MEETING NOTES FROM MARCH 19, 2022

 

WhipCity Wordsmiths Meeting Minutes 3/19/2022

     The WhipCity Wordsmiths resumed in-person meetings on Saturday, March 19^th, 2022 at the Westfield Athenaeum. The meeting was held in the lower level Committee Room and was attended by Susan, Kelly, Glen, Jeff, Joe Vass, Lynnmarie, Kathy, Rhonda, Melissa, Lex, Heidi, James Homan.

     Susan updated the group on the upcoming Artworks sponsored Articulture event on May 7^th, 2022 at Amelia Park Arena on South Broad Street, Westfield, MA from 10AM to 5PM. Susan was allotted 24 tables to fill with authors, poets, and publishers. There is a $35 table fee which includes a 1-year Artworks membership which allows authors to participate in any upcoming 2022 events where authors can promote and sell their books without having to pay any additional fees. The fee is collected by going to the Artworks of Westfield website and clicking on the New Member box and paying the $35 fee. Cheryl Crowe has a list that Susan updates so she knows what authors, etc are participating and can keep track of who’s paid and who hasn’t. The other payment option is to mail a check to Cheryl Crowe, 40 New Broadway, Westfield, MA 01085 and note Articulture-Author on the note line of the check. There are 2 table spaces remaining if anyone is interested. Email Susan at whipcitywordsmiths@gmail.com. The Elm Street Butcher Block will be a food vendor at this event. Food is also available at the Big Y’s ready-made section directly across the street from the venue. The authors will be located just inside the venue off the main lobby in two large conference rooms that will have the retractable partition opened to create one huge space. Tables and chairs are provided, but authors can bring their own chairs if they’ll be more comfortable. The rooms have large windows looking out onto the lobby and the ice rink and concourse where the art portion of the event will be held. All authors will have great visibility this year.

     Susan spoke about her difficulty writing since the death of her husband, but how at the end of February she had a dream that sparked a new novel and she has been writing since March 1^st. The new book will be the fifth in a series of romance/suspense/crime novels set at or near bodies of water (Whisper Lake, Bolt’s Landing, Camden Lake and Dalton Cove are the first four books). She hopes to finish writing the book and to have it ready for Articulture. If not, she’ll have promotional materials in regards to the new book.

    Heidi Parker Colonna spoke about the response she’s been receiving to her recently published book Dear Gretchen, Letters to My Dog. She has downscaled her teaching. She is excited to have found an illustrator through SCVWI for her new middle grade book. People do judge a book by its cover. Heidi is now a full-time writer!

    Glen Ebisch spoke about his new series, a lighthearted-humorous series about a reluctant detective who looks like Superman but lives a quiet, reserved life running an inn and doing some acting. The Pretend Detective is the first in the Max Moran Fireside Inn Mysteries. We all wished Glen luck with the new series.

     Jeff Vanouvenhove has completed the fifth novel in his Dark Series. He mentioned that he has a side story that he can develop into a tie-in as a bonus story in the future. He also said that he has a dedicated time to write. Hs next project will most likely be a psychological/suspense/thriller.

    Joe Vass has been writing poetry for over 50 years. He has a 500 page manuscript full of vignettes, stories from his own family history and personal experiences that he’s been working on for close to a decade. He has done rewrites and the manuscript is getting closer to being more what he intended it to be. He was encouraged to keep writing, keep tinkering and editing, and that we hope to read his book in the future.

    Kelly is currently writing a short story. Her busy life hasn’t allowed her much time for writing lately, but she does maintain the groups facebook page and the author book gallery so if anyone publishes a new book please send her information so she can add the cover image with a link to ia sales page at whipcitywordsmiths@gmail.com

    Lynnmarie is writing 10-minute plays. She gave a copies of a holiday themed 10-minute play to Susan and Kelly for critiquing and feedback.

    Susan is working on a novel and art commissions as well as working on Articulture through Artworks where she was appointed secretary at the February strategic planning meeting and luncheon.

    Kathy has been writing new poetry. She has a notebook with about 80-something poems from which she is planning to select the best for a chapbook. Planning a book is new to her so she will meet in the near future with Susan to look over the poems and plan a bok. She read her lovely poem Spring to the group.

    Rhonda spoke about how the death of her husband devastated her and she came close to self-destruction via alcohol and drugs, but fortunately help arrived in the nick of time. It has been a long haul for her through rehab and recovering but she is working hard to get her life back on track. She is considering a book about all she has been through since last June and was encouraged to do so by the group. Readers are drawn to books about other people’s tragedies and how they’ve brought themselves back from the brink. It would be a tragic love story as well as a personal road to recovery story.

   James spoke about his books plus the new speculative fiction/sci-fi/satire novel that he’s writing. He described characters and the plot of the book and some scenarios in the book and made us laugh. He has a sharp sense of humor and a keen insight into the LGBTQ community. We wished him luck completing his book and hope to be able to read it soon.

   Melissa is in a creative respite. Lex mentioned that his mother needs a She Shed, a dedicated space to express her creativity in. She writes beautifully and shouldn’t let that talent wither away.

   A special visitor to the meeting today was Clinton who was celebrating his 13^th birthday. Susan met Clinton and his mother at Articulture 2019 when he came up to her table to speak with her. He was ten years old back then and a fan of Dav Pilkey, author of the Captain Underpants series. Clinton faces learning challenges and mentioned how Dav Pilkey was dyslexic and his teacher used to make him sit out in the hallway as he was disruptive in class, but still he managed to grow up to write and illustrate books for kids. Clinton said he’d like to do that when he’s older. He and his mother visited Susan at her home where he talked and told stories and drew pictures as he talked. Susan has been his mentor. They have twin werewolf plush, hers named Bonkers, his named Bruce. Clinton’s mother asked Susan to draw an axolotyl (amphibian) for him for his birthday. It’s important to encourage and foster creativity in children and to continue to do so through their adolescence. Susan will continue to be Clinton’s friend and mentor for many years to come and hopes one day to place his book(-s) on her WhipCity Wordsmiths bookcase.

  The April meeting is set for Saturday April 16^th from 2PM to 4PM in the Committee Room at the Westfield Athenaeum.

  The meeting was adjourned at 3:55PM.