At The Writers Place

Hi everyone,

SANDY and I had a good time being back in Kansas City even for a short visit, and I enjoyed the chance to address an audience at The Writers Place. My thanks again to TINA HACKER for the tremendous amount of work she invested in the event. It would never have happened without her. My thanks to Missouri’s current poet laureate MARYFRANCES WAGNER, who is also president of The Writers Place and introduced Tina who in turn introduced me.

I was grateful to see a number of dear friends in the audience, including CHERYL HARNESS, JOANIE ARTH, GAIL and ED CUNNINGHAM, and others. The program lasted an hour and a half.

The slides worked well and while the talk is fresh in my mind, I may look for a venue closer to home to give it a second time and see about having it recorded. I’m also considering making an article of it and sending it somewhere. We’ll see.

Whether I do anything else with it or not, it did me good to collect my thoughts for the talk and I loved being in front of a live audience again!

Writing for Children — Why and How

Hi everyone,

My PowerPoint slides are in a thumb drive and in the cloud (thanks JEFF) and I’ve selected the poems I’ll read. I’ll go over my notes a few more times and be ready. I know that some of you plan to attend tomorrow evening at The Writers Place and look forward to seeing you there. Three of my publishers have contributed a total of 26 books that I’ll be giving away. The event is open to the public and free so please share the information with someone who lives close enough to join us. The address in Kansas City is 31 W. 31st Street between Main and Broadway.

Most of us who have published books for children are asked now and then, “How do I get started?” The question seems simple enough but the answer isn’t. My talk is meant to add perspective to the question and provide some guidelines for those who might decide to try. The information will be of interest to others who are involved in various aspects of children’s literature — researching, teaching, reading, fostering a love for it. Wish me luck.

The Writers Place presentation will be open to the public

Hi everyone,

I’ve been asked if my talk and reading at The Writers Place in Kansas City in November will be open to the public. TINA HACKER tells me that it will be. The public is welcome to such events. Tickets are free although a $3.00 door donation is appreciated. If you are interested in attending, mark your calendar for November 8 and I’ll give you the time and other details when I know them. Thank you for considering it.

I would love to see some friends there so I hope you’ll think about getting up a group.

The Writers Place

Hi everyone,

New plans in the works for me to give a talk at The Writers Place in Kansas City. Tentative date is November 8. Title and details still to be developed.

I’m delighted, and grateful to my longtime friend and colleague, TINA HACKER, for facilitating the event. SANDY and I lived in Kansas City almost ten years, but we moved back home to Springfield 49 years ago. Until recently I had never been a member of TWP, which is a strong organization with many successful authors and poets on its roster. Current president is Missouri’s current Poet Laureate, MARYFRANCES WAGNER. I know Tina, BARBARA LOOTS, and maybe a few others, so all the more reason why I look forward to becoming better acquainted with more of Missouri’s finest writers. More when I know more.

Joining The Writers Place

Hi everyone,

I’ve just joined The Writers Place in Kansas City. It’s a well established organization for writers and has been around for a long time. Back when I was helping start Writers Hall of Fame in Springfield, there was talk about setting up something similar to the Kansas City model but we couldn’t pull it off. I don’t get to Kansas City often but have plans to go in October for the Andrea Bocelli performance. Maybe I can become better acquainted with TWP on that trip. Meanwhile I’ll enjoy their newsletter in the same way I receive and read the publications of The Society of Midland Authors. I don’t get to their headquarters in Chicago either but it’s nice to stay informed about authors in the eleven states they serve.

My thanks to Tina Hacker, poet, old friend, and colleague from Hallmark Days, for walking me through the process and putting in a good word for me.