Nelson Poetry Book Award and Martin Kansas History Book Award Presented to Meadowlark Authors at 2019 Kansas Authors Club Convention

Two books by Emporia publisher, Meadowlark Books, received honors at the annual convention of the Kansas Authors Club held this year in Wichita on October 5-7, 2019. Both the Nelson Poetry Book Award and the Martin Kansas History Book Award went to Meadowlark titles.

Roy Beckemeyer receives the Nelson
Poetry Book Award from Duane
Johnson, VP Kansas Authors Club,
for Stage Whispers (Meadowlark, 2018)

Stage Whispers, by Roy J. Beckemeyer, was the recipient of the Nelson award. Judge Paul Hawkins wrote, “The scope of subjects covered in the collection of poems is engaging and interesting. Each of the 90 poems is an invitation to read, speak, listen and see. Topics range from the Anderson Creek fire in Barber County, Kansas to the psychology of bullying to the civil war in Syria. Beckemeyer’s adeptness as a poet is illustrated through word choice, image and dialogue. He generously shares his experiences and understandings about life. Through his poems a sense of trust and honesty is conveyed to the reader.” 

Since 2002, a Kansas poet has been honored with Nelson Poetry Book Award. The prize was started by Dr. Raymond and Margaret Nelson in 2002. The couple served the organization in various offices, including terms as president for each of them, beginning in 1979.

The Martin Kansas History Book Award went to Golden Rule Days: History and

Cynthia Ross (Gail Lee Martin Family)
presents James Kenyon with the
Martin Kansas History Book Award
for Golden Rule Days
 (Meadowlark, 2019)

Recollections of 109 Closed Kansas High Schools, by James Kenyon. This is the second history book award for the author, who also received the Martin in 2018 for his first Meadowlark book, A Cow for College and Other Stories of 1950s Farm Life.

From the judge, Virginia Allain: “A remarkable amount of research went into compiling Golden Rule Days. Just the collecting of personal stories for each school and weaving them into the history reflects several years of work. There are tidbits from yearbooks, memories from former students, and other bits of information collected by the author. A brief history of each locale is followed by notable graduates, memories of teachers, activities and events, athletics, triumphs and tragedies plus the reason the school closed. This is a solid Kansas history reference title for public libraries and makes fun browsing for students seeking memories of their school days.”

The Kansas Authors Club has been recognizing books for excellence in preserving Kansas History for decades. The family of Gail Lee Martin donated funds to continue the award in 2018 when the Ferguson family, supporter since 2001, retired from the task. Martin was a more than 25-year member of the organization and served in the position of State Archivist from 1995 to 2005.

Jenn Bailey, author of A Friend for Henry, recipient of the Kansas Children's Book Award.

Grant Overstake, author of The Real Education of TJ Crowley, recipient of the J. Donald and Bertha Coffin Memorial Book Award and the "It Looks Like a Million" Design Award.

James Kenyon, author of Golden Rule Days, recipient of the Martin Kansas History Book Award.

Three additional awards for published books were given at the annual convention. 

Grant Overstake, author of The Real Education of TJ Crowley (Grain Valley Publishing), was the recipient of the J. Donald and Bertha Coffin Memorial Book Award for best Kansas book, as well as the “It Looks Like a Million” Design Award for the same title. The young adult historical title takes place in 1968 Wichita and addresses racial conflict and civil rights during a time when integration laws were taking effect.

The Kansas Authors Club Children’s Book Award was given to Jenn Bailey of Lenexa for her children’s book, A Friend for Henry (Chronicle Books). The illustrated book is told from the perspective of a boy on the autism spectrum.

The Kansas Authors Club has been supporting writers since 1904. Each year the organization honors the best in Kansas books, as well as holding contests for adults and youth in prose and poetry writing. Information in membership in the club can be found at www.kansasauthors.org.

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A Meadowlark Note - July 2019

#readameadowlarkbook ~hashtag us for a chance at prizes and moments of internet fame~

A Note From the Publisher's Desk July 17, 2019 When I published Green Bike in 2014, I was acting on a dream that had long been under construction in my mind. I have loved reading books for as long as I can remember. And my first memory of "publishing" a book? I was still short enough that I had to stand on a kitchen chair at the table in order to get enough leverage to push down on the stapler to get the cover attached. In May we began taking orders for Meadowlark's 19th book, and by August, books 20, 21, and 22 will be available. It is looking very likely that we will have a total of 25 books on the Meadowlark bookshelf by the end of this year, and our 2020 publishing calendar is already in motion. I look at all that Meadowlark has accomplished, and though some days I can only see how far we still have to go, most days I find myself feeling like that kid at the kitchen table again, enormously satisfied with these wonders that my hands have played a role in making. Last month I was invited to participate in a panel discussion on publishing at the Topeka & Shawnee County Public Library. The only downside to being a participant was that I didn't have the freedom to take notes as I would have if I had just been a member of the audience. But in doing my homework to prepare for the event, and then in listening to the other panelists and learning about their experiences in publishing, I came away with a renewed sense of confidence in Meadowlark's purpose and mission. What does Meadowlark publish? The books we'd recommend to our friends. Please take a moment to read Meadowlark's mission statement below. And many thanks to Cheryl Unruh for helping me to find the words for this statement, for helping me find the words all along, and for encouraging me to take chances, to act on dreams. Much love and good reading! Tracy Million Simmons Owner/Publisher, Meadowlark Books Nothing feels better than home. While we at Meadowlark Books love to travel, we also cherish our home time. We are nourished by our open prairies, our enormous skies, community, family, and friends. We are rooted in this land and that is why Meadowlark Books publishes regional authors. When you open one of our fiction books, you’ll read delicious stories that are set in the Heartland. Settle in with a volume of poetry, and you’ll remember just how much you love this place too - the landscape, its skies, the people. Meadowlark Books publishes memoir, poetry, short stories, novels. Read stories that began in the Heartland, that were written here. Add to your Meadowlark Book collection now.

Visit the Meadowlark website Buy Meadowlark Books Follow Meadowlark on Facebook

Purchase: Meadowlark Bookstore  Ellen Plumb's City Bookstore (or your favorite local indie) wherever you shop for books! Edna Bell-Pearson Publishes “Air Age” Memoir “World War II was in full swing when I did what I considered my patriotic duty and joined the Kansas Civil Air Patrol. We wore crisp, khaki uniforms and jaunty caps, piped in red, and drilled on the athletic field north of the high school before most folks were out of bed in the morning. Not one to do things halfway, I enrolled in a private pilot course and started taking flying lessons in a 1939 bright yellow, 65 horsepower, Piper J-3 Cub.” This is the opening to Edna Bell-Pearson’s memoir, Headwinds, a story of one family’s experiences set against the early days of the “Air Age.”  Headwinds takes place over the course of five years and tells the story of Ungerer Flying Service, a family-owned and operated business stationed in Marysville, Kansas. It covers a time when the United States was becoming the largest aviation manufacturing country in the world, and small planes, designed for flight training and private ownership, with innovations never before dreamed of, rolled off the production lines of Cessna, Taylorcraft, Piper, Beech, and others. The GI Bill of Rights made it possible for veterans to take flight training at government expense. Thousands who had washed out or missed out on flying during the war became pilots. As the business grows and thrives, Edna learns to appreciate the importance of the little things: hunting and fishing trips, being a good housekeeper, and crisp, autumnal days without wind. This memoir examines the importance of family through hardships, and it will leave you appreciating the value of persistence and determination in the face of adversity. Edna loves her job and her life, which is an important piece of this inspirational story. Readers can now order the book for August delivery via the Meadowlark Bookstore,www.meadowlark-books.com. The book will also soon be available for order through traditional and online bookstores in both paperback and ebook formats. ______________________________________ About the Author: Edna Bell-Pearson’s stories, articles, essays, and poems have appeared in hundreds of magazines, newspapers, literary journals, and anthologies world-wide. She has published six books. She is noted for Fragile Hopes, Transient Dreams and Other Stories, a southwest Kansas saga, chosen during the Kansas sesquicentennial year, as one of “150 Best Kansas Books.” Purchase: Meadowlark Bookstore Ellen Plumb's City Bookstore (or your favorite local indie) wherever you shop for books! Wry and rue---it sounds like the recipe for a craft cocktail.  But those are really the main ingredients in Ruth Maus’s sly wise and expansive book, even or especially in the poems that really are about cocktails.  Most of her poems are short—and a lot bigger than they seem, poems marked by gallows humor and a poker face, and with just a twitch of a tell that reveals how much lies beneath their surface. ~Michael Gorra, author of Portrait of a Novel: Henry James  and the Making of an American Masterpiece In Valentine, Ruth Maus offers a love letter to the world, powering her lines with the engines of parallel structure, formal play, and bright image. Using diction that is conversational, at times outright rollicking, we’re invited into a world where “the righteousness of salt / on a monster margarita / sings psalm and hallelujah enough,” while the speaker considers romantic temptations, one’s call to art, and what lies ahead. This is a creative and sprightly collection. ~Sandra Beasley, author of Count the Waves About the Author: Ruth Maus, a native of Topeka, Kansas, has pursued a love of learning around the world, with languages, curiosity, and an appreciation for all beings a constant thread. Valentine was a 2019 finalist in The Birdy Poetry Prize competition.

www.birdypoetryprize.com Accepting Entries: May 1 to December 1, 2019 Final Deadline for Entries: December 1, 2019 - Midnight Entry Fee: $25 Prize: $500 cash, publication by Meadowlark Books, including 50 copies of the completed book  All entries will be considered for standard Meadowlark Books publishing contract offers, as well.   Submission and contest entry fee of $25 must be received by December 1, midnight. Full-length poetry manuscripts (55 page minimum, 90+ pages preferred) will be considered. Poems may be previously published in journals and/or anthologies, but not in full-length, single-author volumes. All poets are eligible to enter, regardless of publishing history. Copyright © 2019 Meadowlark Books, All rights reserved. Our mailing address is: P.O. Box 333, Emporia, KS 66801

Opportunities to visit with James Kenyon, author of Golden Rule Days

“You’ll read this book and quickly become absorbed in the stories, the people, and the buildings. . . James Kenyon did a phenomenal amount of research to gather all of this information to be saved and savored for decades to come. I am grateful to James for bringing one last bit of glory to all of these small schools that once meant so much to our communities.”

-Marci Penner, director/author, Kansas Sampler Foundation

James Kenyon is looking forward to visiting with the public about his book, Golden Rule Days: History and Recollections of 109 Closed Kansas High Schools. 

Upcoming Dates:

August 3, 2019 - Cimarron City Library, 11:00 AM

August 3, 2019 - Plains Kansas High School Reunion, 9:00 AM

August 4, 2019 - McCracken Kansas Community Center, 3:00 PM

September 29, 2019 - McCune Kansas Museum, 10:00 AM

October 19, 2019 - MeadowLark Hills, Manhattan, 7:00 PM

James Kenyon made twelve trips across Kansas to visit every county in the state, collecting stories of former Kansas high schools as he went and sharing his appreciation for small town life. Born and raised on a third-generation family grain and livestock farm near the town of Bogue, Kansas, population 300, his roots make him a natural candidate for recording the histories and stories of these schools. From his grandfather, John Gibbins, who was the superintendent of four high schools in Kansas and a college professor, to his three aunts and two sisters who were teachers, James was raised in a community that valued education.

James is the author of A Cow for College and Other Stories of 1950s Farm Life, Meadowlark Books, October 2017, winner of the 2018 Martin Kansas History Book Award.

“. . . a fascinating book for the countless Kansans who were heartbroken when their high schools closed . . . I was pleased that my own hometown, Pawnee Rock, was one of his highlighted schools. It was a painful time for our community. Those who were directly affected by these closures will treasure this book, and the nuggets of small-town history will make this a treasure for anyone interested in the Kansas experience.”

-Cheryl Unruh, author of Flyover People: Life on the Ground in a Rectangular State,

Waiting on the Sky: More Kansas Essays, and Walking on Water

Updated: What's Next on the Meadowlark Bookshelf... and next, and next, and next

A note from the publisher's desk: Tracy Million Simmons

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File this entry under "good problems to have!" Selecting manuscripts for publication in 2019 was difficult! We had so many quality submissions this year. The following manuscripts are currently in the queue at Meadowlark and we look forward to sharing these titles with our readers in the coming months.  (Post updated 5/29/2019)

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Now Available

James Kenyon's, Golden Rule Days: History and Recollections of 109 Closed Kansas High Schools, is now available! Coming in at 388 pages, this has been a project many months in the making. We are so proud of this gorgeous book!

James Kenyon has created a fascinating book for the countless Kansans who were heartbroken when their high schools closed. He has done extensive research and has interviewed former students of 109 Kansas communities who lost their high schools, many due to a Kansas school consolidation law passed in 1963. He’s featured at least one school from each of the 105 counties and tells a brief story of the school, the community, and its people. I was pleased that my own hometown, Pawnee Rock, was one of his highlighted schools. It was a painful time for our community. Those who were directly affected by these closures will treasure this book, and the nuggets of small-town history will make this a treasure for anyone interested in the Kansas experience.

~Cheryl Unruh, author of Flyover People: Life on the Ground in a Rectangular State, Waiting on the Sky: More Kansas Essays, and Walking on Water

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We are also thrilled to be at work on the poetry collection, A Certain Kind of Forgiveness, by Carol Kapaun Ratchenski, winner of The Birdy Poetry Prize in 2019. We expect a fall delivery for this book.

There is a worldliness in these poems, the kind of grit that accompanies a strong heart. There’s awareness--of the self, of the world. And the poems are populated with the magical, husky things of this earth: warm beer in Berlin, rice in a bowl in a monastery, and stains from fresh cranberries. These are poems we can savor, now and again.

  ~Kevin Rabas, Poet Laureate of Kansas, 2017-2019

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Valentine, poems by Ruth Maus
Coming to a bookshelf near you!

A second collection of poetry forthcoming is Valentine, by Ruth Maus, of Topeka, Kansas. Ruth was

a finalist in The Birdy Poetry Prize competition.

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Edna Bell-Pearson's much awaited memoir, Headwinds, is going to be coming soon to a bookshelf near you this summer.

Edna’s stories, articles, essays, and poems have appeared in hundreds of magazines, newspapers, literary journals, and anthologies world-wide. She has published six books. She is noted for Fragile Hopes, Transient Dreams and Other Stories, a Southwest Kansas saga, which was chosen during Kansas sesquicentennial year, as one of “150 Best Kansas Books.”  

Headwinds tells the story of one Kansas family's experiences during the early days of the "Air Age."

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We are looking forward to publishing our first true crime story, a page-turning gem by Mike Hartnett of Lawrence, Kansas, formerly of Illinois, titled And I Cried, Too. Mike will be one of the seminar leaders at the 2019 Kansas Authors Club convention in Wichita in October. Learn more about his project here.

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We are very excited our first YA book, a story by Julie Stielstra, of Lyons, Illinois, called Opulence, KS. We fell in love with this story from first read. In fact, I (Tracy) quickly dropped my plans to preview the first 20 pages of all submissions for that day and stayed with the story until I was finished, cover to cover. It is a delightful read, and one we think our readers are going to love, too.

From Julie's submission letter:

Opulence, KS germinated from a seed in a book of Kansas history, describing the 19^th century town of Runnymede–founded by a wealthy Irishman who was going to teach the younger sons of British gentry how to farm. It didn’t go well, but some remnants of that project linger in the prairie. Add in some aspects of my adopted hometown of Ellinwood, and Opulence was built, a prairie town where a big-city girl finds herself for the summer in the aftermath of her wealthy father’s death. Katie Myrdal is abruptly shifted from one form of opulence to another, from urban to rural, from material wealth to emotional richness, from a land of vertical skyscrapers to a sweep of horizons and uninterrupted sky.  

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Family Plowing, a collection of poetry by Duane L. Herrmann, will be our third book of poetry for this season. Duane is a native and poet of Topeka, Kansas. His poetry, histories, memoirs, fiction and children’s stories have appeared in a dozen countries in four languages and can be found in libraries on three continents. He has received prizes or recognition from the Kansas State Poetry Society, Kansas Authors Club, Writers Matrix, Ferguson Kansas History Book Award, Kansas Poets Trail, Kansas State Historical Society and he appears on the Map of Kansas Literature. We look forward to sharing Duane's poetry with our Meadowlark Readers.

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There are also plans to work with Caryn Mirriam-Goldberg on a collection of poetry at year's end or possibly next year's beginning titled How Time Moves: New and Collected Poems. If you have not already read Caryn's recent interview at Written in Kansas, by Cheryl Unruh, please take a moment to do so now!

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There is one more non-fiction read on our list of books to be published, tentatively titled, The Land that I Love: Rural America at Four Miles per Hour.

Lisa D. Stewart is a Kansas City-based writer and horsewoman who has combined her two passions in a forthcoming memoir about her 500-mile horseback ride through the Midwest, on her horse, Chief.

In 2012, Lisa Stewart, with her horse, War Chief Lobo, traced the gravel roads of Kansas and Missouri, alone, in the region where she first came of age—the mythical land of meth, guns, and religion.  Through the weeks in wind and sun and ceaseless sway of her horse’s walk, Lisa reconstituted the independent, fearless girl she once had been, and, more surprisingly, met women along the way who helped her explore a deeper question: What does it mean to be a woman in her middle years?  This journey celebrates those and other discoveries, in a land she found even more beautiful and profound than when she left it decades earlier. 

We invite you to read more about the book at www.lisadstewart.com.

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We look forward to sharing our progress!

Shipping in May! Golden Rule Days: History and Recollections of 109 Closed Kansas High Schools

Now is the time to place your order! 

Golden Rule Days: History and Recollections of 109 Closed Kansas High Schools

Meadowlark- Coming May 2019

ISBN: 978-1-7322410-4-6

BISAC: Regional Nonfiction

James Kenyon made twelve trips across Kansas to visit every county in the state, collecting stories of former Kansas high schools as he went and sharing his appreciation for small town life. Born and raised on a third-generation family grain and livestock farm near the town of Bogue, Kansas, population 300, his roots make him a natural candidate for recording the histories and stories of these schools. From his grandfather, John Gibbins, who was the superintendent of four high schools in Kansas and a college professor, to his three aunts and two sisters who were teachers, James was raised in a community that valued education.

Appreciations: 

“You’ll read this book and quickly become absorbed in the stories, the people, and the buildings. . . James Kenyon did a phenomenal amount of research to gather all of this information to be saved and savored for decades to come. I am grateful to James for bringing one last bit of glory to all of these small schools that once meant so much to our communities.”

          --Marci Penner, director/author, Kansas Sampler Foundation

“. . . a fascinating book for the countless Kansans who were heartbroken when their high schools closed . . . I was pleased that my own hometown, Pawnee Rock, was one of his highlighted schools. It was a painful time for our community. Those who were directly affected by these closures will treasure this book, and the nuggets of small-town history will make this a treasure for anyone interested in the Kansas experience.”

          --Cheryl Unruh, author of Flyover People: Life on the Ground in a Rectangular State, Waiting on the Sky: More Kansas Essays, and Walking on Water

“Author-detective-explorer-historian James Kenyon has created a treasure trove of memories and discoveries about hometown high schools now lost to school consolidation and unification. In a dozen trips over 15 months to his home state, Kenyon uncovered fascinating facts, photographs and anecdotes about high schools in every Kansas county that have been lost to history.”

          --Dave Webb, co-author of 999 Kansas Characters: Ad Astra, a 2015 Kansas Notable Book

 “Driving through Kansas, I often glanced at small town high schools; closed but full of stories of students . . . James Kenyon literally ‘brought to life’ the tremendous impact that rural public schools made on their residents and generations to follow. His incredible research produced one of the most enjoyable books I have read.”

          --Floyd Winter, retired Iowa School Administrator

Author, James Kenyon

Buy now from the Meadowlark Bookstore.

Purchase both books for $30 + shipping & handling.
Sold out! The two book package is now available
for $32 + tax, shipping & handling 

What's Next on the Meadowlark Bookshelf

A Publisher's Desk

I cleaned my desk last week (and it is still clean!) so now I can show you, quite literally, some pages from the next book that will appear on the Meadowlark Bookshelf. If you've been following Meadowlark for long, you'll remember James Kenyon, author of A Cow for College, winner of the 2018 Martin Kansas History Book Award. James has been hard at work on another book. He spent much of the last couple of years, in fact, driving back and forth across Kansas to complete this project.

This collection of stories of the former high schools of Kansas developed as I traveled through western Kansas fifty years after graduating—Class of 1966—with a class of six from Bogue Rural High School, Graham County. I started counting the towns where I played ball as a youth. All but one of the thirty-two had lost their high school in the intervening years. This collection of high school stories was compiled in effort to preserve a small part of these schools for history. The stories are varied. There is no intent to slight any community or former high school that was omitted. By writing about just one high school in each of the 105 Kansas counties, I provide a statewide perspective of Kansas. Four counties were given a second high school story as there were such great resources available I felt they needed to be included.

~James Kenyon, Golden Rule Days: History and Recollections of 109 Closed Kansas High Schools 

James handed the manuscript off to us last year and we have been hard at work editing, proofreading, and now finally laying out the book's interior. This is my favorite part of publishing. Building a book, page by page. We are so close!

Watch for more news about this forthcoming publication. We will be posting details about pre-ordering your copy soon!

Cover Art: Golden Rule Days, by Barbara Steward Kenyon