MARCH 19, 2015

MEMBERS PRESENT:

Sharon Palmeri, Beverly Stanislawski, Katherine Flotz, Sharon Buckman, Bob Philpot, Tom Spencer, Marjorie Peterson, Mary Ellen Beecher, George Miga, Paul Mulligan, Ruthann Graczyk, Mike Musak

GUESTS:

Adam Sedia, Ruth Onwuka

OLD BUSINESS:

A vote of approval for the March 5, 2015 meeting was first given by SHARON BUCKMAN, and seconded by MARY ELLEN BEECHER.

GENERAL NEWS:

PAUL MULLIGAN stated (on a non-literary note) he was recently flown to Atlanta for an interview with American Airlines. He was not hired, but was happy to have been considered.

LITERARY NEWS:

The group congratulated member TOM SPENCER, who has been given the honor of having an award named after him. Spencer is the co-founder of the Northwest Indiana Poetry Society, and past president of the Indiana State Federation of Poetry Clubs. The top winner of the IWC’s annual Power of Poetry Project (PoPP) for 4^th & 5^th graders, will be given the Tom Spencer award. A Times news article, that was written about him, was passed around for members to see.

TOM SPENCER mentioned that Northwest Indiana Poetry Society meeting was on Saturday, March 21 at 10 a.m. at the Lowell Library.

READINGS:

KATHERINE FLOTZ read two pages of her novel, The Journey. The story, which originally began in Germany following World War 11, focused on the American pilot, Tom Wilson, who had originally escaped capture after being hidden in the home of Martha Brenner.  After learning of her whereabouts he is now trying to decide how he can repay her by finding her a home and being her sponsor in America.

BEVERLY STANISLAWSKI read her short story, “La Senora.”  The story begins with a young Spanish girl searching for sea shells for her “adopted” papa in the hopes of finding the gigantic oyster with the “biggest pearl inside” he always talked about.  The end of the story reveals her finding the oyster only to throw it back into the ocean when she hears of her papa’s death.

TOM SPENCER brought his eight stanza free verse poem, entitled “Social Fabric.”  The poem tells of the importance of various artists and ends with the special importance of the poet, “the fabric of society.”

SHARON BUCKMAN read her seven stanza poem entitled, “Backyard Haven.”  The poem, accompanied with a picture of her backyard, showed deer that were enticed by food.

 SHARON PALMERI read her six stanza line poem entitled, “Night Sea.”  The poem tells of the beauty and seductiveness of the night sea as it, “invites stars and shadows to dance wildly on its belly.”

PAUL  MULLIGAN read  “Working into Love”  his five stanza poem which told of his attraction to a very pretty young berry picker and the outcome of his romantic endeavor. After a  member’s suggestion, however, he changed his title to “The Girl Who Picked the Berries.”

ADAM SEDIA read his very touching four stanza poem “Skyscraper,” accompanied with a photograph.  The poem told of an eighty story Chicago skyscraper with its “monolithic frame,” “rising proudly over gaudy, cheap, absurd designs.”

GEORGE MIGA continued with two pages of his newest novel,  Ariela – Lioness of God.  This part of the novel told of the young Anne Frank being able to crawl out of the trench lined with bodies piled in four layers.  As she crawls towards the nearest shed she is taken inside by a young Jewish nurse.  Anne is unable to remember anything about herself. 

BEVERLY STANISLAWSKI ended the meeting with a short, humorous poem entitled “St Pat’s Tricks,” which told how St. Patrick rid Ireland of its snakes.

The meeting was adjourned at 8:00 P.M.

Respectfully submitted:

SHARON BUCKMAN