-->
-->
Volume 21, Issue 1
Next NETWO Meeting
January 10th,
6:30 p.m.
Western Sizzlin, Mt.
Pleasant
NETWO CHRISTMAS
The NETWO Christmas party held December 13th at Jean Pamplin’s bank building in Winfield was attended by nineteen members and guests. After a bountiful and delicious potluck supper, readings were given by Galand Nuchols, Georgia Henson, Bryan Freeman, Jean Pamplin, Bill Carl, Jackie Brown, and Bob Allen.
Photo by Bryan Freeman
After Dinner Fellowship
A reminder and sign-up opportunity for Skip Hughes’ poetry workshop were given.
January 2008
The workshop will be held three consecutive Saturdays at the Pizza Inn, Pittsburg: January 5, 12, and 19, beginning at 9:00 a.m. FLASH!! The January 5th session has been cancelled. The workshop will begin on January 12, 9:00-11:00 a.m., and conclude on January 26.
An item for discussion at the regular January meeting of NETWO was suggested by Jean Pamplin. This is a proposal to have a dinner meeting with a special theme based on a well-known writer’s work.
It was a delightful evening. Many thanks to Jean for the facility, decorations, beverages; Paul Paris for the plates and silverware, and all who outdid themselves on the food.
J J J J
2008 SHORT STORY CONTEST
Details for the
writing contest have been announced.
Prize money has been increased by 40% ($250 total) and, again, the winner
will be published in The Storyteller. The deadline is February
15, 2008, so check out the rules given below and submit your story.
2008 Short Story Contest Rules
1. Entries must be short stories between 1,000 and 2,500 words to be considered. Submit one (1) copy.
2. Entries must be typed, double spaced, one side only on 8-1/2” by 11” white paper, 1” margins. Please use either Courier or Time Roman type fonts, 12 point.
3. Entry fee is $8 for each adult submission. For students 18 and under, it is $5. Make checks payable to “NETWO.” Students may request a waiver of the entry fee by writing to: netwomail@netwo.org.
(Please Note: There is only one division. There is NOT
a separate student division.)
4. Multiple entries are permitted.
Include entry fee for each entry. Multiple entries may be submitted in a single envelope and with a single check to cover all fees.
5. Entries must be postmarked between
January 1 and February 15, 2008.
NOTE: This is an earlier date than last year. Please get entries in the mail no later than February 15, 2008.
Mail entries to:
NETWO, P. O. Box 411, Winfield,
TX 75493.
If you wish confirmation of receipt of
your entry, include a SASP. On the
address side of the post card, write the name of the short story.
6. First Place award is $125; Second
Place $75, Third Place is $40, and
Fourth Place is $10. Winners, and
Honorable Mentions will receive
certificates suitable for framing.
7. First Place winner will be
published (with
author’s permission)
The
Storyteller, a magazine dedicated to
Helping writers. The
Storyteller is a
paying publication, and the word limit is
2,500 words. The Storyteller was one of
the 101 Best Magazine
Markets for2006.
8. No more than one (1) CASH prize will
be awarded to a single author. However,
this does not preclude an author from
receiving additional certificates for
honored stories. Please note: all cash
prizes will be awarded (4 different
authors will receive prize money.)
9. Each story should have a cover sheet
containing only:
o the name of the story
o the author’s name
o complete address
o telephone number
o e-mail address
o and word count
o Student entries should also include age, school attending and grade.
10. The author’s name
should not appear
anywhere except on the cover sheet.
Each story page should have a header
line with the story’s title and the page
number.
11. Entries must be previously unpublished
short stories written in English by the
person whose name is on the cover
sheet.
12. Judges do not see the author’s name,
or other information about the author.
No entrant knows the identity of any
judges.
13. Decisions of the judges are final.
14. Neither NETWO, any of its members or
any judge is responsible for late
delivery of entries, or lost entries.
15. Winners will be announced during the
2008 NETWO Writer’s Conference,
April 25 & 26. Winners unable to
attend will have awards mailed to the
address on the cover sheet.
Continued on page 3
Continued from Page 2
16. Winners names will be printed in the
May issue of the NETWO newsletter,
With Pen in Hand. Winners’ names and
story titles will also be posted on the
NETWO website by May 5, 2008.
17. NETWO may request permission to
print some of the winning entries in
future issues of the
newsletter, With
Pen in Hand. This is NOT a
requirement to enter.
18. The author relinquishes none of his or
her rights by entering the contest.
19. Please include a SASE (with sufficient
postage) if you wish your entry
returned.
Otherwise, entries will not be returned
and will be shredded. <
MEMBERSHIP
DUES Remember membership dues are payable in January since we
went to a calendar year basis. Dues are $20.00 for member; $25.00 for member and
spouse. Send to: NETWO,
P. O. Box 411
Winfield, TX 75493
BITS AND PIECES
We reported in the October issue of With Pen in Hand that the Mineola High School and Bromberg Memorial Library would be hosting Jory Sherman and other writers for “A Night with Local Authors” on the 16th. This event was so successful that other schools want to get involved so the December issue of County Line Magazine reports. Joy Stuart, the media director/librarian who coordinated the event said that it might be held at Mineola’s civic center in November 2008.
Gale Gill advises that December 17 is the distribution date for the second volume of Tales from the South anthology. It is a collection of the year’s readings that were heard on the monthly program’s NPR network station, KUAR in Little Rock. At least one of her stories is included, “Christmas Mystique.”
Gay Ingram has a number of book signings coming up in January. On the 12th, she’ll be at Barnes & Noble, Tyler, from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m.
On January 26th, she will be at the Hastings Book Store in Longview from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. She will be signing Living With a Depressed Spouse, and there will also be copies of Til Death Do Us Part and Troubled Times available. Gay invites all to come and visit her at these events.
“A PROFILE” will
return to With Pen in Hand
next
month.
& & &
2008 Writers’ Roundup Conference April 25 & 26 Plans for the 2008 writers’ conference are firming up
rapidly and will be covered fully in next month’s newsletter. To keep abreast of developments, check
out the website:
2008 Writers’ Roundup Conference
April 25 and 26
Plans for the 2008 writers’ conference are shaping up rapidly. More details will appear in next month’s newsletter, but to keep abreast, be sure to check out the website:
From Hope to Higher Ground
By Mike
Huckabee
Reviewed by Janice Monk
Glass
This is a great book written with
heartfelt sincerity by a man that my daughter’s family, the community, and I
are blessed to call a close friend from his years as a fine pastor of Beech
Street First Baptist Church in Texarkana, Arkansas.
In this book, Mike has written about his
life, his family, his travels, and his dreams for the future of all American
families. He has openly told us of his
twelve years of prejudice, hope, and success while serving as governor of the
State of Arkansas. Throughout his life,
he has traveled extensively overseas learning about the people, their cultures,
and their dreams. The following is an
excerpt from the book about a foreign visit the summer after he graduated from
high school:
One
of my more vivid memories was exploring Beirut, Lebanon. We were fortunate to see this beautiful and
majestic city before intense war and bombings robbed it of so much of its
grandeur and glory. As we walked along
the streets of a Beirut neighborhood, we stopped and watched a group of
children playing. Some of the young
boys, probably around twelve years of age, noticed us and came over. They didn’t speak English and we didn’t speak
Arabic, but remembering that the second language of Lebanon was French, I
thought it might be possible for me to recall a few phrases tucked away in my
memory bank from the two years of French I had taken in high school. (Unfortunately, my motives for taking French
in high school had more to do with the girls who took the class than the
language!)
I spoke a couple of sentences to one of the youngsters, who smiled and
replied with much more confidence and fluency than I had. It was indeed a brief conversation and was
communicated as much by facial expressions of smiling than complete
comprehension of our common
language. It was hardly a diplomatic
summit, but it made me realize that beyond the barriers of geography, culture,
language, and religion, there yearns in each of us a simple desire to be noticed and respected.
Years later while I watched a television
news film of the massive destruction of Beirut
due to war, I couldn’t help but think about that young man. Somewhere tucked away in some boxes of mine
there was a photo of the two of us, and I have often wondered, “Did he survive
the violence and killing?” If he is
still alive, I wondered what kind of life he’s lived and what kind of attitude
he has toward the United States and toward Americans.
The importance of that brief encounter at
that particular point in my life was that it reminded me to think more about
people than just places when I traveled.
In his book, Mike brings out the dramatic shift in attitudes and reflections within our culture over the course of a generation. He writes our modern culture has gone from the Gideon’s giving Bibles to fifth graders to school nurses giving condoms to eighth graders; from Cracker Jacks to crack cocaine; from drive-in movies to drive-by shootings; from teens holding hands to teens holding babies born out of wedlock and into poverty; and from a time in which teachers carried paddles and kids carried books to teachers carrying Mace and kids carrying guns.
This is an
interesting, well written book by a caring husband, father, friend, and
concerned citizen of the United States who wants to be our next President. <
The Trip
for those who are sane, without remorse
those who have never faltered from course
those who have mastered life’s pain free
side
those who are perfect, with fail proof pride
gaze upon the darkness of daytime’s
surrender
focus thine eyes upon the descender
allow the lure of the lurid attraction
anticipate, your deepest reactions
within its realm lies constant deceit
a nagging feeling of no retreat
a constant fear of what can’t be seen
a feeling of that, which is considered
unclean
a world where vision knows no eyes
it’s the images of thought, which begin to
arise
here is where the soul speaks, without due
rest
here is where man meets ultimate tests
darkness surrounds, yet you feel what’s
there
the presence of hatred and total despair
a room with no walls, yet confining the
same
the air is poisoned and fills you with pain
reaching for help, you gasp and cry
as your body has crumpled, waiting to die
you curse the air, the darkness too
you beg for guidance, oh what to do
to conquer the darkness, one can only
relent
acknowledge the ogre from whence it was
sent
armed with disgust, and the acceptance of
truth
see how it’s grown from its despicable
youth
nurtured you did, from multiple acts
and now here in darkness, lies irrefutable
facts
the lies the pain and the poison are real
of your own making, they came with a
deal
your sunlight for darkness,your pride for
shame
your refusal to admit it was all but a
game
another bad deed, no problem you said
until this trip, inside of your head.
lisa
cecil
MARKETS
GLIMMER TRAIN PRESS, INC. has made some changes in their policies regarding competition submissions.
As of October 1, 2007, the open period for competition submissions was shortened so that no category will be open for more than one month, and their response time to three months from the date of submission.
As of November 25, 2007, they will allow simultaneous submissions. They do request to be emailed immediately if a submitted piece is accepted elsewhere.
While Glimmer Train Press specifies that submissions should be made via their site: www.glimmertrain.com you can make paper submissions. Send by ordinary mail to:
Category Name
(standard, very short, etc.)
Glimmer Train Press, Inc.
1211 NW Glisan, #207
Portland, OR 97209
Continued on Page 6
Continued from Page 5
Glimmer Train also accepts standard trans-
missions for publication in their literary journal, Glimmer Train Stories. There are no reading fees for standard submissions, and you may choose whether your story is for competition or standard, though the monetary award for competition is greater.
For more information on categories and guidelines, contact their website or the newsletter editor. t
NETWO
P. O. Box 411
Winfield, TX 75493