[Nfb-editors] Alaska's April Newsletter
Robert Leslie Newman
newmanrl at cox.net
Tue Mar 29 14:02:55 UTC 2011
10 pages- 1,849 words.
Description: NFBHome_Logo.gif
NFB of Alaska
Newsletter
April 2011
>From My Desk:
Well, Punxsutawney Phil was finally right, even here in Alaska,
predicting an early Spring this year! And what a Spring ahead we have here
with the NFB of Alaska!
With April here, our Affiliate has hit the ground running with
many things in the works, so I urge everyone to pay special attention to the
events coming up, and the event dates so you don’t miss any of them. Are you
ready? Here we go
.
I am moving to Anchorage this month, with my wife and daughter
joining me in May. I would like to thank the Midnight Sun Chapter for all
their help they have been to me over the years I have been there. I look
forward to working more hands on with the Anchorage & Wasilla Chapters as
well as the Parents of Blind Children Division.
Did I hear “What is the Parents of Blind Children Division”? Our
Affiliate continues to reach out to our community, and we have started our
first Division within the NFB of Alaska Affiliate: The NFB of Alaska Parents
of Blind Children Division. The Division will work with parents of children
with blindness or visual impairments to ensure that the children have all
the resources given to them that children with sight have, and that the
parents receive the resources and support that the NFB of Alaska, and the
National NFB can offer. There is nothing that blind children cannot do, no
educational goals that they cannot reach, and no dreams that they cannot
turn to reality, and through the Parents of Blind Children Division we can
all work to make sure that all of this can be achieved. The first meeting
was held March 25th, and there were about 26 adults there, as well as 13
children, and 1 Rio! Elections were held, Pamela Gebert was elected
President, along with a Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, as well as
electing Adam Bennet to the State NFB Board. Congratulations to our new
Division!
Let’s look ahead to a couple of upcoming events and deadlines:
1) The Kenneth Jernigan Convention Scholarship Fund is looking for
individuals who can use some financial assistance to attend our national
convention in Orlando, Florida. In 2011 our convention will begin on Sunday,
July 3, and run through Friday, July 8. The convention ends with the banquet
Friday evening. The deadline to apply is April 14th, contact me for more
information.
2) The National NFB Student Scholarship Program deadline is March 31st.
Contact me immediately to apply and finish up application requirements.
3) The NFB of Alaska will start accepting applications for the 2011 Alaska
Student Scholarship Program on April 15th, with the deadline to submit the
applications being August 1, 2011.
4) The NFB of Alaska State Convention will be held October 7th and 8th in
Anchorage at the Westmark Hotel on 5th Avenue. October 7th will be the day
for Chapter meetings, Division meetings, Committee Meetings and the NFB of
Alaska State Board Meeting. Location and times will be forthcoming. October
8th will be the State Convention itself, with the General Sessions starting
at 9am and ending at 5pm sharp. There will be a Presidential Breakfast at
8am, Lunch, the Convention Banquet with awards and speaker, as well as the
2nd Annual Karaoke Night after the Banquet.
These are just a few of the upcoming State and National events coming up,
keep checking your emails for further updates.
Articles of the Month:
Thank you to everyone that submitted articles this month. If you
want to submit an article for the May 2011 Newsletter, please submit it to
me by APRIL 25th.
The first article is from Justin Oldham, a member of our Anchorage
Chapter.
Being a Blind Writer
By Justin Oldham
Many of us who are visually impaired do like to write. Some of us are
meticulous researchers, while others are passionate story tellers. In some
cases, we can’t bring ourselves to face the challenges associated with
publishing. We’re afraid of rejection, or it seems too hard.
I’d like to take a few moments of your time to put those fears to rest.
Writing is a form of art, which means there is no one right way to do it.
Putting words together on a page is the kind of thing you do to entertain by
telling a story, or make a point by presenting observations that back up
your opinion.
I won’t sugar coat this for you. There many obstacles to being a writer,
with or without good eye sight. Some publishers will hesitate to work with
blind writers if they don’t think you can do the work. Put their minds at
ease by submitting completed manuscripts. Doing this one simple thing sends
a clear message to skeptics that you can finish what your start.
Don’t make an issue of your blindness when dealing with publishers. It’s
ironic, but the process of submitting your work is supposed to be “blind,”
in the first place. All they need to “see” is your name, your contact
information, and the contents of your whole manuscript.
The real secret to completing just one short story or an entire book is to
write what you know. Tell the story that you want read, or do the homework
and write about some person, place, or thing that you like. Don’t worry
about what other people might think or say about your work. Just do it.
Some people can’t give themselves permission to write. You don’t ever have
to publish, but you do have to get past your fear before you can choose the
words that will tell your story. It’s easy to think you’re not “good
enough.” It’s too easy to think you don’t have what it takes. Nobody else
can green light your work. Real “permission” comes from you.
I was a writer for many years before I started by own publishing company. I
struggled just like anyone else. I’ve got four books to my credit, and
another four more on the way. My low vision does not now, nor has it ever,
held me back. I’m good at what I do because I’ve got lots of practice.
Everything you read in this article is based on my experience.
Books and short stories have one thing in common. They begin with the very
first word that you choose. Everything else that happens after that is a
matter of time, patience, and perseverance. You’ve got to stick to it, even
when others tell you it’s a waste of time. Don’t be mad at them for saying
things like that, because they don’t understand what you’re going through.
They’re not the writer. You are.
JUSTIN OLDHAM is the founder of Shadow Fusion Books. He’s the author of
Being Legally Blind, and Tales from the Kodiak Starport. He lives with his
wife in Anchorage, Alaska. Find him online at www.justin-oldham.com
<http://www.justin-oldham.com/> or www.shadowfusionbooks.com
<http://www.shadowfusionbooks.com/>
Here’s something from Dan Bigley:
Dear Friends,
For those of you that haven't heard yet, my co-author Deb McKinney and I are
very excited to announce that we have secured a book deal with St. Martin's
Press to publish our non-fiction narrative about how the grizzly bear that
blinded me has given me a new way to see and appreciate life. We are working
towards a release date in the spring/summer of 2012, and it will be sold in
all of the major book retailers. The book has also taken a really cool turn
to more completely incorporate the love story Amber and I continue to live,
as we had just started dating right before the attack.
I have recently started a blog that I will be adding to every several weeks,
and I encourage you to support me through following the blog and becoming my
friend on Facebook. I will update my status on Facebook to announce new
posts on my blog and will provide direct links through Facebook.
I'm excited about my latest post titled, "You Call Me an Inspiration?"
Dan's Blog
<http://bearattacksurvivor.blogspot.com/>
http://bearattacksurvivor.blogspot.com/
Dan's Facebook
<http://www.facebook.com/dan.bigley?ref=profile>
http://www.facebook.com/dan.bigley?ref=profile
If the links above are not active, please copy and paste them into your web
browser.
Things to Come...
This spring, we'll be going live with a brand new website we are putting
together which will incorporate information about the book, my blog,
information about inspirational speaking engagements, and links to connect
people with various television and other media appearances. I'll look
forward to keeping everyone posted on our progress.
Many Regards,
Dan
So who says that the blind can’t do things that the sighted can?
Bill Miller from Anchorage emailed me on the 14th of March about a V.A.
Craft Show that he entered. Bill entered three Rosewood tables, and won!
Here’s the kicker; Bill said that he did not enter as “blind”, and still
beat out all the other competition. Well done, and Congratulations!
Recipe of the Month:
Thank you Dana!
Perfect Pot Roast
1 3/4 pound boneless chuck roast (get one that doesn’t have a lot of fat)
1 teaspoon each salt, pepper, seasoned salt, garlic powder and onion powder
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 Spanish onion cut in thin slices
3 cloves of fresh garlic, crushed
1 10¾ ounce can cream of mushroom soup
¼ cup red wine (I did not use this)
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon beef bouillon granules
¾ cups beef stock (not broth)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Combine salt, pepper and season salt together. Blot roast dry with paper
towel. Divide spice mixture in half and rub into each side of the beef.
Heat the oil in a large skillet and brown roast well on all sides. Remove
roast from pan and place in roasting pan. Sauté the onions and garlic in
the skillet until soft. Pour onions over roast.
Mix together the soup, red wine, beef bouillon granules and beef stock and
stir to blend. Pour the mixture over the beef. Cover with foil and roast
for 3-3/12 hours.
This recipe makes its own gravy.
Delish!!!!
Adapted from a Paula Deen recipe.
Upcoming Events:
March 31: Deadline to apply for National NFB Student Scholarship
April 14: Deadline to apply for Kenneth Jernigan Convention
Scholarship Fund
April 15: Application period of the NFB of Alaska Student
Scholarships open. Contact me for more information (alaskanfb at yahoo.com).
April 18: Wasilla Chapter Meeting
Location: Senior Center Wasilla
Time: 6pm to 730pm
April 19: Anchorage Chapter Meeting
Location: To Be Announced
Time: 6pm to 8pm
April 22: Midnight Sun Chapter Meeting
Location: To Be Announced
Time: 530pm to 8pm
April 24: Easter Sunday
May 13 & 14: Midnight Sun Chapter Yard and Craft Sale
Location: Jim and Hanne’s
July 3 to 8: NFB National Convention
Location: Rosen Shingle Creek Hotel
Orlando, Florida
July 17 to 23: NFB Youth Slam
Location: Towson University, Maryland
*Best wishes Aubrey Lucas!
August 1: Deadline for NFB of Alaska Student Scholarship
Applications
October 7&8: NFB of Alaska State Convention
Location: Westmark Hotel, Anchorage
Final Thought:
“Let us be thankful for the fools. But for them the rest of us could not
succeed.” ~Mark Twain
Robert Leslie Newman
President, Omaha Chapter NFB
President, NFB Writers' Division
Division Website
<http://www.nfb-writers-division.org/> http://www.nfb-writers-division.org
Chair, Newsletter Publication committee
Personal Website-
<http://www.thoughtprovoker.info/> http://www.thoughtprovoker.info
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: image001.gif
Type: image/gif
Size: 12923 bytes
Desc: not available
URL: <http://nfbnet.org/pipermail/nfb-editors_nfbnet.org/attachments/20110329/37be0359/attachment.gif>
More information about the NFB-Editors
mailing list