February, 2014

National League of American Pen Women–Denver Branch
Meeting Minutes
February 1, 2014

I. Diane Chambers called the meeting to order at 10:03 AM.
II. Members in attendance were: Andrea Antico, Sophia Baldwin, Diane Chambers, Beverly Chico, Kelly Ann Compton, Ruthy Denker Wexler, Florence Elliott, Jody Hinrichs, Ann Klaiman, A. Marie Kriss, Nancy Peterson, Juanita Pope, Jo’el Roth, Virginia Small, and Sheila Wright.
III. Introductions of members and guests. Guests in attendance were: Sherry Leonard, Karen Kirkpatrick, and Kay Taylor.
IV. An Inspirational Reading on love, provided by Lorrie Reed, was read by Kelly Ann.
V. The January Minutes were approved as written.
VI. The January Treasurer’s Report was accepted. With deposits totaling $12.00, our current balance is $2,023.53.
VII. Committee Reports:
A. Anthology Committee: Ann and Sheila reported on “The Blog Project” as we are currently calling it. The ins and outs of how the blog will work were shared. Members voted on what the topics will be for the next several months. The topic themes are: February/March “What kind of love is best?”; April/May “The persistence of memories”; June/July “Mistakes”; and August/September “I never thought I would . . . “ For further information on The Blog Project, see below following the minutes.
B. Website: Virginia told us about a strange glitch that happened to the website where half the website went down. She spend 1 1/2 days getting everything reposted and it seems to be working now.
C. Membership, Auditor, Budget: Kriss reported that we have several people interested in joining. She also reported on the progress of our upcoming Guest Critiques in March. We will be ordering box lunches for everyone planning to be present at that meeting. Members and Attendees who are not being critiqued will pay for their own lunches. Our branch will pay for the lunches for those guests being critiqued. More information will come out this month. Please know that anyone who orders a lunch, but does not come to the March Critique meeting, will still be required to pay for their lunch.
D. Tapestry for Peace: No report.
E. Programs:
1. March — Guest Critiques
2. April — Nick Zelinger will present on “Your Author/Artist Platform”
3. May — Dr. Beverly Chico will give a presentation entitled “Hair, Halos and Hats: Women’s History Through Headwear.”
4. June — Our annual potluck and planning meeting. Location TBA.
VII. Outreach Projects: Some of our outreach projects have slowed to a stop. Our most current outreach projects include the Craft/Artist Fairs we have been attending, the Guest Critiques held every March, and our newest, “The Blog Project.” Ruthy will send everyone the information for using the Festival Network Online website.
VIII. Old Business: Jodi gave information regarding our upcoming elections. She has spoken to the current officers and while they are all willing to serve again, they also want to open all offices to anyone interested in them. Feel free to nominate yourself or someone else for any office. Questions should be sent to Diane or Jodi. Elections will take place by e-mail, and Ruthy and Jodi will count the votes.
IX. New Business: The agenda for the March 1 Guest Critiques was shared by Kriss. There will be up to 8 presenters. Each presenter will have 20 minutes for their critique; there will be five minute breaks between each one. Lunch will follow. Kelly will be sending out the choices for the boxed lunches in the next few weeks. Lunches must be reserved, so remember to respond quickly when the email information comes out.
X. Announcements:
A. Sophia asked if anyone had entered the Englewood Library Book Contest. Including Sophia, Andrea, Jody, and Nancy each entered their books.
B. Jo’el shared that she gave a workshop on the Americans with Disabilities Act at a local Rotary Club.
C. Nancy will be talking at the Denver Public Library on February 11 on her novel Not to be Forgiven.
D. Gwen Scott will be speaking Monday, February 3 to Juanita’s book group on her book Blacks – Through the ‘Ayes’ of Our American Presidents. Gwen will also be teaching a class based on her book this spring through OLLI, University of Denver’s program for people over 55.
E. Pat Kennedy’s book may be out soon. She is working with E.J. Thornton Publishing’s Books to Believe In.
F. Dr. Beverly Chico has several speaking engagements coming up: 1) On March 24, she will be speaking at the Bemis Public Library on “From Birth to Burial: Ethnic Expressions of Religious Headwear”; 2) May 7th she will speak at Canterbury Gardens on “Hat History with Dr. Beverly Chico”; 3) “A-Z” Hat and Headdresses Around the World: A Cultural Encyclopedia will be an exhibition at the Dayton Memorial Library at Regis University from July 1 – 31, 2014; and 4) Beverly will speak at the annual symposium of the Costume Society of America in Baltimore, Maryland on “To Dress Up or Not: Two Nineteenth-century American Artists.” For further information on any of these engagements, please contact Dr. Chico.
G. Virginia submitted her story “Sisyphus and Harold” to Progenitor, the art and literary magazine put out by Arapahoe Community College.
XI. The meeting was adjourned at 11:08 AM

Kathryn Winograd from Arapahoe Community College spoke on the lyric essay and Kintsugi (The “golden joinery” of revision) after the business meeting. Fascinating and inspiring, it gave everyone something to aspire to.

Respectively submitted,
Kelly Ann Compton, Secretary

THE BLOG PROJECT
NOW WE BEGIN. . .

RECAP: A committee has emerged from our group’s discussion about having a branch anthology. An anthology is a really big project. In January, our committee proposed three, smaller projects—one of which, or all three, could lead to a branch anthology. Those projects are a blog, a party, and a chapbook. Asked to rank these three for starters, members in January chose the blog.

This opens many possible pathways—maybe a successful blog leads to a party, during which blog entries are read (or shown) and celebrated. Those entries can become a chapbook. Many paths, many possibilities. We’ll see where our blog leads us.

Committee members:
Kelly Ann Compton, Erika Christiansen, Ruthy Denker Wexler, Ann Klaiman, Sheila Wright.

TODAY’S BALLOT: Let’s decide on topics/prompts for blogging. Members will be able to blog once on each prompt and make online comments on entries. Our blog will change prompts every two months, as follows:

FEBRUARY / MARCH: What kind of love is best? (Committee chose 1st prompt.)
APRIL / MAY: TBA (voted by members)
JUNE / JULY: TBA (voted by members)
AUGUST / SEPTEMBER: TBA (voted by members)

PLEASE VOTE for 3 prompts, to be used from April to September 2014. (See ballot.)

TODAY’S SIGN-UP: Please sign up to blog on one or more topics! (See sign-up sheets.)

DEFINITIONS:
Blog (originally “web lob”): A website or web page on which an individual records opinions on a regular basis. Sometimes a forum on a topic with comments of interest.

Chapbook: A small format book or pamphlet of poems, stories, or other writings. Commonly a one quarter page or half-page size, 24 pages is common. Chapbooks are usually inexpensive, but sometimes done as elaborate collectors’ editions. Dating back to the 15th C., they were originally sold by chapmen (itinerant salesmen), hence the name. Chapbooks faded with the rise of magazines in the late 19th C., but have become popular again with self-publishing.

BLOGGING DATES: The first prompt (on Love) will be open on February 8th. Entries may be submitted at any time through March 20th.

Since our blogging can be an interactive process, it would be good if some entries were submitted early on, so that members have a chance to consider what has been written and allow it to influence (or not!) their entries. If too many entries arrive on March 20th, Virginia is going to have a heck of a time getting them all posted before March 31st! Virginia will post the entries in the order she receives them, posting no more than one a day.

When we start our second prompt in April, all the posted “Love” entries will remain on our site for viewing, but no new entries on this prompt will be added.

BLOGGING LENGTH/GENRE: Blog length is limited to 650 words. You may blog once on each prompt. For visual entries, please ask Virginia for guidelines. You are being offered prompts, no narrowly defined topics—whatever you are inspired to create from the prompt is appropriate. Likewise, a wide variety of genres and art forms are welcome: fiction, non-fiction, history, essay, biography, memoir, poetry, prose poem, dialogue, doodle, sketch, drawing, mixed media, collage, painting, photography, sculpture, video clip, audio clip, or any combination there of, etc. Please give your entry whether written or visual, a title.

SUBMITTING YOUR BLOG ENTRY:
Members give permission to Denver Pen Women to post their entries, but retain the copyright. Entries may be used in a possible branch chapbook or anthology. Please give your entry a title.

Please send written entries to Ruthy Denker (caroldenker@comcast.net) or Ann Klaiman (aeklaiman@aol.com). Ruthy and Ann will do a basic check for length, spelling, workable titles, libel, and such. We won’t edit. Entries will then be sent to Virginia for posting.

Please send visual entries to Virginia (virginias@hotmail.com). Be sure you have checked with Virginia in advance before sending for details on the size of your file, format, and such.

BLOGGING COMMENTS: Although each member will be limited (at least for now) to blogging once on each prompt, you may comment any number of times. Comments may be short or long. You will find a comment button at the bottom of the entries for the given prompt. Comments will close two weeks after the prompt closes. Unless we choose to limit it, comments will also be open to anyone (the public) who reads our blog.

MORE ON VISUALS: Virginia adds, “I will try to use any format you send me but the easiest and best are: jpeg graphics that are at least 300 dpi (dots per inch). Sound files may be sent in MPG or WAV format. Contact me for any other files such as video.”

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