NO JUNE MEETING

Our June meeting falls on the same day as our 2nd Annual Between The Pages Conference, which means the group will NOT be meeting in June.

Hope to see everyone at the conference.  

April Program: TIPS ON PUBLIC SPEAKING WITH RUTH WEEKS & CHRISSY WILLIS

 

R.H. Burkett, aka Ruth Weeks, is an international tarot card reader who draws from her deep Cherokee and Cajun roots to write riveting tales of the paranormal. From her travels to ancient stone circles in rural Ireland to her explorations in the French Quarters of New Orleans, s

he tells stories that encompass her love of all things mystical. Her latest release Broom Flyers Tales and Spells, is a compilation of her short stories, one of which was nominated for a 2023 Spur Award (Western Writers of America). 

Her first novel, Soldiers in the Mist, was voted Ozark Writers League (OWL) 2012 Best Book of the Year. Her second novel, Daughter of the Howling Moon, was the Oklahoma Writers Federation (OWFI) 2015 Book of the Year. As a child, Ruth was fascinated by stories about her Grandmother Ely, who was part Cherokee and part Cajun. That was the inspiration for her adopting the handle Witchy Woman. 

She currently lives in Springdale, Arkansas, with her cat muse Fred. Check out her website RHBurkett.com and follow her author’s Facebook page, where you can watch videos of the author talking about her travels and how she gets inspiration from her travels, her heritage, and the people she meets, both from this world and the next.

 

Clarissa (Chrissy) Willis has been telling stories since she was a child. She has written 19 teacher resource books and five children’s books. In addition, she has spoken both nationally and internationally to crowds large and small. 

Born and raised by a minister and his wife, a former actress, she is known as an ‘edutainer’ and weaver of tales, true and mostly true. She has worked in the publishing industry as an executive editor, and she was formerly the publications director of the largest provider of early childhood resources in the United States.   

March Speaker/Dayna Ault

 

Dayna Ault has eight children who were the inspiration for her first t

wo children’s books, Benjamin’s Coin Purse (2001) and Who Made This Mess? October, 2022. 

She published The Missouri Autism Report Magazine for seven years (2010-2017), and wrote for church, parenting, business, and municipal publications, all while homeschooling her children. 

Dayna has served as an Alderwoman in her small Missouri town and serves as a deaconess in her church and enjoys teaching Sunday School. She is a member of several organizations including the Springfield Writer’s Guild, (SWG) the Alliance of Independent Authors (ALLi), BookCamp (Chad Allen), Self-Publishing Masterminds (April Cox) and of Children’s Book Insiders (CBI). She organizes and runs Kidlit Connect, an online critique group for children’s writers, and leads her local Children’s Genre Group with SWG.

Dayna has one college student still at home, one very understanding husband, 15 grand-children, an American Eskimo and a very fluffy, needy gray cat.

 

February Meeting

 Our February meeting is a MEMBERS ONLY meeting.  This is the month we celebrate our members and their JANO accomplishments.  

Join us in March when our speaker will be Chrissy Willis and Ruth Weeks who will give us TIPS ON PUBLIC SPEAKING 

January 7th, MEGA WRITE-IN

 

MEGA WRITE IN

January 7th 2023

Location:  Library Center

In the Auditorium

If you’re participating in JANO, this is a perfect day to come and write.

A lunch of sandwiches and chips will be provided by Goodcents, for those who paid, but feel free to bring munchies to share.

Don’t forget your laptop, chargers and flash drives and be prepared to spend the day writing.

 

November 11, 2022 Speaker, Marilyn Quigley

 

Marilyn Quigley is professor emerita of English at Evangel University where she taught 32 years. She was director of composition there and also taught creative  writing and literature. Marilyn has

published three books. "Hell Frozen Over: The Battle of the Bulge" and "Journey to Elsewhere," a time travel book for children are in print, and "My War at Windsor School" was recently published on Amazon Vella. Earlier in her life she published a children's musical called "From Pit to Palace."

               Marilyn was selected as a visiting fellow with the Independent Women's Association in Washington, DC during 2021 during which she published 20 political op eds for major digital outlets. A recent small project was writing the narration for her church Christmas cantata.

She is a member of Springfield Writers Guild, a book club, and Schweitzer Church.

Marilyn is married. She has two sons and three grandchildren. She loves to travel, and in August she visited Scotland and Ireland. She enjoys playing violin in two bands, and making movies of her travels.

Sept. 10th Speaker, Presiding Judge

 

Judge Mark A. Powell was appointed as associate circuit judge

for the 31st Judicial Circuit in 2000. In this role, his judicial assignments have included general associate criminal and circuit civil matters. Prior to being appointed to the bench, he was in private practice in Springfield.

 Here are a few things he will be discussing, but come prepared with questions of your own..

 

 1)  How he prepares behind the scenes for a court case.

2)  Some unorthodox/unusual cases.

3)  How he might handle an unprecedented murder case.