SEPTEMBER 3, 2014

MEMBERS PRESENT: 

Sharon Palmeri, Beverly Stanislawski, Sharon Buckman, Bob Moulesong, Tom Spencer, Denise Taylor, Mike  Musak, Donna Douglass, Sharon Dorelli, Mary Ellen Beecher, George Miga, Luneil Morrow, Ruthann Graczyk, Suzy Stueben, Paul Mulligan, Neil Bedeker

GUESTS PRESENT:

Kay Depel, Kristen Smith 

The meeting began at 6:30 pm

 

OLD BUSINESS:

A vote of approval for the August 20, 2014 meeting was first given by DENISE TAYLOR and was seconded by TOM SPENCER.

LITERARY NEWS:

RON TRIGG’S newly published book, The Alluring Temptress, was passed around, and admired, by the various members.  The book contained various stories about his adventures in Africa.

SHARON PALMERI read “A Few Words to a Young Writer,” written by Ursula K. LeGuin.  The two paragraphs related to the responsibility of writers caring about the words they write, using them, “with thought, with fear, with delight.” Sharon also passed around an editorial called, “Being an Editor,” written by Michael Kandel, which deals with the misunderstanding about what editors actually do.  The anthology, Midnight Oil, published by the “Blank Slate Writers Group,” was also passed around to the various members.

READINGS:

DONNA DOUGLASS read the third, and last, part of her memoir entitled, Kansas Heat.  After traveling to Kansas to meet her boyfriend’s family, Donna finds out that her boyfriend, Sam, was still married to his last wife.  A story told to her by his grandmother at the end of her stay there gives a happy ending to the memoir.

DENISE TAYLOR read the end of Chapter 3 of her novel, All the Little Secrets.  This part of the story began with Beth trying to convince her parents they should let her go to a 4 Js club party, especially since her friends parents would be there to chaperone.  Beth could not understand why her father read a passage from the Bible stating: “The Lord detests lying lips,” and then gave his permission.

BEVERLY STANISLAWSKI read her six stanza, Pantoum style poem, entitled, “Intertwined.”  The poem related to two souls, so intertwined that they could not be cut apart, sharing their love through eternity for all to see.

BOB MOULESONG read the third part of his story, “Planter’s Moon.”  This part of the story began with Emma pretending to be asleep when her unfaithful husband comes home at two a.m.  She goes ahead with her day as planned, preparing her small son and herself to begin her annual chore of planting her vegetable garden under the Planter’s Moon.

TOM SPENCER brought his six stanza,  free style poem, entitled, “The Drum-beats of Selma.”  The poem related to the unrest and destruction of the town of Ferguson.  The poem ends with the truthful words, “Jim Crow is well and living still society has found new ways to keep the race within their place.”

SUZY STUEBEN read two pages of her “Character Bible.”  The purpose of this “Bible” was to help writers form their main characters’ personality, physical description, etc., before beginning their short stories or novels.   All members felt this was a very good idea.

PAUL MULLIGAN read his five stanza song lyrics entitled, “Patchwork Love.”  The lyrics, not yet set to music, told of broken hearts and broken dreams needing to be mended by patchwork love.

NEIL BEDEKER continued reading from his novel, An Early Retirement.   Detectives Mapes and Malloy, still at their stakeout in South Philly, begin having disagreements.  When Detective Mapes tries to convince Detective Malloy that he shouldn’t leave the car again during their surveillance he asks his supervisor to be reassigned.

MIKE MUSAK read three pages of his novel, Habits Change.  Francis Januson, the mother of a young rape victim, tries to get the police to arrest the man that assaulted her.  She soon finds that due to the man’s family name and influence, this is not going to be easy.

SHARON DORELLI continued with her story, “The Hitchhikers.”  After a long night of unsuccessful sleep, Loretta decided that she should go to the police station to report her husband missing.  When she reaches the station she feels the sergeant does not want to be bothered with her.

The meeting was adjourned at 9:00 P.M.

Respectfully submitted:

SHARON BUCKMAN