Meeting Minutes - July 22, 2010

Date: July 22, 2010
Start Time: 7:00 P.M.
End Time: 9:30 P.M.

Attendees:
Joan Bodefeld
Jackie Huppenthal
Luneil Morrow
Sharon Palmeri
Carol Rodgers
Judy Whitcomb

Treasurer’s Report:
Total in treasury: $140.00

As an affiliate group of the Indiana Writer’s Consortium (IWC), the attending members of the Magic Hour Writers (MHW) unanimously agreed to support the Power of Poetry Project (PoPP) with a $25.00 donation from our treasury.

New Business:
Jackie introduced a project, Power of Poetry Project (PoPP). This is a children’s poetry writing contest that will be piloted at the Lake Street Elementary School in Crown Point, IN during the 2010-2011 school year. A grant proposal, Writing to Succeed: Fostering Creativity through Poetry is being submitted to Crown Point Community Foundation, Inc. to help fund the pilot project.

The project is sponsored by the IWC as part of their mission to support the development of creative writing. It is based on a very successful project that the Write-On Hoosiers had sponsored for a number of years.

Sharon reviewed the plans for the Christmas Dinner that will be a combined party for MHW, Writer’s Expression, The Northwest Indiana Poetry Society, and Write-On Hoosiers. She shared the information she had received on the cost of the facility.

Jackie reported on the picnic she attended the previous weekend. The picnic was sponsored by IWC. While it was very hot, she and her boys enjoyed things including the silent auction, scavenger hunt, literary bingo, etc. She shared a book by Peggy Archer who is a member of IWC. Peggy gave a presentation on writing tips. Jackie gave us some materials that came from the children’s corner. (Secretary’s note: This was an event open to our group. However, we forgot to mention it at the last meeting. I should have sent an email out with the information but I didn’t. I apologize. I think you should fire me ;-}.

Jackie suggested that we have a kind of library of resources for any materials that we gather that are of interest to our goals. Everyone agreed. It will be housed at Judy’s.

Jackie reviewed some information from one of the self-publishing companies that clarified information about ISBN numbers. Major point: No one can give you their ISBN number. Your book must have its own number.

Sharon had information that stated e-book publications are selling twice as many books as traditional publishing companies sell. A discussion around e-book publishing and self-publishing took place.

A compilation of work by a group is considered a publish work if there is an ISSN number.

Sharing:

Carol went to China visit her daughter. She gave a vivid presentation of what it is like in modern China. (And she did survive the heat, the mosquitoes, her daughter’s four dogs’ hair, and the traffic while having a wonderful time!)

Carol attended a Christian writer’s conference, Write to Publish, at Wheaton College. In our new resource library, Carol has given us quite a bit of literature from the conference. She will share writers’ guidelines that she had from the conference at the next meeting.

Luneil was beaming about her new granddaughter, Cameron Marie. She promises pictures at the next meeting.

Joan talked about using Neil (from the marketing class) to illustrate her Just Push a Button, Grandma.

Jackie shared her delightful bat shape poem with us. She had taken that picture that is the background of the poem during a family camping trip. Tom, poet expert from WOH, said the poem was perfect. She entered some of her pictures in the Lake County Fair. She also submitted poems to Spider. She read the Mouse and the City, one of the books she got from one of the self publishing company she researched.

Reminders:
Project Homework: Everyone has something ready to submit and a publisher chosen by October.

Christmas Party:
Where: The Lake of the Four Seasons Clubhouse
When: Wednesday December 1, 2010
Cost: $17.50 per person
For:  Members of WHO, MHW, Northwest Indiana’s Poetry Society, and Writer’s Expression and spouses, significant others, etc.


Speaker Program:  (Current Plan)
o September – Illustrator – contact person Sharon/Jackie
o January – Publisher – contact person Judy
o April – Library agent for purchasing books – contact person Luneil
o July – Marketing: Kathy Floatz – contact person Sharon

Reminder: The Northwest Indiana Poetry Society meets every 3rd Saturday of each month at the Lowell Public Library. The start time is 10:00 A.M and ends at 11:30 A.M. There is no fee to join, poetry only. Contact Tom Spencer at tspenser1943@comcast.net.

Meeting Adjourned at 8:50

Minutes respectfully submitted by Judy Whitcomb