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Recognitions

Judy Hunt

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

Sandra Crough disregarded the naysayers, took the road less traveled, and crafted a collection of revised short stories she was told would not sell. The result was the recent publication of her book, "Memoirs of a Brown Skin Gyal: A collection of short stories."

Sandra's diverse background and a particular trauma that occurred after a visit to Central America helped her to see that writing about her younger years was therapeutic. "Writing has always been a passion of mine," Sandra said, "and like so many writers, I dreamed of one day seeing my name on the jacket of a book. In 1999, I took a WVU creative fiction class that spurred my creative juices. The feedback from fellow students proved invaluable. That is when the dream took hold."

George Bernard Shaw said, "Some men see things as they are and ask why. Others see things that never were and ask why not." Sandra took that quote to heart when she said, "Why couldn't this be a collection of short stories, each telling a complete story in itself? Since I had over the years written many stories about being born in a Spanish-speaking country, I began organizing these stories into a coherent sequence. I was adamant and with perseverance, I found a publisher and forgot agents. And it worked. I am published. Yippee!"

After starting to write in earnest in 1995, Sandra joined WVU three years ago. One of her short stories, "Jesuit Man," received an honorable mention in the January/February 2001 issue of Writers' Journal. It has since been revised and published in Memories, Dreams and Nightmares, a short story anthology by Belizean women writers by Cubola Productions.

Jean Kinsey's "Spring of '59" will be published in a special Mother's Day issue of the Chicken Soup series, Chicken Soup for the Mother and Daughter's Soul. Her story is one of a collection of true life stories Jean is putting in a book for her grandchildren.

She had just about given up Chicken Soup. The process of selecting the stories for the book had been going on for three years. Patience paid off, and after hearing the news about "Spring of '59," she said, "I was surprised, honored and deliriously happy."

With youthful plans of being a famous writer, Jean began writing as a teenager. "I was a daydreamer and a romantic. My mother encouraged me to put my ideas into stories." As can happen, life got in the way; her dreams were forced on the back shelf. A few years after becoming disabled with syringomyelia, Jean started writing again. Dreams of being published stayed on the back shelf as her primary goal became writing short stories as memoirs for her grandchildren. "I write a lot, but I usually don't submit anything. Being accepted by Chicken Soup has sparked my interests enough to rewrite more of my stories and submit them as true experiences," Jean said.

"Since this story was about my mom, I wish she were alive to read it. She would have been so proud," Jean reflected. "Spring of '59" was written a couple of years ago; her friends in WVU's Time Trading Nortonians Rule study group helped her to perfect it.

A columnist for a bimonthly print publication, Jean has been a WVU member since 1999. She has had short stories published in a variety of e-zines and also writes for her church newsletter.

Jim Hall continues to keep busy writing poems, submitting them for publication and receiving acceptance letters. His poem, "The Pythagorean Conundrum," made its debut at the same time as the publication in which it was printed. The first issue of "Renegade Writers," available in both electronic and print forms, was published in January 2003. Jim's poem will be archived on the Web after this issue and will be included in the annual print edition for 2003.

When asked if he considered himself to be a renegade writer, Jim said, "I looked up the definition and found 'One who rejects a religion, cause, allegiance, or group for another; a deserter.' One of my more successful short stories is titled 'Deserter.' The protagonist, a military police corporal, rejects his allegiance to the unit in which he serves to help a deserter, who rejected his own allegiance for good and sufficient reason. I am a confirmed rejecter of religions, causes, allegiances and groups, but not necessarily for another, only for the sake of rejecting foolishness."

Substantiating that conviction, one of Jim's favorite short stories is Steven Vincent Benet's "Johnny Pye and the Fool Killer." On the other hand, Technicians of the Sacred and the works of Joseph Campbell helped to shape his attitude toward poetry. He explained that such reading "made me see poetry as a serious enterprise, with a shamanic component that fascinates me."

Jim enjoys writing lyric poetry, haiku and related forms. "I feel that, in poetry, less is more. During my longtime affair with watercolor painting, a Japanese artist told me that one knows American painters by what they put in their paintings, but Japanese painters by what they leave out," he said.

A lifetime WVU member, Jim's recent publishing successes have appeared in the North America Review, Online Journal of the Dana Literary Society, E2K, Möbius, The Formalist, Touchstone (a now-defunct annual anthology), Footprints, The eleventh muse (a monthly publication of Poetry West, temporarily out of service) and Cicada.

Dixie Barnes, thrilled to hear that her personal essay will be published in a collection by the BabyBoomerSpeak.com project, affirms how this opportunity has touched her heart. The project, started in November 2002, is still in its infant stages; a publication date has yet to be determined.

A trip to her childhood home two years ago laid the foundation for the essay. Dixie lost her youngest daughter, Teresa, in a house fire in 1999. "Teresa's death reminded us how fleeting life is and how one brief moment in time can completely change the future. We need to always be vigilant and utilize our time on earth to the fullest. We never know when it will end."

Dixie has been interested in writing since elementary school. "I have many stories locked up inside my brain, all just clamoring to get out." Future plans include writing and illustrating a children's book.

A WVU member for three years, Dixie gives credit to her study group, Writer's 911. "We have become personal friends and enjoy each other's support in everything we do. The group keeps me motivated to write. We challenge each other to do bigger and better things, we 'nit' or critique each other's work, and each member brings a different perspective to the critique."

In addition to poetry, fiction and personal essays, Dixie writes a column for her local newspaper, reviewing favorite web sites.

Congratulations, Sandra, Jean, Jim and Dixie! Your diligence in following your hopes and dreams inspires writers around the world. Kudos!

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!