Marble Collectors Spotlighted in New Book of Marble Essays

Marble Shorts, by Cathy Callen

Emporia, KS – Meadowlark Press and Cathy Callen announce the publication of Marble Shorts, Callen’s essay collection of glimpses into the lives of those who adore marbles. Beginning with the author’s own journey toward an 18,734-marble collection and an examination of the mysterious case of her missing marbles, this book is filled with positivity and fun marble images.

 Callen writes, “What spectators view as art in homes, businesses, and museums is the culmination of a creative process that starts with an idea. The work that goes into transforming a creative idea into something that can be displayed is not always obvious. If you are a patron of the arts, I would think your interest would lie primarily in the finished product—what you can see, what you can admire, what you might purchase, what you would then display. If you are an artist, the journey toward that destination belongs to you.”

 Marble Shorts contains eight essays, filled with sparkles of color that rival the marble images that adorn these pages. This book is a gift to the collector, the curious soul, the seeker of color in this bleary-eyed world, and the rest. Meet the Marble Lady of Kansas City. Meet the Girl Scout who uses marbles to earn her “think like an engineer” badge. Meet Bruce of the Moon Marble Company. You just never know what might happen if you plant a marble. It may grow!

 Romalyn Tilghman, author of To the Stars Through Difficulty, a 2018 Kansas Notable Book says, “Marble Shorts is a collection of gems. Profiles, pictures, and personal observations about passion, all inspired by those perfectly round glass objects that generate smiles throughout the world. Cathy Callen introduces us to connoisseurs, history, manufacturing, and, most importantly, the sheer enchantment of those magical pieces. In this case, one can judge a book by its cover; the photo of a blue marble between the toes of a baby's foot promises the delightful read to be delivered. “

 Marble Shorts is available at meadowlarkbookstore.com.

The Meadowlark Reader: 3-2-1, an excerpt from A Cow for College, by James Kenyon

Each Wednesday we will share an excerpt from a Meadowlark book. Sign up at Feed Burner to receive Meadowlark updates by email. 

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"Two, three, one, Please . . . Hello, is Barbara there?” This was the ritual with my brother. Claudie was smitten with his fifth-grade sweetheart. He never looked at another girl or thought of any other love in his life. Since he was thirteen years older than me, there was not much playtime or brotherly interaction. The telephone was his lifeline to reach the object of his infatuation who lived in the county seat town nine miles away. I heard Barbara’s phone number over and over each day from the time I was old enough to walk.

Our family had a crank phone on the wall in a stained oak box. We were on a party line. The caller would pick up the receiver which was on the end of a cord attached to a Y-shaped hook on the side of the telephone box. The caller held the receiver to his ear to listen if one of the other seven neighbors was using the line before cranking the small metal handle on the right side of the phone box to get the operator. The bell at the top rang and an operator answered and said, “Number, Please.” It was not important to know from where and who this operator was, but she somehow took our line and plugged it into a circuit bank opening to the sprocket of the number we were calling. When this connection and electrical current were completed, that person’s phone rang in their home. Since we were in such a rural area, the party line

James Kenyon’s Book about Growing Up in on Farm in Northwest Kansas Selected for Martin Kansas History Book Award

Salina, KS – At the Kansas Authors Club annual convention on October 6, A Cow for College and Other Stories of 1950s Farm Life, by James Kenyon, Bogue native, was selected for the Martin Kansas History Book Award. Of the book, judge Karen Kolavalli wrote, “James Kenyon’s memoir brings to life a time and place that may be familiar to many readers, but at the same time introduces stories of 1950s Kansas farm life to a broader audience. Speaking as young Jimmy, Kenyon skillfully and with great heart tells stories, both humorous and poignant, of being a farm boy—starting as a 3-year-old heading out on the tractor every day with his dad, baseball games at recess at his country school, raising a Hereford calf each year in 4-H, experiencing that first kiss, the heartbreak of losing a dog or cow, and many more. A Cow for College adds to our understanding and appreciation of mid-20^th century life in rural western Kansas.”  

James Kenyon

Kenyon was born and raised on a third-generation family grain and livestock farm near the town of Bogue, Kansas. A graduate of Kansas State University, Kenyon is a veterinarian in a 35-year, mixed animal practice in Iowa and a veterinarian for the Alaska Iditarod Dog Sled Race. Some might consider A Cow for College, Kenyon’s second book, a series of origin stories for a man who has devoted his career to caring for animals and building his community. As well as a writer, he is a 24-year member of his local school board and a leader in numerous community organizations such as Rotary, church, library, museums and the historical society.

About the Martin Kansas History Book Award: The award was named in 2018 as a tribute to Gail Lee Martin, who was Kansas Authors Club State Archivist from 1995-2005. Gail Lee Martin joined the Club in 1992 and was a member of District 5. Martin enjoyed writing fiction, nonfiction, stories for children, journalism, history, and poetry. Martin’s work was published in numerous magazines. She also published two books: Clyde Owen Martin Family Memories of His Life and Times, and My Flint Hills Childhood, which was a winner of the Ferguson Kansas History Book Award in 2010. The funding for the Martin Kansas History Book Award comes from the Gail Lee Martin Memorial established in her name. This book award is open exclusively for Kansas history.

A Cow for College, and Other Stories of 1950s Farm Life

By James Kenyon

Published by: Meadowlark Books, October 2017

ISBN: 978-0-9966801-4-1

Available on Amazon, by order through any bookstore, and direct from Meadowlark Books. 

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