Joyce Long loves to write about life. She writes about her puppet, Zorts, and her challenges in life. She has been a member of Kansas Authors Club for many years. She has served as president of District 3 and helped get the writers group in Cherryvale started. She has served on several convention committees.

Mike Graves has been a member of Kansas Authors Club since 2011, active in the District 2, Emporia area writing group, where he gave local writers a taste of author Jim Harrison and collaborated with Tracy Simmons and Kevin Rabas on their group novel Green Bike. During this time, he went from talking about the novel he'd been working on, to publishing what became his first Pete Stone book, To Leave A Shadow, with Meadowlark, where it won multiple awards. 
 
Mike has served KAC as Prose Contest Manager in 2016 and 2019, and made himself of service in many other ways, including stepping in to assist with the prose awards at the 2018 convention when the contest manager was unable to attend.  

Mike has a well-seasoned, well-pitched storytelling voice, and draws from a deep well of historical and personal anecdotes from his life. His presentations on writing the Pete Stone mysteries at the KAC convention in 2018 were insightful and enriching, and left participants thinking of the author himself as the kind of character you'd read about in one of his stories. Along with storytelling, Mike has many other qualities that bear mentioning in the line of duty: commiserating with the right amount of wisdom to win over self-pity, and bearing with all kinds of work while maintaining an attitude of being smitten with the prospect of doing so, were two that made him a most agreeable, enjoyable, thoroughly competent professional writer to have connected with the KAC and Emporia writing groups. Mike used his well-honed skills to corral judges and contest chairs alike for the KAC Literary Contests, as well as to care about the details both behind the scenes and at the front of the awards presentations, handling both with finesse and a touch of Pete Stone class. His devotion to his wife Monica and his family are touchstones to his work, and his empathy extended to the authors submitting to the Prose Contest, expressing itself in disappointment at not being able to read every entry before the judges did. What he has in spades, however, is a quality of kindness that makes him resonate with the uniquely human experience of stories, that makes how he writes and shares the world a uniquely Mike Graves experience, and that reaches out to readers, colleagues, and community alike who receive his works and get to know him better in person.  

Nominated by: Wendy Devilbiss, D2,
​and Tracy Million Simmons, D2

Nancy Julien Kopp

Nancy joined Kansas Authors Club in 1999 and has been an active member of District 4 serving as secretary/ treasurer, president, and convention coordinator in various years. Nancy has been a frequent convention presenter of workshops and she maintains a blog, “Writer Granny's World,” where she posts daily columns filled with advice and tips for writers. Nancy also fills the role of contributor on the Kansas Authors Club Facebook page.

Nominated by Tracy Million Simmons, D2

Nancy Julien Kopp exemplifies Service, Achievement and Special Accomplishment. Any of the three awards would be appropriate. Her service to the writing community—and the Kansas Authors Club specifically—can be seen on a day-to-day basis via the encourage she gives to writers in her daily blog, WRITERGRANNYSWORLD.BLOGSPOT.COM which she generously shares through postings on the Kansas Authors Club Facebook page. In Manhattan, she will step in on a moment’s notice to moderate the Prairie Star Writing Group which meets at Meadowlark Hills. She is the KAC District 4 “Go-To” person when it comes to organizing district meetings and state conventions and she adds a graciousness to those events. When called upon to moderate a meeting or a banquet, she does so with kind efficiency, having put a lot of thought into the needs of the people producing and attending those events. She served as KAC District 4 President in 2014 and 2015 and as Treasurer in 2012 and 2013. She was Convention Coordinator in 2018, the year District 4 hosted the annual KAC convention. She has shared her writing expertise repeatedly by putting on workshops at numerous Kansas Authors Club conventions. And she has shown thoughtful consideration of various issues affecting the Kansas Authors Club.  She exemplifies service.

She leads by example. She writes and she writes and she writes. And she shares her writing. In addition to blogging since 2007, she has had pieces published in 22 Chicken Soup for the Soul books. She has won numerous KAC writing awards and was honored as Prose of Writer of the Year in 2013. It is time to honor Nancy Julien Kopp for her service and her many accomplishments, which is why I am nominating her for the 2019 Service Award and suggesting that she is a person to consider for the Achievement and Special Accomplishment Awards as well.

Nominated by: Kristine A. Polansky, D4

An accomplished journalist, award-winning poet and writer define my nomination of Ronda Miller for the Achievement Award. Not only successful in her own endeavors, she is an avid peer supporter for all genres as well. Ronda is the first to volunteer and serves as a dedicated leader for KAC. proving that if you want something done, ask a busy person to do it. 

Nominated by Vicki Julian, D2

Nancy Julien Kopp, District 4 member, has been blogging about writing for 10 years! Her posts are full of great advice and encouragement for writers. You may sign up to receive emails when Nancy updates or become a "follower" of her blog, https://writergrannysworld.blogspot.com/

Congratulations to D5 member, Robert L. Dean, whose ephrastic work "Aftermath" was posted at the Ekphrastic Review, with art by Steven Schroeder. Dean was also notified that Lorette C. Luzajic, editor at the Ekphrastic Review, nominated his piece, "Metal Man," posted on ER earlier this year, and written to a photo of my paternal grandfather in my collection, for the Best of the Net. This was his first such nomination!

Clare MacQueen at KYSO Flash also nominated Dean's poem "Windmill," written to a wonderful painting by Steven Schroeder, for Best of the Net. 

Each year, writers from across the state gather for the Kansas Authors Club convention. Members enjoy a variety of writing workshops, give and get accolades for a year of writing, and enjoy the fellowship of creative friends and neighbors. Join us October 4-6 in Wichita!

Kenneth Edward Peery and his wife, Doris, were KAC D1 members for several years. Kenneth passed away on Saturday, August 10, 2019, at the age of 93. 

Carol Yoho (D1) shared the following news item about the Peery's from an August 2011 Kansas Authors Club meeting: 

Ken and Doris Peery, District 1, Topeka, shared work they'd helped publish by Ken's cousin, Maury Pierson, who was a Topeka artist, ship modeler, salesman, and closet writer. Having no children, Maury shared a small box of his writings with Ken, expressing the hope that someday they might be published. Ken and Doris worked on the booklet, hoping to publish before Maury's passing but he died in July, 2008. The keyboarding was made difficult by frequent bouts of laughter. When completed, the book was bound with a spiral binding and titled "Wit and Philosophy" by "an old curmudgeon" Maury Pierson. Copies were mailed to Maury's living cousins. Ken and Doris read selected portions of his writings.

Link to Kenneth's Obituary (Legacy.com)

Ralph W. Dagenais was a District 5 member of Kansas Authors Club who long played an active role in both district and state leadership. After joining KAC in 1992, he served as State Financial Secretary from 1993-2001. He also served several terms as district secretary and state contest chair.

Ralph helped secure the first KAC website in 1995, housed on the KU Department of History website. Ralph, along with wife, Julia (KAC President from 1992-xxx), and son, John, acted as webmaster for this site.

In 1995, Ralph received a service award for his many roles in Kansas Authors Club. He was recognized as a 20 year member in 2013.

In his last correspondence with the current Financial Secretary, Tracy Million Simmons, he stated (via Facebook message) that at 95 years of age, he was retiring his membership with Kansas Authors Club. He enjoyed his many years of active participation with the club and valued the friends and supporters he had gained there.

Ralph wrote memoir, non-fiction, and technical writing.

His obituary can be found here.
_______________________________

Members are invited to submit memories and details of Ralph's work with KAC. Please send in an email to Tracy.

In an attempt to improve our ability to write with clarity and communicate convincingly with our fellow authors, as well as our readers, I am posting the following challenge to all members of KANSAS AUTHORS CLUB. (I plan to learn a great deal from your responses to my challenge.)

Please take into consideration that all excellent definitions of concepts contain both a genus and differentia, when you compose and send me your own definition of the concept, “IRONY.” Also, include your best written examples of: (1) verbal irony (2) situational irony and (3) dramatic irony. All entries must be sent to my email box, randfan@cox.net by August 31, 2019 at midnight.

I will judge the Kansas Authors Club members entries and award the winner of this exercise with a plaque at our Kansas Authors Club, monthly meeting at Larksfield Place, 7373 E. 29th, Wichita, KS, 67226 on September 14, 2019 at 1:30 pm. (For out of towners, I will give the winner of the award their plaque at the Convention in Wichita on October 4-6, 2019 if they can’t come to town on 9-14-19.)

PLEASE SHOW ME YOUR INGENUITY AND WRITING SKILLS CONFINED TO ONE 8”x10” PAGE!

Don Marler (District V)

Updated 8/3/2019

Dan Close is an associate professor in the Elliott School of Communication at Wichita State. He has taught many forms of journalism for 30 years and presented at conferences nationwide. Close was a reporter and editor at The Wichita Eagle and other newspapers for a dozen years. He is the winner of national and regional awards for writing and reporting. Close covered multiple homicides, F-5 tornadoes, race riots, union strikes, plane crashes, ice storms, flooding, the homeless, the elderly, and the mentally ill. He has interviewed four presidents and many music celebrities. He has been editorial consultant or editor for three books, including Bind, Torture, Kill: The Inside Story of the Serial Killer Next Door [HarperCollins, 2007].

At the 2019 KAC convention in Wichita, Close will offer a seminar on Interviewing Celebrities--Great and Small.

Ever need to talk to an soldier accused of murder (they confessed in front of their lawyer), global rock stars (they shared their beer and drugs) or any number of U.S. presidents (results may vary)? How about dealing with slippery politicians, striking meatpackers, venomous Hollywood movie stars, or a small-town arsonist who burned down the only school in town? Learn from a journalist with decades of experience interviewing and researching the good, bad and pitiful. Plenty of tips and handouts on asking the right questions, cold-calling, death-knocks, weaseling your way backstage, and getting to the truth—including when to ask the “Did you kill your wife?” question.

Contact Close at dan.close@wichita.edu
​
http://www.KansasAuthors.org

Like us on Facebook: Kansas Authors Club
​
Hotel information:
KS Authors Club

Register for the convention today!
Click here! Early Registration Deadline (with discount) is due postmarked by August 1, 2019. You may also pay online.

Separate reservations for the hotel should be made as soon as possible. You can reserve online by clicking this link: KS Authors Club

​Or call the hotel directly. Mention Kansas Authors Club for convention pricing of $94 nightly. Holiday Inn, 550 S. Rock Road, Wichita, KS 67207 - Phone: 316-686-7131

Review this page for more convention details.

Ken Ohm, long time member of District 1, Kansas Authors Club, has earned The Kansas Notable Book Award for 2019 for his recently published novel, Brown Enough. Ohm’s book is available in all 377 Kansas public libraries, as well as from Amazon and selected retail outlets across the area - 
Flinthillsstories.com, or direct from the author: Ken.ohm@hotmail.com.



​Brown Enough: A Tale of a Mixed-Race Baseball Team Summer of ’56, by Ken Ohm (Topeka)

​Part historical fiction, part memoir, this novel takes place in the summer of 1956 in a small town in the mid-west. It is based on a true story of the social and athletic achievements of an eleven-man mixed-race baseball team, seven African-American, three Hispanics, and one Caucasian. Under the leadership of an aging charismatic African-American manager, the Brown Bombers tolerate the nearness of racism as part of the price they pay for the privilege of playing the game they love. The game itself offers a comforting quiet apart from the daily lives of this diverse group of young men. With a “magic” bat, a lucky arrowhead and an expanding fan base, the Bombers ultimately achieve a success beyond expectations.

The complete list of Kansas Notable titles for 2019 can be found here.

During each cluster of classes a panel of presenters will share different topics with ample time for taking questions. Want to learn more about blogging? Don’t miss the blogger panel Saturday morning. What about the rehabilitative power of poetry? Come learn about the poetry program at the Douglas County jail Saturday afternoon. Have you submitted your books to a previous contest only to watch another writer receive the award? Sunday morning learn tips from past winners about what they think helped their writing.
There will be workshops for everyone. Are you interested in research techniques for historical novels or biographical tales? Don’t miss Michael Graves, HB Berlow, or David Nichols.
Are you working on a memoir? Mike Hartnett will share his journey writing a memoir in his workshop.
What about historical romance? Check out Tracy Edingfield.
Suspense novels or thrillers? Paul Bishop, Curt Bohling, HB Berlow, Mike Graves and Tracy Edingfield.
Interested in juvenile or YA writing? Don’t miss Clare Vanderpool, Claire Caterer or Tracy Dunn.
Are you a poet at heart? April Pameticky, Kevin Rabas, Ronda Miller and Diane Wahto.
Journalism? Dan Close
All workshops are open to writers of all ages and all genres, with presenters sharing ideas that could be applied to any writing effort. Each workshop possesses appeal for every one of us.
Registration for this fantastic writing convention is now open.
Details: http://kansasauthors.org.
Hotel reservations: KS Authors Club
We hope to see you in October in Wichita!

A special opportunity for a few lucky registrants will be a one-on-one conference with Paul to get feedback on the first pages of their current work-in-progress.
Join Clare Vanderpool, Wichita’s own Newbery Award-winning author, for a special catered lunch on Saturday as she reminisces about the special books throughout her life.

Tickets for this lunch are available with registration.
A special opportunity for poet members of KAC will be the juried poetry/music event on Saturday morning, Rhythm-A-Ning: A Poetry & Music Event. Poets will read their poems through once while two accompanying musicians and the audience listen; then the same poem will be read through again with the two musicians improvising to the poem. This will result in a spontaneous ekphrastic experience for all; poets, musicians, and audience. Join us in this unique auditory experience! The accompanying musicians are Bill Glenn on percussion and Seth Carrithers on acoustic bass, two well-known Wichita improvisatory musicians.
Poetry selection for this event is via a blinded juried submission process. It is open only to KAC members (statewide or out of state) who will be attending the convention. Your submission is your guarantee you will be in attendance. Though the selection is by juried submission, this is not a contest. No prizes are awarded (except you get to participate!) and a rejection does not reflect on the quality of the submitted work, but rather what works best for the program. Deadline for submission to this exciting opportunity is July 15. Don’t wait too long!
For complete details: http://kansasauthorsclub.weebly.com/news-for-all-members/rhythm-a-ning-a-poetry-music-event
Of course there will be the awards presentations. Youth awards are scheduled on Saturday afternoon, and adult awards are split between the Saturday banquet and the Sunday luncheon.
Another first for KAC is a trolley tour sponsored by the city of Wichita.

Dear Members,

Please take a moment to submit your nominations for Awards of Merit. The deadline is July 1, 2019. Details (and nominating form) are on the 3rd to last page of your 2019 yearbook, or you can submit as detailed below. 

Awards for achievement in writing, service to Kansas Authors Club, or a special accomplishment are presented to deserving Kansas Authors Club members at the Annual Conference. Nominations should be sent no later than July 1st of the year to be considered. Forms may be sent either by e-mail or by regular postal mail. Award winners will be selected by ballot by a committee of Kansas Authors Club members chosen by the Awards Chair. The Awards Chair will present the names of those members nominated to a selection committee before reporting final results to the KAC board as soon as possible after the deadline for nomination.

Please give careful consideration to your reasons why the nominee is worthy of an award and list them below. If this person is to be considered for the achievement in writing award, then please list publications of the person’s writing, either published and/or self-published. For the service award, list what services were done both on the district and state level, how long the person held an office, etc. For the special accomplishment award, list when, where, and what this was, and describe the accomplishment. You may add more details on attached pages. Contact the  Awards Chair if you have questions. Nominations may be made by any individual member of the Kansas Authors Club, by a group or a district.

I nominate (full name) ________________________________

District ____

for an award in (circle one) Service, Achievement, or Special Accomplishment. 

The reasons I feel this person is worthy of this award are:
_______________________________

Nominated by: ____________________

Send completed form to:
Diane Wahto
KAC Awards Chair
1912 Park Place
Wichita, KS 67203

or email.

Norm Ledgin was an active member of Kansas Authors Club, District 2, from 2007 to 2019. 

Norm was the author of the following books:

Asperger's and Self-Esteem: Insight and Hope through Famous Role Models (with Temple Grandin)

Diagnosing Jefferson

Sally of Monticello, Founding Mother (a novel)

The Jayhawker, a novel

Heart Deco, a novel

Disharmony, A Sally Freberg Mystery 
Link to Obituary.

Norm on Wikipedia​

Norm's Amazon Page