Because if the world is going to change, there ought to be a record of it, no?

March 16, 2020 (an actual journal entry, written in the morning - entered here with minor revisions on 3/17/2020)

Beginning last Wednesday, the day my son left for spring break, COVID-19 came to the top of the Kansas news feed as the outbreaks in NY, Washington, and California were really warming up. We here in the center of the country were coming late to the realization that the timing for sending our young people off for spring break might not have been ideal. As they returned, what would they bring with them?

The colleges reacted first, with KU and ESU announcing extensions of Spring Break by one week with plans to then move to online class formats. At ESU, the initial date was "until April 10" when things would be re-evaluated. Pretty quickly, we started hearing that it would likely be through the end of the semester. Through about Friday, I was feeling rather thankful to live in a small community, thinking that the cities would feel the worst of this and that we would be somehow sheltered. But I was also looking at the calendar and beginning to, at least mentally, cancel upcoming travel and event dates. There was much upcoming on the family agenda. In April our family of five (four living at home) had three destinations -- M was to attend a conference in Houston, E has plans to visit England and Wales with a friend, and R and I were looking forward to a trip to Oregon. March and April were filled with book events, as well.

I did travel to Iola, Kansas, on Thursday for the debut of Meadowlark's newest book, All Hallows' Shadows, Book 3 of the Pete Stone Series, by Mike Graves. Iola had selected Mike's first book, To Leave a Shadow, as the winter community read book. In Iola, we were already fumbling with handshakes versus bumping elbows. Social Distancing was not quite to the center my radar, but I was thinking quite a bit about for how long and how often I was washing my hands and reminding myself not to touch my face and doing my best not to touch any unnecessary surfaces when I was out and about!

I spent too much of Friday and Saturday reading articles about the virus online and attempting to stay off Facebook as the energy there was making me feel quite ill. I spent a lot of time contemplating my "nobody tells me what I can and can not do" contrarian roots. I wrote the following note in my daily to-do log: "Hospital capacity is the real chiller with this virus, and this means our small community will stand no benefit over larger cities. Our only hope is to lie-low and hope that we can slow the spread of the virus so that its pace never fills our hospitals to capacity, so that our doctors never have to choose who gets the lifesaving equipment, the beds, the medications, all of which may quickly run in short supply."

This sounds like hysteria to a calm Kansan's ears. We are the people who stand on the porch so that we can see exactly where in the sky the tornado is dangling. We are accustomed to taking responsibility for our own well-being and nursing our own family members through cancer till death-do-us-part. We know we are capable of long days of backbreaking work, and that we are capable of doing with less if we need to. It's hard to imagine a future where our grocery shelves aren't always lined with an abundance of food--or toilet paper--and where we can't just pop in to the quick clinic or make an appointment with our doctor when we feel a little under the weather.

Even though we have neighbors for whom these things have been a going concern, we live lives of such abundance that it is hard to really see, to take seriously the plight of our poorer community members when we are working class ourselves. We know what it is like to struggle to get the bills paid, yet we have managed to take care of ourselves just fine--thank you very much--so far. Why should any of that change?

In the coming weeks, one of two things will happen. People will stay home, possibly hoard toilet paper, and we'll see the needed break in the cycle of spread of this virus. It will still get here, but hopefully slowly and with little loss of life because our hospitals will be able to take care of those who are most affected and most of them will recover. If this virus does not hit us hard, we will have succeeded. Fingers crossed.

The other possibility is that we are going to learn that our efforts were too little, too late. As surreal as the events of the last 3 to 6 days have been, the feeling that our world has been turned on end--our cancelled concerts and potlucks and book signings--are going to seem mild in comparison to what's ahead.

I don't like to imagine what it might be like, but I know that we will adapt and learn to cope. In the meantime, I am making a list of "take care of me" items. I can still take walks and do yoga. I can still turn up the music and dance like nobody's watching! I can check in with my sister and my son and the rest of my family and friends through this marvelous technology I call a phone. (Hey--it does more than take pictures!)

I can use this time to write and publish books (or at least get books ready to be published). I can catch up on the family photo albums. I can pretend it is spring and deep clean my house (wait, it almost really is spring!)

Here are some images I came across on Facebook that I thought were beautiful for this time and all times.

What To Do In a Pandemic (Animals) – by Ricardo Levins Morales
Please visit his website and like his Facebook page.
IMAGE via URL to artist studio page - shared with attribution as requested by artist.
**Attribution is important, as is permission!**

Tips for Taking Your Writing to the Next Level

by Tracy Million Simmons

My local writing group has so many members now it is sometimes a bit difficult to find a seat at the table! I think part of our success is that the group is filled with people who have "can do" attitudes. It's contagious! I've long been a believer in the sentiment that we all rise and fall on the same wave. I think part of the success of our local group is that we are constantly looking for ways to support each other and challenge each other in our creative pursuits. The following "tip list" is largely inspired by what has taken place in my local writing group. 

¨    Attend workshops and readings whenever possible. Online courses can be awesome, but nothing beats meeting other writers face to face. (Watch the Kansas Authors Club calendar or check on the offerings at your nearest university or community college, local library, or independent bookstore.)

¨    Invite another writer (or 2 or 3) to meet you at the coffee shop for writing talk and “write-ins” where you sit together but work on individual projects for a set period of time.

¨    Build yourself a better writing community—your friends and family may or may not understand why you want to write. Spending time with writing friends will help keep you focused. Other writers will provide great advice and feedback to get you over hurdles as you meet them. If the types of opportunities you are looking for don’t exist in your area, create them!

¨    Publishing your work can be fun at any stage of the game, but starting with a focus on fun takes the pressure off. Print a chapbook of your favorite pieces for sharing with friends. Individualized chapbooks make great birthday gifts, holiday cards, or simply something fun and unique to share with those you love.

¨    Find another writer to share critiques and exchanges of proofreading/editing. Look for someone whose work you admire.

¨    Tip for those new to critiquing: Be specific about what kind of feedback you are looking for! It’s okay to start slowly! And it’s okay to start with the positives as you get to know and trust each other!

¨    Organize readings for your writing group so that members can practice performing their work in front of others. Reading work out loud not only helps to improve it, the immediate feedback from a supportive audience helps you gain confidence. Once you’ve had some practice, organize a reading for the public!

¨    Enter contests, submit for publication, write and share, write and share, write and share.

¨    Oh, and read, read, read! A writer always reads.

Found: Note from Mom

I wanted to make veggie and wild rice soup with the duck that was left from our anniversary dinner. I pulled out mom's old food chopper (because I probably didn't do the best job cooking the duck -- it was a bit tough and I was trying to think of an easy way to chop it up small) and was telling my son about how my mom used this handy kitchen tool all the time. I used think it was just her way of processing leftovers. We often had a "sandwich spread" of some kind after a roast, a chicken, a turkey, etc., but today I wondered if maybe she used it often because it was a good way to soften up those tough old birds (either as a result of poor cooking or the fact that they were literally old birds that had gone from egg producers to food on the table stage of life). Anyway, Kaman expressed surprise that the chopper belonged to my mom, and then as I was cleaning and putting it away, I found this in the bottom of the box. 

Mom was always labeling and dating every gift she ever got. I used to think it was a strange practice when I was a kid, but one I grew to appreciate. Today, it was as if she joined our conversation. Not only was it my mom's meat chopper, she got it for Christmas in 1962 from my grandparents (dad's parents). I love that she tucked the gift card inside the box. Maybe I have seen it before, but it didn't strike me as familiar. Her handwriting though, that I knew. And that 56 year old meat chopper still works like a charm!

Often I visit my childhood home

Age 7 - with my pig Molly

in my dreams. I lived there for the first 18 years of my life; have lived elsewhere for 30 years more. Yet in dreams I find myself climbing the stairs of the old farmhouse, looking out my bedroom window toward the barn (which remains standing when I sleep, even when my consciousness intrudes, reminding me of the fire), or exploring the secret attic passageways which are always bigger and more elaborate than they were in real life (also stuffed with treasure I always dreamed of finding).

Last night I was there with my son. He was still a small boy, and I was younger too. We were pulling long, thin boards from the biggest attic and talking about all the things he might build with them. I kept thinking the scene felt familiar. I told him about building a helicopter when the room was being remodeled for my brother. In real, waking life, the construction must have taken place when I was three or four. I did build a helicopter in that room. I nailed two boards together to form a letter X. I attached them to a larger board and added a small piece crosswise for the tail. I could spin the propeller with my hand and felt tremendous satisfaction with my creation.

I also visited a memory of jumping, years later, from a stack of bricks built with my cousins. We were flying then too. I don’t remember if we had propellers or wings (perhaps we were testing both) but the important part was the moment between jumping and landing, the brief span of time where I believed that anything--even flight--was possible.

As I woke, I told myself to hold on to the lesson, to remember that I built a helicopter when I was only four, and to hang on to even the littlest moments, those times when anything feels possible.

2018 Kansas Authors Club Convention

It's starting to feel like a belated recap of the festivities. Has it only been one week?

On October 5-6-7, I had the pleasure of meeting up with my writing family in Salina for the Kansas Authors Club annual convention and writers conference. I ran the book room this year (shout out to Ray "Grizzly" Racobs, my helper!), and so it was a different view that I often get, but I had a fabulous time, none-the-less.

Cover (front & back) of the 2018 Youth Writing Contest
Awards Book - Cover Photo by Evie Simmons

Ninety-eight kids from across the state of Kansas completed 200 entries in the annual Youth Writing Contest (categories in poetry, fiction, and non-fiction). It has been a pleasure to work with our youth contest manager each year (shout out to Sheree Downs, 2018!) and to compile the book of winning entries. I love watching the kids get copies of these books. For this highlight alone, I would return to Kansas Authors Club conventions again and again. Thanks goes to many who have encouraged and contributed to the growth of this program.

Instead of attending workshops this year, I visited with authors one-on-one in the book room. The creative energy seemed to flow beyond the walls of the conference rooms. I enjoyed reports from attendees, as well as conversations about works-in-progress and books read. I don't know how the numbers compare to previous years, but we had 35 authors in attendance with more than 100 titles for sale. And it was extremely satisfying to watch shoppers select their books. ("Here! This is it! That book by the woman we were talking to.")

Convention Attendees from Emporia: Jolene Haas, Curtis Becker, Monica
Graves, Michael Graves, Kevin Rabas, Cheryl Unruh, Tracy Million
Simmons, Hazel Hart, and Wendy Devilbiss - 2018 Salina

Possibly one of the best things about the convention this year was the number of attendees from my local area. Emporia Writers group continues to grow each year and we had representation enough to fill a table at the convention this year. This is only a fraction of our regular attendees locally, but it certainly feels good to be part of a vibrant and growing group of productive writers.

It didn't hurt that Kevin Rabas, Emporia's professor poet in residence (aka Kansas Poet Laureate) was the keynote speaker at the convention. Kevin has such skill at bringing his enthusiasm and creative drive to the workshops. He has a way of emboldening and empowering writers. I heard long-time Kansas Authors Club member, William Karnowski (poet, current state archivist, former state vice president, former district president) saying, "Kevin really gets it. He knows how to connect with people. It's not just academic," as he was leaving Kevin's workshop.

Kevin Rabas was presented with
the Merit Award for Achievement
in Writing at the 2018 Kansas
Authors Club Convention

Wendy Devilbiss (here with Diane
Wahto, state awards chair) was
presented with the Merit Award
Service to the Club, as was
Reaona Hemmingway (who was
unable to attend).

A highlight of the convention each year is the book awards, and the total given this year was five. Award winners were as follows:

J. Donald & Bertha Coffin Memorial Book Award, Flight, a novel of Beirut and the French Countryside, by Jean Grant

Nelson Poetry Book Award, Acacia Road, by Aaron Brown

Martin Kansas History Book Award (year one under the Martin name, in memory of Gail Martin, former archivist for the Club), A Cow for College and Other Stories of 1950s Farm Life, by James Kenyon

"It Looks Like a Million" Book Design Award, The Modern Bachateros: 27 Interviews, by Julie Sellers

Kansas Authors Club Children's Book Award (new in 2018, sponsored by state president, Ronda Miller), Bird, by Glendyn Buckley (Illustrated by Barbara Waterman-Peters)

Literary Contest Winners in the Memoir/Inspiration Category:
Julie Sellers (Honorable Mention), Jack Kline (Honorable
Mention), Micheal D. Graves (2nd Place), Tracy Million
Simmons (1st Place).

After a great weekend of workshops and inspiration, the convention was capped, as usual, with the adult literary contest awards in prose and poetry. I had five entries this year and was thrilled to take home awards in two!

I plan to share more about the award in Spoken Word Poetry soon!

________________________________

Kansas Authors Club membership is open to anyone who has an interest in writing. Meetings are held in several locations across the state. Learn more about Kansas Authors Club at www.kansasauthors.org.

For the Love of Cousins

This weekend, one of my cousins said, "It's really too bad that it takes a funeral to get us to get together.

I agreed, but had to point out that at least we make the time for funerals. Sometimes it is hard to make time... except when you are being reminded that time isn't a guaranteed luxury. In memory of a cousin by marriage -- my Aunt Bonnie's son, Richard Powell -- I spent the weekend with some of my extended family. Cousins arrived from Alabama, Colorado, Texas, Indiana, and Kansas, of course. I had a rather short commute compared to most of them.

For about thirty-six hours, it was like diving headlong into the best best parts of childhood. I just circled and listened, circled and talked. Catching up on kids and partners, lives and jobs. Reminiscing and listening to others reminisce. Remembering those gone by interacting with those still with us.

I feel as if I owe a debt of thanks to Richard for the gift of time well-spent with family. I definitely owe a debt of thanks to Richard's wife, Deb, who opened her home and her heart to so many.

We're already planning an intentional reunion for next summer. Yay!

Reading with Emporia Writers

The local writing group had a reading this week as part of the celebration of The Literary World of William Allen White, hosted by ESU's WAW Memorial Library and Archives.

One of the benefits of getting together regularly with a group of writers is to remind yourself, though you often write alone, you are not alone. Other writers make good cheerleaders. They tend to offer good advice when you are in a writing hard place, or simply cheer you along, unafraid (and sincerely interested) to hear how your current project(s) is coming along.

Sometimes, having writer friends helps you step outside your box. While I've come to enjoy public presentations much more in recent years than I did when I was young, my tendency is often still to avoid them. Yet, when our group got this invitation to participate in this event, I jumped on it. It was fun to round up our writing meeting regulars and focus on a project together. We ended up with a few who were new to sharing their work and a some who were seasoned regulars. I think everyone had a good time, and though the event was small, we pretty much filled all the seats!