It’s a new season for Pensters! During the September 9th kickoff meeting, members and guests had the opportunity to catch up after a summer spent apart, before getting down to the business of a new year. President John Woods greeted attendees, recapping the upcoming release of the first edition of the Pensters Anthology while looking forward to all this season has to offer. Read More →
Some people teared-up. Some laughed. We all applauded as our members read their outstanding work at the May 11 meeting’s end of season celebration. Much to the delight of the audience, a couple of members successfully tried out the performance reading/reciting techniques taught by Jerri Hardesty, our April speaker. TheRead More →
Jerri Hardesty, award winning poet, publisher and former President of the Alabama State Poetry Society, was the guest speaker at the April 8th meeting of Pensters. Jerri has received more than 1000 poetry awards and has had more than 350 poems published. During her presentation, she discussed ways to inspireRead More →
Many writers desire to see their name in print, but for those willing to stand just outside the spotlight lies the world of ghostwriting. Today the practice can be found everywhere from memoirs to blog posts. During the March meeting, Pensters member and professional ghostwriter Rosanne Gulisano offered her advice to those interested in breaking into the field. Read More →
The intricacies of law can often be confusing. During the February Pensters meeting, guest speaker Mike Odom offered some tips for writers hoping to gain an understanding of copyright law. Odom opened the presentation by displaying a miniature of the Gutenberg press along with a cell phone, citing the long and evolving history associated with securing an author’s claim on their work. Read More →
John Floyd grew up in central Mississippi, attended Mississippi State University and currently lives in Jackson, MS. He served in the U. S. Air Force for four years and had a career as in engineer with IBM Corporation. Read More →
You must write for children the same way you do for adults only better,” author and guest speaker Carrie Dalby Cox shared the quote by Maxim Gorky as she began Saturday’s presentation: Kid Lit 101. “Kids aren’t going to stick around if it’s not interesting, if it doesn’t grip them, if the pacing is not right. They’re not going to read fifty pages to give it a try like an adult might,” she explained.Read More →
Bringing the dead to life is not easy work, but neither is overcoming the dry reputation history books have earned through the years. Narrative historians seek to do both by presenting the past with emotion and suspense previously found only in fiction. Read More →
Fiction by definition is a lie, but according to guest speaker Marilyn Johnston the key to success comes in “sandwiching that lie between two truths.” In her presentation, “Giving Your Novel Its Best Start – and Its Best Shot,” she discussed how to reach readers who are seeking both escape and relatability. The short answer is to create meaning.Read More →
The last meeting of the season was a busy one for the Pensters. There were several exciting announcements including upcoming releases by Glenda Slater and Joy Sterling. After regular business had been concluded and contest winners announced, author T. Jensen Lacey kicked off the summer project with her presentation on interviewingRead More →