JULY 17th, 2019

Welcome back. We’re always glad to see you. 

Jim Kelly returned from greeting a new grandbaby. Welcome back after missing a meeting or two. July is a hot month and our meeting this week was hotter than usual. No, nobody lost their temper, there were no fisticuffs, or shots fired, and everybody seemed to have a good time, but Jim asked a question of the group. "How do you go about getting our work published? Peter Frickel asked, "Why do we want to be published? Well now, that ignited a firestorm of discussion We were off, suggestions abounded as did opinions and it took a good forty-five minutes before the discussion began to wane. There were fourteen people in attendance, and we heard at least 12 different opinions. It was great!

Jim’s work is about the American Civil War, General Winfield Scott Hancock, in particular, sparked suggestions ranging from contacting Civil War organizations which might have publishing connections, to investigating College Press opportunities, or seeking out an agent who specializes in the military genre. Of course, self-publishing using the multitude of available methods was in play as well. We all have ideas and have tried various methods of publication. Each has its drawbacks and advantages; choose wisely and do your homework, pick the way best for you. 

We got into the reading venue by starting out with Scott Anderson who remained on the list from our last meeting. Thank you for being so patient. Scott brought us five unique poems, each short but poignant. His first work was entitled, Freshman English Final, My Affair with Madam Bovary. Inspired by a sleepless night and spurred on by chemical inspiration in the form of a diet pill popular in the era, a College Freshman reads the required tale of Madame Bovary. His test results were not as desired and his professor gave him an incomplete rather than outright failure, but the verse was right on target with humor and tense expectation.
Making Oatmeal, French Kiss, Rice Paper, and Doggie Bowl were sensitive introspections of life, lost love, and loneliness. Beautiful as well.

Jim Kelly read a portion from his Civil War novel, I Am A Soldier, First and Always. General Hancock is severely wounded while defending his position at the center of the famed Pickett’s charge. Though his wounds are dire, he refuses to leave the field until the day is won. He suffers through to the victorious end. Civil War buffs, keep an eye open for this book, it will be available, it’s too good not to be.

When Ernie Ovitz opened his notebook and announced our return to 311 A.D., a murmur of anticipation filled the room. A well-written conversation between a Roman Senator and constituent is filled with intrigue and sedition. The chapter is a lesson in subterfuge. Ernie’s work depicting the undercurrents in ancient Rome is told in a manner which makes you feel as if you’re a fly on the wall in the most sensitive parts of the empire.

Writing a group of short vignettes and tying them together with a moving theme requires a lot of skill. To take a group of these vignettes already written and blend them to accept a theme must be a task for a master. Peter Frickel has embarked on such a task. 
Tonight’s story introduced characters mentioned in previous stories. A woman, seemingly abandoned by her husband, an avid fisherman who failed to return from an angling expedition, searches every evening along the river. She and her small dog search with the hope of finding him and all the while they gather information from locals on his disappearance. The ending is a surprise and is sure to make you gasp.

Integrity, a piece presented by Ed Ellis, is a heady work taking a look at things we do each day without knowing. We co-create. Ed’s voice is clear and strong as he touts co-creating as the true win/win in life, business, and love.

Have you ever had a child who seems too busy to visit? When they’re little you can’t shake free of them, they come of age and you can’t lure them home, even with a promise of Disney World. In Old Time Easter Mary Shaffer writes about a couple with this dilemma. Dad will try anything to get his daughter to visit, he even uses indigestion disguised as a self-diagnosed heart issue to bend her to his will. Will it work? Mary uses an Egyptian art piece to build her story with a modern-day family and the ploys of a conniving father. but she slips back in time to the days of the Pharaohs and looks at how a father in Ancient Egypt might react to similar issues. I think this might be fun.

Dan Marin’s back in action with Bruce Haedrich’s newest book, Oceania. Chapter 28 in the book gave us a chance to see Marin dodge a situation most men never wish to face. Upon his return from Oceania, he meets his lover at the airport and during some pillow talk she asks, “How was Katrina?” Marin knows he’s been caught… What is the outcome? Let’s see, Oceania will be on the market soon.

For What Price, is a poem by Susan Haley. It asks the question as to how much is the earth and its creatures worth to you, to us, to corporate entities. For What Price will you sell your future.

Cuba is the site of Jeff Kutcher’s friend’s childhood Amari. The ongoing story reveals a lot about the small things which shape the mind of a man. This chapter deals with huge realization as the young boy sees an old advertising sign for Coca Cola hidden behind a door, a product forbidden in Castro’s Cuba. He knows he'll never find out what that wonderful drink tastes like; however, when he attends a meeting with his father an official of Castro’s government gives him an ice-cold Coca Cola to quench his thirst. His first taste is nirvana, but he realizes there is inequity in Cuba, only the most powerful and influential have luxuries available to them.

When Parker Converse said he was finishing his tale of a Caribbean cruise with a beautiful Swedish girl as his crew and roommate, the level of testosterone went up in the room. The hilarious scene of Captain Billy Bob attempting to motor his outrageously large yacht away from the pier had the room in stitches. I hope Parker’s work reaches the public in the future. It’s good stuff.

Wow, where’d the time go? We ran out of time with a single reader remaining. Will Jensen, you are first to read at the next meeting. I hope all of you can come back for the next meeting, but I know that may be difficult as summer vacation time is upon us. No matter what, until then, KEEP ON WRITING!

July 3rd, 2019

Hello again, glad to see you back.

Our first meeting of July was a good meeting although we may have swerved a little off track in the opening discussion. We began by talking about how much truth is required when writing fiction. Peter Frickle led off by reading a piece he'd come across but was unable to remember the author or where he’d read it. A quote from the piece is as follows, “Truth does not have to be ‘the facts.’”

This launched a discussion which may have gotten off track a little but still raised some salient points. How much truth is too much truth? 

We started out looking at fiction writing but veered toward memoir, biographies, and autobiographies. During the discussion we turned toward the expose’ books and articles in vogue today. Some of our group lean toward leaving things alone. One person asks, “Why is it necessary to bring up the less savory aspects of a person’s life when their only claim to fame is the good things they’ve done?” 

Another says, “Just because a person is a jerk and does a few stupid things, does that mean all the good they’ve done is to be negated?”

 What does this have to do with writing? A writer has a responsibility, whether it's to themselves or for a contractual obligation, to produce readable material, believable material, which they think will move their readers. Memoirists, biographers, news writers, and non-fiction writers in general cannot make up facts or delete incidents to enhance the writing. We may not all see truth the same as another, there’s always room for interpretation. Therein lies the quote from Peter’s reading, “Truth does not have to be ‘the facts.’”

About fifty minutes into the meeting we moved on to the reading portion. Nine readers were waiting to share their work. Unfortunately, we were able to hear only seven of them, Don Westerfield and Scott Anderson move to the top of the list for our next meeting, July 17^th.

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When Ernie Ovitz took the floor, we expected to hear about his work about the Roman Empire of Emperor Constantine. Instead, he brought a poem he did not write, Study for Belief With Lines From Star Trek the Original, which he’s chosen to present to a group. In reading the poem he must become part of the poem. He received a full critique of his performance as well as praise for choosing such a poignant piece.

Animals on the Veldt and creatures in his garden provide pleasure and inspiration for Peter Frickle’s writing. His depiction of meerkats searching for food while remaining alert to danger in the form of predators, and giraffes reaching high above all other creatures to procure a meal liken to a small bird in his garden singing and searching for something to eat. In his golden voice and luscious words, I heard the squeaks of the meerkats, the crunch of leaves in the giraffe’s mouth, and felt the song of the bird in his garden.

When a writer makes changes in their work based on comments of others I often wonder if they’ve done the right thing. In the case of Dennis Cathcart’s revisions I agree with most of the changes he’s made to Couley, a story of an adventure in Bimini to collect snakes. It begins with Dennis’ first ever flight in a plane, a Grumman Flying Boat operated out of Miami. Despite the trepidation, they reach Bimini only to find a ferry without a schedule and a blue bus with dubious operational conditions waiting to foil their efforts. But, it all works to perfection in getting our hero to the south end of the island in time to collect specimens for which they’ve come.

Cuba under control of Fidel Castro was not a garden of plenty. Jeff Kutcher’s story of his friend and former Chef Amauri takes us to the solar in Havana where water is scarce, and children grow up quickly. Amauri takes advantage of an opportunity to purchase water from a water treatment plant and transport it to his solar where he sells it for a small profit. He is a bit of a rebel, even at the tender age of nine, and develops a relationship with the daughter of a Russian worker who tells him of living in Russia where life is easier than in the slums of Havana. As a tour guide he meets people from many other countries and his wish to grow up in the Western world of freedom grows each day of his young life.

Does the Garden of Eden still exist? For Susan Haley it does. In the Alaskan mountain range, a park with a name most assuredly rooted in the language of the natives, Chugach she’s found her Eden. In a poem written to honor her departed husband, whose ashes rest in that park, she took us there. We could see the lush greenery and experience a peaceful setting which seemed to surround us as we listened. Thank you, Susan.

Letters From the Front by Bruce Haedrich introduces us to a soldier in the 20^th Maine Volunteer Infantry Regiment during the U.S. Civil War. Written in meter like great poems of the past, we learn how the soldiers lived, died, suffered, and rejoiced during the most brutal of conflicts. The work is based on actual letters written by a relative of the author.

When a woman dying from cancer ravaging her body displays power and understanding which, even in death, connects with someone, they must write about it. Parker Converse did just that. His piece entitled Patricia is a moving, emotional piece which left us silent at the conclusion. Great work.

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We ran out of time but not out of enthusiasm, we’ll be back in two weeks. Until then I urge all of you to keep writing.