[stylist] President's Update

Wed Mar 30 17:19:06 UTC 2011

Slate & Style is coming along.  I was able to go through most my current
submissions during my spring break, and I was pleasantly surprised.

It is going to take a lot of work, but I think the new vision of Slate &
Style begins to grow clearer.  We need to generate more enthusiasm for
the magazine especially outside the division which will draw in more
members for us.  Most people want to be part of something active, and we
need to encourage this activity so the division can get moving once
again.  I think Slate & Style can be a gateway allowing people to
experience what we have to offer.

Again, our changes are to not move away from literature-- fiction,
creative nonfiction and poetry-- but to simply broaden our audience and
include other forms of writing along with more pieces discussing
technical aspects of writing-- structure, voice, dialogue, pacing, etc.

We are also working on a new design concept so S & S is more
aesthetically pleasing.

These changes will be unveiled in May.

As the leadership of the division, I encourage each of you to support
and submit to S & S.  As the leaders of this division, you should have
the loudest voice.  The commitments made can be tough, but strong
direction is what keeps the currents moving so we don't grow stagnant.

On a side note, thank you, Lori, for all the article submissions.  I can
definitely use them, and I am eager to see more from you as you continue
to strengthen and heal.

Robert, I believe, is busier now than before he retired.  *smile*  I
know he needs us each to do our part though.  We are all busy, but we
willingly jumped into these positions.  I am finishing up my degree and
will graduate this summer.  I also will begin an internship with a local
PR group here in May along with continuing my blog for Live Well
Nebraska.  I am also on Robert's team in the Omaha chapter, and I am
participating with the newsletter group since I also edit the Nebraska
affiliate's newsletter.  On top of this, my husband and I begin the
adoption process as he pursues his masters.  I do not say all this to
show you what I am up to, but to garner participation from the
leadership for the division and the magazine.  It really does take a
team, as Robert said, and we all made a choice to do our part-- we now
have to find those places where we can assist.

I am excited to be a part of the team, and I am eager to launch Slate &
Style into a new era.  I appreciate your support and look forward to
learning more about each one of you.

Sincerely,
Bridgit

-----Original Message-----
From: Robert Leslie Newman [mailto:newmanrl at cox.net] 
Sent: Wednesday, March 30, 2011 10:27 AM
To: writers nfb
Subject: President's Update 

Hope this message finds you all in good health and spirits. 

It is early morning, I am in a reflective mood and need to assure myself
that I'm keeping you all in the loop to Writers' division happenings. I
will provide you with an update of upcoming events, and a question
needing your input.

***

2011 National convention --- How many of you are planning to go to
Orlando? I am and here is what the Writers' Division has going:

-July 3rd, Sunday: The Division does not have a planned event. This is
the day when many workshops are going on. and as your President, keeping
you in the know of my involvement, I am on the Employment Committee and
there will be scheduled activities throughout the day. 

-July 4th, Monday: The Division has 2 events scheduled. The first is a
writing workshop that we will put on for teens, as a joint effort
between us and "Youth Track." It will start at 4:00 PM and end at 5:00
PM. Three of our members will be the instructors- Bridgit Pollpeter,
Allison Hilliker and Chelsea Cook. (We will provide the participants
with handouts on writing and conduct discussion and some writing
instruction.)

-Second for this day, is our "Story Telling Idol." This will be the
second year for this fund raising event. It costs $5.00 to get into the
door and $1.00 to tell a story; winners share in the pot. (At this
writing, it is still early in the planning and right now I know we will
need help. We should have 3 judges, a barker outside the door, a person
to take money. Any volunteers?)

-July 5th, Tuesday: This will be the day for our annual business
meeting. It starts at 1:30 PM and runs until 4:30 PM. Besides a small
amount of normal business to conduct, including elections, we will have
at least one guest, an author and radio journalist, Beth Finke. If you
wish to read about her, here are 2 links web site: www.bethfinke.com

Blog: http://www.bethfinke.wordpress.com

-Later this day, I personally will be engaged in 2 more meetings: (More
about my involvement outside the Writers' division) I am the new
Chairman for the Newsletter Publication Committee. This committee will
meet at 6:00 PM until 8:00 PM. (One sneaky little thing on my part is
--- here I will have opportunity to promote the Writers' division and
attract some new members.)

-Later yet- I am on a panel for the Access Technology Trainers. (Using
the ribbons in the newer versions of Microsoft Office.)

***

For those of us on STYLIST (a worthy list to be part of), I would say
that the flow of interaction has been slow of late. I most enjoy it when
members bring samples of their work for helpful suggestions, or if it is
to provide writing related information and/or links to new resources. An
update on writing projects and/or other blindness related projects can
also be interesting and enlightening. 

What are all you folks working on? Personally, I thought I would be able
to pick up one of my partially completed books, but not yet! Though, I
am working through the creation of 2 new creative non-fiction pieces
(2000-3000 words).

***

Another NFB related job that needs mentioning, is that I am now for the
first time the President of the Omaha Chapter of the NFB. This too is
taking up some time to get onto. For our April meeting, our special
guest is Doctor Tessa Wright, the head of Nebraska's only college
program to produce Vision Teachers within our state. (I am making an
effort to get to know all the major players within our community who
have anything to contribute to the well-being of the blind.)

***

My first writing project for this morning was to put some finishing
touches to my "From the Keyboard of the President." This is my expected
contribution to each issue of our division's quarterly magazine, "Slate
& Style." And yes, and working on it certainly reinforced my need to
write this. Below I'll paste in a paragraph that I am working through.
My motivation is not to seek out assistance in its "writing," but more
--- I am looking for your feel for what we've got going here within the
Division. And note that I say "we." This is our Division it is not my
brain child, it is bigger and better than that, it is our creation. Take
a read and give me your straight shot of thought- what is working, what
do we need to do different, are you willing to help more with any part
of this? 

".Where I see my stewardship of the Writers' Division: Cutting to the
chase, I am feeling good about what I/we have accomplished thus far,
however I am not fully satisfied. My leadership began three and one half
years ago, in July of 2007. This was my first experience in being the
President of any group. In taking on this responsibility I knew that
there would be much for me to learn. Also, I knew that the Division's
membership would need to learn of my intent, and become aware of where
their personal vision might fit the collective awareness within the
Division. And the point or vision I am word-building here, is a group
sense of being connected, being "of" a group. From the beginning, my
approach to re-building the Division was to greatly increase
communication among the membership, provide a forum for improving our
knowledge and skills as writers, discover what members need, attract new
members, assure that we have the funding to do the projects we may wish
to take on and foster pride in what each member feels about themselves
and in their membership within this Division." 

***

Speaking of "Slate & Style:" Watch for the next issue of our quarterly
mag. It will have a new look and feel. We have a new editor, Bridgit
Kuenning Pollpeter (BKP) and she is taking our all-ready good mag and is
applying some BKP magic to it. And as always when it comes to our
Division's own publication, we need worthy material for its pages. Do
take the time to write "how-to-do" writing articles and/or poetry or
fiction and/or creative non-fiction for it. 

***

Our 2011 writing contest for youth and adults closes in 2 days, April
1st. Submissions have been slow in coming in; more toward the end. I'd
say that for now, the adult categories will be populated with ---
Poetry- in the mid-to upper twenties; Fiction- in the mid-teens; in the
new creative non-fiction- in the mid-single digits. Youth --- Elementary
Poetry- in the mid-single digits; Elementary Fiction- in the
lower-teens; High School Poetry- in the mid-single digits. (I know I
have 4 more emails of contest submissions already waiting for my
attention and there are 2 more days to go before the deadline. (For next
year, relating to the youth contests, we will be working more closely
with the Jernigan Institute.) 

***

Please do take the request letter that I recently sent out and get it
out to your favorite authors. (Asking for a signed copy of one or more
of their books. We then will auction them off on EBay.) The monies we
take in from this effort will be set aside and we will work toward being
able to give out a scholarship to a college student enrolled in a
writing program.

***

For now, this is my report. 

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