MEMBERS

MARY ELLEN BEECHER - NO BIO PROVIDED

AMY BRAILEY brings a wealth of experience from her twenty years as a classroom teacher. She has taught history, grades seven through eleven, English, grades seven through twelve, math through algebra II, and a variety of other electives. Currently, she continues to teach seventh and eighth grade history.

Additionally, Amy has travelled to twenty-three countries and all forty-eight contiguous states. She is a Civil War reenactor, and has acted and directed stage and musical theatre both nationally and internationally. Amy is currently working to publish her first novel.

SHARON BUCKMAN resides in Crown Point, Indiana with her husband of 60 yrs. She is the mother of four children and the grandmother of nine. Her favorite hobbies are writing, painting, and working in her flower garden. Sharon published her first book Canopy of Leaves. She is now working on a sequel called Beyond the Canopy. Sharon is W.O.H’s Secretary.

MARY LU COWLEY remembers writing before she could write; memorizing her stories in her head at age four. She lives in Northwest Indiana. Her first writing mentor was Professor Charles Tinkham of Purdue, University who still inspires and encourages her—from a faraway place today.

Cowley was a multiple Sigrid Starke winner (Novel in Progress, Short Story, and Children’s Writing) while attending Purdue Calumet and a finalist in the Kennedy Center One Act Play contest in 1995.

She spent two weeks at Chautauqua, absorbing as much of  the historical environment as she could and still can’t forget that “wafting breezes” means no air conditioning. The author studied screenwriting at Columbia College and joined W.O.H. to be in the company of other writers.

SHARON DORELLI was born and raised in the “Region” and has lived in Griffith, Indiana, for 30 years. She loves to write, whether it be a poem, short story, novel, or an essay. Sharon believes that if her words can “touch” even one person before she leaves this earth, she will truly earn the right to be called a writer.

DONNA SUZANNE ECKELBARGER was born and raised in the heart of the Mission District in San Francisco, California, and attended a Catholic school. Donna loves to write and has written short plays, stories, and poems in elementary school, high school, and college. She worked as a staff writer at Purdue, as well as participated and took third place in the Hyde Park Competition for Communication course.

 Donna has written for the Northwest Indiana magazine Mom to Mom.  She became a professional animated storyteller.

Joining Write-on, Hoosiers and Magic Hour Writers was the next logical step in listening, learning, and growing in children's writing skills and form from the more seasoned writers. Donna is working on publishing books for toddlers ages 1-3 and young readers.

KATHERINE FLOTZ is the author of A Pebble in my Shoe, a memoir of her life in a concentration camp in the former Yugoslavia during 1944-1947. She lives in Crown Point, Indiana. She has participated in the Write- on, Hoosiers writing group for over 16 years, and in July of 2016, serves as W.O.H’s treasurer.

GAIL GALVAN is a native Hoosier and retired nurse currently living in Valparaiso, Indiana. At age 26, she moved to Colorado and lived there for many years. She studied Nursing at the Community College of Denver and obtained a B.A. in Health and Wellness Education from Metropolitan State College. While in Denver, she wrote her first book Autobiography of an Allergic/Asthmatic Survivor.

Galvan is a poet, writer, long-time member of Write- on, Hoosiers, and self-publisher of more than a dozen books. As of June, 2016, current literary projects include the following: assisting with the publication of Horizon Spectrum and finishing her first children's book Skelly the Skunk Saves Freedom Day. “I got the idea when I sat in on a W.O.H. meeting one evening. Thanks, Sharon!”

RUTHANN  GRACZYK  (a.k.a.  ANNE  HUNTER)

hails from the south side of Chicago. She migrated to Crown Point, Indiana, when she married her second husband, a Hoosier, and they blended their two families. Ruthann attended Indiana University Northwest for two years. 

However, due to her many years in the legal field, she opted for an associate degree in Paralegal Studies from Brown Mackie College in Merrillville.

She is currently a Collections Paralegal for a law firm in Porter County. She has composed numerous legal documents and correspondence throughout her 30 years in the field, which increased her desire to write beyond the legal genre.

Through Merrillville Adult Education classes,  she met Sharon Palmeri and became a member of Write-on, Hoosiers and Magic Hour Writers. She is currently working on a series of books for young children and has plans for a novel/memoir about her parents.

JACKIE HUPPENTHAL has a bachelor’s degree from Purdue University in child development and works as a paraprofessional with special needs children. She lives in Dyer with her husband, four sons, and several exotic pets. She enjoys hiking, taking photos, writing, and painting. Poems are often incorporated in her nature photographs and other artwork.

Jackie’s photos have been on exhibit at the Indianapolis International Airport, Indiana Welcome Center, and can be found in local town calendars. “All Washed Up,” a poem about a sandcastle, was published in The Muse:  A Bicentennial Look at Indiana Poetry  in late 2015. Other pictures and poems have been featured in The Family Flyer, Hoosier Horizon, The Edge of the Prairie, and Naturally Yours: Poems about Indiana State Parks and Reservoirs. Jackie takes event photos and portraits for the St. John Post 717 VFW newsletter and other not-for-profit organizations.

Jackie joined Write-on, Hoosiers in 2010 after taking a couple of Sharon’s Writing for Children classes. Since then she helped form Magic Hour Writers, a group dedicated to writing for children. A Magic Hour Family Christmas came out in late 2015. Other affiliations include: Calumet Region Photo Club, Chicago Area Camera Club Association, Indiana Writers’ Consortium, Prairie Writers Guild, and SCBWI.

MARILYN KESSLER was born and raised in New York City. She and her husband, Bill, have lived in The Lakes of the Four Seasons for the last 21 years. She is a retired registered nurse and retired from the Veterans Administration in 2005.

Marilyn wrote mostly poetry on and off through high school, including a poem about President John F. Kennedy. She had a very inspiring English teacher who encouraged her writing abilities.

In 1998-1999 she wrote a column for a local newspaper called Along 109th. She interviewed the farmers and landowners who lived near Lakes of the Four Seasons. This was a bicentennial project and will be republished in part in the Lakes of the Four Seasons 50th Anniversary book. She has also written several poems, one chapter of a book, and a memoir. She considers herself a beginning writer and looks forward to her meetings with Write-on, Hoosiers, and learning more about writing and being published.

VICTOR MARMOLEJO is originally from Crown Point, Indiana, but currently lives in Columbus, Ohio, where he works as a federal employee for the Department of Defense. Victor graduated in 2015 from Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana with a degree in Public Affairs and minor in Arabic.

He has been a member of Write-on, Hoosiers since 2014. His awards include 2nd place in Play-Writing in Columbia College of Chicago’s national Young Authors competition in 2012. He would also like to thank his writing mentors Mr. Ron Fredrick of Lake Central High School and Mr. Steven Gallick of Indiana University for their guidance and support.

GEORGE P. MIGA is a retired manager and director for Amoco Corp. He served for ten years as adjunct faculty for Indiana University’s Graduate School of Business and Economics and was a founder and advisor for IUN’s Institute for Innovative Leadership. 

Prior to his career with Amoco, George was a newspaper reporter and correspondent for the Associated Press. He served in the Air Force and later became a commercial charter pilot. 

He published a short story in a literary review, a post-Civil War historical novel – The Final Mission: Grant and Lee, and contributed several articles to professional publications.

LUNEIL MORROW retired from Chase after 35 years of banking. While working for the bank, she wrote newsletters for the company and editorials for local newspapers. 

She was widowed after 38 years of marriage. Luneil had two children but recently lost her daughter to heart disease. She has one grandchild, and this is one of the reasons she is writing a children’s book.

Luneil is active in her community and very active in her church. She volunteers for the United Way and the Urban League during tax season. The Urban League offers free tax filing for those who qualify. 

Her love for the written word made her take all of Sharon Palmeri’s classes. Luneil’s philosophy for life is to—step out of your comfort zone and try different things. You never know what you can accomplish.

MICHAEL MUSAK was born shortly before Christmas in 1954. He grew up as the second youngest of eight children on the southwest side of Chicago. 

Michael married in his early twenties and has a son and a daughter. His work has provided experience in the professional and industrial world.

     He currently lives in northwest Indiana. He has great interest in the Arts and Sciences in the form of science fiction and comedy as well as educational, informative media. He enjoys creating both written and visual works.

SHARON PALMERI lives in Lakes of the Four Seasons with her husband John, two Labrador Retrievers. Palmeri received her BS in English and Journalism from Indiana University Northwest and IU Bloomington. 

As a teacher and published author Palmeri has taught in all areas of writing for over 25 years, and has numerous poems, stories, and articles published in magazines and newspapers. She has freelanced as a ghostwriter, editor, book doctor, publicist, and publication consultant. Palmeri also has worked as content editor, advisor, and layout designer.

In 1989 she founded Write-on, Hoosiers, Inc. and served as director and executive editor for Hoosier Horizon literary magazine and Hoosier Horizon Children’s Magazine. Currently she serves as W.O.H.’s president.

In 2007 Palmeri planted the seed for the creation of Indiana Writers’ Consortium and is a founding member. Her goal is to finish a memoir as well as a textbook on writing for the writing classes she teaches.

ROBERT BOB PHILPOT Moved to Indiana from Arizona and started to read again. I decided to try my hand at writing to see if I had any talent. Sara, my helpmate, has been a very big help to me in many ways and this group has also been a help to my endeavor.

HELENA QI was born and raised in China. She earned a PhD in chemistry from Purdue University and became an American citizen. Helena is happily married with two boys. 

During her career as a research scientist, she published scientific papers, book chapters and patents. Currently working for a private investment firm, Helena desires to rekindle her youthful love for written words. 

Being a non-native English speaker and a beginner, she is open to learning to write in any genre.

ADAM J. SEDIA lives in his native Lake County, Indiana, with his wife, Ivana, and their family. He practices law as a civil and appellate litigator. He has published two collections of poems: The Spring’s Autumn (2013) and Inquietude (2016), both available on Amazon.com. His works have also appeared in Hoosier Voice Journal, Tulip Tree Review, and Liberty Island Magazine.

TOM SPENCER (in memorandum) was a writer in all genres. He lived in Lowell Indiana and was active in the State and National Poetry Scene as a formalist Poet. He was as young as the afternoon rain and as old as he needs to be, for he was a poet.

BEVERLY STANISLAWSKI is a retired teacher living in Crown Point, Indiana. She enjoys writing poetry, short stories, and children’s tales. Beverly is active at Faith Fellowship church, and volunteers at St. Anthony Hospital, and at Meals on Wheels.

This writer finds it challenging to attempt new poetry styles. Often her writings contain humor or morals. Some of her works have appeared in a number of publications and have won many awards in state competitions.

SUZY STUEBEN retired from Purdue University in September, 2012, and lives in Northwest Indiana with Zoey, her guard Chihuahua, and her imperiousness Murphy Brown the Cat.

She worked as an Instructional Designer writing about very dusty, dry user materials for a number of projects to replace and/or improve the computer systems used to run the university.

Suzy is now enjoying the lively and fun storytelling of writing urban fantasy,   fiction books,    and stories for children. Currently in the works is a tale of Mrs. Walters’ Adventures and magic going wrong.

RACHAEL A. THOMAS Was born, raised and still resides in Northwest Indiana.  She is married and has two teenage children, Nathan and Emily. 

     After several mission trips to orphanages in Swaziland, a small country within South Africa, she felt compelled to write children’s books with a message of “loving others as yourself.”   This is how her creative writing career/experience began.  She then became a member of Write-On, Hoosiers and Magic Hour Writers in order to hone her skills, work with peers and give/receive support from others in a similar situation. 

     Her goal is to get her books about loving others into the hands of as many parents, guardians, educators and children as possible.  Her blog site is:
http://rachaelathomas.weebly.com

HARDARSHAN SINGH VALIA  has  published stories, essays, and poems in magazines and newspapers such as the following: Urthona, Hub, Bitterroot, Iron & Steel Technology, Sikhnet, Sikhchic, Sikh Review, Huffington Post, and NWI Times. A story entitled “India…ana” was published in a book entitled Undeniably Indiana by Indiana University Press in September, 2016. 

During his tenure as Staff Scientist at Arcelor Mittal R&D Laboratories, East Chicago, Indiana, he contributed mostly to science journals and science books.

Valia is married and has two children. He is a member of Indiana Writers’ Consortium, the Magic Hour Writers Group, Write-On, Hoosiers, and SCBWI.

CAREN VON SEE currently lives in Crown Point, Indiana, with her husband and is the proud grandmother of 15 grandchildren. She grew up in Orland Park, Illinois; and after graduating from Carl Sandburg High School in 1966, she moved to North Georgia in her early twenties. 

While living in Georgia, Caren attended and completed two years of college at North Georgia College. She began writing poetry, as well as began her first novel, shortly after a back injury compelled her to halt her education.

 

Caren has written articles, commentaries, and poems. She continues to work collaboratively on a murder mystery novel with her twin sister, Carol Young. Their book, Murder of an Imaginary Man, is in its final stages of editing at the time of this writing.

AUDREY WARZNYIAK is married and has four children.

She has been a  member of Write On Hoosiers for 16 years after completing a Write to be Published Workshop in 2002. 

Warznyiak graduated from Purdue in Humanities 2011.  She enjoys poetry and short stories. 

DAVE WILGUS lives in Wanatah, Indiana, with his wife of 42 years. He was born in Valparaiso, Indiana, but after the Vietnam War he moved to the state of Delaware where he met his bride to be, married her, and had three children.

In 1989, when he retired from the Chrysler Corporation, Wilgus and his family moved to Hebron, Indiana, where they lived until they moved to Wanatah in 1997. 

One of his passions is to write short stories and poetry. He finds it challenging, and it keeps his mind sharp.

JUDITH LACHANCE-WHITCOMB is  a graduate of Northeastern Illinois University. She received her Masters of Science in Human Service Administration from Spertus College. Raised and educated in Chicago, she committed herself to teaching in the Chicago Public School System for 37 years.

After retirement, she worked for Northwestern University as a curriculum developer of a middle school science series in conjunction with the University of Michigan. Using the skills she developed through working with teaching interns at North Park University, Northwestern University, and the University of Chicago, she currently works part-time for Michigan State University as an adjunct professor teaching graduate level math and science methods courses during the teachers’ internship year.

 Shortly before her retirement from teaching in the Chicago Public Schools, she found her way to Schererville, Indiana. While residing here, she became a member of Indiana Writers Consortium, Prairie Writers Guild, Write-On, Hoosiers, and co-founded Magic Hour Writers. Judith values the experiences gained from her memberships in all of these groups but more so treasure the friendships she has developed with her writing peers.

She has two daughters, seven grandchildren, and one great grandson. Using Adobe Illustrator to create graphics and knitting are her primary hobbies. Her passion is writing for children, but she also enjoys exploring the craft in multiple genres.