July 2008

COLUMNISTS HONOR TWO WILL ROGERS HUMANITARIAN AWARD WINNERS    

            Two columnists were honored with the presentation of the Will Rogers Humanitarian Award June 21 at the 2008 conference of the National Society of Newspaper Columnists (NSNC) in New Orleans.

            For the first time in the nine-year history of the award, the judging ended in a tie. The winners are:

            Carol A. Dawson, who writes “The Extra Miler” column for the Jeffersonville (Ind.) Evening News and The New Albany (Ind.) Tribune.

            Bill Campbell, a longtime Florida columnist now writing for The Beachcomber, Destin, Fla.

            James Rogers, great-grandson of Will Rogers, presented each of the winners with a statuette of the farsighted philosopher-humorist of the 1920s and ‘30s, who used his forum as a commentator for humanitarian purposes.

            Dawson originated her column to recognize individuals who “go the extra mile” and who do not seek or receive public credit for their deeds. During the past three years, her column has featured more than 150 persons in Indiana plus many serving in the military forces.  She wrote a column about troops overseas which resulted in nearly 3,000 cards and letters being sent to places around the world.

            Campbell, a columnist for the past 20 years, had community service as a theme for many of his writings. He gave support to a wide variety of non-profit organizations and involved himself personally with a number of these groups. As president of the local unit of the American Cancer Society he was instrumental in the launching of “Relay for Life,” a program that has raised more than $1 million to benefit cancer patients.

            He was nominated for the award by a physician who praised his efforts to urge men to get checked for prostate cancer at an annual free screening.

            NSNC members last year approved a proposal that future conferences include a time to focus on how columnists can better serve those people for whom newspapers have become a last resort. At this year’s meeting columnists went into various parts of New Orleans to talk to residents affected by Hurricane Katrina and to assist in various recovery projects.

WORKSHOP PARTICIPANTS PLAYED ROLES IN NSNC CONFERENCE

            Several participants in the 2007 Will Rogers Writers’ Workshop played important roles in the 32nd annual NSNC conference.

            Smiley Anders of The Advocate, Baton Rouge, a workshop speaker, co-chaired the meeting with Sheila Stroup, columnist for The Times-Picayune, New Orleans.  She was the 2004 Will Rogers Humanitarian Award winner.

            The conference program included a presentation by Suzette Martinez Standring, author of The Art of Column Writing, who also spoke at the Oklahoma City workshop.

            Ben Pollock, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette columnist, a workshop attendee, chaired a panel discussion of mental illness among the nation’s young, focusing on the trauma resulting from such events as the disastrous consequences of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in New Orleans in 2005.

            Another attendee, Sheila Moss, a self-syndicated writer from Nashville, did an outstanding job of conference coverage for the NSNC Web site www.columnists.com.   Check out the links to columns and blogs by those attending the conference.

            Workshop speaker Bill Tammeus, The Kansas City Star, who wrote eloquently about the Oklahoma City bombing memorial, has a fascinating report about the comeback of a New Orleans church in his “Faith Matters” blog. http://billtammeus.typepad.com/my_weblog/2008/06/june-26-2008.html

            George Waters, San Marino, Calif., includes pictures to go along with commentary on his first trip to New Orleans in “The Wa Blog.”  http://www.thewablog.com/search/label/New%20Orleans

Waters was first-place winner in the 2006 Will Rogers Writing Contest.

EILEEN MITCHELL IN FINALS FOR ROBERT BENCHLEY HUMOR AWARD

            Prizewinning writer Eileen Mitchell of Palatine, Ill., is one of the top 10 finalists in the annual Robert Benchley Society Award for Humor competition.

            This year’s contest is being judged by Bob Newhart - comedian, writer, humorist, actor, entertainer and former certified public accountant.  Newhart's selection and ranking of the top four winners for this year's Robert Benchley Society Awards will be announced the week of July 6th.

            Mitchell, a 2007 workshop attendee, won second place in the 2006 Will Rogers Writing Contest and has collected several other writing awards.

            The Robert Benchley Society Award for Humor is an international writing competition dedicated to the warm, self-effacing comic writing style that made Benchley so beloved during his lifetime. Benchley has influenced many of the most popular and successful comic minds over the past 50 years, including Bob Newhart.

SELF-PUBLISHING LEADER SUSAN DRISCOLL IS MOVING ON

            Susan Driscoll, former president and CEO of iUniverse, wrote a farewell column in her blog at www.iuniverse.com.

            A dynamic leader in supported self-publishing, Driscoll delivered a well-attended breakfast program on “Publishing Options for Writers” at the Will Rogers Writers’ Workshop in Oklahoma City in March 2007.

            She has been serving as vice president for strategy at Author Solutions, Bloomington, Ind., after that company brought iUniverse under its umbrella of companies – along with AuthorHouse – last spring.

            Driscoll writes in her blog: “I’ll be moving on in my journey to a new challenge that is closer to home, but I won’t be leaving iUniverse altogether. I’ve agreed to stay involved as a special advisor to the board, and I hope to write a blog column from time to time to let you know what I’m up to.”

            To read her entire message, go to: http://www.iuniverse.com/community/blog/

KELLY JAMES-ENGER GIVES MORE ADVICE TO FREE-LANCERS

            Letters of introduction can be a valuable tool for writers.  Kelly James-Enger, who conducted a workshop on “Six-Figure Freelancing” at the 2007 workshop, talks about “LOIs” in her free monthly newsletter.  She also writes about the subject in her column in the July issue of The Writer magazine.

            Here’s some good advice from an expert:

            “First, what is an LOI? It's a brief (two to three paragraphs) letter that highlights your experience and background, rather than focusing on one particular idea the way a query does. Many editors, especially at trade and custom magazines, prefer to receive LOIs instead of queries. They may have
already developed their editorial calendars and aren't looking for specific ideas but rather writers who can research and write about the topics that will interest their readers.

            “A strong LOI showcases your background, knowledge of a particular subject, and reporting skills. Demonstrating why you personally are a great fit for the publication(s) you're pitching is critical. For example, when I sent a LOI to a grocery trade publication, I mentioned that I'd worked at Trader Joe's in
the past. If you have a background in a related field, make sure you mention that as well.   

            “You may send an LOI via snail mail or email, but if you choose the former, send clips separately or direct the editor to your website for samples. (As with other correspondence, don't send attachments with your LOI.) Follow up a few weeks later by email or phone, and you may find that LOIs are just as
effective as queries.”  

RESOURCES: WEB SITES FOR WRITERS

            Writer’s Digest has published its 10th annual listing of 101 best Web sites for writers.  You can find it at http://www.writersdigest.com/101BestSites/

            This year, the magazine added a “jobs” category and expanded the “genres/niches” category.  The list is divided into nine sections: general resources, challenges/creativity, publishing resources, jobs, writing groups and communities, genres/niches, agent blogs, protect yourself and just for fun.

EDITOR-AUTHOR WRITES ABOUT WILL ROGERS AT 1924 CONVENTION

            Greg Mitchell is the editor of Editor&Publisher magazine and the author of nine books, including his current title, So Wrong for So Long: How the Press, the Pundits – and the President – Failed on Iraq.  He’s also a big Will Rogers fan.

            Last April, before the Democratic nomination contest was decided, he wrote an interesting article titled, “If There’s a Brokered Convention: Who Will Be Our Will Rogers?”  Writing as “a historian of American campaigns,” Mitchell recalled the 1924 Democratic convention, “when a compromise candidate indeed came out of nowhere and earned the nod – with disastrous results for the Democrats.”

            “This was the gathering” he wrote,  “that inspired the famous Will Rogers line, ‘I don’t belong to any organized party, I’m a Democrat.’  In fact, Will (the top newspaper columnist and most beloved man in America) – who probably should have been president himself – had a lot of fun with it.”

            Mitchell’s piece still makes for good reading.  You can find it at http://tinyurl.com/3z9k2s

NEWS ABOUT WORKSHOPPERS

            Ben Shaberman, Baltimore, is a frequent contributor to National Public

Radio.  You can listen to “At the End of My Paternal Line” and other essays at

http://benshaberman.com.

            Linda Fulkerson, Morrilton, Ark., is carrying a daily account of a family vacation trip.  Driving a car that gets 33 miles per gallon, she and her husband set out on June 21, following a detailed trip plan.  Read all about it at http://scrivenings.com/

            Charley Green, Overland Park, Kan., keeps a busy schedule of speaking engagements.  He was scheduled at the Will Rogers Memorial Museum at Claremore, Okla., for a book signing and two short programs on June 27 featuring his latest book, Will Rogers for President. That was followed by a

presentation at the Old West Cowboy Days in Ottawa, Kan., on June 29.  Green

is appearing at the Charleston Books and Gifts in Branson, Mo., on July 4 and

will return to Branson on September 19 for a stint at the Roy Rogers-Dale Evans

Museum & Theater.

BULLETIN: SOME GOOD NEWS FROM THE IRS!    

            (From USA Today)

             “In response to soaring gas prices, the IRS announced that it will raise the standard mileage rate that taxpayers use to deduct business miles to 58.5 cents a mile, an increase of 8 cents.

            “The new rate will apply to miles driven from July 1 through Dec. 31 this year.  Taxpayers will have to use the old rate to deduct miles driven during the first six months of the year.

            “The higher rate will allow self-employed workers to deduct a larger amount on their 2008 tax returns.”

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June 2008

 FOR DAILY DOSE OF HUMOR, WELCOME THE “WA” BLOG

            George Waters has become the newest blogger on the block with the creation of “The Wa Blog”, which offers “a daily dose of humor.”

            Waters, first place winner of the 2006 Will Rogers Writing Contest, announced the launching of the blog in his “On the Waters Front” column:

            To paraphrase poet John Greenleaf Whittier, “For all sad words of man or dog, the saddest are these: 'I write a blog.'"

                Sad as in "lame," because it is lame to jump on a trend long after everybody else has, but that is what I have done - I started a blog.

                It used to be that if you were a blowhard, your venues were limited - the public park, letters to the editor, the presidency. No more. A blog allows anyone with computer access to yak large, free of charge.

                A "blog" is basically a kind of public Internet diary in which one writes one's life experiences, favorite jokes or opinions, and in which total strangers can comment back mercilessly.

                To learn why it’s called “The Wa Blog” and other vital information, read the entire column at: http://www.georgewaters.net/blog_launch.html

STERLING PAPERS DONATED TO WILL ROGERS MEMORIAL

            A valuable collection of tapes, manuscripts, correspondence and galley proofs relating to Will Rogers has been donated to the Will Rogers Memorial Museum from the estate of Bryan Sterling, a widely recognized authority on the famed philosopher-humorist.

            Sterling died of cancer April 13. He and his wife, Frances, who died in 2007, researched and wrote the largest volume of privately published works about Rogers' life and career.

            The Sterlings, who lived in New York City, spent about 30 years writing about Rogers.

            Museum director Steve Gragert said Sterling had begun the process of providing the collection to the museum prior to his death.  More than a dozen cartons of material were received from Sterling’s nephew, Mark Wingerson.  Included were about 120 reel-to-reel and cassette audio tapes relating to Rogers and manuscripts for all of the Sterlings' books.

PETERSEN’S BOOK WINS TOP PRIZE FOR HUMOR

            A book by Montana writer Gwen Petersen was among three Voyageur Press titles that were awarded First Place prizes at the 18^th Annual Midwest Book Awards, sponsored by the Midwest Independent Publishers Association. The program attracted an unprecedented 167 nominations from 78 publishers from the 12 Midwestern states in the region.

            Petersen’s book, How to Shovel Manure: And Other Life Lessons for the Country Woman, won the top prize for humor.

            The book also placed second in the humor/comedy/satire division of the 2008 Benjamin Franklin Awards, sponsored by the Independent Book Publishers Association. Those awards were presented May 29 in Los Angeles

SOUTH DAKOTA WRITER PRODUCES FIFTH PHOTO HISTORY BOOK

            Peggy Sanders of Oral, S.D. reports her fifth South Dakota vintage photo history book was released June 2 by Arcadia Publishing. Titled Fall River County and Hot Springs: 125 Years, this volume celebrates the quasquicentennial anniversary of the county and the county seat. Peggy's great-grandparents homesteaded in Fall River County in 1881 and now her family numbers six generations in the county.

            Her bi-weekly column "Confluence Chronicle: Where City and County Meet" runs in the Rocky Mountain Edition of The Fence Post, which is published in Greeley, Colo. A second column, "Rural Realities" has been picked up by The Western Livestock Digest out of Billings, Mont. Peggy's weekly "90 Years Ago" column has had a home with the Hot Springs STAR in Hot Springs, S.D. since July 2003.  

            Peggy won first place in the 2007 Will Rogers Writing Contest.  In addition to her writing, she also is involved in starting a CCC Museum in the Black Hills.  She serves on the local historical society board, which recently opened a museum.

LIEBER’S ADVICE TO COLUMNISTS IS WORTH READING

            Whether or not you write a column, you will benefit from reading “you, the columnist” by Dave Lieber, which he writes for the National Society of Newspaper Columnists newsletter and Web site.  The Fort Worth Star-Telegram columnist, author and speaker led two break-out sessions at the 2007 Will Rogers Writers’ Workshop.

            In his current offering, a commentary on the state of the newspaper business, he writes:

            “Of all the things going down, down, down in newspapers because of high-tech immediacy – including coverage of yesterday’s ball game, the horoscopes, TV listings and stock prices – the one piece that will survive, indeed even thrive, is – wait for it – you, the columnist.”

            You can read his other observations and learn about “Dave’s Law for 21st Century Columnists” by going to www.columnists.com and click on The Columnist – Newsletter.

            It’s not too late to register for the 2008 NSNC Conference June 19-22 at the Hotel Monteleone in New Orleans.  Details on the Web site.    

ON A PERSONAL NOTE . . .

            This month’s newsletter is a few days late getting out because I just got back from a 12-day trip which included a multi-city book tour in my home state of Oklahoma.  I had book-signings for The POTUS Chronicles: Bubba Between the Bushes in four locations in different parts of the state.

            My first stop was Claremore, where I spent some quality time at the Will Rogers Memorial Museum.  My wife Mary and I took a full tour of this marvelous place, which we weren’t able to do on your last visit in 2006.  (You can take a virtual tour on the memorial’s revamped Web site www.willrogers.com, but if you can possibly do so, go to Claremore and see for yourself all the interesting exhibits, art and other features of this first-class museum, as well as the beautiful grounds.)  Steve Gragert, the director, graciously allowed me to have a book-signing in the morning of May 28 and do some research in the library in the afternoon.

            One of those who came to the book-signing was my longtime friend, Joseph H. Carter, a former director and author of two books on Will Rogers -- Never Met a Man I Didn’t Like (1991) and The Quotable Will Rogers (2005).  Joe and I go back to the 1950’s when we both worked for UPI in Oklahoma.  He and his wife, Michelle, also a former museum director, have done some extensive traveling since retiring from full-time employment.

            In Oklahoma City, workshop attendee Laurel (Lolly) Anderson helped spread the word about a May 29 book-signing at Full Circle Books, an independent book store which has featured a number of big-name authors in recent months.  A book review had been published in The Oklahoman on Sunday, May 25.  Some readers of my “Potomac Junction” column, which I wrote for that newspaper until last December, showed up to buy books, which was quite gratifying.

            Friday, May 30 was a very special day.  I returned to my hometown of Marlow, Okla., to attend a high school class reunion, renewing acquaintances with classmates I had not seen in many years.  After that get-together I did a book-reading at the local library.

            The last stop on the tour was at the Tulsa Press Club.  I spoke at a Page One luncheon on Monday, June 2 on the topic of “Picking on Presidents: a National Sport.”  My appearance was covered by the Tulsa World and videotaped as part of a series produced by Tulsa Community College.

            Virginia, where I now live, is quite some distance from Oklahoma, so I was glad to have the opportunity to do some traveling around there.  It was a most enjoyable and rewarding visit.

            Robert L. Haught