May 5, 2010 Meeting

William Spillman, winner of the Roanoke Valley Pen Women's Poetry Contest in 2009, was the guest speaker at the group's May 2010 meeting.

Spillman spoke about the writing process and how he learned to write better poetry through study and persistence. He also read a number of his poems.



Members in attendance included Mary Tousman, Peggy Shifflett, Margaret DuBois, Elena DeRosa, Gail Lambert, Ethel Born, Becky Mushko, Beth Rossi, and Anita Firebaugh.



Margaret DuBois and Becky Mushko.

With permission, the group is pleased to present Mr. Spillman's award-winning poem:

Garden of Stones
By W. B. Spillman, Jr.

This is a garden of stones
whose shadows never touch,

not the long shadows of winter,

not the small shadows
of summer noon.

It began as Japanese,
but its plan decays
as western thoughts intrude.

The wind likes this place
and its unexpected confusions.

I sit on the largest stone
and arrange my thoughts
like the notes of a flute,

no meaning, only emotion.

Twilight joins me.
After awhile,

The world loses color.

2010 Scholarship

The Roanoke Valley Pen Women will grant a scholarship of a minimum $100 to a woman age thirty or older who has either returned to college or entered college for the first time, and who is taking one or more classes for credit in the arts, letters, or music at a college or university within 75 miles of Roanoke.

The money is to be used either for supplies (textbooks, art supplies, paper, software, etc.) or for other expenses related to college attendance.

Women interested in receiving the grant for fall 2010 must apply to the Roanoke Valley Pen Women on or before May 1, 2010. The application should include the following:

•Statement of interest:
Contact information at top of page: name, address, phone, email.
A paragraph explaining the recipient’s reason for taking the class or returning to school.
A paragraph explaining the recipient’s career goals.

•A work sample in one of the following:
Letters: an example (2-10 pages) of either published or unpublished fiction (short story, novel excerpt), non-fiction (article, essay), poetry (three poems) or a combination thereof.
Arts: CD or DVD of jpegs of artwork (paintings, drawings, sculpture, pottery, fiber art, photographs, etc.).
Music (composer, performer, choreographer): CD or DVD of performance.
Applicants who want work samples returned should provide a self-addressed mailer with sufficient postage.

•Verification of class enrollment or college acceptance (a photocopy of acceptance letter, student ID, or receipt for payment of tuition).

The scholarship recipient is encouraged to report back to the Roanoke Valley Pen Women, either by mail/email or as a guest at a future Pen Women meeting to inform the membership how the scholarship helped her accomplish a goal.

Send applications to Peggy Shifflett, 700 Cherrywood Street, Salem, VA 24153 or to Becky Mushko, 8 Listening Hill Road, Penhook, VA, 24137

April 2010 Meeting

The Roanoke Valley Branch of the National League of American Pen Women met on Wednesday, April 7 at Mamma Maria's in Salem.

Guests were Diane Cayton-Hakey, Meg Hibbert and guest speaker Fred First.

Mr. First writes Fragments From Floyd, a popular blog, and has self-published several books about life in his community, sustainability, and related issues.

Below is a video, courtesy of Ms. Cayton-Hakey, with a little taste of the discussion during the meeting. That is followed by photos of various members who enjoyed the afternoon.




Author Fred First laughs with former Pen Women president Margaret Dubois and current President Peggy Shifflett.

Peggy Shifflett, Vice President Becky Musko, and guest Diane Cayton-Hakey.

From left: Diane Cayton Hakey, Meg Hibbert, Beth Ann Rossi, Pat Bijwaard, and Gail Lambert.

From left: Margaret DuBois and Peggy Shifflett

Guest speaker Fred First makes a point during his discussion of self-publishing.

Pat Bijwaard

Fred First

From left: Beth Ann Rossi and Pat Bijwaard

Becky Mushko

Gail Lambert

Margaret DuBois

Guest speaker Fred First.

Photos courtesy of Anita Firebaugh and Diane Cayton-Hakey.

Member Reading

Roanoke Pen Women member Judy Light Ayyildiz on March 31, 2010 will be conducting a memoir workshop for Women's History Month at Radford University. She will read from her works of memoir in the Muse Student Center from 4:00 - 5:00. Reception to follow. Free. All welcome.

Published Members

Two members of the Roanoke Valley Pen Women have recently published books.

Becky Mushko is the author of Ferradiddledumday, published by Cedar Creek Publishing. It is an Appalachian version of Rumplestiltskin. Check out Becky's websites or her blog, Peevish Pen, if you wish to contact her to order a book.

Peggy Shifflett, the organization's president, recently self-published The Living Room Bed. It is available from Ms. Shifflett. You can email her at pshiffle@radford.edu if you would like to order a book.

Congratulations to both women on their accomplishments.

March 2010 Meeting

Members of the Roanoke Valley Pen Women met on March 3, 2010 for the first monthly meeting since December, thanks to snow.

The membership had a show-and-tell day. Each person told about their latest projects and current artistic activities.



Mary Tousman (standing), the group secretary, reported that she has found much enjoyment in a autobiography/memoir that she has started writing and illustrating.

Peggy Shifflett (sitting), the group president, said her self-published book, The Living Room Bed, will be released later this month. She noted that fellow Pen Women member Anita Firebaugh assisted her with editing.



Margaret DuBois, left, former group president, showed off her enamal on copper paintings. The pieces are fired, some as many as 10 times, before the piece is complete, she said.

Beth Ann Rossi, right, has been in the process of building a new home. She has kept and documented every aspect of the project. Her documentation and scrapbooking has taken up several journals and albums.



Gail Lambert, right, reported that she has been published in Senior News and other places.



Ethel Born, second from right, reported that her book From Horse to Buggy to High Tech, which is about the postal service, has been completed and is ready for distribution.

Judy Ayylidiz, first on the right, reported that she was a visiting reader at Marshall University and recently reprinted her book, Nothing But Time, among other projects.

Becky Mushko, third on the right, the group vice-president, reported that her book, Ferradiddledumday, has been released by Cedar Creek Publishing. She is currently marketing the book.

Anita Firebaugh, not pictured, noted that she is working on a booklet about Cloverdale and continues to publish articles in local newspapers.

2010 Scholarship

The Roanoke Valley Pen Women will grant a scholarship of a minimum $100 to a woman age thirty or older who has either returned to college or entered college for the first time, and who is taking one or more classes for credit in the arts, letters, or music at a college or university within 75 miles of Roanoke.

The money is to be used either for supplies (textbooks, art supplies, paper, software, etc.) or for other expenses related to college attendance.

Women interested in receiving the grant for fall 2010 must apply to the Roanoke Valley Pen Women on or before May 1, 2010. The application should include the following:

•Statement of interest:

Contact information at top of page: name, address, phone, email.

A paragraph explaining the recipient’s reason for taking the class or returning to school.

A paragraph explaining the recipient’s career goals.

•A work sample in one of the following:

Letters: an example (2-10 pages) of either published or unpublished fiction (short story, novel excerpt), non-fiction (article, essay), poetry (three poems) or a combination thereof.

Arts: CD or DVD of jpegs of artwork (paintings, drawings, sculpture, pottery, fiber art, photographs, etc.).

Music (composer, performer, choreographer): CD or DVD of performance.

Applicants who want work samples returned should provide a self-addressed mailer with sufficient postage.

•Verification of class enrollment or college acceptance (a photocopy of acceptance letter, student ID, or receipt for payment of tuition).

The scholarship recipient is encouraged to report back to the Roanoke Valley Pen Women, either by mail/email or as a guest at a future Pen Women meeting to inform the membership how the scholarship helped her accomplish a goal.

Send applications to Peggy Shifflett, 700 Cherrywood Street, Salem, VA 24153 or to Becky Mushko, 8 Listening Hill Road, Penhook, VA, 24137