UPCOMING EVENTS

   February 5
SSA Santa Cruz Valley Chapter @ 1p–2:45pm
Green Valley Library
Ethel Lee-Miller– "Blending Memoir and Social Media!"
(see article here)

   February 17
SSA Workshop @ 1 pm–3pm
Hotel Tucson City Center
Dan Baldwin– "Do as I Say, Not as I Have Done"
(see article this page)

   Feb. 24 & 25
2018 Arizona Matsuri Japanese Festival
See their website at https://www.azmatsuri.org

   March 5
SSA Santa Cruz Valley Chapter @ 1p–2:45pm
Green Valley Library
Roger Hinterhuer– "Turning Personal Experiences Into a Manuscript!"
(see article here)

   March 18
SSA Forum @ 11am–2pm
Hotel Tucson City Center
Guy Atchley– "Arizona in Pictures"
(see article this page)

To R.S.V.P. SSA Forum
Leave Phone Message
at 520-444-8253
or e-mail: macarman6@gmail.com WEDNESDAY before the Forum
Forums are $25 with reservation/$30 at the door
Workshops will be $5


   Of all the books I have co-authored or ghostwritten the one I knew, absolutely knew, that I didn't need a written contract, letter of agreement, or even a confirming e-mail for was the one I began with Kelly Snyder in 2009—a book with the working title of Find Me II—The Casebook. As Samuel Goldwyn said, "A verbal contract isn't worth the paper it's written on."

   Writers beware. Regardless of how well you know someone, the depth of experience you have with someone, or how much you trust someone, if you plan on writing something together—insist on a contract. The presentation is based on my book How Find Me Lost Me—A Betrayal of Trust Told by a Psychic Who Didn't See It Coming.

   This isn't a presentation on contracts. Rather, it is a warning of what can happen when a writer ignores his or her basic responsibility to consider the potential legal ramifications of relying on someone's spoken word vs. the written word. How Find Me II—The Casebook by Dan Baldwin and Kelly Snyder became the award winning They Are Not Yet Lost by Dan Baldwin is an interesting and cautionary tale told in How Find Me Lost Me.

   Be sure to attend so you can make sure you "Do as I say not as I have done." Check out They Are Not Yet Lost and How Find Me Lost Me at Amazon.com Those attendees from Dan’s cancelled October Workshop whose names are on our sign-in list are
invited back for free as our way of extending an apology for an unavoidable situation.


   For most of his career, Guy Atchley has worked with film and video to share stories of interest with the viewers of KGUN 9. But about ten years ago, there was a shift in Guy's focus—still photography. You may have seen Guy's pictures at the end of KGUN 9 newscasts and wondered about the stories behind them—Guy will be telling some of those stories. Many of the photos are chosen simply to show the beauty of Arizona and its people. However, a few might elicit a chuckle. Others will make you think. And still others could leave you feeling a bit sad. Regardless, you should leave this presentation knowing more about Guy and the many interesting subjects that have passed in front of his camera lens in our great state of Arizona. Guy Atchley is celebrating 34 years in Tucson at KGUN 9 On Your Side.

   Since he graduated from the University of Tulsa in 1972 with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Radio/Television Speech, Guy has received more than twenty first-place awards for excellence in reporting.

   During Guy's tenure, the Associated Press has honored KGUN 9 News with the award for Best Newscast in Southern Arizona seven times. In 1992 Guy swept the Arizona AP awards by winning three first-place honors including: Best Serious Feature, Best Light Feature, and Best General Reporting in the State.

   Guy also was honored for his reports on living conditions in China in the documentary China: 1987. And in October of 1993, Guy traveled to the Middle East for a documentary on Israel's quest for peace. That documentary, plus Guy's news reports and speeches to expose intolerance and bigotry, earned him the 1994 Human Relations Award presented by the Jewish Community Relations Council.

   Besides reporting from several foreign countries, Guy also has traveled the United States. He has covered space shuttle launches in Florida, racial tension in the South, and immigration policies at the U.S./Mexico border. On Veterans Day of 1994, Guy reported from the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. He later returned to Washington to cover the Monica Lewinsky scandal.

   For more than two decades, Guy spent each Labor Day as Tucson host for the Jerry Lewis Muscular Dystrophy Telethon.

   Guy has interviewed many famous people, but it's the not-so-famous—the unsung heroes of America—that Guy loves to focus on. Comedian Dean Steeves says: "In a culture where 15 minutes of fame has become just that, Guy Atchley seeks out and retells the small, quiet stories behind the lives of real and honorable people." Former University of Arizona Basketball Coach Lute Olson says: "I applaud Guy Atchley for focusing on what is good in our world." You may have seen Guy's cameos in several movies: Jericho Fever, which was produced for the USA Cable Network, the remake of Vanishing Point for Fox TV, and the independent film Runnin' at Midnite. And in case you're wondering, Guy played the role of a reporter in each film.

   If you ask Guy, you'll find out that he's thankful to be a real-life reporter who seeks out stories of inspiration and humor. In the end, Guy says, that's the good news—the innate ability to be greater than anything that can happen to you.

   For the last ten years Guy has focused his attention on photography to show the beauty of the Grand Canyon State. Watch for his photos at the end of KGUN 9 newscasts.

$25 Paypal / Credit Card Forum payment link

(NOTE: if you are having trouble accessing the link, right click on it and open in a new window)


Successes

John Newport, PhD, had an op/ed in the Arizona Capitol Times titled "Don't be fooled by tax proposal rhetoric," published 12/4/2017. In it he gives his detailed breakdown of the US tax bill that was just put into law. To access his op/ed go to https://tinyurl.com/y7m868rp
Since publication of his book The Tucson Tragedy: Lessons from the Tragic Shooting of Gabrielle Giffords in 2011, John has emerged as a successful socio-political commentator with numerous publications in the AZ Capitol Times, Washington Post, and other publications.

Mike Rom announced a few months ago that his digital art piece, Creature, was included in the Pima Community College's Cababi Art & Literary Magazine. Mike was also asked to create the prize for the Campus that had the most submissions. His wire sculpture, Gila Monster, was awarded to the West Campus president, Dr. Morgan Phillips.
Last year's Cababi is available now at https://pima.edu/faculty-staff/cababi and the new one should be available shortly.

Gene Twaronite's first book of poetry Trash Picker on Mars, published by Kelsay Books in 2016, is the winner of the 2017 New Mexico/Arizona Book Award for Arizona poetry.
Trash Picker on Mars is an eclectic collection of poems ranging from whimsical to contemplative and compassionate. What stands out in this collection is Twaronite's attention to the details and textures of ordinary life as he presents us with reminders that the ordinary—the working man, the sleeping woman on the train—are not to be forgotten when seeking the sublime. It is available from Kelsay Books and Amazon.

Stuart Watkins' "One Snowflake Too Many" was published in the December issue of SaddleBag Notes. He has sent us a copy for the Write Word:

One Snowflake Too Many
   
by Stuart Watkins
tree limb snapped
one snowflake too many
who would have thought
just one snowflake
snowflakes are not heavy
you catch them on your tongue
does not hurt
kinda fun sticking out your tongue
the tree glistened in the sunlight
as white flakes drifted
swirled
landing lightly on the limbs
flake after flake after flake
then
as I was scooping up a snowball
snap
I jerked my head around
startled
and cried
silly of me to cry
but I did
it hurt me to think of the tree
losing a limb
because
of one snowflake too many
put the snowball down
went to the tree
pulled the broken limb aside
patted the trunk of the tree
gave it a hug
went inside
cup of hot cocoa
still thinking about the effect
of one snowflake too many




The Write Word
published bi-monthly by the Board of Directors
of The Society of Southwestern Authors
P.O. Box 30355, Tucson, AZ 85751

Board of Dirctors

President
Rajendra (Raj) Srivastava:
rajendrasrivastava@outlook.com

Vice President
Chris Stern: azwritten@gmail.com

Treasurer
Jay McCall: jmccall415@msn.com

Recording Secretary & Forum Registrations
Mary Ann Carman: macarman@centurylink.net
Forum Registrations:
520-444-8253 or macarman6@gmail.com

Membership
Sharon Lashinger: srlashinger@hotmail.com

Members at Large
Dan Baldwin: baldco@msn.com

Solomon Cantanio: scantanio@gmail.com

Ed Harter: edwardharter@cox.net

Natalie McGee: socrates.plato76@gmail.com

Danette Young: dmyoung3@gmail.com

Committees

Conference Chair
Sharon Lashinger: srlashinger@hotmail.com

Conference Co-Chairs
Mary Ann Carman: macarman@centurylink.net
and
Solomon Cantanio: scantanio@gmail.com

Writing Contest
Jay McCall & Mary Ann Carman: info@ssa-az.org
contest page

Speaker's Bureau Coordinator
TBA

Writing Group Coordinator
TBA
Write Word Editor
Mike Rom: writeword@ssa-az.org


SSA Home Page:

http://www.ssa-az.org

Webmaster
Mike Rom: writeword@ssa-az.org

NOTE: Deadline for next issue is the 15th day of March