From Anthologies to Interviews, There's Lots Brewing at Coffee and Critique:

Coffee and Critique, the critique group Lou Turner and I co-founded in 2007, has some exciting projects brewing.

Lou came up with the brilliant idea for our group to put together an anthology. Lou and I are serving as co-editors of this members-only anthology. We are looking for well crafted, critiqued, polished, and elegant unpublished short stories and essays of up to 2,500 words.  The C&C members' anthology will be published by High Hill Press, with a release date and book launch scheduled for late fall. Stay tuned for details.

My idea isn't quite as glamorous, but it's entertaining, informative, and a lot of fun. Beginning this month I will post my interviews with members of Coffee and Critique on the Coffee and Critique blog. The feature is called "Take Ten with Coffee and Critique."

Using a Q&A format, a selected member will respond to ten writing-related questions, plus one bonus question. It's a great way to get to know the remarkable members of C&C, as well as gain insight into their writing processes. The Take Ten feature will include member bios and links to their websites or blogs.

Earlier today I published my first Take Ten interview with Doyle Suit. If you get a chance, check out Doyle's interview.

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend.

Look for my review of "The Great Gatsby" movie next week.

Spring: A Time for Beginnings and Endings -- and Change

Spring; in nature it is a time for beginnings.

Weeks ago Momma Robin built a nest on our back porch.

The other day her eggs hatched.

Now, her hatchlings start their new lives and are eager to be fed.

Out front, our lilac bush has bloomed and shares its lovely fragrance every time we pass the front porch.

On the sides of the house, irises and roses are in bloom, adding color to our yard.

In our little family, spring is also a time for endings.

Today is my granddaughter's last day of high school. As she headed out the door this morning, I snapped photos to capture the moment.

After final exams this morning, her class will hold Senior Day, where they will have fun and games on the school's athletic field.

Today she will also turn in her soccer uniform and say goodbye to her team mates. I'm sure many tears will be shed.

It is a bittersweet time for her--and for us to see her grown up and prepare to leave our "nest" and head off for college at the end of the summer.

Her official graduation ceremony is a week from Saturday, and her graduation party is next month. Time to celebrate!

This is also my grandson's last week of elementary school. He graduates from eighth grade on Friday.

He is off school today and has an all-day field trip to Hannibal tomorrow, where I'm sure he will learn more about Mark Twain and Twain's famous fictional characters: Tom Sawyer, Becky Thatcher, and Huck Finn, to name a few.

On Friday my grandson has his class's Farewell Assembly. At the assembly, his class performs a dance number. That should be fun! 

While he's off of school today, I'm taking him and a couple friends to the movies to see "Iron Man 3."

While he and his friends are watching "Iron Man 3" in one room of the theater, my sister and I will be in another room watching "The Great Gatsby." I'm excited to see this latest version of the movie.

F. Scott Fitzgerald's book "The Great Gatsby" is considered by many to be "the great American novel."

The setting and characters are memorable, but the novel's last line, which is etched on the tombstone Fitzgerald and his wife Zelda share, is recognized as one of American literature's best: "So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past."

So, while spring is a time for beginnings, it's also a time for endings; it's a time to remember and celebrate the past and prepare for the future and the changes that lie ahead.

Happy Spring!

Can You Keep A Secret?

Last night I attended Senior Awards Night at my granddaughter's high school. Watching the seniors parade across the stage and be recognized for their awards was a long and happy occasion; a prelude to their graduation ceremony at the end of the month.

I was especially pleased when my granddaughter's name was announced, followed by the awards she has received, the biggest being the very generous Robert J. Trulaske Sr. Scholarship from the Trulaske School of Business at the University of Missouri.

The list of schools where graduates will attend was impressive. Most will go to colleges in Missouri. Others will be heading off to: Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Colorado, Texas, and California. Two will be studying in other countries. One will go to college in Canada; another in China.

What also was also impressive was the secret revealed by the school principal at the end of the ceremony.

When he asked, "Can you keep a secret?"

Students shouted, "No!"

He responded, "Well, I'm going to tell you anyway."

He continued, "The senior class of 2013 received offers totaling $4.6 million in scholarships."

The secret is: That amount is over $1 million more than the previous year's class.

But don't tell anyone, especially last year's graduates. It's a secret.

NPR's Three-Minute Fiction Contest Now Open - Finders Keepers

Finders Keepers: Round eleven of NPR's Three-Minute Fiction Contest is now open.

Guest judge is Karen Russell, author of Swamplandia!, Vampires in the Lemon Grove, and St. Lucy's Home for Girls Raised by Wolves.

Submissions for this edition of NPR's contest should be:

* An original short story

* No more than 600 words

* Can be read in about three minutes

* About a character who finds an object

* And has no intention of returning it

* Deadline is 11:59 p.m. EDT on Sunday, May 12

* One entry per person

Winner will receive signed copies of Russell's novels and have his or story published in The Paris Review.

Click here for more details.

Missouri Writers' Guild Winners Announced

Last Saturday at the MWG conference awards banquet, the names of the winners of the MWG annual contests were announced.

I wasn't able to attend the conference, but several thoughtful and kind-hearted writing friends notified me via social media that my name had been called Saturday night.

Now that the official results have been posted on the MWG website I can announce my winnings:

1st Place "The Magic of Writing" - Blog Post, sponsored by Whispering Prairie Press 

2nd Place "Wisdom in Ruby Red" - Second Chance Essay, sponsored by the Writer's Society of Jefferson County

 

3rd Place "Sweet Memories" - Inspirational Essay, sponsored by Saturday Writers

 

I'm always pleased and excited to have my work recognized, and I'm thrilled that so many of my writing friends were among the winners whose works were also given awards.

 

Here's a partial list of the winners:

 

Coffee and Critique group members and blogger buddies who took home prizes are: Janet Bettag, Margo Dill, Sylvia Forbes, Marcia Gaye, Jennifer Hashieder, Claudia Mundell, Alice Muschany, Sheree Nielsen, Linda O'Connell, Sarah Patsaros, Doyle Suit, and Jack Zerr.

 

Also winning first place was the Saturday Writers Cuivre River Anthology, which took home the top prize in the Best Anthology category, sponsored by Blank Slate Press.

 

To view the complete list of winners and to see a photo of MWG President Steve Wiegenstein with the winners who were on hand to accept their awards, click on the links above.

Congratulations to all the winners, and a special thanks to the chapters and groups who sponsored contests.

 

 

Thoughts on Writing: Writing with Joy

This past weekend I had the privilege of attending a mini-retreat at my parish on “Serving with Joy,” led by Father Don Wester.

 

In addition to being pastor of All Saints, Father Wester teaches homiletics (aka the art of preaching) and was one of nine American religious leaders recently interviewed by Time Magazine online in the aftermath of the terror attack at the Boston Marathon. You can read his comments on preaching about hope amid disaster here.

             While the retreat lasted only a few hours, one thing Father stressed that stuck with me was: “Don’t let the simplicity of this day diminish the importance of it.”

             Much of what was shared during the retreat about serving with joy also applies to writing with joy.

 

              Some of the most memorable and moving words in history are simple and concise, yet powerful. “Let them eat cake.” “Jesus wept.” Blaise Pascal’s famous quote, which is often attributed to others: “I would’ve written a shorter letter if I had more time.” One slim and simple, yet indispensable, book on writing advice is Elements of Style by Strunk and White.  

             During the retreat we were reminded that we are the custodians of our own joy. As writers, we are custodians of our words.

             We were asked to reflect on what robs us of joy. As writers, criticism, self-doubt, and worry about what others might think about what we write can rob us of the joy of writing.

            Other reflections that hit close to home are “we learn something from our suffering. Compassion comes from our deepest suffering, and joy takes the shape of compassion.” We’ve heard stories about how writers suffer for their art. While that may be true for some, I believe that as writers we learn a great deal about ourselves through our writing.

             We were reminded that we are God’s masterpiece, his work of art. As writers, we create our own masterpieces with our words.

 

             Although my family and friends give me the most joy in my life, when I was asked during the retreat what gives me joy, I mentioned my writing.

             At the conclusion of the retreat, Father read to us Philippians 4:4-9. What touched me from that passage is: “. . . Rejoice. Let your gentleness be known to everyone. . . Do not worry about anything . . . Keep on doing things that you have learned and received and heard and seen in me . . .”

             I plan to keep writing and try not to worry about my own self-doubts or the criticism of others. In essence I hope to capture the joy that writing gives to me by sharing that joy with others through my words.            

 

            How about you? How do you find joy in your writing? 

See What's Brewing at Coffee and Critique

Today I posted news about my weekly critique group, Coffee and Critique.

Pop on over to the C&C blog to see what's brewing with the writers there.