[stylist] Awards and Coffee Cans

Thu Jun 28 17:17:55 UTC 2012

Lynda,
I will not be able to see your bead-encrusted talisman, but congratulations
for your juried award. 
What a disaster! How obtuse and cruel of those workshop leaders not to have
the accommodations you needed. In any way, were you able to get a message
across to them that retired and blind people not on SSI are a valued segment
of their society.
A quick story. In 2007 I sent 41 poems to the NFSPS Annual Contest. Blind
for just two years at the time, I hired an aide with a PHD to re-read all
the submission rules to me and make sure the poems and copies were correctly
configured. I was still getting used to JAWS. A few months later I got a
letter saying that all of my poems had been thrown out. The original did not
have my names, as prescribed, they also did not have the number and Title of
the contest. Somehow, in removing my name and address, it had also taken off
the Title. My poetry teacher was horrified. She said  all the coordinator
would have had to do was to clip the corner of all to match it, if it was
selected.
Not then, nor have I ever informed a contest that I am blind. But you would
think that some effort at accommodation would be made if is something that a
humane person would and could not help noticing. As in your case also.
It all adds up to the fact that none of us can make mistakes because there
will be no quarter given, and we dare not ask it. We just have to keep
striving to be perfect in the use of JAWS or other screen reading systems.
Another pet peeve. Most often when people find out I cannot see, they
address themselves to whoever is with me, as if I have no hearing or mental
capacity to carry on my own business.
You are an inspired person, and you deserved better. Try to get the word
out.
Jackie

-----Original Message-----
From: stylist-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:stylist-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
Behalf Of Lynda Lambert
Sent: Wednesday, June 27, 2012 6:38 PM
To: Writer's Division Mailing List
Subject: Re: [stylist] Awards and Coffee Cans

I am so excited for you in this move. It is an enormous step into a new 
life! So glad you are now connected to a new group already. Those are the 
things that really help. When I moved to California, I very quickly found 
some really great friends at the school where I worked, and I also found a 
church that I loved. I am still in touch with folks from there after all 
these years - I left there in December 2002, to begin a new job here in 
January 2003.
I honestly believe that you have a divine gift for writing.

My three days at the OVR training was so bizzarre that you would have had to

be there to even imagine it. They had NOTHING for me to be able to be 
successful with the course - no JAWS, no ZoomText, no scanner, no nothing 
for a blind person This was my worst fear, and I kept having the feeling 
that this was going to happen. I had checked with my OVR people and asked 
them to be sure they were prepared for me - but no. Seems the workshop folks

never had a blind person there before. They just talked over me as if I was 
not there most of the time - it was really not a very nice experience. And, 
in addition to all this, I was not even qualified to be there as I am not, 
and never have been, on SS Disability. This program is to get people to 
develop a business and grow it over a 3 year period to get them OFF 
disability....sheesh! I am retired, aged 69 next month, and on Social 
Security for old folks like me. All this after I sat on a hard chair for 8 
hours a day, for three days - OMG, I am so sore, my back hurts so much! 
And, all the information was on power point, which of course I cannot see! 
My husband is so mad - he had to give up three days of his life to take me 
there, and sit through those 3 days with me. Not a great experience, I have 
to say.

I am looking forward to going on the GIRLZ Art Retreat on July 8th - so 
much.

OH, good news, while I was away - I WON an award for one of my encrusted 
beaded Talismans in a juried art show. Very good news after my horrid 3 days

adventure - so glad something good happened anyway.

I will attach a photo of my granddaughter Angel with the winning piece - 
they took the photo for the local newspaper.

Talk to you soon. Lynda
Lynda Lambert
104 River Road
Ellwood City, PA 16117

724 758 4979

My Blog:  http://www.walkingbyinnervision.blogspot.com
My Website:  http://lyndalambert.com

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Eve Sanchez" <3rdeyeonly at gmail.com>
To: "Writer's Division Mailing List" <stylist at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Wednesday, June 27, 2012 8:27 PM
Subject: Re: [stylist] Awards and Coffee Cans

>I have the list of five words sitting next to my bed and do intend on
> getting to it someday as well. haha   Funny how we have so many different
> cultures within one little country while over in places like Europe they
> have many many countries on one little continent. haha      I have also
> never had anyone creamated, but I have often heard the term and like I
> said, I didnt start out to write this thing. It was just there. Cool huh?
> So I have not moved to Arizona yet (next week), but I have already joined 
> a
> new writing group in Cottonwood. I made contact with the groups leader 
> last
> night and she laughed hysterically throughout the whole conversation. She
> thought it was funny that someone from 'Pocatello, Idaho' was calling to
> join her group. (She had looked at the caller id before answering). Funny
> things are all around, great inspiration for us if we take the time to
> absorb it. ;) Eve
>
> On Wed, Jun 27, 2012 at 5:01 PM, Lynda Lambert 
> <llambert at zoominternet.net>wrote:
>
>> Jackie, this is GREAT NEWS - TOOT TOOT TOOT away, girl. You deserve the
>> KUDOS and the Hooray's. You have EARNED the honors.
>>
>> Eve, thanks for clarification. haha  it was fun to try and figure it 
>> out -
>> I really never even thought of ashes in the cans, but I was pretty close 
>> on
>> the flowers and the house decor. I really liked the poem very much, and 
>> the
>> images were so very clear - I could see them as I read. You are so right,
>> cultural history enters into our interpretations. I cannot think of 
>> anyone
>> in my family who was cremated, so it is not anything I am familiar with -
>> and never thought of it for the coffee cans. Nice work.
>>
>> I still want to do the 5 word poem, but have not had a chance to even sit
>> down to think about it - but don't rule me out just yet -  maybe...maybe.
>> Lynda
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Chris Kuell" <ckuell at comcast.net>
>> To: "Writer's Division Mailing List" <stylist at nfbnet.org>
>> Sent: Tuesday, June 26, 2012 2:08 PM
>> Subject: Re: [stylist] Awards
>>
>>
>> Congratulations, Jackie--that's wonderful news.
>>>
>>> chris
>>>
>>> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Jacqueline Williams" <
>>> jackieleepoet at cox.net>
>>> To: "'Writer's Division Mailing List'" <stylist at nfbnet.org>
>>> Sent: Tuesday, June 26, 2012 12:25 PM
>>> Subject: [stylist] Awards
>>>
>>>
>>> I am truly a happy camper today, and forgive me if I blow my own horn a
>>>> bit.
>>>>
>>>> I just received five awards through the mail yesterday from the NFSPS
>>>> 2012
>>>> Annual Contest. It stands for the National Federation of State Poetry
>>>> Societies.
>>>>
>>>> None of them were a first, second, or third place, which means no 
>>>> money,
>>>> but
>>>> there was a 1st, 2nd, one 5th, and two 7th place Honorable Mentions.
>>>>
>>>> I have recently attached two of these to my e-mails to you. Medicine
>>>> Wheel,
>>>> which was "Our American Indian Heritage Award,  and "Rocky", which was 
>>>> on
>>>> the topic of When bad things happen.
>>>>
>>>> I will only burden you with one attachment. Mainly because I thought it
>>>> was
>>>> hilarious that it got an award. It was from the League of Minnesota 
>>>> Poets
>>>> Award, and the category of long free verse.
>>>>
>>>> In it, I have taken the name of an angle worm. Who asked me about
>>>> anthropomorphic poems? Not sure this is one, but I was trying also to
>>>> portray the voice of one dead, a Spoon River.
>>>>
>>>> The bright spot is that with an honorable mention, I can submit the 
>>>> poem
>>>> again with the confidence that it is a good one that might be in need 
>>>> of
>>>> a
>>>> tweak or two.
>>>>
>>>> In only one of the five were the judge's comments included. In her
>>>> remarks
>>>> she stressed the importance of not having even one error in spelling,
>>>> punctuation, or usage. In her category there were 257 poems, and every
>>>> one
>>>> with even one error was automatically discarded because it was so
>>>> difficult
>>>> to winnow out even the ones with  perfect form, so that she could
>>>> concentrate on content, form, etc.
>>>>
>>>> It is doubly difficult when you use a screen reader to accomplish this,
>>>> as I
>>>> am sure you all know. But I would encourage you to try.
>>>>
>>>> If anyone wants the information on next year's contest, I will be
>>>> scanning
>>>> it for myself, and could make an attachment. The problems, the scanner
>>>> often
>>>> makes mistakes in spelling or skipping some things.
>>>>
>>>> Sorry I missed the phone conference on Sunday. As Lynda has said,
>>>> personal
>>>> contact means a great deal.
>>>>
>>>> Jackie
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>
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>>
>>
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