Wednesday September 18, 2013 Meeting

Sorry for the delay, everyone. I know we're a meeting behind, but we'll have everything caught up by the end of this week. Life has been a bit hectic as of late...but I figured better late than never!

As usual, Rod DiGruttolo did a great job moderating our meeting.

We were thrilled to welcome back Jim Kelly from his hiatus to the north, so we asked him to kick off our meeting. As usual, he didn't disappoint. First he shared a letter Irv Newman had written to a woman named Gail at the local paper from his home area of Surf City, NJ called The Sandpaper. In this letter he discussed how grateful he was to hospice and that it had extended his life.  Recently they gave his wife the gift of 5 days off by coming to care for him so she could enjoy some free time. He donated his car and some money to Tidewell Hospice to thank them. In fact, as I wrote this blog and linked in Tidewell, I saw that Irv's story is featured on their website. As it's a YouTube Link, I thought you guys might want to see...


Jim ended his time with a poem he wrote while back at his old stomping grounds called "Goin' Home". It clearly depicted change...and how through the years, it's virtually impossible for anything to stay the same. I would have posted the poem, but I didn't get a chance to ask Jim for permission.

Ed Ellis shared a piece called "I Wish" as he celebrated his 50th anniversary from military discharge as well as honored those we lost on 9/11. In his piece he took a somber moment to reflect on war and make a wish for the wisdom of those who came before us. It was heartfelt and definitely a more sensitive side to our smarty pants prankster....but moving.

JoAnne Phillips, author of Adventures of a Sea Hag, read a chapter called "Religion and Communism" from her new work in progress, The Matrix of Life. In this chapter she talked about picking out a Christmas tree, befriending a goat named "Billy" who she treated as her pony and being a time of love and laughter. Her parents reconciled and remarried in the spring, moving them into a one bedroom storefront in town where the store window was painted to prevent people from being able to see inside. This was also when she was first introduced to McCarthyism. It didn't take any stretch of the imagination for anyone in the group to figure out that this spelled trouble for the precocious, young JoAnne....and we were right.

Pat Patterson came up next. Rather than read from his manuscript The Takers, he shared some valuable insights he's gained in his writing journey. He realized that editing is not exactly what he thought it was. Once he completed writing his manuscript, he made the assumption (incorrectly) that he could hire an editor, get the editor to unravel the "tangled ball of yarn" that was his story and fix his errors, then receive his work, ready for publication. Instead, he found that errors are costly and that it's never a good idea to send a first draft off to an editor. The time to submit to an editor is when you've polished it as much as you possibly can and you need some assistance on the finer points. So, he printed off a chapter and handed it to the group with a request for feedback and support.

Don Westerfield went back to his poetry roots with two pieces. One was called ODE to SEA GRASS which was a lovely piece that brought us back to nature and our small part in it. The other one got folks talking, so I thought I'd share it here. (We also learned the difference between an elegy and a eulogy. ;-))

then will the trees sing

wandered long

have i these mortal woods

down worn trails of tears and laughter

step by searching step i trod

pathways that split and split again

those chosen roads of faulted time

soon to forget my passage

but if ever the soul survives

the strife of its mere existence

these woods will always know the truth

as the breath of life expends

when evening is nigh

then will the trees sing

my elegy

Kitt Crescendo finally shared the beginning to one of her works in progress, Three For All. She needed to read it out loud in front of an audience to hear some spots that might be a bit rough. She was able to pick a couple of errors out for herself, and with the help of the team, also caught a couple of repetitive words. Someone also commented that there seemed to be a lot of body parts slipping on each other thanks to the suntan oil. We weren't sure whether or not that was necessarily a bad thing as she is writing an erotic piece.

Asha Anderson came one last time before she headed off to Asia for a year. She and her lovely poetry will be missed, but we have high hopes that once she returns from her adventures abroad, that she will come find us again. In a writing class back in Ashland, OR 1988, she was challenged to write a piece with a specific subject in mind. This is the poem I elected to post because the playful whimsy drew me in...and I could almost hear a Scottish or Irish accent reading the piece.

YELLOW SHOES

When I had feet me shoes were yellow
ah yellow as pollen they were
as bright as lemons
bright as me lad's smile
bold as his laugh
an oh how I danced in me shoes
all night
a swarm a bees drunk from the flowers
sportin their yellow pants an boots
knew not as many turns as me lad an me
not have as many

an when in the slow river a bare foot
we went a wadin me lad an me
an bare we were from toe to head
a hand an hand
me yellow shoes were glad to wait
all hodge podge with his
for shoes has no need a feet
though feet has a need a them
but now   old as I be   I has no need a shoes
not yellow   not brown
but glad I am   glad as I was when I was a lass
for I got me a lad   an I rather him than me feet.

Ernie Ovitz went next, sharing more from his work The Seventh King. In this chapter, Theodorus is thrown into jail for his beliefs in Christianity. He attempts to continue sharing his message only to realize he's not alone in his cell and that the other guy, hidden by shadows, is a bit scary. Ernie left us wondering as to the identity of the mystery man and how he ties to the unrest that seems to be steadily increasing with every chapter.

Jenny Oberg, inspired by the work of Deepak Choprah, wrote a piece of nature poetry that sparked some spunky debate amongst her listeners. Jenny wrote her piece about majestic creatures from awed eyes, pointing out how although many of them appear the same, they're all different. Some of the listeners find beauty in the Darwinistic tendencies of animals and the very literal and real battles that occur in nature. Others felt just as passionately that they'd rather see it from a starry-eyed, idealistic vision of grace and majesty.

Barry Mick took our feedback from the previous meeting and touched up his work in progress, roughly titled "Dragonfly".  The general feedback was that the flow of the story now had a nice, smooth rhythm. We look forward to hearing more about his dragonfly...as the feeling that it is symbolic for something much deeper comes through loud and clear.

Beth Rice, Author of I'm Adopted, I'm Special along with her blog, Animal Tales, read a very powerful chapter she called "Job Hunt" from her work in progress, Pawprints Are Forever. In it, we find the heroine at a plant nursery, reminiscing about joyful times spent there with  her family and quickly realize that it had been her family's business. Heartbroken, they are closing the doors for the last time. In their line of work, it was virtually impossible to compete with the big business companies. It's also the first time she sees her husband, the man who has always been her rock, completely devastated. As she'd been discussing creating a hook and positioning of her book, we firmly felt that THIS should be her beginning...and a very strong hook. This part definitely left many of us emotionally impacted and devastated on the protagonist's behalf.

One of our newer members, Patrick Hurley, finally decided to be bold and stepped forward to read a character sketch he'd written about a female character from the island of Petite Marie known only as Patrice. Beautiful and a bit mercenary, she'll do whatever it takes to avoid becoming an average local. She wants power and wealth and she's willing to do whatever it takes to get there...including a bit of drug trafficking. This character definitely has a lot of potential. We can't wait to see how she is weaved into the plot he's creating in his head.

Andrew Parker ended our meeting in his inimitable fashion, by introducing us to his newest work in progress that he is tentatively calling I'm Drunk and I'm Calling From A Payphone In London. The unique creation occurred when he'd passingly mentioned it in a profile he'd created for himself, causing a reader to email him asking where he could purchase this book as it sounded very interesting. True to Andrew's personality, he decided to make the story a reality. In the first chapter we're introduced to a drunk homeless man named George Lissman who'd fallen on hard times after his inability to quit alcohol caused him to lose his job as a conductor for an orchestra. Every night he sits in a bar where he drinks, then drunk dials random phone numbers. On this particular night, someone answered... Her name is Jacqueline Aurora. Let's just say that hilarity ensued. Once Andrew finished reading, everyone was leaving with either a belly ache or wiping away tears.

Thanks again to everyone for their wonderful contributions!

Wednesday, June 6th, 2012

Our meeting kick-off Wednesday evening was interrupted by an event that drew a round of warm, thunderous, applause: Irv Newman rejoined the group for an extraordinary reunion. Accompanied by his beautiful wife, Beatrice, he was warmly greeted by everyone. Irv received over 100 cards from well wishers, and we again wish him the best.

Irv, who recently turned 90, later had a poignant piece about his brief stay in a hospice read by Jim Kelly. His “Thank You” letter to the staff and the directors was touching, and eye opening at the same time. Hospices should not be prejudged as “Death's Doorway.” We can't wait to read Irv's next effort about standing in front of an open coffin called, “Wait, Wait, I Have A New Idea I Want To Run By You...”

George Mindling brought up the schedule for July, which has our first meeting of the month on the Fourth of July holiday. By unanimous consent, that meeting will be skipped, so, July will have one meeting on the 18^th. The calendar can be checked anytime right here on our blog page.

Our next meeting will be a very special meeting on June 20^th as we celebrate a very special birthday of one of our most prolific members, Ed Lyman. Ed, who has been published of every single issue of Peppertree Literary Magazine since it first started publishing, will be 100!

Ed Lyman has also been coming to our FWA meetings since we first started getting together at the Gulf Gate Library, more than five years ago. And he always manages to stir up more than a few chuckles with his very original, clever and well-structured stories that always have a "snapper" ending.

Ed is also a generous supporter of his Venice community. He still volunteers at the Venice Hospital where he serves as a wheel chair "pusher" for people leaving the hospital. He also volunteers at a cat rescue and adoption service near Venice. That's where he adopted his beloved cat, Tammy. In addition to his time and effort, Ed has also generously provided funding to purchase a new truck for the local food bank, as well as a new air conditioned van for the feline adoption service.

In tune with his "giving" nature, Ed is also providing the money to buy the snacks and goodies that we'll be enjoying at his non-birthday party on the 20th of this month. It's a "non-birthday" party because Ed did NOT want a party for himself. He was adamant about that. He said, "It's just another birthday. No need to make a fuss over me." What he really wanted to do was give US a party, which is what we'll be doing at the next meeting.

Ed Lyman is our official Writer Emeritus and we hope he'll be around for at LEAST another 100 years! And we hope you all show up on Wednesday, June 20th, to share with Ed your best wishes for his "non-birthday."

We will play the meeting “by ear” so to speak, with possible readings in the first half of the evening, but the second half will be dedicated to a very special non-birthday wish to Ed. Sandwiches and coffee will be served, and if anyone would like to help with paper plates, napkins, or plastic dinnerware, please contact Russ Heitz at russ@russheitz.com. In fact, one reason Irv made a special effort to attend last night's meeting was to be present for the planning of Ed's non-birthday! Spouses and friends are welcome at the special meeting. Thanks to Russ for the marvelous information about Ed.

After more announcements about the upcoming FWA Convention in October, Ed Ellis got the meeting underway with Jim Kelly reading Irv's piece about his stay in the hospice. Irv and Beatrice graciously said goodnight soon after, everyone once again greeting and wishing them well.

We welcomed new-comers Charlotte Humphreys and Roger Sakowski to the meeting, and welcomed back Cathy Marine and Jim Kelly as well. Charlotte started the evening's readings with “Pear Tree and the Vanishing House,” a nostalgic, well written piece that drew warm response from the group. We look forward to more of Charlotte's writing.

Joanne Phillips read a really great poem about Englewood, which garnered her a 2^nd place ribbon in the Englewood contest, and followed with the next chapter of her book, “Memoirs of a Sea Hag.” A great discussion about style followed, but everyone agrees: More!

Susan Haley took a few minutes to remind us on this anniversary of D-Day, that we all take far too much for granted in our daily lives. Susan read Bart Stamper's one-line poem that brought a moment of silence to the whole room: “On Memorial Day it's so different when you know their names.. . . Ron Holeman, John Knaus, Cameron McCallister and dozens of others a thought to consider.”

Rod DiGruttolo followed with another of his great reflections of growing up in Sarasota in the 1950's called “Puppy Dog Tales.” Rod graciously thanked Ed Lyman and Peter Frickel for helping him develop the masterfully done series.

Peter Frickel read a chapter from his upcoming 18 part work named “Lilies of the Vlei.” “Umbubulu” was a masterfully told tale of a young man riding through the African night with his father, physician to the king of the Zulus, during dangerous and treacherous times. Again, marvelous stuff.

Rod then read a humorous piece called “Package Pandemonium,” published in 1966. It was written by none other than Ed Lyman's son, Dan. Must run in the family.

After a ten minute break, Ed wished he had his cow-bell back! Everyone rejoined the meeting after chocolates and fortune coolies, and we resumed with Lee Taylor Franke reading a great piece that linked nostalgia with the aging of a town simultaneously with its citizens. Well written and deeply emotional piece.

Jim Kelly read two of his great poems, starting with “Smoke and Ashes,”and “Light.” Two more masterful pieces of poetry that left the group speechless. Absolutely great writing.

Kerri Dieffenwierth read another piece of her upcoming work, “Homemade Rodeos,” again with writing that stands alone called “Run, Run Away.” It wasn't about the horse... More great writing.

Ed Ellis received great critical review after his difficult piece about writing what is possible or plausible. Paradoxical? A great success model for writing.

We wrapped up another great night with Patricia LaBarbera reading her “What We're Looking For,” a wonderful story that, as always, has delightful, unexpected twists. Patricia will keep us posted as to her next seminar on editing and editors, something none of the group should miss.

We turned off the lights and said goodnight. See everyone on the 20^th for Ed's birthday.

Special Thanks to Russ Heitz for the information about Ed Lyman.

PS: Kerri just forwarded information about a writing sweepstakes at:
BookBaby.com

George

Wednesday, May 16th, 2012

Our Wednesday meeting, May 16th, was a special night for several reasons. Besides having a “Full-House,” we also listened to a special half-hour program given by the Chief of the Nokomis Volunteer Fire Department, Frank Palmer. Chief Palmer took center stage after our usual 6:00pm “meet and greet.” That was after our “Firetruck” quiz from Ed Ellis, which was a nice warm-up for Chief Palmer. Chief Palmer's program covered many aspects of community programs that are to be enhanced through a grant that will be written later this year. He asked for writing contributions from the group to help “seed” the project.

Susan Haley sadly announced fellow writer and group member Irv Newman is not recovering well from his recent cardiac event. Irv, author of “Living on House Money,”

(http://www.peppertreepublishing.com/book-detail?book_id=95) misses the group, and he is in our thoughts and prayers. Appreciation and Friendship Cards should be mailed to:

Irv Newman

8767 Midnight Pass Road

#407F

Sarasota, FL 34232

The meeting kicked off in earnest with Ed Ellis at the helm, minus the cow-bell he used last time. It wasn't needed as everyone had a great time and enjoyed themselves with another evening of eclectic writing. Richard Zimmerman of Athens, Georgia, attended as a guest of George Mindling, and we welcomed back writer and editor Patricia LaBarbera. 

Patricia announced she will hold a class on self-editing this coming Saturday, May 19^th, at the Selby Library. This free, open to all class will be at 1:30pm in the Conference Room.

Rod DiGruttolo started the evening's readings with a piece written by Malcolm Forbes contributed by Ed Lyman. Rod read the story about the infamous encounter with Mr. & Mrs Leland Stanford and the then president of Harvard that led to the establishment of Stanford University. Always a lesson in humility.

Next, Joanne Phillips continued, albeit not in sequence, with Chapter 17 of her book, “Memoirs of a Sea Hag.” This time evoking visions of lost treasures, well, at least $500 dollars worth, and of an overly amorous Porpoise. Joanne was disappointed she didn't draw serious criticism of her work. The discussion and critique then erupted just to make her happy. Good stuff.

Patricia LaBarbera then read a short story called “Big Mouth” that hooked everybody. Outstanding piece that broke her own rule about using inanimate or non-human subjects. Good writing.

Cecile Bell Kennedy's short story “Are You A Doctor?” about a young boy who has to give himself insulin injections was obviously rooted in personal knowledge and concern. The well written piece using dialog only brought another round of applause.

Don Westerfield read two of his excellent poems. The first, “When You Go” touched everyone who has raised children when those children finally leave home on their own. The great writing just keeps coming! The second poem, My Poem As a Painting” drew great response as well.

Kerri Dieffenwierth read “Ranch Hand” from her upcoming “Homemade Rodeos,” and once again showed her ability to use narrative, dialog, and description to pull the reader into her world. One of the longest sentences ever written, or at least one of the longest I have ever heard, worked like a charm and drew gasps of delight and appreciation. Good writing, Kerri.

Ed Ellis dipped into the past through his “Time capsule” and read two pieces he wrote back in his corporate world days. Ed co-authored an unofficial company newspaper for GE many years ago, and recently received an old copy from a friend. Reading from an old copy of the “Flair Facts,” the prophetic “Department of the National News” and the “Banana Award” for funny happenings showed Ed had the flair and the talent back then.

Susan Haley coaxed Rod DiGruttolo into reading his piece “Snakes, Spiders and Snails,” about Florida's denizens, all real but seen differently through the eyes of youth. A young boy capturing a snake with his bare hands had everyone's attention.

Peter Frickel read a piece that enthralled everyone, but didn't disclose the author until he finished reading. The great piece from “Log from the Sea of Cortez,” by John Steinbeck about the “virtue” of giving and the responsibilities of receiving caught everyone off guard.

Ed closed the meeting with the announcement the next meeting will be in three weeks. The after-meeting session was as much fun as the before-meeting session, but we eventually said goodnight, turned out the lights and went home.

See everyone June 6^th.

George

Newman Featured In Herald-Tribune

Our own Irv Newman was featured in the December 11, 2009, issue of the Sarasota Herald Tribune with a nearly-half-page spread about his WWII experiences. There's even a picture of a young, muscular Irv toting around a couple training bombs.

Commissioned as a second lieutenant bombardier on a B-17 Flying Fortress, Irv and his crew were scheduled to go to the European campaign. During his final flight training sessions, however, Irv was hospitalized for an ear problem. As a result, the crew he trained with was sent off to Europe without Irv.

Irv recaptured this series of events in a book he called Courage Never Known. He says, "I was this well-trained individual who never had a gun fired at me face-to-face."

Irv has also published a very humorous and thoughtful memoir called Living on House Money and has read from it at several of our local FWA meetings.

Congratulations, Irv! We hope the newspaper article will bring a pleasant spurt in sales!

Posted by
Russ Heitz

Reading Meeting Update

Our "Reading Meetings" seem to be developing into a small but very committed collection of some of our best and most diverse writers. Each brought and read examples of their own eclectic works. Oddly, there were no poets this time; although there was plenty of poetic and emotion-packed prose.

Peter Frickel, who also brought his wife, Barbara, treated us with the opening segment of a new four-part allegory he is working on. As usual, Peter's prose is nothing short of poetic, even when he is writing about such mundane events as planting seeds, talking with frogs, feeling the wind, and smelling the sun-warmed soil. Peter has the ability to turn each of his many and varied life experiences into a finely wrought piece of art.

Gayle Harpan was a teacher for 30 years in the gnarly, profane, and hope-deprived inner-city area of Detroit. What she shared with us was the opening chapter of her memoir about the highs and lows, the satisfactions and disappointments, and the uplifting rewards that came from those three decades of experience. The opening chapter that she read from is titled "The Interview" and it illustrated both the uncertainty and the determination she felt as she applied for her first teaching position in Detroit. Gayle also writes books for children.

Dewey Steele loves the water and loves being on the water in a sleek and wind-steered sailboat. But there was a time when boating was new to him. It was a time when he didn't know a cleat from a jib, an aft from a starboard. But he was willing and eager to learn. That's what Dewey's story was about: that first thrilling sail up the Intracoastal Waterway. It, too, was a learning experience that probably set his life on a slightly different course. Dewey expects to write a collection of similar stories, all about sailing, and publish them in a book.

Irv Newman shared another one of his humorous and "down-to-earth" observations that he has compiled in a book that is now available for sale. This vignette had to do with funeral directors, and end-of-life decisions. You say that doesn't sound very funny? Well, you really had to be there and hear it for yourself. As an addendum to his essay, Irv also read to us his very appropriate Letter to the Editor that was published by the Sarasota Herald-Tribune. The letter was a tribute to another noted humorist, Art Buchwald, who died some time ago. You say that doesn't sound funny either? Too bad you missed it.

Ed Ellis has a scientific turn of mind. He feels comfortable talking about Einstein's Theory of Relativity, the speed of light, the inconsistencies of time, and all sorts of other physics-related topics. But Ed, like Dewey, is also a sailor and a water lover. His story about floating in space and time on a bobbing raft just off the beach, however, illustrated a different side of Ed's writing. It also reminded us locals of some of the things we tend to take for granted: the beach, the waves, the fresh air, the blue skies, and the ambiance of the southwest coast of Florida.

Cecile Bell gave us another peek into the book she is working on. It is a labor of love dedicated to her son who was diagnosed with diabetes at an early age. With the help, support, encouragement, and love of Cecile, her son went on to excel in numerous ways, despite the illness. Cecile's reading was a brief but touching and poignant letter that her young son wrote when he first learned of his illness. Cecile hopes her book will help other parents who have children with chronic illnesses.

I brought another flash fiction piece to read but, alas, we ran out of time. For those interested, you can find it at http://www.alongstoryshort.net/. It's the second on the list of flashes and the title is "Star Power." Hope you enjoy it.

Thanks to Peter, Barbara, Gayle, Dewey, Irv, Ed, and Cecile for making our meeting an enjoyable time of sharing.

Posted by
Russ Heitz