Wednesday, April 7, 2010

Drury Professor to Speak About Memoir Writing


Wayne Holmes will discuss his memoir, ROCKY COMFORT, at our Sleuths' Ink meeting on Saturday, April 10, from 11-noon.

ROCKY COMFORT is set in the Ozarks and highlights Wayne's youth where he was one of six siblings. His family was very poor and traveled by horse and buggy through KS, OK and settled in MO. He'll share plenty of stories about his hardscrabble life--hunting game to put food on the table, pranks, farming, religion, girlfriends and more.

Wayne will read an excerpt from his book, discuss the process of memoir writing, and the publisher he used in Missouri. As background, Wayne taught English at Drury for nearly 25 years. Besides teaching, he enjoys farming, football, playing Rook, building unique homes, Shakespeare, and of course, writing.

Hope to see you at the Library Station this Saturday!

7 comments:

Stephanie Jarkins said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Stephanie Jarkins said...

Thank you for coming to speak with us. I'm excited to hear some old stories to add ambiance to my own writing set in "these Ozarks hills."

Stephanie Jarkins

Beth said...

You'll enjoy hearing Wayne's stories. He is often requested to speak, has an amazing memory and is chock full of interesting, true tales.

I'm curious to know how he went about tackling his memoir. Even though he's my uncle, I'm not aware of the process he used. Also curious about his experience with his Missouri publisher.

Come and ask lots of questions, Sleuths!

Palooski65 said...

I'm excited about our upcoming Sleuth's meeting. I love stories that deal with subject matter and time frame that Mr. Holmes will be presenting.

I'm also curious to see what Beth's uncle will be like. Ha! Snicker! Love to compare family traits!

I just attended a meeting where Louise Jackson talked about the value of memoirs in our everyday writing--it was a delightful time (any of you who know Louise--know that she's always a lot of fun).

I'm thinking that this focus might be a good thing to try--eager to see what Mr. Holmes may add.

See everyone on Saturday. AND don't forget to join Beth for her booksigning later in the afternoon.

Shirley said...

Memoirs have become very popular. I'm anxious to see what things he included in his book. And what he left out!

And I agree with Ginny. Beth's uncle? Gonna be interesting.

Palooski65 said...

"Good Ole Days," Don't miss Holmes.

Beth said...

Oh, ladies, he didn't leave ANYthing out. A few chapters will make you blush. Many will make you smile, others will bring tears to your eyes. A lot of the time I felt very spoiled knowing how hard my dad, uncles and aunts had it during those days. And I wasn't born with a silver spoon in my mouth, by any means.

BTW, the late Frank McCourt (Angela's Ashes) read the first chapter and described it as "brilliant."

As far as our family traits, you'll just have to come and see!

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