’s Maple Grove Cemetery….
I sat at my mother’s kitchen table, surrounded by loved ones. We spent the afternoon sharing memories from their childhood, about growing up in a small town in Missouri. The only thing that interrupted this enjoyable visit was when I had to turn over the tape. I was doing research on a story. Good and…
There is an urban legend that the great German-born inventor, Albert Einstein, dreamed up his Special Theory of Relativity while riding his bicycle in circles, arms crossed, as he smoked his pipe. It was said that this was his favorite way to ponder a problem. While most regard Einstein as a scientific or mathematical…
When Joshua led his troops before the walls of Jericho, they first prepared. The soldiers made ready for battle by girding their loins and shouldering weapons. Writers can arm themselves with their own weapons of war, as they face the battle of the page. From the humble mechanical pen to the latest computer application, wordsmiths…
Former KWA member and celebrated Wichita writer and artist Irma Wassall passed away Jan. 26, 2012. You can view her complete obituary at Kansas.com. A celebration of her life is set for Feb. 5 at Piccadilly (see obituary for details). Irma clearly had a tremendous influence on Wichita’s arts community. Do you have memories of…
We’ve talked before about the voices in your head suddenly going silent. But what if they stay that way? You’re stuck. A deadline is looming ever closer and there’s nothing on the paper but lint. Writer’s block is a familiar, albeit dreaded term that every wordsmith knows. The holidays and all their hubbub are over….
Bonnie Myrick and Hazel Hart’s new vlog — that’s short for “video blog” — Keyhole Conversations puts a new twist on the author interview. You won’t meet the author exactly. This is a fun way to give voice and characterization to main characters as they talk about the book, and their authors, from the character’s…
“You look ravishing tonight,” Marco breathed into the dark-haired beauty’s ear as he led her to the dance floor. The exotic sound of a tango filled the room and the couple embraced in a passionate dance. While the first paragraph of this essay evokes romance and seduction, the emotion that a reader wants from…
It arrived in your email box yesterday. You’ve read it 20 times since then, and still can’t believe someone would say such hurtful things about your story. Receiving a bad review is not lethal, but it sure can gut your confidence like a fisherman with a striped bass. First, if bad reviews send you into…
“It seems like yesterday when we sent Junior off to kindergarten, and now he’s starting college!” “There, there, Marge, think of the bright side. Now we can put a hot tub in his room.” Like parents sending their child off to college, writers must release their work for scrutiny and possible publication. Not unlike parents,…