2009 Christmas Party Photos -- Merry Christmas!

A Christmas Card for you! (enable speakers, please)

http://www.jacquielawson.com/viewcard.asp?code=2010673348626&source=jl999

Have a Blessed Christmas!

The minutes of the Write-On Hoosiers Meeting on November 18, 2009 are as follows:

Members present:

Sharon Palmeri, Sharon Buckman, George Miga, Beverly Stanislawski, Sandy Lundin, Tom Wilson, Mike Musak, Paul Mulligan, Janice Beier, Katherine Flotz

Announcements:

Final notice of the Christmas Party on December 2, 2009 was discussed. Also, Sharon Palmeri has asked for a volunteer to take the minutes next year. Sharon Buckman has graciously accepted.

Beverly Stanislawski continues to enter and win poetry contests. George Miga has sent two short stories to a contest. Janice Beier is scheduled for book signings, Sandy Lundin had book signings in Arkansas and Indiana, Katherine Flotz is scheduled to speak at Purdue University Calumet and Central High School in East Chicago.

Sharon Palmeri showed us the latest book of the Prairie Writers Guild entitled "The Edge of the Prairie" in which Sharon and Katherine Flotz have entries.

Sharon Palmeri also mentioned that she is proud of her children's writing group which she is teaching. They have formed a writers' group after finishing Sharon's class at Merrillville High School.

Readings:

Beverly Stanislawski's poem "The Eagle has Landed" has beautiful descriptions of the powerful bird which landed in her backyard dead. It turns out, it wasn't an eagle after all.

George Miga read us his final chapter of "Medal of Dishonor". Cordell Jackson, who had been given the medal, proudly placed it on the body of Bobby Geary who served with him in the war.

Tom Wilson read part of his story "Hero of the Gods", a phantasy of long ago.

Sharon Buckman continued her "Canopy of Leaves". The young girl, being held prisoner by man in the woods, is still trying figure out a way to escape.

Mike Musak wrote a very funny play called "The Turkey Hunt". Two drunks are trying to drive their truck through

a field trying to hunt for turkeys. They miss the sign "High Water" and end up in a funny situation.

Sharon Palmeri read her story called "Missy" which appeared in the "Edge of the Prairie" publication. It is the story of her dog, Missy, and how she dealt with having to put her down.

Sandy Lundin has started another biography which she is ghost writing for a gentleman from Yugoslavia. It begins in 1916 and is titled "The Good Life of my Father and Mother".

Katherine Flotz read a Christmas memory from 1945 entitled "Silently the snowflakes fall". It's a translation from German, which she wrote in 1985. Her memories tell of the very sad Christmas she had in 1945 in a concentration camp.

Paul Mulligan and Janice Beier did not read.

Special Note: You are all invited to Katherine Flotz's house for the first meeting in January 2010. The date is January 6th. Further reminders will be forthcoming.

The meeting ended at 8:45 P.M.

Respectfully submitted,

Katherine Flotz

The minutes of the November 4, 2009 meeting of the Write-On Hoosiers, Inc:

Members present:

Beverly Stanislawski, John Boufis, George Miga, Cathy Dziubla, Janice Beier, Sharon Buckman, Tom Wilson, Katherine Flotz

Announcements: Anyone wanting to attend the Christmas Party on December 2nd, must have their money in by the next meeting, November 18th.

Beverly Stanislawski had some good news: She had entered some poems in the Poetry Society in Florida and two of her poems won second place, and three earned honorable mention. She also entered a story in "Grandmothers Earth" publication and won first prize of $100.00 and another story won third prize of $25.00.

We are all very proud of you, Beverly.

Janice Beier's children story was written up in The Times on November 3, 2009. The article was entitled "Local author tackles diversity." She will also be on "Authors Radio Show" on November 25, 2009. Congratulations to you, Janice.

Readings:

Cathy Dziubla did her first and last film review entitled "Dean Spanley". This is a 2008 New Zealand British Comedy. She said that to fully appreciate the witty dialogue, close-captioning is recommended.

Cathy also read us a beautiful essay written by her fifteen year old grandson, Jake Dziubla. The story treats us to a colorful and scenic autumn day.

Beverly Stanislawski wrote a poem entitled "Soldiers of Corn", a subject she found while driving through the area with cornfields near farms in Indiana.

John Boufis re-read "Tears of the Soul" - still trying to work out the kinks.

Sharon Buckman continued with "Canopy of Leaves", this time Anne is expected to go fishing with her captor. She is still trying to find a way to escape.

Janice Beier continues her story of a woman who is chased by dreams and is finally subdued by the attendants of the facility. Very descriptive and scary.

George Miga continues with "Medal of Dishonor". McCall is in contact with President Johnson, who wants favors in exchange for intervention for Cordell Jackson.

Tom Wilson did not read but gives excellent critiques.

Katherine Flotz did not read.

Please note: FINAL MEETING FOR 2009 WILL BE ON NOVEMBER 18, 2009 AT BORDERS.

CHRISTMAS PARTY DECEMBER 2, 2009 at Lake of the Four Seasons Clubhouse.

Respectfully submitted,

Katherine Flotz

MINUTES FOR OCTOBER 21, 2009 MEETING

Members present:

Sharon Palmeri, Sharon Buckman, Tom Wilson, Tom Molnar, George Miga, Beverly Stanislawski, Audrey Warzyniak, Janice Beier, Francest Burkett, Michael Musak, Katherine Flotz

Guest: Don Mach

Announcements:

Sharon Palmeri reminded us all about the Christmas Party at the Lake of the Four Seasons and took payment of the dinner advance of $15.50 per person. The party will be on December 2, 2009.

After the members exchanged introductions and news, we proceeded to the readings as time is short at Borders Cafe, which closes its doors at 9:00 P.M.

Readings:

Sharon Buckman read "The Final Sentencing" which is the finale to the long awaited sentencing of the killers of her nephew.

Beverly Stanislawski won third place in the 2009 Tennessee State Poetry Contest with her poem titled

"Yesterday's Album". The style is called "Pantoum" which seems quite hard when you follow a series of six quatrains with four lines of definite instructions.

Katherine Flotz had written a seasonal poem called "Autumn Snapshots", representing the colors of the Wisconsin nature palette.

Audrey Warzyniak wrote an untitled essay about a man and his wife and the health questions which arise when one spouse becomes severely handicapped. Do we "pull the plug" or not?

George Miga continues with chapter 8 of his "Medal of Dishonor." This chapter takes place in Waycross, Georgia in 1967. The journey takes us to a nursing home where Bobby Geary is living. He is a possible witness to a heroic deed performed by Corp. Cordell Jackson at the Battle of the Bulge.

Frances Burkett wrote a story entitled "Vicky's Coffin" a supernatural piece about a woman who cried by the river, searching for the children she'd drowned to spite her unfaithful husband.

Tom Molnar wrote a query letter to an agent about his story "Dark Age Maiden" and wanted a critique from the members. He also wrote "She wanted to be a famous novelist" about a young girl named Jasmine who wanted to become a writer and be famous. Things did not happen as fast as she expected.

Michael Musak read part of his play "Katie", letting some of the members take the character readings and use their imagination with accents, etc. Katie is shopping for Halloween and has entered a store where she finds a gypsy costume. We will finish the piece at the next meeting. Please bring the pages you were given.


Janice Beier (using the pseudonym J.C. Yester) wrote "Fragile Lives" a story about a girl's dream in which she was pursued by a frightening figure. It turned out that it was her mother. As she awoke, she screamed so long that a sedative had to be administered by the nurse.

Sharon Palmeri did not read but gave valuable advice.

Tom Wilson did not read but had much to add to some of the stories.

At the last meeting, Rose Ann Ross attended and returned again this evening with a beautiful and moving poem dedicated to our group. She cannot join the group due to other commitments, but wanted to let us know how much she thought of us.

The meeting adjourned at 8:45 P.M.

PLEASE NOTE THE NEXT MEETING WILL BE ON NOVEMBER 4, 2009.

Respectfully submitted,

Katherine Flotz

MINUTES FOR OCTOBER 7, 2009 MEETING

MEMBERS PRESENT:

Janice Beier, George Mika, John Boufis, Michael Musak, Beverly Stanislawski, Cathy Dziubla,Audrey Warzyniak, Paul Mulligan, Sharon Buckman, Sharon Palmeri, Tom Wilson

GUESTS PRESENT:

Serena Beier, Rose Ann Ross, Frances Burkett

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

There will be no regular meeting on December 2nd at the Borders Bookstore. We are planning a Christmas party on that date instead. It will be held at the Lake of Four Seasons clubhouse in the restaurant area. The fee is $l5.50 per person. This will include turkey (with some other type of meat) a vegetable, salad, coffee and dessert.

NEWS:

l. Janice Beier brought along her newly published children's book and told of the good review she received from "bookpleasures.com." She has also posted a blog.

2. Serena Beier, Janice's daughter, stated she has done a little writing but is not presently working on anything in particular.

3. George Mika is revising his book "Medal of Dishonor"-- a story he has been reading to us at past meetings. He is also working on a short story.

4. John Boufis has been busy with his students and is also doing some revision on a short story he has been working on.

5. Mike Musak has been continuing with work on his screenplay.

6. Tom Wilson told of losing some of his work due to a computer virus.

7. Beverly Stanislawski informed us she had won seven different poetry contests for which she had actually received a check.

8. Cathy Dziubla has been keeping busy with a story called "The Right to Laugh."

9. Audrey Warzyniak stated she has been busy caring for her mother. Her mother is now doing better since she has been on dialysis.

l0. Rose Ann Ross told us she is an inspirational writer, usually working on religious themes but is presently not working on anything.

ll. Frances Burkett has just finished a book entitled "Vicki's Coffin" and is presently working on a 400 word short story.

l2. Paul Mulligan has been looking up agents for his book "Elevator Magic."

l3. Sharon Buckman stated she had been enjoying the day eating out, it was her birthday and her family had taken her out for breakfast and dinner.

l4. Sharon Palmeri has been busy finding a restaurant for our Christmas Party and various other projects.

READINGS:

MIKE MUSAK selected some of the members to participate in his comedy screenplay "The Plant." Everyone enjoyed the play as well as participating in it. We especially enjoyed the ending. Joe had been asked if he would like to get "high". After finally being assured he would not get into trouble they led him to a ladder where he was told he had been given the job of washing the "high" windows - so much for fun.

TOM WILSON received a few suggestions for his query letter regarding the 115,000 word book he had been working on entitled "Hero of the Gods."

BEVERLY STANISLAWSKI read her poem "The Eagle Has Landed." Beverly later revealed the seven stanza poem had really been written about a turkey vulture that had fallen in her backyard - an easy mistake.

CATHY DZIUBLA read the second part of her children's story "Carlisle and Cassie:. Everyone thought she should continue with the story which involved a sneezing snake called Alfred being flown to Arizona by a couple of friends.

AUDREY WARZYNIAK had written an eight stanza poem entitled "Messy Hair." It concerned the frenzied life of a caregiver with a very clever ending.

PAUL MULLIGAN wrote a letter to the plant manager concerning the unfairness of being asked to return money they had previously been awarded. After U. S. Steel received the letter they agreed that only half of the money needed to be returned. Paul was indeed a hero to his fellow union workers.

SHARON BUCKMAN continued with chapter three of her book "Canopy of Leaves." The life of the young captured Anne finally has a better turn of events when she takes an accidental swim with her dog.

The meeting was adjourned at 8:20 P.M.
Respectfully submitted,
Sharon Buckman

MINUTES FOR SEPTEMBER 16, 2009 MEETING

MEMBERS PRESENT :
Paul Mulligan, Janice Beier, Michael Musak, Beverly Stanislawski, Cathy Dziubla, Sharon Buckman, Sharon Palmeri

ANOUNCEMENTS:
Meetings will continue to be held at Borders in Southlake Mall, beginning at 6:30 P.M. on the first and third Wednesdays of each month.

NEWS:
l. Paul Mulligan mentioned he had been doing some writing which involved a letter of protest to his workplace as well as an article about Michael Jackson's death.

2. Janice Beier is scheduled to do a book signing at the First Financial Bank in Crown Point on Sat., Sept. l9th. She also talked about a rejection letter she had received concerning her newest book, Fragile Lives.

3. Beverly Stanislawski has been entering a number of contests, involving several states; included was her poem written about Chicago which she read to us at the last meeting. At this point she has received no replies.

4. Mike Musak talked about a very nice rejection letter (if there is such a thing) concerning the magazine article he read to us at the last meeting he attended.

5. Cathy Dziubla stated she had spent most of her summer trying to help a friend, Gary Smith, get elected. He was running for the office of State Representative and just recently passed away.

6. Sharon Buckman has been involved with the murder trial of her nephew and other family matters, all keeping her from doing what she likes best, writing.

7. Sharon Palmeri has been spending a lot of her summer enjoying her circular flower garden and is now involved finding homes for the vegetables from her husband's productive vegetable garden. ANYONE NEEDING VEGTABLES - THE'RE FREE. On top of all this she is getting ready to start teaching her newest class on Writing Children's Books at the Merrillville High School and working at the radio station at IUN.

READINGS;
PAUL MULLIGAN read a portion of Chapter Two in his book "Your Doing a Fine Job Son". He started by telling of his relationship with the beautiful and very independent,Elma and how she had exposed him to the wealthier side of life. He also admittedly stated he was not an expert on women but felt that she, and a few other women, had influenced his view of women in general. The basic message of his book was to find the real you before searching for someone.

MIKE MUSAK had written a screen play entitled "The Plant". A few of the members played the various characters which entertained us all. We all felt that he should continue with the play, a comedy which involved trying to get a job in the plant where he used to work.

BEVERALY STANISLOWSKI wrote a very cute children's story entitled "The Odd Bird". The story told of a very odd looking bird named Birdie who had no idea where she came from and endured a lot of teasing from some of the other birds. The end of the story had a good lesson for all.

CATHY DZIUBLA had another true story which involved her experience of being caught behind a school bus. The story entitled "Stuck Behind A School Bus", was an eye opener as to the difference in the amount of time, and gas, school buses take for urban areas compared to country areas. Her account of the attitude of delay and slow walking urban children compared to the running and smiling faces of the country children was quite interesting.

SHARON BUCKMAN read two pages of her newest chapter in "Canopy of Leaves". The main character, Anne, has decided to try and convince her captor that she would like to learn some of the things he is involved in which would help her in her plan to escape. She succeeds in finally getting some praise from him.


The meeting was adjourned at 8:30 P.M.
Respectfully submitted,
Sharon Buckman

Minutes of the September 2 meeting

The meeting of the Write-On Hoosiers was held at Border's in Southlake Mall on Sept. 2, 2009 at 6:30 P.M.

This will be our future meeting place.

Members present: Sharon Palmeri, Sharon Buckman, John Boufis, George Miga, Beverly Stanislawski, Audrey Warzyniak, Katherine Flotz.

Guest: Janice Beier of Merrillville

Janice is the author of "Zebert, the Rainbow Striped Zebra.

Announcements:

Sharon Palmeri invited all to attend the Indiana Writers Consortium Dinner on October 22, 2009 at Strongbow Inn in Valparaiso. There will be three speakers and the cost is $30.00 for non members, $25.00 for members. There is also a chance to sell your books. Cost is $5.00 for a table.

Katherine Flotz announced the Writer's Gathering 2009 at St. Joseph College in Rensselaer on October 3, 2009. Cost is $55.00 and you can get a brochure and registration form at awritersgathering@gmail.com.

You can also leave your books for sale and read from your book as time permits.

After a month's absence, we all had some news to discuss and everyone was happy to be back.

Readings:

Sharon Palmeri read the "assigned" work - (take any book, go to page 56, fifth sentence and write a poem or story about the subject) - her work was untitled but told about a man getting a letter from a woman he does not remember knowing. She, however, seems very familiar with his life.

Katherine Flotz also wrote a poem on the "assigned work" - about a soldier going off to war.

She also wrote "The House by the Lake", in which the house is doing the talking on the occasion of its 30th birthday.

Beverly Stanislawski entered a contest with her poem "My Kind of Town" -- a clever combination of various places in Chicago. Hope she wins first place.

George Miga wrote "The Revival" - a story he wrote many years ago about a pilot lost in the jungle of New Guinea.

Sharon Buckman continued her report on the murder trial of her nephews' murder in 2003. The guilty party will be prosecuted.

John Boufis, Audrey Warzyniak and our guest Janice Beier did not bring anything to read, but actively participated in the discussions.

The next meeting will be on September 16, 2009 at Border's.

Meeting adjourned at 8:25 P.M.

Respectfully submitted,

Katherine Flotz

Addendum: Janice Beier mailed in her dues several days after the meeting and is now a member.

Welcome Janice!

The minutes of Write-On Hoosiers, Inc. held on July 15, 2009

Members present: Sharon Palmeri, Beverly Stanislowski, Cathy Dziubla, George Miga, Tom Wilson, Michael Musak, Katherine Flotz.
Announcements: There will be a picnic of the Indiana Writers' Consortium to be held at Lions Park in the Lake of the Four Seasons, on August 15th. Everyone is invited. Further details and instructions will be sent separately.
Sharon encouraged the members to buy the book "Poetic Forms" by Ron Padgett as a springboard to future poetry writings by our members. She also passed out a few copies of pages out of this book and encouraged us to write something during our hiatus in August. She would like us to do the following for the next meeting:
"Grab a book nearest you. Turn to page 56. Find the fifth sentence and begin a poem or story on that subject.
Readings:
Sharon Palmeri read her poem "A Poignant Poem" which is a tribute to a "tell, slender, blond body". There is a surprise ending.
Michael Musak read a query letter which he is sending to "Self" Magazine for possible publication of his story "Reinvent Yourself", the seven deadly sins project.
George Miga continued his "Medal of Dishonor" novel wherein McCall is discussing the CO2 project with his good friend, Fitzsimmons.
Cathy Dziubla is writing a children's story entitled "Carlisle & Cassie" about garden variety caterpillars. She will continue the story at the next meeting. She also gave us a view of some geese by her lake trying to eat floating apples to no avail.
Beverly Stanislawski is deep into writing poetry, has won some contests, and brought us another beautiful poem called "Aging Grace". The poetry form is called "Quattern". She wants us to try it.
Katherine Flotz has written a report of how she has been marketing her book "A Pebble in my Shoe" from the beginning in 2004 until the present.
Tom Wilson brought nothing to read but informed us that he is still re-writing his fantasy story.
THERE WILL BE NO MEETINGS IN AUGUST
September meetings will begin as soon as we hear from Purdue.

Meeting adjourned at 8:45 P.M.
Respectfully submitted,
Katherine Flotz

ADDENDUM: SEPTEMBER 2 MEETING AS WELL AS ALL FUTURE MEETINGS WILL BE HELD AT BORDERS BOOK STORE (IN MERRILLVILLE ) ACROSS FROM THE CAFÉ IN THE CARD DEPARTMENT AT THE SAME TIME

Minutes of the July1, 2009 Meeting

Minutes of Write-On Hoosiers meeting on July 1, 2009 at Purdue Learning Center:

Members present: George Miga, Cathy Dziubla, Arthur Wilkerson, Michael Musak, Katherine Flotz

Sharon Palmeri was ill and Katherine Flotz led the discussions.

Readings:

Cathy Dziubla wrote a comical essay about the pronounciation of the name of the new president of Iran, Mahmoud Ahmadinejab, which the news media has trouble pronouncing.

Arthur Wilkerson is in the process of starting a new novel, beginning with "An Epic Poem - The Beginning". This will follow with prose and the story of the Great Book in which we learn the history of Terra and her inhabitants.

George Miga continued with "Medal of Dishonor" - this time McCall goes to the Washington National Records Center to find information about Cordell, the shoe shine man.

Michael Musak has written "Reinvent Yourself" - a piece about the Seven Deadly Sins. He is looking to find a magazine to publish it.

Katherine Flotz wrote another "diamonte" poem entitled "Evening Glow". She was inspired by a sunset in Lac du Flambeau, her summer home.

The next meeting will be on July 15, 2009 at 6:30 P.M. at Purdue Learning Center.

No meetings in August and further notice will be forthcoming when the September meetings will begin.

Meeting adjourned at 7:30 P.M.

Respectfully submitted,

Katherine Flotz

Minutes of the June 17, 2009 Meeting

Minutes of June 17, 2009 for Write-On Hoosiers, Inc.

Members present: John Boufis, Cathy Dziubla, George Miga, Beverly Stanislawski, Arthur Wilkerson and Katherine Flotz

Announcements: The matter of holding meetings in July was discussed and everyone present, with the exception of John Boufis, is able to make the meetings.

Readings:

George Miga read a query letter which he sent out to Manus & Associates in Palo Alto, CA along with 30 pages of his story "Medal of Dishonor". He also continued with the story in which the CEO, McCall, is conversing with his girl friend about the possibility of his leaving the company.

Beverly Stanislawski wrote a beautiful poem entitled "Final Verdict". She ponders the question about the final judgement by God.

Arthur Wilkerson wrote down some thoughts about "Things I wish I knew, Things I know for sure and Bible clues to things I wish I knew". These are serious questions to which we have no answers.

Cathy Dziubla read an "oldie" which she wrote in 2003 called "Liquid Licorice". A comical story, true by the way, of how she sampled some "Ouzo" as a child. The result proved to be a bad headache, a long nap and a lecture and punishment from parents. She has since sworn off "Ouzo".

John Boufis had nothing to read but participated actively in the critiques.

Katherine Flotz read an article which appeared in the Post Tribune written by Jill Pfister, director of Village Park Enrichment Center in Valparaiso. The article promoted Katherine's lecture to be given Friday, June 19th at the Books and Entertainment program.

The next meeting will be July 1, 2009 - same time, same place.

Meeting adjourned at 7:45 P.M.

Respectfully submitted,

Katherine Flotz

Minutes of the June 3, 2009 Meeting

The minutes of the June 3, 2009 meeting are as follows:

Members present: Sharon Palmeri, George Miga, Katherine Flotz

Guests: None

Announcements: Due to the meager attendance at the meeting, it is questionable if summer meetings are necessary. You will be advised further.

George Miga talked about a possible screen play for his book and asked for advice as to how to go about it. He continues to look for an agent.

Kathy Flotz had a successful speaking engagement in Lake Summerset, Illinois at a book club. Attendance was well over 50 people.

Readings:

Katherine Flotz read a diamonte poem she wrote for her grandson's Bar Mitzvah. The poem was made into a bookmark with a picture of the Torah.

George Miga continued reading his novel "Medal of Dishonor". The story continues with conversation between McCall, the boss, and Tony, the shoe shine man's son.

The meeting adjourned 7:45 P.M.

Respectfully submitted,

Katherine Flotz

Minutes of the May 20, 2009 Meeting

NOTE: PLEASE CHECK OUT THE WEBSITES OF THE WEEK– ON THIS WOHBLOG. (SEE TOP RIGHT SIDE OF THIS SITE) OTHER NEW ITEMS INCLUDE lOCAL NEWS AND BACKLASH ON E-BOOKS

SHARON PALMERI WILL BE POSTING THE WEBSITES OF THE WEEK. IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO CONTRIBUTE A LINK PLEASE SEND IT TO HER.

MEMBERS PRESENT:
Sharon Palmeri, Paul Mulligan, George Miga, Cathy Dziubla, and Beverly Stanislawski.

GUESTS PRESENT:
None


NEWS:

George Miga is still searching for an agent for his book Medal of Dishonor.

Paul Mulligan has returned after missing several meetings due to many projects and work issues.

Cathy is busy traveling to visit all her children.

Beverly Stanislawski survived the dentist episode and continues to submit her pieces for publication. She won second place in the Indiana State Federation of Poetry Clubs Members Only contest. It was for a poem, "Two Tabbies from Texas."

MISSING IN ACTION:
We are wondering if we should get a search warrant out for Nadine, Stacey, Tom, Mike and Arthur. They have missed at least two meetings and we are concerned! We wonder -- what could have happened? Are they out of ink or toner? Is the pencil sharpener broken? Worse yet did some strange virus attack their computer? Were they snatched by the closet monster? This is a mystery we are trying to solve! So please help us by coming to the next meeting and relive our minds. Okay?

READINGS;
Paul presented his recollections of Chicago Radio, especially the A.M. stations and some of their more colorful D.J.'s.

Cathy offered "Grandma's Rap Song" which emphasized her opinions on the excessive coverage and concern for the waterboarding of terrorists and the lack of concern for the aborting of babies.

George continued his readings from his novel-in-progress, Medal of Dishonor. In this chapter we witness a rather confrontational meeting of the main character and the woman reporter, Eleanor, who will become his love interest. They have quite a spirited discussion of LBJ and of the character's possible appointment to a position in Iran.

Bev read a poem, "God's Special Angel" which she wrote to honor Kathy Spencer who passed away recently. Bev also offered " La Senora," a short story about a close friendship between an old man and a young girl and about the possibility of a gigantic oyster shell with a large pearl inside.
The meeting adjourned at 8:45 P.M.

Respectfully submitted,
Beverly Stanislawski and Sharon Palmeri

NOTE: THE NEXT MEETING WILL BE ON JUNE 3 AT 6:30, AND WE WILL AGAIN MEET AT THE PURDUE ACADEMIC LEARNING CENTER.

Minutes of the May 6, 2009 meeting of Write-On Hoosiers, Inc.

MEMBERS PRESENT:

John Boufis, Sandy Lundin, Sharon Buckman, George Miga, Cathy Dziubla, Sharon Palmeri, Mike Musak

GUESTS PRESENT:

None

NEWS:

Mike Musak stated that he has been busy working on a possible magazine article – he felt if he can’t find an ending it just might turn out to be a book.

John Boufis has been busy with both his students and achieving an A on a paper he has just completed.

Sandy Lundin will be going to Arkansas for ten days. She stated she will be attending a different type of writer’s group while there and is looking forward to her trip.

Cathy Dziubla had her poem, “Lord Hear My Prayer,” published in the book “Famous Poets Society.” Congratulations Cathy.

George Miga we felt was being modest. He stated he couldn’t think of any particular significant thing to talk about.

Sharon Palmeri talked about her problem with Comcast. Her internet speed had been much too slow to suit her but after constant complaints she finally ended up with a few Comcast professionals. Her problem appears to now be resolved.

Sharon Buckman told of downloading the wrong coupon for KFC and ending up with her family in the restaurant noticing everyone else had a different type of coupon - the very
nice manager honored it anyway.

READINGS;

MIKE MUSAK read a two page article entitled (for now) “Seven Deadly Sins.” The sins included pride, envy, gluttony, lust, anger, greed and sloth. Although it was written very well most everyone agreed he could take each one separately and make several different articles out of it, or possibly a book.

JOHN BOUFIS read a continued version of his story “Tears of the Soul.” The story, set in medieval times, is about a man named Jonathon and his dislike of the life his father was forcing him to lead. He yearned for the much grander life his brother, Antonious, led, living in a grand castle and not involving war and all its bloodshed.

SANDY LUNDIN read a copy of the memoirs of her childhood. This had been written for a family journal and involved a number of her family members during the Second World War. Needless to say it brought back a lot of memories for all of us.

CATHY DZIUBLA wrote an article entitled, “I Fired My Cardiologist”. It told of her last visit with her cardiologist and the long wait to see a physician who seemed to have no knowledge of the last medication he had given her. We were all able to relate to this story.

SHARON PALMERI read her article “How to find a Writers Group to Suit Your Needs”. She is contemplating turning it into a magazine article, or articles, for a writer’s magazine. We all felt it would be successful.

GEORGE MIGA continued his story “Metal of Dishonor”. This part of the story, soon to be a book, concerned the conversation between LBJ and his newest choice for Secretary of the Army. Everyone felt he did an excellent job in portraying the dialogue of LBJ.

SHARON BUCKMAN continued with her story, “Canopy of Leaves”, involving the attempted escape of a young girl, kidnapped at the age of twelve and forced to live in a cabin in the Kentucky woods.

The meeting adjourned at 8:45 P.M.

Respectfully submitted,
Sharon Buckman

Minutes of the April 15, 2009 meeting of Write-On Hoosiers, Inc.

Members present: Sharon Palmeri, John Boufis, Sharon Buckman, Sandy Lundin, George Miga, Katherine Flotz

Guest: Luke Bruce was tonight’s guest. He said that he is interested in writing science fiction and fantasy. It has a few projects that he has begun and promised to return and share his work with us. A big welcome goes out to Luke!

Announcements: There will be an all day writer's workshop at Sinclair Community College in Dayton, OH on April 24, 2009. Sharon Palmeri passed out flyers and registration forms. The fee is $25.00. If you are interested and were not at the meeting, contact Sharon.

Readings:

Sharon Palmeri discussed an “Agent of the Day” program that she volunteered in, and shared with the group several samples from the fifty query letters and proposal packages that she received. This proved to be very useful and interesting information for people looking for agents and how to impress them.

Sharon also mentioned the success of the Indiana Writers’ Consortium Facebook page. If you did not get and e-mail with information and instructions on how to create A Facebook account and add yourself to the IWC site and wish to join, please e-mail Sharon for details.

Sandy Lundin continued writing her memoirs to be part of their family's saga. She and her two sisters lived on a farm in Nebraska in the 1940's, while her father was recovering from TB.

Sharon Buckman read portions of "A family murder" - the story of her nephews untimely death at the hands of his wife.

George Miga continued reading from his historical fiction entitled "Medal of Dishonor". In this chapter, the black man who shines shoes in an office building is confronted by a thief on the streets of Chicago. He tries to stop the young thief and is shot in the process.

Katherine Flotz read a whimsical accounting of cleaning out her grandson's car and finding many "lost treasures."

John Boufis had no readings but is always deeply involved in the discussion and critique.

The next meeting will be on May 6, 2009 at 6:30 P.M. at Purdue Learning Center.

Meeting was adjourned at 8:20 P.M.

Respectfully submitted by,

Katherine Flotz and Sharon Palmeri

The minutes of the April 1, 2009 meeting of Write-On Hoosiers

Members present: Sharon Palmeri, Cathy Dziubla, Sandy Lundin, Beverly Stanislawski, Sharon Buckman, George Miga and Katherine Flotz.
Dues paid: Sandy Lundin

Announcements: Sharon Palmeri announced that one of our former members, Kathy Spencer has passed on as of 2:55 a.m. this morning. Tom Spencer sent her the following information:

“Her viewing will be from 2:00 p.m. To 5:00 p.m. And from 6:00 p.m. To 8:00 p.m. Friday the 3rd of April and from 11:00 a.m. To 1:00 p.m. Saturday April 4th at Sheets Funeral Home on Commercial Avenue (Rt2) in Lowell. Funeral Service At the funeral home at 1:00 p.m. There will be time allowed for vocal tributes. In lieu of flowers we are asking that donations be made to the Friends of the Lowell Public Library 1505 East Commercial Ave. Lowell, IN. 47356.”

Kathleen and Tom Spencer were members of Write-on Hoosiers for several years and our hearts go out to Tom and his family.

Sharon also elaborated on prior information she gave about going on Facebook and Twitter to showcase and advertise published and copyrighted works. She also emphasized the importance of high tech publicity.

She also showed us a book entitled: "The Teachers & Writers Handbook of Poetic Forms" by Ron Padgett which may prove useful for members in the future for various poetry writings.

Readings:
Sharon Palmeri read "Easter Wings". This poem was written in 1633 by George Herbert in the shape of wings and is known as carmen figuration or shaped verse. You can find out more about Herbert and other Metaphysical poets at this website: http://www.luminarium.org/sevenlit/herbert/

Cathy Dziubla wrote "More Like a Teaspoon Than a Slice" - a comical story about a request from her granddaughter for heroic events in the life of "grandpa" and also grandma. When Cathy listed her heroic events, her granddaughter told them that it was for grandpas only.

Beverly Stanislawski wrote "Gladly, the Cross-eyed Bear" - a delightful tale about a cross-eyed bear cub that sees everything double.

Sharon Buckman continued with "Canopy of Leaves" - the young girl held hostage is trying to hide objects which might later help her escape from the cabin in the woods.

George Miga is writing a book called "Medal of Dishonor" - he read Chapter I about Lyndon B. Johnson and his friend from Texas, who he is trying to persuade to travel to the Mideast and see Hussein of Jordan about the oil situation.

Sandy Lundin wrote a memoir about her childhood to be used in a compilation of other family members' stories.

Katherine Flotz has resurrected her nonfiction story entitled "The Journey" and is continuing with Chapter VI. Martha Brenner and her boys are in America. Martha's meeting with a gentleman at one of the homes she cleans, brings a possible solution to finding her husband.

The next meeting will be on April 15, 2009 at the Purdue Learning Center.
Meeting adjourned at 9:00 P.M.

Respectfully submitted,

Katherine Flotz and Sharon Palmeri

The minutes of the March 18th meeting of Write on Hoosiers

MINUTES OF THE MARCH 18, 2009 MEETING OF THE WRITE-ON HOOSIERS AT SCHOOP'S RESTAURANT IN CROWN POINT, IN.

Members present: Sharon Palmeri, Cathy Dzuibla, Beverly Stanislawski, John Boufis, Tom Molnar, Sharon Buckman and Katherine Flotz.

Announcements: John Boufis showed us his "Kindle" apparatus which serves to transfer books electronically. You purchase a book from Amazon and they transfer it to your kindle at a lower price. You can have several books on the kindle at the same time.
Sharon Palmeri mentioned that facebook.com has opportunities for authors to publicize their books. It was also mentioned that Glimmer Train submissions for your writings can be done by openoffice.com.

Readings:

Sharon Buckman continued her story "Canope of Leaves", which is getting suspenseful. The twelve year old girl is being molested and has thoughts of trying to escape.

Cathy Dziubla read a poem entitled "The Look, The Touch, The Smile". She was inspired by a couple who were part of our group - The Spencers.

Sharon Palmeri has written "Animal Stories" - part 1 -- a comical adventure about her two hamsters who met their fate in a very unusual way.

John Boufis continues his "Tears of the Soul" story.

Tom Molnar has started a new story called "Dark Age Woman". He is writing again about the middle ages.

Beverly Stanislawski's story entitled "The Puzzle Pro" is very entertaining. A crossword puzzle fanatic is faced with competition by another puzzle solver at the airport waiting room.

Katherine Flotz wrote another "fibonnaci diamond" poem style entitled "The Proposal". The poem is ruled by certain syllable count and is fun to do.

Our next meeting on April 1, 2009 will again be at Purdue Learning Center - Room 195.

Meeting adjourned at 9:00 P.M.

Respectfully submitted,

Katherine Flotz

The minutes of the March 4 meeting of Write on Hoosiers

WOH Minutes, March 4, 2009

Sharon Palmeri brought the meeting to order and shared a book she had read, The Element, written by Ken Robinson. It centers around finding one's creativity.

John Boufis-read his parody song of "Solitary Man," which concerned pens and their lack of performance.

Sharon Buckman- brought the third and fourth pages of her "Canopy of Leaves" story, and we learned more of her heroine and her back-hills captor.

Bev Stanislawski- In her free verse poem, "The Race," we learned that excessive highway speed has its terrible consequences, including death of an innocent, old man.

Mike Musak- read a chapter, "New Guy" which dealt with a job he had at a local company where not everyone performed his job properly.

George Miga continued his story, "Medal of Dishonor" which made one wonder who really deserved the coveted award for actions at the Battle of the Bulge.

Tom Wilson- read a query letter that he is preparing to send out for the book fictional book he has written. Suggestions included that he might take Sharon's course which will deal with this topic.

All were reminded that our next meeting will be March 19, at Schoop's restaurant, in Crown Point, at 6:30.

Meeting adjourned at 8:15 p.m.

Bev Stanislawski

Addendum:
Welcome new members George, Mike, and Tom!
Dues were collected from: George Miga, Muke Musak, and Tom Wilson
By: Sharon Palmeri

New addendum:
The date for the next meeting at Schoops is March 18 (weds) rather than the 19th.
by; Sharon Palmeri

The minutes of the February 18th meeting of Write on Hoosiers

The minutes of the February 18th meeting of Write on Hoosiers at Purdue Learning Center in Merrillville, IN. are as follows:

Members present: Sharon Palmeri, Nadine Mack, Cathy Dziubla, Beverly Stanislawski, Katherine Flotz, John Boufis, Tom Molnar, Arthur Wilkerson, Paul Mulligan.

Guests: Welcome to George P. Miga, Michael Musak, Tom Wilson, Stacey Emley.

Dues were paid (Please pay your dues no later than March, 2009)

Announcements:
Introductions followed with names and writing genres of each guest and members.

Readings:
Cathy Dziubla presented a timely piece entitled "No Mail on Saturday" about the postoffice's problems with money worries. Hope it doesn't come true. She also wrote a beautiful poem entitled: " Ignorance" which tells us that "ignorance is the seed of fear".

Arthur Wilkerson wrote a moving piece called "Judy", about a woman's journey into the hereafter with a comforting thought about how we pass on to our heavenly rewards.

Nadine Mack: Her story entitled "How I Learned to Count to Ten in French" is her experience in the hospital waiting for surgery in the "Holding Room". The attending nurse was learning to speak French and Nadine learned along with her.

Tom Molnar: Continued with his novel "Dark Age Maiden - Chapter Six . The story is progressing very well.

Tom Wilson: Our new guest writes fantasy pieces and read a small paragraph of "Hero of the Gods: The Treaty of Unity."

George Miga: He is the author of "The Final Mission" - Grant and Lee. He read chapter I - a civil war story.

Beverly Stanislawski: Her very funny piece entitled "The Man with the Wooden Eye" was again entered into a contest and we are waiting to hear the good news.

Paul Mulligan: He is trying to straighten out the parking problem on his street and wrote a flyer for the neighbors asking for their help and giving them some good points.

Stacey Emley read a few of her beautiful poems entitled:Smell Assimilation, Beach Bowl Evening, Her Colossal Colors, His Kettle Pockets. Great Stuff.

Katherine Flotz read the ending of her story "The Boy at the River's Edge" which completes the round-trip journey of her husband from his home in Yugoslavia to Germany/Austria/America/Asia and back to America.

Sharon Palmeri, John Boufis, Michael Musak did not read.

Sharon Palmeri also explained about the Indiana Writer's Consortium (the next meeting is April 4th at the Lake County Library at noon). She also asked any of the authors to send their book information to her to be put on the Write On Hoosiers website.

PLEASE NOTE: THE MARCH 18TH MEETING WILL NOT TAKE PLACE AT PURDUE LEARNING CENTER DUE TO SPRING BREAK.
WE WILL MEET AT SCHOOPS Restaurant (back room) at 1134 North Main Street, Crown Point at 6:30 P.M.

Meeting adjourned 8:15 P.M.

Respectfully submitted,

Katherine Flotz

The minutes of the February 4th meeting of Write-On Hoosiers

Members present: Sharon Buckman, Cathy Dziubla, Katherine Flotz, Paul Mulligan, Sharon Palmeri and Beverly Stanislawski.

Annoucements:
Due to the cold weather and snow, the meeting was small but we hope that everyone will join us next time. A local author, George Miga, adjunct instructor at IUN, will join us at the next meeting. He has expressed interest in being part of a writers group in the area.

Readings:
Cathy Dziubla read a letter she is sending to President Obama on the abortion issue. Cathy has a personal interest in this issue due to her mother's wish to abort her. We are grateful that never happened.

Beverly Stanislawski:
"The Decision" is the beginning of a fiction piece about an injured soldier, whose face was scarred by a bullet. This left him self-conscious and embarrassed. His visit to a coffee shop changed his life when he met Maria. We hope to hear more about this couple at the next meeting.

Sharon Buckman:
Sharon also began a fiction story entitled "Canopy of Leaves". It entails the sudden loss of a young girl's parents during a thunderstorm in a fishing boat. She is saved by a passing stranger who takes her into his cabin. What will come next??

Paul Mulligan:
A beautiful Valentine poem to his wife -- entitled "Share Really Care". Very intimate words to the love of his life.

Sharon Palmeri:
In "Confessions of a Bookie", Sharon relates her passion for books. She showed us two books entitled "Bibiloholism, The Literary Addiction". She received one as a gift and also bought one, unknowing that she already had a copy.

Katherine Flotz:
Trying something new, Katherine wrote a "Fibonacci Diamond" poem entitled "The Protector". She was inspired by Beverly's poem last meeting. It is a "counting syllables" style 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13 and then back down again, shaping a diamond. It's fun. Why don't you try it?

The next meeting will be on February 18, 2009 at 6:30 P.M. at Purdue Learning Center. Please mark your calenders.

Meeting adjourned at 8:00 P.M.

Respectfully submitted,
Katherine Flotz

Write-On Hoosiers Minutes of January 7, 2009

Meeting was held at the home of Katherine Flotz in Crown Point, IN.

Members present: Sharon Palmeri, Audrey Warzyniak, Beverly Stanislawski, Cathy Dziubla, John Boufis, Sharon Buckman, Katherine Flotz.

Holiday greetings and chit chat began with coffee and cake and annual photos being taken.

Good news: Sharon Palmeri is working with the Lake County Library Lake Net to get a web page for the organization. She has purchased a domain name for two years for $30.00 which she paid for. Web Site discussion and a vote on the design type took place. The Web Site should be up and running in 2-3 weeks.

Any member who has a book and would like to have it added to our author’s page, please submit a jpeg of your book. We’ll need the ISBN number, a brief description, and a link to where the book may be purchased. If you have a web or blog site, you may submit that as well.

NOTE; this web site is DIFFERENT from the blogsite that was done for the 20^th anniversary. Here is the link to the sample site:

http://www.writeonhoosiers.org/sample2/index.html

Sharon also mentioned that Michael Clinton will bring photos taken at the Christmas party to the next meeting.

Dues were collected. Dues remain at $15.00 per year.

John Boufis very professionally conducted pod cast interviews with each of us. This pod cast will be linked to our blogsite in the next couple of weeks, so look for it at

http://writeonhoosiers.blogspot.com/

The interviews were with the following members:

Audrey Warzyniak spoke about her desire to connect with other writers in order to get started on writing again. She read an inspirational quote from Mother Theresa.

Sharon Buckman read a poem, which explains her reason for not writing poetry, but instead switch to personal history stories about her family.

Beverly Stanislawski mentioned her genre for writing various stories and poetry. She has been entering contests and winning.

Katherine Flotz spoke about her background and writing her memoirs “A Pebble in my Shoe”.

Sharon Palmeri explained how she started the Write-On Hoosiers group while still in college and while writing newspaper articles for the local papers.

Most all of the interviewees had taken classes with Sharon Palmeri at Merrillville High School.

It does sound like we are going “high tech”, but it will be nice to have a web presence and will also help out our published authors to promote their books.

The next meeting will be on January 21, 2009 at the Purdue Academic Learning Center at 6:30 P.M.

Reminders will be sent out when we get our room number.

The meeting ended at 9:00 P.M.

Respectfully submitted,

Katherine Flotz (with a little help from Sharon Palmeri)

2009 Write-On, Hoosiers Inc. 20th Anniversary Celebration

Jan 7, 2009 Meeting at Katherine Flotz's House

Bringing in the new year with fine eats and great podcasting!