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Recognitions

Judy Hunt

Welcome to Recognitions, a column dedicated to proclaim the writing successes of Writers' Village University members!

Sharon Bakar's short story, "Just Like Steven Spielberg," made its debut in the July 29th issue of the Malaysian weekly financial newspaper, The Edge. Her second published work, "Just Like Steven Spielberg" had its genesis in an exercise Sharon did for the "Demystifying the Writing Process" course she took at WVU last year.

"The biggest thrill after seeing myself in print was that I actually got paid for it, and the editor has asked if I will write more stories for the paper," explained Sharon. "I have a lot to thank WVU for. I have been lucky in making some good friends along the way from the classes I've taken. I also count myself extremely lucky that there's a wide open market for new writing out here [in Malaysia]."

Sharon has been a member of WVU for 18 months and credits her membership for helping her to experience these kinds of writing accomplishments. She said, "WVU gave me the courage to get started, and I love the classes."

Judy Bridges has been busy, writing poetry. "Ring So Hollow" appeared in the summer issue of Voices Online Literary Magazine. Judy's byline for this poem was Judy Eridees. "Repugnant Mockery," was published in the July issue of the online ezine, The Stump, while "Shew" can be found in the September issue.

The Stump is the publisher for Judy's new monthly column of ezine and author interviews, "Zine-Thyme." The first interview with Kristen Biss, Editor of Voices debuted in the August issue. Judy's interview with Chris Gavaler, author of Pretend I'm Not Here, can now be read in the September issue.

Judy was recently notified that her poem, "Smokin Buddy," has been selected for publication in the 1st Voices Anthology Poetry Competition sponsored by Voicesnet, The Voices Network. She clarified there is no association between this publication and the other Voices Online Literary Magazine in which she was published. Judy reacted to the news: "Yes! I'm jumping around now! I'm finally getting into paper print. I'm so thrilled!"

A WVU member for three years, Judy says her membership "is the best thing I could have done for my writing mind. Without WVU, I don't think I would be seeing myself published. I like the following quote as it applies to myself and writing: '"The more I think about it, the less I can do it. The internal critic takes control. 'We never do anything well till we cease to think about the manner of doing it.' "(William Hazlitt, The Oxford Dictionary of Quotations, third edition)

Sue Borgstad achieved a personal first, earned money for her writing when she won the Writer's Crossing Gazette's August Short Story Contest. The untitled piece was written in response to the prompt for the contest: "I peeked through the keyhole of the door, trying to see what or who made the high pitched sound." Her story will be published in the October issue of the Writer's Crossing Gazette.

66 years old, retired and living in Surrey, B.C., Canada, Sue is active in the Writer's 911 study group. "I have been hanging around the hallowed halls of WVU for about a year and a half, and I'm a Lifetime member," she explained. "I love writing!" Sue has been previously published in T-Zero, F2K-Zine and WOW.

Betsy Gallup was able to call herself a published author for the first time this summer and quickly followed that up with another publishing credit to her name the following month. Intentional or not, Betsy's life has become a succession of pairs.

Betsy attained her first published work when her short story, "Time and Again," appeared in the August issue of Revolution SF. Another of Betsy's short stories, "The Biker Wore Red," was then published in the September issue of Demensions.

A WVU member for one year, Betsy takes classes that deal with novel writing and actively participates in the Writer's 911 study group. The support she has received in both the technical aspects of writing and the camaraderie with other writers has far exceeded her expectations. She said, "It is due to my affiliation with this group that I have been able to not only complete several short stories in multiple genres but also my first novel which I am still working on to get published. The feedback from the group has been invaluable to me not only in improving the mechanics of my writing but in the sheer good will and support that I have received."

Betsy appreciates the focus on pairs in her life and realizes that a larger concentration would greatly impact her lifestyle. On bedrest, she awaits her twin babies' entrance into this world.

Alisa Bosworth's poem, "Fall," was published in the September issue of T-Zero. Alisa taught high school and college students her entire life. She especially enjoyed her Creative Writing classes. The range of emotions she experienced while going through divorce triggered her interest in writing poetry. Alisa is a Lifetime Member of Writers' Village University.

We look forward to reading about your writing accomplishments in this column. If you or someone you know has received recognition for writing, please send the information to recognitions@wvu.org Let us know!