CCMWG's Write Direction Conference 2014

The Columbia Chapter of the Missouri Writers' Guild will hold its annual  "Write Direction" conference on Saturday, October 18, 2014, from 8:30-4:00 at the Unity Center, 1600 W. Broadway in Columbia, MO. 

Early-bird registration (by Sep 26) is only $35 for CCMWG members and $40 for non-members. 

Registration includes:

* Choice of break-out sessions,

* Sales/exhibition space in author’s hall,

* Breakfast snacks, lunch, afternoon tea

Keynote speaker Terry Allen will talk about "Writing Dialogue" and "Writing in Shadows and Fog." Dr. Allen is Professor Emeritus of Theatre Arts from the University of Wisconsin – Eau Claire who taught courses in playwriting, directing, acting, stage movement, theatre history, theatre of the Holocaust, and American cinema for thirty-four years. 

Alan Proctor: "Submitting your Poetry: What Poetry Editors Want." Alan Proctor is a poetry editor for Kansas City Voices, a former humor columnist, tree surgeon, Vice President of a public university and classical guitarist. 

Mary Horner: "Write like a pro to sell your nonfiction writing." Mary is the author of Strengthen Your Nonfiction Writing, a guide to help you write like a professional. She teaches communications at St. Louis and St. Charles Community Colleges. 

Linda Rodriguez: "Riding the Tiger: Writing and Publishing Novels with a Big Five Publisher in a Chaotic Time of Transition."  Linda Rodriguez’s third Skeet Bannion novel, Every Hidden Fear (St. Martin’s/Minotaur), will be published May 5, 2014. 

Mary-Lane Kamberg: “What’s So Funny?” Put your sense of humor on paper. Her workshop includes practical advice for using humor in poetry and following the narrative form for humorous essays. Mary is a professional writer with more than twenty years’ experience. She is the author of 27 books. Her articles have appeared in Better Homes and Gardens, Marriage and Family Living, Christian Science Monitor, Healthy Kids and many others.

Gerado Mena:  "Unleashing your Inner Voice." His workshop includes generating material, sifting, and creating poems using modern structural techniques. War Poetry: (Closing Session) Iraq.  In this workshop he will read from his poetry book The Shape of Our Faces No Longer Matters and will share his journey from a head full of bad memories to a book of war poems. Gerardo Mena is a decorated Iraqi Freedom veteran. He spent six years in Spec Ops with the Reconnaissance Marines and was awarded a Navy Achievement Medal with a V for Valor for multiple acts of bravery.  His poetry and essays have appeared in The New York Times, Ploughshares, Best New Poets 2011, Ninth Letter, and elsewhere.

For complete details, visit the CCMWG site.

Why I Watch C-SPAN's Book TV: Brad Metzler, Gina Kolata, et al

Most weekends you'll find me tuned in to C-SPAN's Book TV to see what's going on with top nonfiction authors and books. I admit; it's an obsession. Usually I wait until my family is otherwise engaged so I won't have to listen to their groans or comments like, "Oh, no. She's at it again."

Actually, I'm used to their teasing, and on occasion you might even find one of them on the couch watching along with me.

Where else but Book TV can you watch Brad Metzler, best-selling thriller author and host of History's "Decoder" series, give a passionate talk to a group of children about stories, books, and writing?

In addition to being a thriller writer, Metzler is also author of a series of children's books about ordinary people who changed the world and who bring out "the greatness of us all." Two books in his children's series are I Am Amelia Earhart and I Am Abraham Lincoln.

Yesterday, after being asked why he became a writer, Metzler contrasted the wrong and the right reasons for becoming a writer -- "the wrong reason is to achieve fame; the right reason is to tell stories." He went on to describe books as "the houses that he builds with his own hands" and great stories as "what could happen, not what did happen." He also thanked the adult readers present, and in Book TV land, for buying his thrillers because their support helps him write children's books. His words were humorous, humble, and inspiring.

Yesterday I also caught a rebroadcast of Brian Lamb's 2000 interview with author and journalist Gina Kolata on her book "Flu," about the 1918 great flu pandemic. Although the interview is 14-years old, it's still informative and fascinating.

Although I had heard about the 1918 flu pandemic before, yesterday I learned a lot of the details. It was the worst infectious disease in recorded history, with estimates of between 20 million-100 million deaths, and more than 99% of the people who died under age 65. Here's something to keep you up at night: Scientists believe it's not a question of if, but when, a flu like this will spread again.

What also made Kolata's talk about her "Flu" book interesting was it was more than facts and figures--there's the mystery of the search for the virus that caused the flu. Kolata mentioned visiting the U.S. Government's military warehouse (started by Abraham Lincoln) in Maryland where tissue samples and medical records are housed. Who knew this place existed?

The most emotional part of the interview was Kolata's reading of Thomas Wolfe's moving description of his brother Ben's death from the flu. Reportedly, his brother's death was Wolf's inspiration for "Look Homeward Angel."

She also spoke candidly about the competition to find viable tissue samples for research. One small group of dedicated scientists searched without fanfare and at personal expense. Another group, led by a female Canadian geographer, solicited and obtained millions from the U.S. government and corporate donations, and she was accompanied by a mob of media.

Can you guess which group was more successful?

Here's a hint: The contrasting approaches by the two groups of scientists reminded me of Brad Metzler's remark about the right and wrong reasons for writing. For both dedicated writers and dedicated scientists -- being successful is not about being famous.

I'll step off my soapbox now and get back other reasons why I think Book TV is so great: If I'm not able to watch on the weekend, I can catch up anytime on what I missed by watching a Podcast. And the Authors on Writing series is one of my favorite Book TV features.

Green River Writers and Springfield Writers' Guild Seeking Contest Submissions

Now that summer is winding down and my teenage grandchildren will be heading off to school next week, I'm hoping to write more and -- if time permits while working on my novel and preparing for speaking engagements this fall -- submit to writing contests. 

Here are announcements from two writing organizations which have sent me their contest guidelines and asked me to share the guidelines with other writers. 

Both organizations have categories open to non-members.

The first is Green River Writers. According to their website, Green River Writers is, "a non-profit organization founded in Kentucky in 1984 to support writers through education, promotion and fellowship."

Here is a link to Green River Writer  contest guidelines. The deadline for submissions for the Green River Writers Contests is August 15 August 31. Contest categories are mostly poetry, but there are fiction and non-fiction categories as well.

The second is Springfield Writers' Guild, a chapter of the Missouri Writers' Guild. The deadline for submission to the SWG annual contest is September 15. Here are guidelines for the SWG contests, which has contest categories for poetry, fiction, and non-fiction.

Good luck if you submit!

How I Spent Five Dollars and Learned How to Write an Instant Essay

Last Saturday, I spent five dollars and made a great investment in my writing career.  

My friend Lou Turner and I drove across the Missouri River to attend the St. Louis Writers Guild workshop "Write an Essay, Right Here, Right Now " by Catherine Rankovic. We met up with several other writing friends from Coffee and Critique and Saturday Writers who attended as well.

SLWG only charges $5 for non-members to attend their monthly workshops, and it was money well spent.

Rankovic is an award-winning writer who teaches creative nonfiction and poetry workshops in the online MFA program at Lindenwood University. She also is a professional manuscript editor whose website can be found at  www.BookEval.com

At the beginning of the workshop I felt like a student back in college, trying to soak up knowledge from a favorite teacher. Catherine's teaching approach was direct and low-key. I took pages of notes because just about everything she had to say about creative nonfiction was interesting or fresh.

 

Here are a few notes I jotted down about Creative Nonfiction:

Includes: personal essays, memoir, literary journalism, essays, and narrative nonfiction.

Most people think of personal essays – about writer’s life or experience

 Or Memoir – delimited chunk of memory, a place you remember, dealing with the past

Creative nonfiction is the most publishable genre.

Called the 4^th genre (poetry, fiction, drama, creative nonfiction)

Uses techniques belonging to other genres (poetry/fiction), such as similes, metaphors, characterization, suspense, describe the five senses, opinion, reflection

In personal essays, use whole body, not just intellect – use thoughts, feelings, emotions.

Don’t write anything dishonest.

Difference between Facts and Truth.

Facts – anything somebody can look up, e.g. Lincoln was born in 1809.
 

Truth – can’t prove everything, e. g. my mother is a great cook

Narrative nonfiction – History or biography. Publishers want this type of writing, e.g. Seabiscuit

***

For the first exercise, we were directed to write a draft on a topic of our choice.

 

Catherine reminded us that the draft is difficult, but it is the artistic part

We were given time to pre-write and were reminded not to: think, censor, rewrite, hesitate, or lift pen from the page.

Catherine kept repeating “Pen to paper” when she noticed someone not writing.

When your fingers stop moving, your brain stops.

The writing prompt I chose was: I still wish I had . . .

My friend Lou chose: I was taught to . . .

***

Our second exercise was to use the "Instant Essay Formula" to write an essay, which could continue what we drafted from the prompt or be something else entirely.

First, select a topic you want to write about and explore
 

Then, with your topic in mind, prepare to free-write about your topic, three minutes per paragraph.

Write in prose and full sentences, each one building on the last one.

Put pen to paper or keep tapping those keys and do not stop to judge; write what comes to mind. Do not censor; do not stop typing or writing. It’s a draft you can correct it later.

During the writing time we were given literary devices to use for each paragraph. These devices included: a similie, dialogue, physical description or movement, humor, mixed feelings, moral values, comparison and contrast, personification of an inanimate object, a list, a definition of a term, a published historical event, and a paragraph summing it all up. After that we were reminded to be sure to give a title to our drafts.

The last piece of advice was if we had a handwritten draft, to go home and type it up that day to make it part of our unconscious repertoire.

After her presentation, I thanked Catherine and told her how surprised I was at the memories that surfaced and how the words began to flow when I began to write my draft essay.

After the workshop several writer friends went for lunch, where we discussed how much we learned and how inspired we were by the workshop. 

On the drive home, I got goosebumps when Lou read her draft essay about being told by her grandmother to speak up and not be quiet (she took her grandmother's advice to heart) and how she saw ghosts while living with her grandparents on the banks of the Illinois River.

This morning Lou called and we talked again about how much we enjoyed the workshop. She asked me to read my essay, which began to be about a pair of candlesticks I wish I hadn't sold at a garage sale but expanded to become something more.

I plan to read "Lessons in Ruby Red" tomorrow at Coffee and Critique then polish it again. The next step is to find a market and send it out, where I hope it will find a home.

Even if it doesn't get published, I have been inspired to use the "instant essay" method to tap into my artistic side and write more creative nonfiction. 

Well Versed 2013 Open for Submissions

 

The other day I received an e-mail from Linda Fisher, managing editor of Well Versed.

 

Well Versed is the anthology published by the Columbia Chapter of the Missouri Writers' Guild. The dandy logo on the left is from the chapter's website.

According to Linda's e-mail, the editors are now accepting submissions for Well Versed 2013.

Linda advises in her e-mail that the submission rules have changed this year, so please read the guidelines carefully. You can access them by clicking on this link.

The submission fees are modest, and prizes are awarded to winners in three categories: poetry, fiction, and nonfiction. If your work is selected you will receive one contributor copy plus a nominal payment.

Last year the editors received a record number of submissions and published their largest volume to date.

The submission deadline for the 2013 anthology is October 31, 2012.

Personal Note: I had two nonfiction pieces in the 2012 anthology, which I found to be an extremely polished and professional publication.

Good luck if you submit!

Hey Writers, What Time is It? It's Contest Time!

Back-to-school season brings back childhood memories of my early school days, evoking the smell of crayons, sharpened pencils, glue, and clean sheets of paper in my Big Chief Tablet.

This sense of nostalgia also reminds me of the excitement of watching favorite TV shows after school with my brothers and sisters on our black-and-white TV. One favorite was the "Howdy Doody Show," which started out with "Hey, Kids, what time is it?"  Sitting at the foot of the TV, we shouted back, "It's Howdy Doody time." The show was sponsored by Rice Krispies, with their cereal's "snap, crackle, and pop."

It might not be Howdy Doody time, but with my grandkiddos back in school, for me it's writing time--and time to enter contests.

For the next two months, I've decided to "snap, crackle, and pop" into action. Here are a couple of contests I hope to enter. Both have late September deadlines and low fees .

* The first contest is the Springfield (Missouri) Writers' Guild 19th Annual Literary Awards. There are eleven contest categories including poetry, fiction, and non-fiction. Entry fees range from $2 to $3. Prizes range from $100 to certificates. Deadline is Sep 30. Here's a link to the submission guidelines.

* The Green River Writers Writing Contest, with fifteen categories, is sponsored by Green River Writers in Louisville, KY. Entry fees are modest, but the top two category prizes are generous. The original deadline was Aug 31, but the deadline has been extended until Sep 29. Here's a link to their site.

How about you? Do you know of any contests coming up that you'd like to share?

Springfield Writers' Guild 2011 Writing Contests

Whether you write fiction, nonfiction, or poetry, the Springfield Writers' Guild has a contest for you. There are 11 contest categories; two of the 11 are for members only, but the other nine are open to everyone.

Entry fees range from $2-$3
Prizes in the top three categories are up to $100 and certificates.
Other prizes are more modest ($5-$20).
Deadline October 1 - so you have lots of time to enter.
Winners announced October 22.

Here are the complete guidelines.

And here's a list of winners from 2010.

Good luck!

Giveaway - Strengthen Your Nonfiction Wrting by Mary Horner

At a writer's get together in April, my writing friend and blogger buddy Mary Horner gave me a copy of her new book, Strengthen Your Nonfiction Writing, published by High Hill Press.

Mary is an award-winning journalist who teaches communications at St. Louis and St. Charles Community Colleges. I was so impressed after reading Mary's book, I bought a second copy at our May get together to give away on Donna's Book Pub.

Even more than the eye-catching cover (isn't it cool?), I like what's inside. On page six, Mary states her goal for writing the book is "to help writers convert brilliant thoughts into books, articles, essays and reports."

Mary has divided Strengthen Your Nonfiction Writing into 11 chapters, each one filled with helpful information. Writing in a conversational style using easy-to-understand language, Mary covers everything from: thesis statements, outlines, interviewing strategies, references, quotes from experts, research, deadlines, editing--and dealing with editors.

Some of the highlights of Mary's book are:

* The difference between information and meaning
* The point at which information is considered a fact (this was surprising)
* The importance of titles
* The difference between primary and secondary research
* The best interview question ever (great advice I plan to use)


Whether you write essays, articles, books, reports or any other form of nonfiction, I believe your writing can benefit after reading Mary's book.

So, how can you win a copy of Strengthen Your Nonfiction Writing by Mary Horner?

* Leave a comment on this post by June 15.

* For an additional chance, pop on over and become a follower on Mary's WritRteachR blog

* Be sure to mention in your comments here that you are one of Mary's followers so I put your name in twice.

I will gather the names of everyone who leaves a comment and record them on slips of paper (with a second slip for those who mention they are Mary's followers). From those slips of paper I will select one winner.

NOTE: Giveaway limited to writers living in the USA. (Sorry, my budget for buying books to give away and paying for postage to mail them is limited.)

If don't want to enter the contest because you already have a copy of Mary's book, feel free to share your comments about how wonderful it is!

Winner's name will be announced on June 16. Good luck!

***********

June 16 Update: Thanks to everyone who entered and left comments, especially those who took the time to become followers on Mary's blog. The winner's name selected at random was Val the Victorian.

Upcoming Contest Deadlines

Sorry I haven't posted in a few days. I've been under the weather, but I'm feeling better today and hope to get some writing done. We're supposed to get a snow storm later this evening, so I'm going to bundle up and try to keep warm by generating heat on my keyboard.

If you're looking for a helpful writing resource, Poets & Writers on-line magazine is an excellent one to check out.

One useful feature is the database of contest deadlines. This latest database includes contests for poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, and nonfiction. Deadlines shown on the link above land between January 25 and February 11. Entry fees range from None to $50. Some contests have specific residency requirements, but most are open to all. A few contest entry fees include magazine subscriptions to contest entrants.

So, if you're looking for a home for your poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, or nonfiction, check out Poets & Writers.

The Thrill Isn't Gone, but Romance is Waning

According to a report in Publishers Weekly, a recently conducted Harris Poll about readers' preferences for fiction revealed that mysteries, thrillers, and crime novels were preferred twice as much as romance novels.

Graphic novels, chick-lit, and westerns were the least popular fiction books among readers polled.

Another interesting statistic is that more women than men read mysteries, thrillers, and crime novels.

Hmm. So what does this mean?

For me, it kinda makes sense. I read mysteries and thrillers but few crime novels or romance. From a fairness standpoint, lumping three categories together seems to bias the poll in favor of the those categories.

I'm wondering if respondents would've been asked about their preferences separately about mysteries, thrillers, and crime novels what the results would have been. How would those individual categories stack up against romance and other categories?

On the non-fiction side, histories, biographies, and religious or spiritual books topped the poll. Business books bottomed out on the list. No surprise there. Ho-hum with the business books.

While poll results like these make interesting reading, who is being polled and the way the questions are asked can impact on the results. What really counts is the type of books readers buy.

Read the Publishers Weekly article to read a summary of the results and the names of some of the respondents' favorite authors.

Call for Valley Voices from Highway 24 Alliance in Kansas

Today in St. Peters: Fog and mist. Rain, rain, go away.


Claudia M. from Carthage, MO, e-mailed me the other day with a contest announcement. It's the Solomon Valley Writing Contest: Call for Valley Voices, a small group promoting the Highway 24 Alliance in northern Kansas. They are looking for: poetry, fiction, essay, non-fiction, and biography. There is no entry fee or cash prizes, but there is the possibility of being included in an anthology they will publish in 2010. The submission deadline for their fifth annual contest is November 1.


Last year Claudia won a first place Adult Fiction category, and her sister-in-law from Great Falls won third place Adult Autobiography. Thanks for the information, Claudia, and good luck to all who enter!

Visit the website for complete guidelines. According to their website, "The Solomon Valley is full of fascinating cultural treasures to explore. Where else can you find the World's Largest Ball of Twine (Cawker City), the only Black settlement west of the Mississippi (Nicodemus), and an 1880s working sheep ranch (Cottonwood Ranch State Historic Site at Studley)." Sounds fun!

Dogs and The Women Who Love Them Contest

Today in St. Peters, MO: Windy, high 69 degrees.

Several of my writing friends have sent me leads for the contest spreadsheet I'm compiling. Here is information about a contest sent to me by Becky Povich. The contest has a short deadline, but if you have something appropriate in your stockpile of manuscripts or if you act quickly, you have time!


The contest is from the Angel Animal's network . The title is: Dogs and the Women Who Love Them True Story Contest. There is no entry fee. The deadline is September 30.


Speaking of deadlines, I have one today for a book review, so I better get busy.

Decatur Public Library Annual Writing Contest - Deadline Today

Today in St. Peters, MO: Chance of showers, high 75 degrees.

Yesterday I e-mailed several writing friends asking for names of writing competitions for a spreadsheet I am compiling. Next month I'm going to speak to the Writers Society of Jefferson County, and the president asked me to include a list of contests as part of my talk. So, I sent out an e-mail asking for contest suggestions. Doyle Suit, a writing friend and critique group member, sent me information about a few contests, including one with a short deadline --- today --- that I thought I'd share with you all.

So, if you have a manuscript or poem polished and ready to be sent off, or if you like working under quick deadlines, the Decatur Public Library's Annual Writing Contest is for you! The entry fee is only $3 per submission, and they have five categories--essay, fiction, juveline fiction, rhymed poetry, and unrhymed poetry. If you enter and win something, let me know and I will post about it on my blog. Good luck, and don't forget to include an SASE for results!

I love the motto for their library, "Where you go to know."

Springfield Writers' Guild Annual Contests

Today in St. Peters, MO: Chance of showers, high 80 degrees. A hint of fall is in the air. Time to put on a pot of chili.

The 2009 Springfield Writers' Guild has announced its 16th Annual Literary Awards, which includes the JIM STONE GRAND PRIZE MEMORIAL AWARD.

Isn't this photo of Mark Twain from the SWG's home page intriguing? Samuel Clemens, aka Mark Twain, put the town of Hannibal, Missouri, on the map. On a personal note, Hannibal is also the birthplace of my mom.

Like Saturday Writers, my favorite writers' group, SWG is one of thirteen chapters of the Missouri Writers' Guild. What I like about the SWG's contests is they are inexpensive to enter (only $2 or $3, depending on the contest) and they have a contest for just about any type of writer--prose, poetry, or non-fiction. Most of all, you can find out the results quickly.

Their contest deadline is October 1st, and the winners' names will be announced at the October SWG meeting. For complete guidlines, visit their website.

Oh, and Good Luck!

Missouri Review's 19th Annual Jeffrey E. Smith Editor's Prize Contest

Today in St. Peters, MO: Mostly cloudy, high 71 degrees.

The Missouri Review is offering $15,000 in prize money for the 19th annual Jeffrey E. Smith Editor's Prize Contest -- $5,000 per genre in poetry, fiction, and non-fiction. The work of past winners has been reprinted in the Best American series. Each entry is $20. All entrants receive a one-year subscription to The Missouri Review either in print or in their new environmentally friendly digital format, which includes bonus audio content. The deadline is October 1st, and you can enter online or by mail. For details, check out their webpage: http://missourireview.com/contest.

Bobbi Smith, Robert Vaughan and Greg Tobin Headline Writers' Workshop

Today's forecast for St. Peters, MO: Chance of afternoon storms, high 81 degrees. It's almost 90 outside now, so I'm thinking the weather forecast is on the low side.

Robert Vaughan, Bobbi Smith and Greg Tobin share the spotlight to present a day-long writers' workshop.

When? Saturday, July 25 from 9 a.m. till 4 p.m. LUNCH WILL BE SERVED

Where? St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, 1101 Sulphur Spring Rd., Manchester, MO.

What? FICTION, NON-FICTION, SCREENWRITING and PERSONAL MEMOIRS

How Much? Cost is $65 (includes lunch), check payable to St. Luke’s Episcopal Church.
Call (636) 227-1227 to register.

ROBERT VAUGHAN is the a Spur Award winner and author of ANDERSONVILLE, the Emmy Award finalist mini-series on TNT. He wrote HOMECOMING, a History Channel documentary about Vietnam Veterans. A member of the National Writers Hall of Fame, he is a frequent lecturer at colleges and universities, and is the founder and director of Write on the Beach, an intensive writers’ retreat held each year at Gulf Shores, AL.

BOBBI SMITH is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of more than 50 novels. Bobbi is beloved for her page-turning stories of love and adventure, which have earned her the title of Queen of Western Romance. Her latest novel is Runaway published in July from Leisure.

GREG TOBIN was editor in chief of Book-of-the-Month Club and senior vice president of Random House. Currently a writer and editor at Seton Hall University, Greg is a frequent presenter at writers’ seminars, an editorial consultant to authors and literary agents, and at work on his newest fiction and non-fiction books.

With a lineup like that, it's one workshop I would love to attend, but I'm sorry to have to miss it due to a prior commitment. Maybe next time.

If any of my readers go to the workshop, please let me know how it was.

Your Truest Self - Free Downloadable Reader's Guide

Today's forecast for St. Peters, MO: Partly sunny, high 80 degrees. It's a fine day for finishing the deck, which Walt is busy doing right now. In fact, it's about this color.

If you're a regular visitor to Donna's Book Pub, you might remember Janice Lynne Lundy's guest blog awhile back. Jan recently e-mailed me that her book, Your Truest Self: Embracing the Woman You are Meant to Be, now has a free downloadable Reader's Guide, which she believes would be perfect for book discussion groups. For now, the guide is housed at her publisher's website, Ave Maria Press but will be available on Jan's website at a later date. Click on the Ave Maria Press link above for more information.

The reader's guide has questions for discussion, and Jan has created a unique group activity for each of the 12 Transformational Truths in Jan's book.

Dred Scott's Revenge and the Dedication of Hariett's Hill

Today's forecast for St. Peters, MO: Chance of thunderstorms, high 79 degrees.

Sorry I haven't posted for a few days. Really, I'm not a slacker. We all celebrated Cari's eighth-grade graduation dinner/Mass last night, and it's been busy (in a fun and uplifting way) around the Volkenannt/O'Donnell household.

Last night was a bittersweet occasion. At the graduation Mass, when Cari performed as part of the liturgical movement dancers, I thought about how proud our daughter Julie and son-in-law Mike would be to see what a lovely young lady their beloved daughter Cari has become.

I had no doubt they were looking down from heaven smiling at us all--probably in part because they know we now officially have a high schooler on our hands. Yikes! And in four years, we get to do it again when Michael graduates eighth-grade. Life is good and God is great!

***

Now, on to book notes: Recently I read Dred Scott's Revenge, an in-depth book about the legal history of race and freedom in America. The book was written by Judge Andrew P. Napolitano and published by Thomas Nelson.

Most likely you recognize the name Dred Scott from the infamous court decision or the term getting off "Scot free. " If you're from Missouri, especially the St. Louis area, you learned about the Dred Scott case as part of Missouri History. Not our finest moment.

The judge's name might be familiar if you watch the Fox News Chanel, where Napolitano is Senior Judicial Analyst.

Using the Dred Scott case -- which was first decided at the Old Courthouse in St. Louis -- as a centerpiece for his book, Napolitano chronicles how the laws of the United States and the policies of our leaders created the deep-seeded racial tensions our nation has endured for centuries. From the Missouri Compromise, to the Civil War, Jim Crow Laws, Civil Rights Legislation, even sports, Napolitiano makes a compelling case for how our national leaders, including Thomas Jefferson and Abraham Lincoln, bear responsibility.

Napolitano also draws comparisons between Dred Scott v. Sanford, which declared slaves as non-persons, to U.S. v Korematsu, which denied rights to Japenese-Americans, and Roe v. Wade, which declared babies in the womb as non-persons. I recommend Dred Scott's Revenge to anyone interested in American history and race relations. It's a compelling read.

On a related topic, I recently received a press release about the dedication of Harriet’s Hill, in memory of Harriet Scott, Dred Scott’s Wife and co-plaintiff in the infamous Dred Scott case. The ceremony was held yesterday at Greenwood Cemetery in St. Louis. The May 26th event was sponsored by the Dred Scott Heritage Foundation and the Friends of Greenwood Cemetery Association. For years, it was assumed that Harriet was buried next to Dred Scott at Calvary Cemetery in St. Louis, but in 2006, researchers discovered Harriet was buried in Greenwood Cemetery, the burial site of as many as 50,000 African-Americans.

Southern Illinois Writers' Guild Contest

Today's forecast for St. Peters, MO: Partly sunny, high 31 degrees. Almost above freezing--come on we can make it.

Here's a quick contest announcement sent to me by Roger Poppen at John A Logan College from Carterville, IL. Looks like there's something for any writer. The entry fee is only $5, and the prizes aren't bad. I just might send them something myself. Good luck if you enter!

The 2009 Southern Illinois Writers Guild announces its writing contest.

Three categories: Fiction, Nonfiction, Poetry.

Prizes: $100 - 1st, $50 - 2nd, $25 - 3rd, in each category.

Entry fee: $5

Deadline: May 1, 2009

Complete info: http://www.jalc.edu/activities/siwg/contest.html

Direct inquiries to Roger Poppen drrock2k@yahoo.com