WRITE ON HOOSIERS
September 24, 2026
The meeting was called to order at 6:00 pm
MEMBERS PRESENT:
Amy
Brailey, Sharon Buckman, Andrew Cummins, Bernadette Fortuna, Katherine Flotz,
Gail Galvan, Ruthann Graczyk, Chris Hasara, Shirley Hinman, Cindy Horgash, Lisa
Keene, Sharon Palmeri, Trent D. Pendley, Diane Stratton
OLD BUSINESS:
Trent Pendley approved the 9/10/2026 WOH minutes; Chris Hasara
seconded.
Amy Brailey
(Pres.) shared that she wrote back to Gregory Stark and explained that WOH has
a membership fee after attending a second meeting and before reading your material.
She thanked him for his interest.
Amy
also mentioned that her students will be attending our October 22nd
or November 12th meeting.
NEW BUSINESS:
Sharon Palmeri (Exec. Dir.) Passed out (2) potential front/back book covers
for the Horizon Spectrum II book. The group discussed the layouts, and a
majority hand vote approved the Lighthouse cover.
Gail Galvan
discussed the cost of the Horizon Spectrum II book.
LITERARY NEWS:
Katherine Flotz announced she will be attending the Crown Point Library’s
author event on Saturday, September 26th from 10:00 am-2:00 pm.
READINGS:
SHARON BUCKMAN read from her novel “Canopy of Leaves.” In this episode,
Anne decides to make Tom believe she is beginning to enjoy living with him and
wants to learn how to help with other chores, etc., in order to help with the
escape.
DIANE STRATTON read her non-fiction piece, “The Music Box.” As Diane
shared words of sympathy over the phone to her lifelong best friend
long-distance, a sudden reassuring sign of comfort came through, seemingly from
heaven to both of them.
CHRIS HASARA sang an original piece with guitar accompaniment, “Nobody’s
Superman.” The song is about heartbreak tied to identity and inadequacy. He
also gave us another song, “Circle of Prayer.”
SHIRLEY E. HINMAN read her poem, “Summer Songs,” about the rattlesnake,
chainsaw, and maracas sounds a Cicada makes. The ending songs and sounds of
summertime. She read her 2nd poem, “What's That Sound?” about
agitating sounds that make her nervous and can be heard on Halloween.
RUTHANN GRACZYK read the continuing saga of the Slade family, which focuses on
the life of son Keith, the third child of Christine and Mark Slade, who met in
Liverpool, England, in the mid-1960’s in Book 1 – “Dawn.” In Book 2, “Noon,”
the Slade family is now living in Darien, Connecticut, where Mark is a highly
respected architectural engineer in the New York area. The story continues with
the Childress family accepting Mark Slade’s proposal that the two promiscuous
teens marry and live in the Slade residence, finish high school, and attend
college. Mark will hire a tutor to help Tracey achieve her high school diploma
while she’s pregnant and after the child arrives. Keith, although agreeable to
the proposal, realizes his music hopes and dreams may be crushed forever,
causing him extreme anxiety.
TRENT D. PENDLEY continued reading from his historical fiction “Lewry Lurie”
and the Franklin brothers' Wednesday morning conversation of June 29th
in 2011. They were home alone at their Brighton House mansion on the shores of
Lake Michigan. Nathan was reminding Brad about the Vietnam years and real
threats their older maternal cousins might get drafted and plans their aunts
were making to keep their sons home; either by shooting off their toes or
sending them to relatives in Canada. This topic evolved after Nathan reminded
his brother about the genre of Neil Gordon’s novel, The Company You Keep,
being made into a motion picture that summer.
LISA KEENE shared
a special chapter of her book and July 14, 2026 – 250th Anniversary
Write on Hoosiers Book Submission. A short story anecdote on the five freedoms
guaranteed by the First Amendment, using characters from “Yerd: A Yearbook Nerd’s
Epic Quest” for spiritual and grammatical enlightenment.
SHARON PALMERI read her piece printed in the Post-Tribune on Sunday, March 27,
2005, titled “To write well, be an avid reader.” The article advised
novice writers to read in the genre they are writing. She also advised writers to examine how the
novel is constructed, learn marketing trends, and more.
The
meeting was adjourned at 8:30 pm.
Respectfully Submitted:
CINDY HORGASH
