Meeting Notes - January 26, 2012

Cathy, Jackie, Joan, Judy, Pam

Guest: Debra

Members introduced themselves and welcomed Debra. Debra is a special education teacher's aid in Hammond. Debra had a short story published in Stark/Tinkham in 2010 - A Purdue Calumet publication.

Judy passed out 2012 membership cards and bookmarks to each member present. We have a new logo!

Pam is working on a modern day fantasy.

Cathy put together a recipe for her My Life by A. Banana poem. Cathy and Joan would like us to all come up with a poem or short story and related recipe and discuss putting together a MHW publication this year.

Judy read Ryleigh Emma - Supper Sleuth, The Case of the Missing Chocolate Heart. Jackie suggested she include a detective's checklist within the story.

Members discussed having a discounted membership fee for students. It was determined that the annual student membership fee will be $10.

Judy will look into purchasing the 2012 edition of a publishers magazine this year. Since we have the 2011 edition of Children's Writer's Market, MHW will purchase the Children's Writer's Market every other year from now on.

Jackie passed out a sheet on Story Building. She will e-mail it to the other members. She talked about the "call for submissions" on sports poems. Information about this contest is on the blog in the upcoming events and contests page. She then read her latest poem and handed out an activity sheet she plans to submit with it. Jackie shared her recent rejection letters from Highlights, Illumination Arts, US Kids, and Tanglewood Press. Jackie did receive hand written notes of encouragement with two though.

Debra read her short story The Juniper Leaf and then discussed her book "101 Reasons for Time Out in Preschool and Kindergarten" and the process she went through to self publish it in 2003. It is now also an electronic pdf file and on sale for 99¢.

JSH