MINUTES FOR SEPTEMBER 15, 2010

MEMBERS PRESENT:

Beverly Stanislawski, Sharon Buckman, Sandra Nantais, Tom Spencer, Kelley Chase, Laurie Chase, Pam Gonzalez, Michelle Vargas, Sharon Jesik, Jackie Huppenthal, Judy Whitcomb and Sharon Palmeri

NEWS:

1. Beverly Stanislawski happily announced that she had taken first place for a literary award from the Life Press Christian Writers Assn. for her short story, "The Passover Lamb." She received a monetary award as well - congratulations Beverly.

2. Sandra Nantais stated she had just recently returned from California and hasn't had much chance to do any writing.

3. Tom Spencer reported on his Labor Day party stating it had gone very well and he thought everyone had a good time. He also stated the deadline to submit poems for the Poetry Book is Saturday.

4. Kelley Chase, hiding her light under that bushel, did not want to reveal that she marched in the Labor Day parade.

5. Laurie Chase, still working on having her niece edit her book, stated she became an aunt again this past week.

6. Pamela Gonzalez stated her husband is insisting that she submit her "Frightened Fairy" poem to a publisher by Saturday - she's looking for one.

7. Michelle Vargas, who joined WOH today, stated she received an E-mail from the Lutheran Witness Magazine stating they had accepted her piece, "The Light of the World." It will be in the November issue.

8. Sharon Jesik told of an author friend of hers, Scott Phillips, who had written "Ice Harvest," a book later turned into a movie starring John Cusak, has written another book.

9. Jackie Huppenthal stated she and her family went to Tom Spencer's Labor Day party and had a wonderful time. She also has an author friend, David L. Harrison, who had written a book on volcanos. Jackie found out the book had been talked about in her son's class at school and after telling her friend he sent a letter to the class.

10. Judy Whitcomb stated the "Magic Hour," the writers club for children's books, had Kathy Flotz as their guest speaker last week and it went very well.

11. Sharon Palmeri, after going through her various writings for the WOH book, decided to do a little more writing. She also told of having to take her dog, Chrissy, for surgery involving fatty tumors.

12. Sharon Buckman stated she has been enjoying the extra writing she has been involved with pertaining to her book, "Canopy of Leaves."

READINGS:

SHARON BUCKMAN read the first two pages of the last chapter of her book. The chapter, "Escape," told how the thirteen year old girl managed to get free and is presently in the process of living in the wilderness trying to find help.

BEVERLY STANISLAWSKI read her prize winning story, "The Passover Lamb." The story told of a young boy, Jonathan, taking his lamb to the priest for the annual Passover sacrifice. The lamb escaped in the process of trying to get him there, causing Jonathan to come in contact with a stranger who tried to help him. The story has a surprise ending.

SANDY NANTAIS had written a true short story involving her recent trip to California, more specifically, a laundromat. The story, "Bush & Stockton Street Coin Laundry," told of seeing so many people living in the streets of San Francisco and of one particular old man who entered the laundromat just to steal her full cup of Starbucks coffee.

TOM SPENCER wrote a one page short story, in the second person, entitled "Self Evaluation." The story told of the dilemma of a man fishing in an old boat that had capsized and trying to figure out how to get back into it.

MICHELLE VARGAS read the beginning of chapter one of her non-titled book. The story told of her desire to avenge her father's gruesome death and the courage she and her friend had to achieve this.

SHARON JESIK read a few more pages of her book, "Corn Dancer." In this part of the story, Luck, a close friend of the deceased Dotty, was trying to go through her art gallery files, hoping to find a possible clue as to her murderer; instead he believes he encounters her ghost.

JACKIE HUPPENTHAL read her nine stanza poem of the average life of a frenzied housewife. The poem, addressed to her husband, tries to explain it all to him, hoping he won't add to her stress by remarking it is still a mess.

KELLY CHASE continued with her story, "Unintentional Treasure Hunting." This part of the story told of the teenage girls finding a hidden room in the basement of the deserted house and ended before they could find out what was inside.

LAURIE CHASE continued with her book, "Dual Heritage." The story continues with Dr. Togalaz, a woman who is half human and half Allizorn, trying to apply for a position at a medical facility without giving them all the details of her past physical history, being half human.

SHARON PALMERI read her short story entitled, "On Call." The story relates to the time she worked as a technician in obstetrics and tries to understand why it seems more babies are always born under a full moon.

The meeting was adjourned at 8:50 P.M.

Respectfully submitted:
Sharon Buckman

MINUTES FOR SEPTEMBER 1, 2010

MEMBERS PRESENT:

Pamela Gonzalez, Kelly Chase, Laurie Chase, Tom Spencer, Sharon Jesik, Judy Whitcomb, Mary Wooley, Sharon Palmeri, Jackie Huppenthal, Kathy Flotz, Sharon Buckman, Pat Stevens

GUESTS PRESENT:

Liz Wilson, John Cotey, Michelle Vargas

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

Sharon Palmeri stated she had received various E-mails from some of our members who haven't been at our meetings recently. They consisted of the following:

Audrey Warzyniak has been busy taking care of her mother who has been ill for the past several months.

Lisa Groszek mentioned she hasn't been able to come due to conflicting dates.

John Boufis was unable to attend this past meeting due to a friend's death.

Sandra Nantais is still in California -- she has a funny story we would like her to relate when she returns.

Beverly Stanislawski was unable to attend our last meeting due to illness.

Paul Mulligan hopes to attend our next meeting. He has had conflicting employment dates.

Mark Richardson, who has been gone from WOH for a while explained that with four kids of various school ages, soccer, and other responsibilities week nights are difficult for him to get out.

GOOD PR:

Writer's Magazine has published some information about us, making a total of three different sources concerning WOH when you add in our web site and our blog.

REMINDERS:

Palmeri also reminded members to get their stories and poems in to Tom Spencer by the next meeting for Hoosier Horizon Magazine so he can start working on formatting the magazine.

She also reminded members who plan to attend the Christmas Party to get their money in soon.

NEWS:
Due to the attendance of three new guests, our members again took time to relate some information about themselves as well as their writing preferences. From this time forward each new guest will be given a one page copy of each member's bio. Since these bios also appeared at the last meeting only the guests, new members, and those who were not at the last meeting will be listed here today, but will appear in our archived minutes:

1. Pat Stevens, a new member, is presently writing an autobiography. He stated he enjoyed receiving all the good information he received at our last meeting.

2. Pam Gonzales stated she has just recently started getting back into writing. She has been working on a short story. The idea for the story came from the funeral home where she is presently employed.

3. Michelle Vargus, a new guest, enjoys writing which concerns different genres. She has recently written for the Christian Writer's Guild.

4. John Cotey, also a new guest, stated he enjoys writing science fiction and poetry.

5. Liz Wilson, our last new guest, stated she attended Calumet College and is presently on her third draft of a novel she is writing.

6. Mary Wooley, formerly a staff reporter for a daily newspaper, has just recently finished a novel for which she is seeking an agent. She also enjoys photography.

READINGS:

PAM GONZALES read her delightful story entitled, "A Royal Jumping." The story told of an older woman attending her deceased sister's funeral and the special attention she demanded for herself. The surprise ending came after she jumped into her sister's casket and had to be carried out of the funeral home.

KELLY CHASE, had to write her short story, "Unintentional Treasure Hunting," during her study hour at school. The story told of several teenage girls going through an old deserted house at night. The only light they had worn their flashlights and as it ended they were getting ready to go downstairs.

LAURIE CHASE read three pages from Chapter One of her fantasy novel, "Dual Heritage." The story concerns a young woman, half human and half Allizorn, wanting to leave Zoristall, the place where her father lives and where she has been persecuted for being half human.

TOM SPENCER relayed his poem, "Legacy of Rita." The five stanza poem told of the preparation involving the hurricane, Rita, and of the change of attitude for following hurricanes.

SHARON JESIK read four pages of her book, "Corn Dancer." This part of the story related to the art gallery of their deceased friend and how they should dispose of it and her other belongings.

JUDY WHITCOMB continued with her story, "My Grandma is a Science Teacher." Grandma, the teacher, explains to her class about the importance of gravity in her chapter, "Center of Gravity."

MARY WOOLEY read two pages of her story, "Play Like I'm Sheena - Queen of the Jungle." The story tells of the life and poverty of seven young children living at home with a mother who seemed to have a severe mental problem as well.

KATHY FLOTZ continued with her novel, "The Journey." The story takes place following World War 11 and tells of a young mother and her two sons, while trying to locate her missing husband, is contacted by a young American flyer they befriended during the war.

SHARON BUCKMAN continues with her novel, "Canopy of Leaves." The young teenage girl, who has been held captive for the past four months, is beginning to activate her plan of escape.

PAT STEVENS read two pages of his autobiography, "Patrick." In his revised version of the autobiography, Pat reveals to the psychologist that his father's death may have been a homicide, committed by his stepfather and involving his mother as well.

The meeting was adjourned at 8:45 P.M.
Respectfully submitted;
Sharon Buckman

MINUTES FOR AUGUST 18, 2010

MEMBERS PRESENT:
Beverly Stanislawski, George Miga, Sharon Palmeri, Sharon Buckman, Kathy Flotz, Sharon Jesik, Kelley Chase, Laurie Chase, Tom Spencer, Sandra Nantais, Jackie Huppenthal, Judy Whitcomb, Lisa Groszek

GUESTS PRESENT:
Patrick Stevens
NEWS:

Each member took time to introduce themselves to our new member as well as stating their writing preference.

l. Sharon Palmeri introduced herself as a teacher who also enjoys writing poetry, memoirs and short stories.

2. Sharon Buckman stated she has been a member of WOH for several years. She enjoys writing short stories and is presently working on a book.

3. Beverly Stanislawski enjoys writing poetry as well as an occasional short story.

4. Sharon Jesik is a recent member from Kansas who enjoys writing poetry and is presently working on a novel.

5. Patrick Stevens, our new guest, is a emergency medical technician who teaches nursing students and paramedics.

6. George Miga, a retiree from BP, enjoys writing and has written several novels.

7. Kelley Chase, a high school student in ROTC, is presently working on a book about pirates. She intends on someday becoming a neurologist.

8. Laurie Chase is presently working on two science fiction novels and one thriller; she also works in a group home.

9. Sandra Nantais enjoys writing free style poetry. She intends to write a memoir at a later date.

10. Tom Spencer invited everyone to a Labor Day celebration at his house in Lowell, IN. Tom is known for his wonderful poetry and also writes an occasional short story.

11. Judy Whitcomb enjoys writing children's stories, helping to start Children’s Magic Hour Writers club. Judy also wrote a chapter, Volume 2, for Teachers and Researchers.

12. Jackie Huppenthal combines her love of writing, mostly children's stories, with photography. She recently won second place in a photo contest at the Lake County Fair.

13. Kathy Flotz has already written one novel and is presently working on her second. She has been invited to be the guest speaker for the Magic Hour Writers Club.

14. Lisa Groszek is presently working on part two of her second novel. She invited everyone to the book signing of her first novel, "Lonesome Isle", at the Melabrew Cheesecake House on Aug. 28th from 2:00 to 6:00.

READINGS:
SHARON BUCKMAN read a short story, she had written several years prior, enititled "Our Guardian Angels." It was a true story told of her son's near account with death while wearing a skier's life saving belt and being caught in an upside down position in the water.

BEVERLY STANISLAWSKI read a short story entitled "Sun Spots." The very cute children's story told of a grandfather explaining to his grandaughter about a "prideful sun," and ended with the punishment being a solar eclipse.

JUDY WHITCOMB wrote a story entitled, "My Grandma is a Science Teacher." The story told of the downfalls of having a grandmother who was also a science teacher, however, it had a very happy ending when the grandaughter also discovered the up side as well.

JACKIE HUPPENTHAL, again combining her love of writing with photography, wrote a four stanza poem entitled, "Leopard Frog." The poem, written about a frog in her back yard, was accompanied with pictures.

SANDRA NANTAIS read her four stanza poem entitled, "Blue Denim Jeans." Her poem told of her love of the "well washed, well worn, " denim jeans, the love of her life.
SHARON JESIK continued with her story "Corn Dancer." The story continues with a seance given for a recently departed friend and the intrusion of an "uninvited guest," instead.

TOM SPENCER suprised us by taking a break from poetry and read a short story, "Drugstore Plowboy." The story told of the plight of a "never do well" plowboy who couldn't seem to keep a job. In the end he even botched his own suicide.

LISA GROSZEK read her continued "untitled story," of a surprise caller who she had thought died several years prior. The caller, appearing on her computer screen, set her in a panic mode and concerned her son.

KATHY FLOTZ continued with pages three and four of her newest novel, "The Journey." The story tells of the ordeal of an immigrant and her two children in search of her husband and a new home in war torn Germany after World WarII.

PATRICK STEVENS read part of his autobiography. The two pages he read concerned the death of his mother and how it had affected his family.

The meeting was adjourned at 8:45P.M.

Respectfully submitted:
Sharon Buckman

WOH MINUTES FOR AUGUST 4, 2010

GUESTS PRESENT:
Kirstin Kottka

MEMBERS PRESENT:

Beverly Stanislawski, Sharon Buckman, John Bouris, Laurie Chase, Kelly Chase, Kathy Flotz, Sharon Jesik, Mary Wooley, Lisa Groszek, Jackie Huppenthal, Judy Whitcomb, Tom Spencer, Sandra Nantais, Sharon Palmeri

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

Sharon Palmeri stated that she would appreciate anyone attending the WOH Christmas Party pay in advance, if possible. The amount of $l7.50 per person will be given to the LOFS Clubhouse to help reserve the space needed for our party. Sharon also asked for members to turn in their prose and short stories (no more than five pages total) as soon as possible.

NEWS:

l. Laurie Chase stated she has been trying to have her niece edit her book, "Dual Heritage."

2. Kelly Chase has started doing some writing on a story for WOH.

3. Kathy Flotz hasn't been doing any writing for the moment.

4. Beverly Stanislawski has been busy vacuuming water out of her basement caused from the recent floods

5. Sharon Buckman stated she was unable to attend the last meeting due to a very busy family reunion that involved her and their cabin.

6. Kirstin Kottka announced she just recently got a job. She also stated she has been revising her novel.

7. Mary Wooley stated she has been busy working on a mystery novel.

8. Sharon Jesik stated she has been enjoying writing again and is presently working on a story that, for the moment, is nameless.

9. Sharon Palmeri has been doing a lot of writing for a class program.

10. Lisa Groszek has been busy promoting her book "Lonesome Isle."

11. Jackie Huppenthal has entered two of her poems in different contests. One poem in a children's book and the other in the League of Minn. Poets.

12. Judy Whitcomb stated she has been busy revising her weather unit.

13. John Boufis was happy to announce he has started writing again. He will read some of it this evening.

14. Tom Spencer announced he will need all of the submissions for Hoosier Horizons by the third Wed. in September.

15. Sandra Nantais has written a poem, in cascade form, which she plans on reading tonight.


READINGS:

Beverly Stanislawski read her newest poem, "Silent Guardian." The poem tells of a graveyard, Beverly frequently passes, with two cedar sentinels standing guard at the entrance and some of the weathered inscriptions on the headstones telling a story of their own.

Sharon Buckman read two pages from her fourth chapter of her book, "Canopy of Leaves." The story involved more of the plot of a young teenage girl trying to escape her captor.

John Boufis first read a one page synopsis and later a one page fragment of his book "Tears of the Soul." The story dwelled on the character, Andronicus, who believed he had witnessed the murder of his brother and later found him to be alive.

Laurie Chase read the prologue of her fantasy novel, "Dual Heritage." The book, which might have a title change later, tells of a young Allizorn woman (name given to a future race) who has the misfortune to be half Allizorn and half human.

Kelly Chase read her delightful story, "Bloody Mary and the Pirate Queen." The story tells of a merchant ship being taken over by pirates and the request of the captain to be killed quickly. It has a surprise ending.

Sharon Jesik read her story, "Corn Dancer." It told of the death of a close friend and the suspicion of her murder. Sharon was encouraged to continue with the story and turn it into a book.

Mary Wooley told a sad story, in poetry form, called "This Long Grievous Night." The story involved the loss of a mother's last born child, as well as her other children, in a senseless war, and the agony she now had to endure.

Lisa Groszek read two pages of the sequel to her already published book, "Lonesome Aisle." The story dwelled on a young son named Mitchell and his remarkable advancement through his school years. The ending of the second page left us all wondering about the next few pages to come.

Jackie Huppenthal continued the memoir she had started a few weeks prior. The memoir was a "I Remember When," project given by WOH and told of her return from Alaska to Indiana. The memoir was told in her teenage version and enjoyed by everyone.

Tom Spencer read his four stanza poem, "Burning Books Within the Mind." The poem was beautiful, as usual, and he was advised to submit it into the Hoosier Horizon.

Judy Whitcomb read a five paragraph story called, "Epilogue." It told of the bi-annual meeting of a group of friends called the T-girls, and the missing friend that would no longer be there. Judy was also advised to continue with the story.

Sandra Nantais read her five stanza, cascade poem, called, "Ode to the Tee." The very cute poem told of the wonderful merits of the tee shirt.

The meeting was adjourned at 8:45 P.M.


Respectfully submitted:
Sharon Buckman

WOH Minutes for July 21, 2010

Write on Hoosiers met on July 21, at Borders, with 16 people in attendance.

Members Present:
Mary Wooley,Sandra Nantais, Tom Spencer, Jackie Huppenthal, Sharon Jesik, Cathyh Dziubla, Kathy Flotz, Beverly Stanislawski, Sharon Palmeri, George Miga, John Boufis, and past member Janice Beier

Guests Present:
Kelly Chase, Laura Chase, Lisa Groszek, Kristin Kottka,

Sharon Palmeri opened the meeting and greeted the new attendees. She then asked what we should include in WOH minutes since it is an open blog on the web. The consensus seemed to be to limit information to our writing experiences. She also mentioned that Magma Cum Murder Conference is coming up in the fall for any mystery writers. FOR INFORMATION SEE LINK AT TOP RIGHT OF OUR BLOG

Jackie brought several cover ideas for the Hoosier Horizons magazine. They were passed around and votes were taken. Sharon also reminded the group to get their submissions ready for the magazine. Tom will help with the details later.

Kathy Flotz mentioned that she will be speaking at the Tri Creek Historical Society in Lowell, Sept. 8.

Readings included the following items:

Mary Wooley, presented part of her novel, Play Like I'm Sheena, Queen of the Jungle, which was about a southern girl's view of life with her wandering, teacher father.

Kristin read part of her supernatural short story, "My Witchy Life"

Sharon Jesik's Corn Dancer told us a little about mystery-ghost novel that she is writing.

Cathy took us to her backyard and helped us envision her "Morning Visitor" which included birds kissing the head of a frog.

Kathy retold one of her favorite remembrances of relatives reuniting in "I Remember When."
Beverly read her poem, "A Bit of Verse" which reminded us how special poets and their creations are.

George did not read, but told about writing three samples of queries to send to book publishers in the future.

Sandra's poem about "Keds" was an creative answer to a prompt to write about your favorite piece of clothing.

Lisa presented two pages from her paranormal novel, The Lonesome Isle. Sharon bought the copy.

Jackie's "error" in printing the title of her poem "The Little Bat" was rally a stroke of genius. The title printed upside down and looked like the bat she was describing.

Sharon Palmeri offered her reply to a prompt asking one to write the last line of a proposed book. The sentence was to be interesting and compelling. Hers was both.

Tom's "Accidental Adventure" story taught us about some new writing techniques, including free modifiers and extra long sentences, as we heard the tale of a youth's imaginary actions.

The meeting closed with Sharon reminding people of our Christmas party, Dec. 1, at Four Seasons Club House. Price for the buffet is $17.95, each. WOH will be combining with two other writing groups, and all members may bring guests.

The meeting was adjourned at approximately 8:40 P.M.

Respectfully submitted:

Beverly Stanislawski

WOH MINUTES FOR JULY 7, 2010

MEMBERS PRESENT:

Sharon Buckman, John Boufis, Jackie Huppenthal, Sandra Nantais, Tom Spencer, Sharon Palmeri, George Miga

GUESTS PRESENT
Kirstin Kottka

ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Sharon Palmeri stated that there would be a picnic for the Indiana Writers Consortium (IWC) on July l7th. The picnic will be held at the Community Park Lions Shelter in Munster from l2 - 4 P.M.

NEWS:

l. Tom Spencer stated he has been writing some short stories along with his poetry. He also stated he will be volunteering at a booth for the Lowell Chamber of Commerce. The purpose of the booth is to advertise various writing groups in Northwest Indiana and will be at the Lowell Labor Day Festival in August.

2. Sandra Nantais has been exploring various photo clubs, her new interest. She also stated she has been forced into another interest out of necessity, shooting chipmunks.

3. John Boufis has temporarily put aside writing for his new interest, leather work. He has been making, sewing by hand, various leather products, such as, gun and knife holsters. He brought several samples of his work which were quite impressive.

4. Jackie Huppenthal has been continuing with writing poems and children's stories. She has also entered four photos in the Lake County Fair. She told of her family's camping experience over the fourth of July weekend, which involved curious lights coming from a tree her son had cut into.

5. George Miga told of an agent he had in the past that had recently passed away at a young age. The agent had been of great help to him with his book, "Final Mission." He is presently working on a query letter for his book, "Spin Doctor." He has sent out several queries to seven or eight agents.

6. Kirstin Kottka, our newest guest, stated she presently lives in North Judson with her husband and three sons. She enjoys writing stories of the supernatural, especially when they involve vampires, etc. She presently is working on three separate books.

7. Sharon Buckman stated her fourth of July weekend involved a small amount of writing. The major part involved float trips on the Tippecanoe River and entertaining her family at their fishing cabin.

8. Sharon Palmeri discussed many events going on with family and friends the past couple of weeks (wedding, birthdays, graduations, etc.) She also told of hearing of a tragic illness of her best friend's husband. This gave Sharon pause to evaluate her own life and she admitted that all the "busy" things she did seemed insignificant to maintaining her health. Sharon also talked of the WOH magazine revamping project that was previously discussed. She asked if we should stay with the magazine name "Hoosiers Horizon" or pick out a new name. The consensus seemed to be to keep the old name. Cover and possible illustrations, and cost for the magazines were also discussed.

READINGS:

SHARON BUCKMAN read her story, "A Dark and Stormy Night," which was the result of a prompt given by WOH in June. The story told of a young mother staying alone in her house on her birthday. A rather scary turn of events led to a wonderful birthday present.

GEORGE MIGA read his query letter, "The Spin Doctor." WOH members were first given a copy of the letter to read, putting ourselves in the editor's position. It was agreed, we all liked the letter but given George's wonderful credentials we felt he should start with that first followed by the outline of the story.

SANDY NANTAIS read her "shower poem," entitled "Garden Hose." The poem was very cute and shaped in the design of a shower at the bottom. She also read a poem entitled, "Cardboard Box," a list poem which told of sledding down a hill on a card box. We all related to this.

TOM SPENCER wrote the poem, "Eulogy of the Public Servant." The five stanza poem gave a "not too nice" description of our political public servants.

JACKIE HUPPENTHAL read her memoir, relating back to her teen days, entitled, "I Can Remember When." This was a prompt given by Kathy Flotz in June. The memoir, taken from Jackie's diaries, told of her earlier life, beginning in Indiana and ending in Alaska. Everyone enjoyed her teenage version of events and look forward to hearing the completion of it at our next meeting.

The meeting was adjourned at 8:40 P.M.

Respectfully submitted:
Sharon Buckman

WOH MINUTES FOR JUNE 16, 2010

MEMBERS PRESENT:
Beverly Stanislawski, Judy Whitcomb, Sandra Nantais, Tom Spencer, Sharon Palmeri, Sharon Buckman, Kathy Flotz, Jackie Huppenthal

GUESTS PRESENT:
Fred Sweezey

NEWS:

l. Sharon Palmeri stated she had called to make reservations for the Christmas Party. It will be on Wednesday, December lst at the Lake of Four Seasons clubhouse, same as last year. The clubhouse has requested an early deposit, the fee is $l7.95 per person. Sharon said she is expecting about 30 to 40 people to attend this year. The early deposit will also help her to know exactly how many to expect. She also attended a workshop on "Roles." It included warm-up activities with a description of different types of people and placing them in various categories. This workshop was held at the Genisus Center (behind the Post Tribune building). All workshops are free to those accepted into the program.

2. Tom Spencer said he had just recently returned from the National State Poetry Convention. Next year’s convention will be held at the Greenfield Village in Dearborn, Michigan. The l0l2 convention will be held at the Radisson Hotel in Merrillville. He also stated a few of the rules have changed and prose poetry can now be entered. He was hoping that Beverly Stanislawski would make a few entries.

3. Sandra Nantais's daughter has just graduated. They celebrated by going to Tall Trees, a nature conservatory in Valparaiso. It was enjoyed by everyone.

4. Judy Whitcomb stated she is still doing the weather as the curricular developer at Northwestern University, a program directed for middle school.

5. Jackie Huppenthal stated she had been involved in organizing a grade school reunion. The reunion turned out to be a success and had a great turnout.

6. Beverly Stanislawski has not been doing any writing lately due to some health issues. It seems, among other things, she had a problem involving her lawn mower not wanting to go up a hill. The lawnmower won.

7. Kathy Flotz stated she had just returned from Wisconsin. They have been enjoying watching a video of themselves taken at their speaking engagement in Dakota, Ill.

8. Sharon Buckman has also been laying off from writing lately since her grandson has been home from school.

9. Fred Sweezey stated he has been busy constantly changing previous writings.

READINGS:

KATHY FLOTZ wrote a diamond shaped poem taken from page 56, 5th sentence, of her book "Pebble in my Shoe." The sentence, "After my father left for the army, we prayed each night for him," and the poem, was a beautiful tribute to her father.

SHARON BUCKMAN wrote "Sentence of the Month," which was taken from page 56, 5th sentence, of the book "The Broker." The sentence, He pulled some bills out of his pocket and laid them on the file," went on to tell the story of a doctor becoming irritated with a patient who entered her office when it was closed and wanted to be seen.

FRED SWEEZEY read a number of misc. sayings which involved a number of deep thoughts and memories.

TOM SPENCER had written a poem which received honorable mention entitled "The Travesty of Lobbyist." The five stanza poem told of a man coming to the states expecting to find all the freedoms he had heard so much about and his various disappointments.

SANDRA NANTAIS continued with her poem "30 N Michigan Avenue." Her four stanza poem, telling of a black marbled building in Chicago, told of some of the history of the building. It was decided that instead of being read going downwards with each stanza, as she had written it, could also be read going across the page, and still make a good poem.

JUDY WHITCOMB wrote a story taken from page 56, 5th sentence, in President Obama's book "The Audacity of Hope." The story, entitled "Unbalanced," told of the problems facing a young boy after years of a friendship with one young girl and suddenly finding a girl friend in his teenage years.

BEVERLY STANISLAWSKI read a short story she had previously written entitled, "The Odd Bird." The story told of a very ugly bird, shunned by other birds and later having the last laugh at becoming the most beautiful bird of all.

The meeting was adjourned at 8:05 P.M.

Respectfully submitted:
Sharon Buckman

WOH MINUTES FOR JUNE 2, 2010

MEMBERS PRESENT:
George Miga, Judy Whitcomb, Jackie Huppenthal, Cathy Dziubla, Kathy Flotz, Tom Spencer, Sandra Nantais, Pamela Gonzalez, Sharon Palmeri, Sharon Buckman

GUESTS PRESENT:
Fred Sweezey


NEWS:
l. Sharon Palmeri suggested we might want to give some consideration to inviting two other writers’ groups, Writers Expressions and Magic Hour Writers to join us in our holiday party. Everyone agreed this would be a good idea. The invitation was also extended to Tom Spencer’s poetry group. He said that he would bring it up at their next meeting. Sharon also discussed bringing back the WOH literary magazine this year. She mentioned that submissions need to have guidelines as well as a deadline. It was decided that she would e-mail and/or post the guidelines on the blog to all active members. Tom Spencer volunteered to format and print the entrees into book. Sharon mentioned that several of our members are great with cover design. Sharon also mentioned she received guidelines for submissions from the Indiana Historical Society for a book contest and mentioned that she would e-mail any interested person the pdf file she received.

2. Sandra Nantais stated she has been enjoying writing her free style poetry as well as personal essays.

3. Tom Spencer mentioned he has been working with a group to find a place in the Merrillville area for a poetry convention that is coming up next year. It was suggested that the Radisson would work well. He also will be attending the Minnesota National Poetry Convention.

4. Sharon Buckman told of her Memorial Day weekend, with all family members attending, including dogs, at their small fishing cabin in Winamac, IN. Even with all the confusion, a good time was had by all.

5. Kathy Flotz stated she will be attending another speaking engagement in Dakota, IL pertaining to her book, "Pebble in My Shoe."

6. Cathy Dziubla has been continuing with her short story writing as well as working on a book.

7. Jackie Huppenthal has been working on her book, "Sally Mae and The Little Wolves." She also does fine art presentations at her childrens' school on a monthly basis. This past week she took a copy of her book to the classroom with her to get the childrens' reaction - they seemed to love it.

8. George Miga stated he has been working on two books simultaneously. He finds that when he runs out of ideas for one book, "Medal of Dishonor," he continues with the other, " Spin Doctor."

9. Pam Gonzalez has been recovering from knee surgery. She also has been enjoying being reunited with her military husband who recently returned from Iraq. She stated she has decided to take some of her poems, written for young readers, and try to submit them into various contests.

10. Chuck Brown, a recent new member of WOH, has moved to Bellemeade, Tenn., a suburb of Nashville. He will be employed by the Historical Battleground Society for research, a category he sincerely loves.


READINGS:
JACKIE HUPPENTHAL read "Medusa's Rock Garden," it was based on the word of mouth, stone. She enjoys the online club and gave us all some thought as to introducing a word, or sentence of the month, into our club as well.

CATHY DZIUBLA read her short story of a true happening which took place in her backyard. Her account of trying to disperse all the geese in her backyard (as well as a turtle) was very humorous, even though she had to admit her conversation with them never really took place.

KATHY FLOTZ read the beginning of a book she started some time ago. The story, "The Journey," took place at the end of the war in l945 and told of the immediate hardships for some of the refugees, focusing on one family in particular.

TOM SPENCER read a poem he had written entitled, "Poetry of Mind." The beautiful four stanza poem told of the proper way to form a poem.

SANDRA NANTAIS read, "30 N Michigan Avenue," the first part of a free style poem of a black marbled building in Chicago.

PAM GONZALEZ read her eighteen stanza poem entitled, "Frannie the Frightened Faerie," a delightful account of a faerie that was afraid to leave the security of her flower home.

SHARON PALMERI read a part of her memoir entitled, "The Swiss Miss" trades her cocoa for skis. This part of her memoir told of how she met her husband and the embarrassment of her first ski lesson. Though she felt it went badly, he later invited her out to a drive-in movie. The rest, as they say, is history.

SHARON BUCKMAN read a continuation of her book, "Canopy of Leaves." The captured young teenager devises a plan of escape and begins to follow through with it.

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

MINUTES FOR MAY 19, 2010

MEMBERS PRESENT:
Beverly Stanislawski, John Boufis, Cathy Dziubla, Sharon Buckman, Katherine Flotz, Sharon Palmeri

GUESTS PRESENT:
Cynthia Echterling, Sandra Nantuis, Janice Lewis, Barbara Funke

NEWS:
l. Sharon Palmeri stated she has been going through her old memoirs and trying to get them organized into book form. She is also working on the idea of a book binder for WOH members.
The binder would contain a few series of poems, short stories, etc., donated by each member.

2. John Boufis has been going through his old writings and recently found one that he had forgot he had written. It was a pleasant surprise.

3. Janice Lewis, a new guest from Hobart, stated she would like to write a book containing her memoirs. She was attending today’s meeting to hopefully get some ideas.

4. Sandra Nantuis, who enjoys writing poetry, stated she attended Sharon Palmeri's non-fiction writing class.
She has worked for the Lowell newspaper and is presently taking a short hiatus so that she might improve her other writing skills.

5. Cathy Dziubla has been doing some writing on articles that have special meaning for her.

6. Beverly Stanislawski stated she has won another prize for her original octetra poem, a style she created. She is an inspiration for all of us to keep trying.

7. Kathy Flotz has just returned from a four day trip with her husband and is now enjoying a little rest and relaxation. This includes a little backyard bird watching.

8. Sharon Buckman just returned from a five day camping trip with her husband. Though she wasn't able to do any writing she enjoyed the much needed relaxation and was able to do some reading.

9. Cynthia Echterling, who enjoys writing science fiction, stated she has written a book which is soon to be published online by Whiskey Creek Press. The book, "Help Wanted Humans - No Experience Necessary," is to published in two sections.

l0. Barbara Funko, our new guest from Chesterton, stated she retired four years prior from teaching English and Theater Arts. She enjoys writing poetry and recently took first place in a free verse poetry contest in Utah.

READINGS:

SANDRA NANTAIS read a true short story entitled, "Streetwise". The story told of her trip to Chicago, exiting at Millennium Station and heading to Michigan Avenue, a trip she routinely makes. She encounters a number of homeless people, stopping to talk to some of her favorites and always purchasing a Streetwise magazine, a magazine that is published to help the homeless by its proceeds.

CATHY DZIUBLA read an article she had written entitled "It Could Be A Chemical Imbalance." The article concerned the complexities of the brain and the actual problem of diagnosing and treating homosexuality. Her article inspired conversation among the members as to possible reasons.

BEVERLY STANISLAWSKI read her award winning, octetra style poem, entitled, "Dance of Love". The twelve line poem followed all of her own rules and was beautifully written.

KATHY FLOTZ read an article she had written entitled, "Miracle of Birth in Our Backyard." The article was written about the robins nest and the resulting four birds they watched grow and later had to rescue after two of them fell out of the nest.

SHARON BUCKMAN continued with two pages of a new chapter from her book, "Canopy of Leaves." The story tells of the plan for escape of a captured teenager and the amount of endurance required of such a young girl.

CYNTHIA ECHTERLING read a few pages of her new book "Help Wanted - Human, No Experience Necessary". The story tells of a press conference being given by several aliens and the comical misunderstandings between them and the reporters interviewing them.

BARBARA FUNKE read her free verse poem, "Wind Farms Capital." Her award winning poem concerned the Mohave Wind Farms and had been entered in a social and political contest.

The meeting was adjourned at 8:20 P.M.

Respectfully submitted:
Sharon Buckman

MINUTES FOR MAY 5, 2010

MEMBER PRESENT:
Jacqueline Huppenthal, George Miga, Sharon Palmeri, Tom Spencer, Beverly Stanislawski, Judith Whitcomb

GUESTS PRESENT:
Anthony Dixon, Cynthia Echterling, Sandra Nantuis

NEWS:
1. Jackie Huppenthal has been spending most of her time on creating illustrations for her children’s book Sallie Mae and the Three Little Wolves, a fractured fairy tale based on the Three Little Pigs story. She shared some of her watercolor illustrations. She is distantly related to Joanne Worley who is from Hammond.

2. Cynthia Echterling, our guest from Lowell, has a science fiction book being published by Whiskey Creek Press that will be out in January. The story centers on the main character an ordinary kid from Hammond who gets a job as an interpreter for a group of aliens. The original book was over 100,000 words so the publisher broke it down into two books. She is working on a sequel.

3. Tom Spencer is writing and enjoying it. He reminded everyone that there is an Open Microphone Round Robin taking place May 14th at the Hebron Comfort Inn. The North West Indiana Poetry Society sponsors this event. On the 15th of May a morning event will have a keynote speaker who will speak on the topic of poetry in education. At 1:00 P.M. on the 15th, at the Lowell Library, a visit with Emily Dickinson will take place. An actor will portray Emily Dickinson. He encourages all to come and enjoy the events. Tom would like to put together a group to go to the Shakespeare festival in Stratford, Toronto Canada next April. He surveyed the group for interest. Several people were interested.

4. Sharon Nantuis, another guest from Lowell, had worked for the Lowell newspaper but had taken a 1.5-year hiatus from the job. She took Sharon Palmeri’s Non-Fiction writing class to get back in touch with her writing and to become more creative with the writing. She enjoys writing poetry. In the future, she hopes to use her father’s letters from Korea as a basis for a book.

5. Beverly Stanislawski who enjoys writing poetry and short stories has won another prize. This one is from the state of Alabama. She created an original poetic style, an octatetra, and won the 1st place prize. In addition, she took 3rd place for a Japanese Haiku submitted in another division of the contest. Look for an announcement of her awards in the Post Tribune. She is working on a poem inspired by a phrase from a Psalm: “Night pregnant with evil”.

6. George Miga who has been to Sharkespeare’s home in the original Stratford upon Avon, lectures at IUN and does training a Valpo. Retired from Amoco, he likes to build on the writing he did in the course of his work life by creating works of fiction. On opus, about Grant and Lee was published by Publish America about 20 years ago. He continues to work on Spin Doctors and Grey Guerillas (about 50% done.) He shared an adventure with us about flying during a tornado.

7. Anthony Dixon, our guest from Lake Station, is interested in filmmaking and trained at Columbia College for a short while. He is interested in screen writing and writing for children. The genres he prefers western and science fiction writing genres.

8. Judy Whitcomb has been busy writing non-fiction for her work and not Sharon’s class.

9. Sharon is eager to take a little break after her non-fiction class and get out in her garden. She said the children’s writing project for IWC will be piloted in Crown Point. She has been busy with researching grant opportunities for the children’s project. She enjoys all types of writing but is currently focusing on poetry and memoirs. She suggested that WOH put together a book of their works. Tom offered suggestions since a group he is connected with did that. Submissions would be limited, 5 poems or short story(ies) under 3000 words (Multiple short stories if total words did not exceed the limit.) Tentative deadlines for submissions would be September 15th with October 1st as the final. The project is still on the table for discussion.

READINGS

JACKIE HUPPENTHAL shared a “seeing poem” with us. The poet, Robert Froman, used the words of the poems to form a light bulb. She presented her poem, about hot springs. The words floated and were anchored over a picture she took on her honeymoon.

JUDY WHITCOMB read her poem I Heard a Child that embodies her journey through teaching. Tom corrected a preposition.

SANDRA NANTUIS presented a Villanelle poem New Orleans. A photo that inspired the poem accompanied it. Sandra took the picture in New Orleans and thought the picture itself was poetry. The poem captures the image of a young man playing the guitar in a doorway.

TOM SPENCER provided us with two versions of the same poem. The poem captures the terrifying approach of and devastation caused by a tornado. Most felt the second format suited the poem better.

BEVERLY STANISLAWSKI, after reading her daily paper, was inspired to write Hate Is Like a Boomerang. The poem cautions us against the use of hate because eventually it will come back to you.

The meeting was adjourned at 7:50 P.M.

Respectfully submitted:
Judith Lachance-Whitcomb

MINUTES FOR APRIL 21, 2010

MEMBERS PRESENT:
Sandy Lundin, Kathy Flotz, George Miga, Arthur Wilkerson, Beverly Stanislawski, Cathy Dziubla, Sharon Buckman, Sharon Palmeri

GUESTS PRESENT:
Rudy Foresta, Jessica Bard

NEWS:
l. Sandy Lundin stated she has started writing a memoir for Mr. Ned Zelkovich, a Serbian refugee captured during World War II and held in Germany from the age of l5 to l8 yrs. old. Now in his 80's, he has led a very interesting life and Sandy is enjoying relating it.

2. Kathy Flotz, after visiting their cottage in Wisconsin, came back to attend a Historical Society meeting in Pecatonica, Ill. Kathy and her husband, George, were then given a pleasant surprise when they attended another speaking engagement for her book, "Pebble in my Shoe." The children at the Jane Adams School in Chicago, met them at the door with flowers and then ushered them into a room where they had assembled a replica of Kathy's hometown, Gakowa, Germany. The replica was assembled without the aid of pictures, only by Kathy's description in her book. They have attended many speaking engagements - I'm sure this one was the best.

3. George Miga stated he has been working on two different query letters for his book, "Spin Doctor." He also brought his laptop along so he might play the trailer (short video) that Kathy Flotz's granddaughter had made up in school concerning Kathy's book. It was very well done.

4. Jessica Bard, Arthur Wilkerson's granddaughter, said her favorite writing was fantasy based stories. She also enjoys playing the piano and painting.

5. Arthur Wilkerson has continued with his poetry that he enjoys writing, mostly for friends who have passed away and then given out after their funeral. He has also begun a book entitled: How The Donkey Got Religion.

6. Cathy Dziubla just returned from her vacation which included a trip to Maryland to visit family. She plans on getting back to working on her book, "Sean O'Hara and the Child Leprechaun."

7. Rudy Foresta, a recent student of Sharon Palmeri, lives in Dalton, Ill. but was raised in Chicago. He stated he is an avid reader and enjoys writing short stories. He is now working on a novel.

8. Sharon Palmeri has been working with Kathy Flotz and several others on a children's writing project committee for the Indiana Writers’ Consortium. The project is still in planning stages but she hopes that they could get a grant for a contest, awards night and printed magazine. She has also been attending the Great Lake Award Initiative (sponsored by the Legacy Foundation) which focuses on flexibility and perfecting the roles that are important in creating and sustaining robust nonprofit organizations.

9. Sharon Buckman stated she has been busy gardening, assembling some of her past stories for revision and babysitting for her grandson.

READINGS:

SANDY LUNDIN read a part of the memoir she is presently writing. The story concerned the mother and father-in-law of Ben Zelkovich, the subject of the memoir Sandy is presently writing. It is a captivating true story of how they were forced to live in Nazi Germany with a surprise ending that you can read about when Sandy publishes her book.

KATHY FLOTZ read her short story entitled "The Adventures of Mikki and Mini." It is a story of two little mice (as told by the mice) of the hard time they had trying to find a nice warm place to spend the winter. It is probably not a story you would want to give to your grandchildren to read, however, since it had a very sad ending.

GEORGE MIGA read the two query letters he had written concerning his book "Spin Doctor." Both of the well written query letters were critiqued by the other members and it was decided that he should probably send the second letter. The second letter had a much more direct and descriptive approach.

JESSICA BARD read her short story "The House Brownie". House brownies, we found out, are "little elves that can turn into a Bogart (a mischievous brownie) if they are not well kept". The story had a happy ending since Mistress Jenna found a way to keep the little elf happy.

ARTHUR WILKERSON read his poem "The Blood Red Rose." The poem was in memory of Donna Springman, a friend of Arthur's, and told of the special love she gave and how it changed most everyone simply by her presence.

BEVERLY STANISLAWSKI first gave a description of a traditional pantoum and then read her example of a pantoum entitled "Yesterday's Album." The poem was very well written, of course, and decided by most members that it was a poem too hard for them to try.

CATHY DZIUBLA read a short story of her trip to Maryland this spring. The story "Spring In Maryland," told of the blossoming cherry trees and the delight of most of the people she encountered. She believed that the exuberance of most everyone related to the long, especially hard winter the Maryland residents had encountered. She also told of witnessing an African American couple coming down an escalator and the husband bending down to talk to the unborn child his wife was carrying.

RUDY FORESTA read his story entitled "The Escape." Rudy's fictional story had originally been written as a project in Sharon Palmeri's class and told of a man entering a large building and leaving the reader to guess, from the various clues given, just what type of building it was. Very few got it right until he was asked for his "library card."


The meeting was adjourned at 8:20 P.M.

Respectfully submitted:
Sharon Buckman

MINUTES FOR APRIL 7, 20l0

MEMBERS PRESENT:
Tom Spencer, Chuck Brown, Pam Gonzalez, George Miga, Jackie Huppenthal, Sharon Buckman

ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Tom Spencer announced that they would be having an "Open Mike" at the Comfort Inn in Hebron, May l4th from 7:00 to 9:00 P.M. The purpose, after signing in, is to have an audience for your work as well as being critiqued, if you so desire.

NEWS:
l. George Miga stated he has not been able to get to his writing, his favorite pastime. Instead he has been busy getting caught up on work and exercising. He has not yet heard any responses from his previous submissions of short stories and is still looking for an agent for his book "Medal of Dishonor."

2. Pamela Gonzalez has been having knee problems and is contemplating surgery. Her writing has had to take second place through all of this, however, she was able to write a memoir for Sharon Palmeri's class. She also stated her husband will be coming home from Iraq next month. Possibly, after everything gets back to normal she will be able to get back to the writing she loves the most, fictional stories for young adults.

3. Chuck Brown's father just recently passed away. With all the details this entailed he was forced to put aside the research he had been doing for a book concerning real history found in poetry.

4. Tom Spencer stated he has been busy writing every day. He also reactivated his membership in Writers' Village University (on the internet). He stated he was one of the original founders, sometime in the l980's, which now has a probable membership of approximately 200. This was of great interest to several of our members since you are able to go online for the various classes and work at you own leisure.

5. Jackie Huppenthal submitted several entries to the Prairie Writers' Guild (out of Rensselaer, In). She later read one of her submissions entitled "Indiana Corn." We had all forgotten so much could be done with corn.

She also stated she had taken first place for the poem she sent to the David L. Harrison Word of the Month contest and is presently thinking of trying to self publish her book "Fractured Fairy Tale."

6. Sharon Buckman has been busy trying to revise some of her short stories.

READINGS:
Tom Spencer entered his revised poem "Co-habitation", originally written several years prior. It was a beautiful poem centering around the fall months and the "wake of sleeping souls." It was enjoyed by everyone.

Chuck Brown read his one page entry entitled "Courage." It concerned the amount of courage required for a young boy to dive off a high diving board into a pond and surrounded by all of his friends. He was encouraged to continue with it since we all thought it would make a good short story.

Jackie Huppenthal read her poem, "Indiana Corn." The seven stanza poem, we all felt, was a perfect submission for the Prairie Writers' Guild.

Sharon Buckman read her revised poem entitled, "Procrastination." The poem, as the title states, told of how we all fall into this category and later told of the consequences.

The meeting was adjourned at 8:l5 P.M.

Respectfully submitted:

Sharon Buckman

MINUTES FOR MARCH 17, 2010

MEMBERS PRESENT:
Judith Whitcomb, Jackie Huppenthal, Kathy Flotz, Beverly Stanislawski, Sharon Buckman, Paul Mulligan, Sharon Palmeri

ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Several announcements are posted on Write on Hoosiers Facebook page where there are links to upcoming contests and conferences.

NEWS:
l. Paul Mulligan stated he is still working at U. S. Steel and is presently mentoring a co-worker. After just finishing with his jury duty commitment he has been asked to organize a cousin's reunion.

2. Beverly Stanislawski is continuing to submit her poems in various contests.

3. Kathy Flotz and her husband, George, have been invited to more speaking engagements concerning her book "Pebble In My Shoe." They will be speaking at the Jane Adam's school on April 12th and in Pecatin, Ill. (near Rockford) on April 19th. They had a successfull engagement at Lake Summerset, they ran out of books.

4. Jackie Huppenthal talked about coming across the Hallmark site while online - she found information there concerning submitting poems for greeting cards. This was a subject we discussed at the previous meeting.

5. Sharon Buckman has been busy trying to re-type her book Canopy of Leaves while babysitting for hergrandson.

6. Judy Whitcomb didn't really have too much to say except that she has been busy writing stories for Sharon's classes and further honing her skills in Adobe Illustrator.

7. Sharon Palmeri stated she has been busy with two classes: "Creative Writing" as well as "Writing Nonfiction." She also recently attended a Indiana Writers' Consortium committee meeting with Katherine Flotz and Judy Whitcomb for the drafting a childrens program and contest.


READINGS:
JUDY WHITCOMB read her delightful story of a leprechaun called Finbar Finegan Dillon O'Donnell McDonough Sheehan Clare. The story entitled "At Rainbow's End - Oops," told of a very unhappy leprechaun who had lost the gold which had been entrusted to him. Without giving away the ending, it ended on a much happier note.

JACKIE HUPPENTHAL wrote a poem most women can relate to. It was entitled "The Life of a Housewife," and detailed the everyday life of a housewife and mother,

BEVERLY STANISLAWSKI read her revised story "Lake Holiday." It was a beautiful version of the view from her
window, from morning to night, of Lake Holiday and the people enjoying it.

KATHY FLOTZ read an article she had written a few years prior called "Turning Points." It told of the various turning points in her life, "some joyous and others heart-breaking," and ended with the possibility we all might face, that our lives might not always be controlled by ourselves.

PAUL MULLIGAN began with his newest book "The Oscar Thomas Story, " a story he felt definitely needed to be told concerning one of his co-workers. He stated the story contains a lot of drama, enough to be entered on the Jerry Springer show.

SHARON BUCKMAN continued with her story "Canopy of Leaves," this time reverting back to the beginning, changing some of the time line as previously suggested by a few of the members.

The meeting was adjourned at 8:35 P.M.

Respectfully submitted:

Sharon Buckman

MINUTES FOR MARCH 3, 2010

MEMBERS PRESENT:
Chuck Brown, Tom Spencer, Beverly Stanislawski, Kathy Flotz, George Miga, Cathy Dziubla, Jackie Huppenthal, Judy Whitcomb, Sharon Palmeri, Sharon Buckman

NEWS:
l. Cathy Dziubla stated she has been working on her book, it has required a lot of re-writing. She also plans to visit family in Kentucky and later in Maryland for Easter.

2. George Miga has been working on three books: The "Spin Doctor," "The Gray Guerrillas," and The Medal of Dishonor. He is still looking for an agent for his book, "Medal of Dishonor." As yet he has heard nothing concerning the short stories he entered in a contest.

3. Chuck Brown told us he is a "student of history." He is presently planning on writing some type of history articles or possibly even a children's book concerning history.

4. Tom Spencer stated he has been busy writing poetry and short stories.

5. Beverly Stanislawski has also been busy writing poetry and submitting them in various contests.

6. Jackie Huppenthal has been working on an article to submit to the Prairie Writers Guild’s annual anthology: The Edge of the Prairie.

7. Judy Whitcomb has been working hard on several children’s books which requires working with her Adobe Illustrator to craft her illustrations.

8. Kathy Flotz and her husband just returned from a trip to St. Louis concerning her book, "Pebble in My Shoe."

9. Sharon Palmeri stated she has been trying to catch up on her work teaching her adult writing classes at the Merrillville High School.

l0. Sharon Buckman stated she is trying to put together some of the chapters in her book, "Canopy of Leaves."

READINGS:
CATHY DZIUBLA read the poem "Random Thoughts," written by her l5 yr. old grandson, Jake Dziubla. It was a remarkable poem, for any age, concerning "the filling of capacious minds with innovations and liberty." It was well done, and suggestions were to use the poem to create a calendar or inspirational booklet.

CHUCK BROWN read an article he had previously written for the Merrillville Historical Society. The article was written with the intention of giving the people of Merrillville pride in their area, especially concerning 73rd Ave. , originally called "The Great Sauk Trail." It told of it's importance for trade, dating back to the Sauk Indians and at one point being called "the trail of death," in 1832.

TOM SPENCER wrote a beautiful poem entitled "Widows Walk." The poem reflected the sorrow of a retired seaman and his wish to return to the sea.

BEVERLY STANISLAWSKI read her sonnet, "Creative Juices." The sonnet described the frustration and soul searching involved in finding original lines for our various works.

SHARON BUCKMAN wrote a, hopefully, humorous article concerning her autistic grandson. The article entitled, "Be Careful What You Wish For," told of how the vocabulary they had wished for their grandson began to come true, causing great embarrassment for themselves and the people around them.

GEORGE MIGA gave us a preview of the book he had started many years before, entitled, "The Gray Guerrilla's." Everyone was so intrigued with the story and the way it was presented, he was asked to please hurry and finish it.

MEMBERS PRESENT:
Chuck Brown, Tom Spencer, Beverly Stanislawski, Kathy Flotz, George Miga, Cathy Dziubla, Jackie Huppenthal, Judy Whitcomb, Sharon Palmeri, Sharon Buckman

NEWS:
l. Cathy Dziubla stated she has been working on her book, it has required a lot of re-writing. She also plans to visit family in Kentucky and later in Maryland for Easter.

2. George Miga has been working on three books: The "Spin Doctor," "The Gray Guerrillas," and The Medal of Dishonor. He is still looking for an agent for his book, "Medal of Dishonor." As yet he has heard nothing concerning the short stories he entered in a contest.

3. Chuck Brown told us he is a "student of history." He is presently planning on writing some type of history articles or possibly even a children's book concerning history.

4. Tom Spencer stated he has been busy writing poetry and short stories.

5. Beverly Stanislawski has also been busy writing poetry and submitting them in various contests.

6. Jackie Huppenthal has been working on an article to submit to the Prairie Writers Guild’s annual anthology: The Edge of the Prairie.

7. Judy Whitcomb has been working hard on several children’s books which requires working with her Adobe Illustrator to craft her illustrations.

8. Kathy Flotz and her husband just returned from a trip to St. Louis concerning her book, "Pebble in My Shoe."

9. Sharon Palmeri stated she has been burning the midnight oil. She has been trying to catch up on her work teaching her adult writing classes at the Merrillville High School and trying to find time to write some newspaper articles for Winfield American.

l0. Sharon Buckman stated she is trying to put together some of the chapters in her book, "Canopy of Leaves."

READINGS:
CATHY DZIUBLA read the poem "Random Thoughts," written by her l5 yr. old grandson, Jake Dziubla. It was a remarkable poem, for any age, concerning "the filling of capacious minds with innovations and liberty." It was well done, and suggestions were to use the poem to create a calendar or inspirational booklet.

CHUCK BROWN read an article he had previously written for the Merrillville Historical Society. The article was written with the intention of giving the people of Merrillville pride in their area, especially concerning 73rd Ave. , originally called "The Great Sauk Trail." It told of it's importance for trade, dating back to the Sauk Indians and at one point being called "the trail of death," in 1832.

TOM SPENCER wrote a beautiful poem entitled "Widows Walk." The poem reflected the sorrow of a retired seaman and his wish to return to the sea.

BEVERLY STANISLAWSKI read her sonnet, "Creative Juices." The sonnet described the frustration and soul searching involved in finding original lines for our various works.

SHARON BUCKMAN wrote a, hopefully, humorous article concerning her autistic grandson. The article entitled, "Be Careful What You Wish For," told of how the vocabulary they had wished for their grandson began to come true, causing great embarrassment for themselves and the people around them.

GEORGE MIGA gave us a preview of the book he had started many years before, entitled, "The Gray Guerrilla's." Everyone was so intrigued with the story and the way it was presented, he was asked to please hurry and finish it.

KATHY FLOTZ told of her trip to St. Louis and how it had brought back so many memories of "home," meaning Germany. She told of the documentary that was being produced by Ann Morrison, a student in an English class who had become interested in the fate of the ethnic Germans in eastern Europe. She and her husband, George, spent a wonderful evening visiting with others who had similar experiences.

JUDY WHITCOMB wrote a poem which she turned into a book entitled "Puddle." The poem told of the trouble a small boy had trying to ignore a small puddle. After being pre-warned by his family he "sloshed" into it anyway. After the reading she displayed the mock up of the book that she hopes to publish.

SHARON PALMERI read an article she had written for the Winfield American newspaper about Burns Pet Cemetery. The article consisted of interviews of three people: a young woman who lost her dog and has donated both her time and money to help preserve graves of other pets, an older woman who missed her diseased cat and visits her weekly, and the owner the cemetery who told how the idea for the cemetery was started.

JACKIE HUPPENTHAL read a very mysterious poem entitled "Joe." The delightful poem keeps you wondering until the very end - with a surprise ending.
The meeting was adjourned at 8:25 P.M.

Respectfully submitted
Sharon Buckman

MINUTES FOR FEBRUARY 17, 2010

MEMBERS PRESENT:
Michael Musak, Judith Lachance-Whitcomb, Beverly Stanislawski, Katherine Flotz, Tom Spencer, Pamela Gonzales, Sharon Palmeri, Sharon Buckman

GUESTS PRESENT:
Chuck Brown
John Hunt

NEWS:
l. Mike Musak stated that he returned home from a nice evening of candlelight bowling to discover a broken water pipe. The remainder of his evening was spent under the house trying to get it repaired.

2. John Hunt, a former member of WOH two years prior, just recently started writing again. John is a resident of Hobart.

3. Tom Spencer announced that on May l5th there will be an open mike session at the Lowell Library. The Northwest Indiana Poetry Society will also be at the Comfort Inn, conference room, on Saturday, Feb. 20th.

4. Chuck Brown stated that due to a computer problem he has been unable to do any writing.
5. Pamela Gonzales has been kept busy entertaining her grandson. She also stated her husband has been stationed in Iraq and though she misses him every day, Valentines Day was the worst. She also wrote a piece called "Lonliness."

6. Judy Whitcomb hosted the first meeting of a new writing club for children's books called The Magic Hour. She said it went very well and had eight people attending.

7. Beverly Stanislawlski has been finishing some of her poems which she intends to submit online to various poetry contests. Three of her poems, Chicago, Lake Michigan and Homecoming we have all heard and feel she has a very good chance of winning.

8. Kathy Flotz stated that she and George will be going to St. Louis Community College regarding her book "Pebble In My Shoe." It will be involving a DVD documentary that will feature her and George.

9. Sharon Palmeri has been busy with her two Merrillville Adult classes.

l0. Sharon Buckman just returned from a trip to Tennessee with her family. She stated that they were caught in a terrible snow storm coming home.

READINGS:
JOHN HUNT has recently started a novel, no name at this time, involving a young woman named Sally. While trying to get to work her frustrations began to mount when her car started giving her enough problems that it was necessary to pull off the road. Her day turned much worse when a "Barney Fife" policeman approached her.

KATHY FLOTZ wrote a Fibonacci Diamond poem called "The Proposal." The love poem was a perfect poem for Valentines' Day.

BEVERLY STANISLAWSKI wrote an article about someone she met as a child called Old Bob. The article, entitled "Freecom Man," told of an old half Indian and half Black man who lived to be l04 yrs. old. He told of being lifted up by his mother to shake the hand of President Lincoln. He had once been a slave and all that he desired from life now was to go fishing and be a "freedom man."

JUDY WHITCOMB wrote a poem entitled "The Road." The poem gave a very good description of the difference of a trip from city life to back roads in the country.

SHARON BUCKMAN continued with the struggle of a young girl trying to plan her escape from a backwoodsman in Kentucky.

TOM SPENCER wrote a poem entitled "Prophecy Twenty-Twelve." It told of the prophecy of Nostradamus's writings that predicted the world's end in Twenty Twelve.

MIKE MUSAK continued with his play "The Break In." Part of the members were included in the cast as the comedy continued, beginning with the police coming into the bar that Joe and a friend had broken into. They found Joe with his hand stuck to his bowling bowl, inside the juke box and his foot stuck in a bucket of plaster. Needless to say we all had a good laugh as it all played out.

The meeting was adjourned at 8:20 P.M.

Respectfully submitted:
Sharon Buckman

Minutes for February 3, 2010 Meeting of Write-On Hoosiers, Inc.

MEMBERS PRESENT:

Audrey Warzyniak, Tom Spencer, Chuck Brown, Jackie Huppenthal, Mike Musak, Beverly Stanislawski, Cathy Dziubla, Kathy Flotz, Paul Mulligan, Judy Whitcomb, Sharon Palmeri, Pamela Gonzalez, Sharon Buckman

GUESTS PRESENT:
Chuck Brown

ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Sharon Palmeri announced that she was contacted by the South Shore Arts Chamber of Commerce. They will be having a luncheon on Wed., Feb. l0th from ll:30 A.M. - l:30 P.M. Reservations are required, if you are interested please call Kelly at 2l9-836-l839

NEWS:
l. Paul Mulligan stated that besides having furnace problems he has been working with the Ladies Aux. at his church. He is presently selling tickets for the Valentine Dinner, etc. for $40, which they are sponsoring. He is also looking for an agent for his recently completed book.

2. Chuck Brown is presently doing research in the field of military history. He stated he lives in Lowell and loves writing poetry. He invited everyone to join the poetry club at the Lowell library on the third Saturday of each month.

3. Tom Spencer also lives in Lowell and is the head of the poetry division at the Lowell library. He is also a teacher on the internet and has had l86 different poems published in his book Word Castles. Tom also announced that on May l5th the Indiana Federation of Poetry Club will be at the Lowell Library.

4. Jackie Huppenthal, a new member of Write-On Hoosiers, stated she attended Sharon Palmeri's class for Writing Children's Books. She has done some poetry and is presently working on a book for children.

5. Judy Whitcomb is also a new member. She has been a teacher for 36 yrs. and also attended Sharon's class.

6. Mike Musak has been working on a book. He stated he really enjoys working on comedy, especially radio plays.

7. Beverly Stanislawski stated she has been with Write-On Hoosiers for approximately 2 l/2 yrs. She enjoys writing short stories but her main interest is poetry. She has had a number of poems and short stories published.

8. Cathy Dziubla, a member of Write-On Hoosiers for approximately 7yrs., is now working on a book, "Sean O'hara and the Leprechauns."

9. Kathy Flotz and her husband, George, have been invited to another speaking engagement regarding her book Pebble in My Shoe. This invitation is at the Hanover Middle School in Cedar Lake.

l0. Audrey Warzyniak stated she hasn't been able to do much writing lately but has been doing some painting.

ll. Sharon Palmeri has received a job offer working part time for the Winfield American Newspaper. She stated she will write various different articles She has also been trying to find time to continue writing her memoir.

l2. Pamela Gonzalez, also a new member and former pupil of Sharon's writing class for children’s books, stated she is presently employed at Chapel Lawn Cemetery and is starting a writers club for children’s book writers.

l3. Sharon Buckman stated she has been busy taking care of her grandson and working on her book "Canopy of Leaves."

READINGS:

JUDY WHITCOMB talked about her book, "A Special Day for Dr. Science." She revealed that the main character, a teacher, went to school being told that it was to be a special day. She was unable to determine what that special day was until the end of the book revealed that it was her birthday. The book had very cute illustrations as well as a delightful story for children.

PAUL MULLIGAN read his poem he had written for his wife entitled, "The Price." It was a beautiful romantic poem, involving illustrations to signify which copies were to be given to the males and females in our group.

KATHY FLOTZ wrote an article entitled, "A Belated Eulogy." It was written in honor of her father, who died near the end of World War II. The family had never been given any details of his death; consequently he never received a proper funeral or eulogy of his own. He would have been very proud of this one.

CATHY DZUIBLA wrote of the recent headline articles involving Nancy Kerrigan. Her article "Parenting Gone Wrong", explored the possibility of Nancy's brother, Mark Kerrigan, never receiving the love and attention that had been given to Nancy by her parents. She felt that this was possibly the answer for his constant rebellion, finally concluding in the death of his father.

BEVERLY STANISLAWSKI read a sonnet she had written entitled "Freedom's Legacy." The sonnet told of the supreme sacrifice of the soldier's on the cemetery hill and the legacy they left behind. It had been written for the National Federation of State Poetry Societies.

MIKE MUSAK wrote another, very humorous, radio play, entitled "The Break In." It involved two, rather dubious characters, trying to break into a local bar with the purpose of robbing the safe. Everything that could go wrong eventually did. The play was enjoyed by everyone.

JACKIE HUPPENTHAL provided, what she called, a "Dummy Book or Mock-Up." It was a series of pictures she had put together through "Snapfish," a software program for digital pictures. The pictures were of a canoe and rafting trip with friends and family. It was very well done and gave us all ideas for future "picture books."

TOM SPENCER wrote a poem entitled "The Party." The poem told of the political drama and conception of a political party, which involved the usual self esteem. We all loved the last sentence, I'm always right - it seemed so true.

AUDREY WARZYNIAK brought a calendar in which she had painted a picture for each day of the month. What she used to paint the pictures will remain a mystery, one you will enjoy but will not be disclosed until you attend the next meeting on the l7th.

SHARON BUCKMAN continued with her book "Canopy of Leaves." The young girl, which has been kidnapped by a backwoodsman, has formulated a plan to escape. She tries hard to convince her kidnapper that she is perfectly satisfied with the life she has had to endure for the past several months.

The meeting was adjourned at 8:30 P.M.

Respectfully submitted:
Sharon Buckman

MINUTES FOR JANUARY 6, 2010 MEETING

MEMBERS PRESENT:

Mike Musak, Beverly Stanislawski, Sharon Buckman, Cathy Dziubla, Sandy Lundin, John Boufis, Sharon Palmeri, Kathy Flotz

NEWS:

l. John Boufis stated he spent the holidays with his sister and other family members. He also found time to catch up on grading homework.

2. Cathy Dziubla enjoyed having most of her family for the Christmas holiday.

3. Beverly Stanislawski played a dramatic part in a Christmas play at the Faith Baptist Church on Christmas Eve - she also sings in the choir there.

4. Mike Musak stated the Elks club, in which he is a member, hosted a dinner for the recruits of the Great Lakes Naval Base.

5. Kathy Flotz enjoyed having time to visit with her daughters over the holiday.

6. Sharon Palmeri spent most of her time over the holidays trying to recover from pneumonia and later trying to help her husband get over the flu.

7. Sandy Lundin spent her Christmas with three of her four children. Her son, coming from Europe, managed to find a part time job and later plans to be a professor at St. Joseph College.

8. Sharon Buckman stayed busy hosting Christmas dinner for her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

READINGS:

KATHY FLOTZ wrote a tanka poem entitled "The Chair." The poem was accompanied with a picture of the chair, sitting empty beside the lake in Wisconsin where Kathy and her husband have a cottage. The chair was purchased by a friend who enjoyed the use of the cottage to do some writing.

BEVERLY STANISLAWSKI read two of her poems she had entered into a contest. The first poem contained only twelve words and was entitled "Memories," it took third place in the contest. The second was a humorous poem entitled "The Makeover." It told of a man who tried to get a little romance in his life by buying his wife various items such as makeup, hair dye and sexy clothes. The poem ended with his wife running off with his best friend.

KATHY DZIUBLA wrote a wonderful article entitled "Beautiful People We Have Lost." The first person was her father. The last three were Gentry Smith and Kathy and Tom Spencer, three people she had met in Write On Hoosiers. She told of the special love between Kathy and Tom Spencer and the grief she thought he must be going through after losing Kathy to cancer. Gentry Smith had endeared himself to almost everyone who knew him in Write on Hoosiers. He would bring along his guitar and entertain everyone with his music.

MIKE MUSAK continued with his play "The Turkey Hunt." Everyone enjoyed playing a character in this amusing comedy.

SANDY LUNDIN read the later part of her husband's memoir. The memoir told of his high school days and the benefit of owning his own cars, most of them needing lots of work and money which he earned doing various jobs.

SHARON BUCKMAN wrote a one page article entitled "Routines, Interruptions and A Flexible Mind." The article told of the advantage of having a routine and how constant interruptions might also be an advantage - hopefully giving you a flexible mind.

The meeting was adjourned at 8:45 P.M. at the home of Kathy Flotz.

Respectfully submitted,

Sharon Buckman