MEMBERS PRESENT:
Amy
Brailey, Sharon Buckman, Ruthann Graczyk, Shirley Hinman, Al Koch, Bob Neuman,
Judy Neuman, Sharon Palmeri, Trent D. Pendley, Beverly Stanislawski, Diane
Stratton
VISITORS:
Chris
Hasara, Tina Fugger
OLD BUSINESS:
Bob
Neuman inquired about details for the writing prompt that had been suggested at
the last meeting as an interesting project for all the group members for the
April 24th meeting.
Amy
reviewed the details of the prompt and reminded everyone that each member can
write their own ending to the story and that it would be interesting to see all
the different stories that develop from this single story prompt.
NEW BUSINESS:
Al Koch displayed a poem entitled “The Touch of Jesus” that he had framed and matted himself.
WOH President, Amy Brailey, announced that Write-On Hoosiers was accepted as one of the participants for the upcoming Creative Arts Summit to be held at the Lake County Library (Main Branch in Merrillville, IN) on Saturday, May 31, 2025, from 12 noon till 4 pm. The Summit will feature a variety of artists and writers. Members can set up early at our booth and bring their own books they have written and published to sell at the Summit. Participating authors can also schedule a time slot to read to the audience a sample from the books they have written. Audience members will be given a passport to be signed at each booth they visit, and this will give them the opportunity to be entered into a drawing for prizes if they visit all of the booths.
Amy
Brailey had an assortment of prints of historic photos from the Lake County
Library that she offered to any interested members/visitors who wished to
participate in the library’s contest
of
suggesting a caption for the photo.
Winners would be chosen and would win a prize.
The deadline for the contest was April 12, 2025.
Amy shared information that the Lake County Library has a recording studio
where people can record an audiobook or do a podcast. This is a free service.
The studio has a small room with two microphones and chairs. You can also read
your own book that you have written.
There are engineers there who can help you. They will help distribute it.
W.O.H. Executive Director & Founder, Sharon Palmeri mentioned the possibility of the group
joining together to publish a WOH book that would consist of an assortment of
pieces written by the group members.
This has been done in the earlier years of the group. Amy Brailey presented the
information to the group. Those with
novels would put in little excerpts. If
it were printed by the Draft to Digital service, it would need to be 64 pages
minimum. There could be 3 to 4 entries
per person. If something was published,
you have to give credit.
READINGS:
TRENT D. PENDLEY read a historical fiction continuation of the flashback of Thanksgiving 2019 from his trilogy, “It Happened in the Indiana Dunes.” This is the second part of a dinner conversation that shifted away from the Charlottesville and Tree of Life tragedies to the late English vocalist George Michael, his visit to Arizona, and his performance in Prague. Also, paintings of our protagonist, Nathan Franklin, were acquired for his dining room in Arizona.
BEVERLY STANISLAWSKI read part of her fictional play, “The Fishing Story.” It is a mystery at sea. The audience must try to determine whether it was a murder or a suicide.
AL KOCH shared his nonfiction
essay, “Yearbook.” In it, he explains that reflections are engendered in many
ways. One of his favorites is looking through his high school yearbooks.
He tells us that this is a story of how life is treasured.
BOB NEUMAN shared his non-fiction prose, “What’s In A Name?” This is his reflection on the truth found in Dale Carnegie’s book, How to Win Friends and Influence People.
JUDY NEUMAN read her poem, “The Colors of Easter.” This poem is a reflection on the colors of Easter.
SHIRLEY HINMAN read her poem “Two
Sides of the Coin.” In it, she explains
that she feels everything basically shows “two sides of the story” and that
life experiences contrast with each other.
SHARON BUCKMAN shared a portion of her memoirs, which she titled,
“Smells and Remembrance.” This is a half-fiction and half-non-fiction account of her life up to the age of 40 years and how much her grandmothers influenced it.
SHARON PALMERI engaged the group in
helping to read parts of her play, “The
Boat.”
She
shared that the play had originally been a story. It tells the adventures that
her various family members experienced on her Dad’s newly purchased 18-foot
cabin cruiser when sailing on a small lake and then on Lake Michigan.
Minutes
Respectfully Submitted:
DIANE STRATTON
