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The Writers Place mourns the loss of poet and TWP board member Ronda Miller. 

One of Ronda Miller’s favorite sayings: “Poetry is our most natural connection between one another,” applies to her personal life as well as her professional one.

A Life Coach born in Ft. Collins, Colorado, she was raised on a farm by her maternal grandparents in the high plateau region of NW Kansas, where love for the beauty and healing aspects of nature and poetry began.  She is a graduate of the University of Kansas, a Fellow of The Citizen Journalism Academy, World Company, and a Certified Life Coach with IPEC (Institute of Professional Empowerment Coaching).

She began volunteering her services as a Life Coach via Grief Works, for those who have lost someone to homicide, in 2008.  She served as President of Kansas Authors Club, District 2, and was a Writers Place board member and Coordinator of the Writers Place youth program In Our Own Words at the time of her death. As a poet, Ronda's poems have appeared in numerous journals/anthologies, are transformed into art, hung in museums and can be found at The Smithsonian Art Institute Archives. She has written three books of poetry, and has said, “Writing has been my way of healing, it assists with my spiritual growth, is a release of emotion, leads to self-discovery, and provides a means to connect with others at a core level. 

Dear Writers Place Member,

We are excited to announce that submissions are open for the next edition of the Writers Place Yearbook. The 2024 Yearbook won’t be complete without a submission from you. Send one poem, one short story, one excerpt from a longer work of fiction or play, or one piece of creative nonfiction. Prose pieces should be no longer than 1500 words, and poetry should not exceed two pages. Any submissions that fail to meet the guidelines will not be included. When you submit your work, include a 50-100-word bio.

To submit, your membership in the Writers Place must be current. If you have let your membership lapse, then you can renew it online at writersplace.org or by mailing a check to Writers Place, 31W31 Nonprofit Village, 31W31st Street, Kansas City, MO 64108. Submissions may be previously published provided you have the rights returned to you. All submissions are due by January 31, 2025. Please send your writing as a word document in an email attachment to bgulley@jccc.edu.

This collection will be published on the Writers Place website and publicized through our email and social media network. A print version will be available for purchase from Amazon. We look forward to highlighting your words.

Sincerely,

The Writers Place Board

August 1, 2024 Poetry and Jazz event with River Cow Orchestra.

https://youtu.be/5cqw4MtILr4

In Memoriam

The Writers Place wishes to express their sympathy for the loss of one of Kansas City’s great literary figures, David Ray, whose wife Judy was the first Executive Director for the Writers Place.

In the 1960s, David Ray co-founded, with Robert Bly, American Writers Against the Vietnam War, organizing and encouraging “read-ins” at protest gatherings, and in the years since he wrote extensively in response to wars and environmental issues as well as topics of family, grief, and art. His 27 books, mostly poetry but including a memoir, The Endless Search, have chronicled his time in far-flung places such as India, New Zealand and Australia, where he was, as always, writing and teaching. His last book is At Midnight (2023). David was Professor Emeritus from the University of Missouri-Kansas City and former editor of New Letters.

The 2023 edition of the Writers Place yearbook showcases the poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction written by fifty-one of our members. Subjects range from the whimsical to the poignant. Our authors draw on the past while they imagine the future. This collection has everything from beehive burglaries to the Doobie Brothers. One poet doesn’t want “to take a hike,” in every sense of the phrase. Another writer remembers reading as solace after her first resume finds rejection. Many poets reflect that death comes for us all eventually. “Though, I'll hang on for now and lie about my age,” one poet concludes.

To purchase a copy on Amazon, visit Writers Place Yearbook Volume 3: Board, Writers Place, Gulley, Beth: 9798325111198: Amazon.com: Books. 

You can also download a PDF version here: Writers Place Yearbook 2023 Vol 3 Amazon download.pdf

Eve Ott passed peacefully on March 1, 2024. Eve Ott was a member of the Writers Place for many years and made our writing community all the better for knowing her. She served for over ten years on the programming committee and helped with readings, receptions and special events. Many will miss her genuine and radiant spirit. She was a joyous and happy person despite any adversity and lightened up a room with her wonderful laugh. R.I.P. Eve. 

A memorial service for Eve was held Saturday, March 16th at The Pilgrim Chapel

3807 Gillham Road, Kansas City, MO 64111.

The Writers Place celebrated the life and work of Cameron Morse at the November 17th reading. Below are a few videos from the reading. 

The Writers Place shares office space with a wonderful organization - Lead to Read KC. Their mission is to create a community of readers, one lunch period at a time. They accomplish this by placing volunteers in schools once a week for just 30 minutes to read one on one with an elementary student in Kansas City area schools. Children who can read proficiently by third grade are more successful in school, and their important work aims to increase the number of proficient readers in our community. 

The Writers Place board is excited to partner with this organization and as an initial effort, we would like to challenge our membership to become volunteer readers with Lead to Read KC. 

The process is simple:

1) Complete a volunteer application at www.leadtoreadkc.org and a required background check (cost of $15). 

2) Watch a short training video.

3) Commit to a schedule of reading with one student one day a week (Tuesdays, Wednesdays, or Thursdays between the hours of 11am - 1pm). You may also share a weekly shift with another volunteer if you can commit to volunteering 2x a month, or volunteer as a flex volunteer on a once-a-month basis.

4) Donate new and gently used children's books or make a donation to Lead to Read for the purchase of books.

We know you understand the value of reading and that writers need good readers! We invite you to join us as volunteers with Lead to Read KC. Please make sure to let them know you are with The Writers Place when you complete your application. Thank you for your support of this worthwhile project!