Dear fellow GWG members,
For those of you who weren't able to attend, here are some pics from the July 7th's GWG event. I have also included our three guest speaker's bios. Kathleen McKenzie, one of our speakers will send the group picture made of all in attendance a bit later on. I will forward what she sends when I receive it.
Speaking of Kathleen, she passed out submission guidelines to the Chattahoochee Valley Writers, Inc. Short Story and Poetry Contest, now in progress. If you have a good short story(ies) or poem(s) which you would like to submit, you may do so by going to the website and clicking on (Contests).
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| (left to right) Kathleen McKenzie, Jean B. Copland, and Lavonda Forbes. |
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Attendees of the July 7 GWG Reading and guests included from top left; Bill Boughner, Helen von Richthofen, Barb Griffiths,
George Heiring, Kathy Wright, Jackie Askew, Linda Wagner, Judy Stultz, Jeanne Herrero
and bottom row; Kathleen McKenzie, Jean Copland, Lavonda Forbes, and Jenny Bates
The group picture above of GWG members and our guest speakers (Kathleen McKenzie, Jean Copland, and Lavonda Forbes) was taken by Kathleen's sister, Patricia (Pat) Gerard, who accompanied her to the meeting this past Tuesday. Pat is a historian and an accomplished writer in her own right. "Connections" magazine from the Georgia Council of Teachers of English has a wonderful article by Patricia Gerard entitled "It's About Time."
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Speaker Bios for the Greensboro Writer’s Guild Meeting
Lavonda Forbes
Some days I feel
Like an old ratty book
Ugly on the outside,
Wise, exciting, adventuresome
On the inside
Trying to be read.
Lavonda Forbes is a lifelong resident of Columbus, Georgia, attending local schools and college. Retiring early from a civil service computer career at the Fort Benning Army Installation, she started marking items off her bucket list. She drove the lonely roads between Georgia and Alaska to take a summer job in Denali Park. What could be more inspiring to a writer than snowcapped mountains, frozen rivers, or caribou strolling down a highway?
A few years ago, she joined a group of lifelong learners and took a writing course. Here she discovered she had gathered a lot of material with her slightly off-beat family and friends. She loves traveling, exploring new sights, and meeting new people. Each year brings new discoveries:
Philippine Islands with her good friend Nemia or sharing heaping platters of fresh seafood in Marseille, France, with her bon ami Maryse; African elephants, Chinese monks, the Taj Mahal in India and steamy hot springs in Iceland keep Lavonda “on the road.” A camera and a smile make friends quickly. Sometimes they even give her a new story to tell.
Kathleen McKenzie is a lover of books and art. She has had articles published in GCTE's Connections and is a regular columnist for Scribbles 'n Bits. Recently she was the editor for the 2014 issue of Connections. Her poem, "the garden," was published in the collection, Shout Them from the Mountain Tops II: Georgia Poems and Stories. Her first novel, Principal Murder, won the 2008 ThomasMax "You Are Published" contest from the Southeastern Writers Association Workshop. She is currently working on several pieces of writing.
Jean B. Copland, a long-time English teacher and writer—now retired from Muscogee County School System (Columbus, GA) and TROY University (Troy, AL)—has written with her students for years. Some of her published poems began as in-class, ten minute journal entries. She has presented writing and poetry workshops at conferences and within schools at various locations within the United States.
Published works include poetry, articles, and reviews in various publications, including The English Journal, Chattahoochee Review, Oconee Living, and Reach of Song, and a book, Grandma’s Legacy and Other Poems. She has edited ROAMing in the English Classroom, a secondary language arts textbook by Bob Liebendorfer. She has also served as General Editor for Shout Them from the Mountain Tops: Georgia Poems, and Shout Them from the Mountain Tops, II: Georgia Poems and Stories with Art & Photos, both sponsored by the Georgia Council of Teachers of English.
Presently, she continues working to complete a book of original and previously published poetry.
Writers Retreat - Saturday, August 8
There is a Chattahoochee Valley Writers sponsored Writers Retreat on Saturday, August 8 ( 10 AM - 3:30 PM) ... Cost:$10.00. The retreat will be held at the Columbus Public Library, 3000 Macon Road, Columbus GA 31906 and will feature Dr. David Johnson, Professor Emeritus, Columbus State University, a nationally published poet and fiction author. Information regarding this event can also be found on the aforementioned website under (Special Events).
~Kathy
