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Abilene Writers Guild
Abilene, Texas, U.S.A. "Not failure, but low aim, is crime." (Lowell) P.O. Box 2562—Abilene, Texas 79604 Monthly meetings are the fourth Thursday at 7:00 P.M. Meeting at the Center for Contemporary Arts, 220 Cypress St. |
Us and Ours: News and Stuff
Jim Runge takes writing humorously very seriously! He is a West Texas version of Robin Williams who has put El Dorado, Texas, on the map, but he's quick to say he doesn't know which map! Jim is a master word crafter of laughter. From his outrageous costumes to his bodacious quips and comments, you are in for an evening of laughter with a purpose as Jim shares his techniques for writing with humor no matter how hard you cry.
Come Thursday, March 27, at 7:00 P.M. at the Center for Contemporary Arts for the funge.
FREE! FREE! FREE! ROUND UP YOUR FRIENDS AND HEAD 'EM UP TO THE AWG SPRING WRITING FLING — TWO DYNAMIC SPEAKERS FOR THE PRICE OF NONE!
LINDA KIRKPATRICK will present "How to Write the Range the Cowboy Poet Way." Linda was born and raised on a ranch in South Central Texas and her ranch life experience gave her the foundation to research and write about cowboys, cowgirls, and life in the west. For thirteen years she managed a 2000 acre cow/calf operation and continues her love for all things western from her home in the Texas hill country near Leakey. She was a Silver Buckle winner at the Western Legends Roundup and Cowboy Poetry Rodeo in Kanab, Utah in 2004. Linda was in the Top 5 Female Cowboy Poets with the Academy of Western Artists in 2005 and a top five Female Cowboy Poet with the Western Music Association in 2006.
She is the author of "Somewhere in the West" (Cowboy Miner Publications,2001). She was a contributor to "The Big Roundup" (New West Library, 2001) anthology, and an Academy of Western Artists' Buck Ramsey Best Poetry Book award winner. Her poetry has been featured on national public radio and in numerous publications. Linda's first poetry CD, "Beneath a Western Sky", was released in 2005. She has performed at major cowboy gatherings throughout the states of Texas, New Mexico, Louisiana, Nevada, Colorado and Utah.
PAT PARKER will present "Thinking Maps: Tools to Make Your Writing Sizzle, Not Fizzle" Teaching math and science has provided Pat Parker with exciting insights into what makes some writing sizzle while other writing fizzles. She'll provide a simple visual handout that you can use over and over and over again to keep your writing balanced and on the right trail for readers to understand and enjoy. Pat's dynamic classroom demonstrations have made her a favorite presenter for the Texas Education Agency with teachers of at-risk, special ed, and gifted and talented students throughout Texas. Learning to use thinking map writing techniques in your articles and stories will open your eyes and your mind to exciting ways to assure our words make sense...and cents!
Our bigger, bolder members-only contest for January brought participation from eleven of our members in three categories. We need more entries so we can give the full $90 in prize money available EVERY month. Please enter every month!
The Inspiration Category was judged by Elaine Ferguson, attorney:
Rhymed Poetry was judged by Becky Haigler of Shreveport, a former member of Abilene Writers Guild.
The Children's Category judged by Assistant District Attorney Harriett Haag, her daughter Lezlea and a playmate of Lezlea's.
Our bigger, bolder members-only contest grew in the second month, receiving fifteen entries by eleven members. The work was quality work! I read each entry and all of them far exceeded many I've seen for the annual contest. We have some great writers in AWG! Of course I already knew that, but it's always refreshing to have the fact reaffirmed, and these entries certainly did!
We still need more entries so we can give the full $90 in prize money available EVERY month. Please enter every month!
The Unrhymed Poetry Contest was judged by Assistant District Attorney (and poet) Joel Wilks:
Adult Fiction was judged by Cheryl McCormick, reader and Administrative Assistant to the IV-D Court Master (and wife of Wayne McCormick):
The Memoir/Nostalgia Category was judged by Claire Johnson, former chair of the Texas Council of Workforce and Economic Competitiveness, and Delegate to the Republican National Convention:
Abilene Writers Guild has great contests, attractive to people around the world. Our own membership, though, often passes up the chance to enter and thereby to win and to learn. The AWG Board considered ending contests in that they seem not to be benefiting the membership. Instead, the Board chose to address problems and concerns with the contests, both monthly and annual.
Major changes in the monthly contests are:
We have learned that the airlift troops, particularly those living in extremely remote airfields in conditions much like we see on M*A*S*H, are in need of good paperback book reading material for the times when they get to relax.
Abilene Writers Guild's new project--to continue as long as necessary--is "OPERATION PAPERBACKS FOR PATRIOTS." We ask our members to go through their shelves and collections and donate any good paperbacks--adventure, thriller, western, inspirational, science fiction, nonfiction--to send to our Dyess troops. (No porn, no slime, no political propoganda.) Bring them to the meetings or drop them by Nancy Masters' house and they'll be packed and delivered to the Squadron to go out with the re-supply flights. These flights go out about every two weeks, so there's no deadline or cut off. Of course, we'll take books from non-members as well! We'll keep count and make a report ever so often of how many paperbacks AWG members and friends have sent.
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Please join us! For our ridiculously low dues structure and the membership form, click to join Abilene Writers Guild.
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