President's Corner

APRIL 2007

NTRWA President, Jen FitzGerald

Dear Chapter Mates,

I hope everyone enjoyed Lori Wilde in March. Unfortunately, I couldn’t stay long, but the first few minutes were very interesting. And it was great to see so many of you at the meeting.

And now it’s April and many of our exciting programs are beginning to take off, or are, at least, lining up on the runway.

The Book In A Year program kicked off in March with the bracelet itself being given out in April. There were about 20 or so folks who signed up. That’s awesome. But if you didn’t get a chance to join this month, it’s no problem – you can get hooked up at any time during the year. Just contact Gina Nelson, BIAY Coordinator, to register.

Our Silver Nuggets Contest is also up and running. However, some changes have been made to the timeline. We want this contest and our anthology to be the best it can be. Due dates have been pushed way back to allow everyone ample time to write and polish up their short story, and also to give the editors at The Wild Rose Press plenty of judging time. All the updated details can be found on page eleven of the April 2007 newsletter. Check the web site, too, for the guidelines, entry form, and sample score sheet.

NT’s annual roundtable critique is just around the corner, as well. On top of your short story, it’s time to write or dig up the first ten pages of a manuscript. Each year, many of our published authors graciously provide critiques. But this is not just for our pre-published authors. Even published authors are welcome to submit something for critique. Contact Tara Waldie, Program Director, for more information.

RWA’s National Conference is mere months away. We want as many people there as possible. And now, NT’s own Laura Martello is a Golden Heart finalist. I can’t wait to see Laura win. So make sure you purchase raffle tickets each month and try to win that free conference fee. Only two more months left to buy. The winner will be drawn at the close of May’s meeting.

I want to thank Chris Keniston for volunteering to take over the printing and mailing of the newsletter. This is a huge help to me and I really, really appreciate it.

Due to job demands, Ron Campbell has resigned as chapter Secretary. Many, many thanks however to Regina Richards, who has agreed to step up and fill this position for the rest of the year.

One of the board’s goals for this year is to conduct an asset audit. Just in the few years I’ve been a member of the chapter, we’ve purchased a lot of stuff, but we don’t really know who has what. So, if you are in possession of chapter assets, we’d really appreciate it if you would list everything you have with quantities if applicable, and send it to me via email (jen@stormsedge.com) or bring to the next meeting. Some of the things we are looking for include water bottles, nylon badge holders, beaded badge chains, t-shirts, tote bags, chapter records, anything really. If you know any recent past members who might be holding onto stuff, please get in contact with them. I’d be happy to make arrangements with anyone to pick up whatever they might have.

Mindy Obenhaus, our Ways & Means Chair is always in need of things to stuff our door prize raffle baskets with. Books are always wanted, but she has asked that donated books be no older than 2003. Contact Mindy for specifics, but complete raffle baskets or individual items (like calendars or flash drives or gift cards) are welcome, too.

In an earlier president letter I mentioned chapter programming and asked that if there was something any of you wanted to do, hear, etc., that you let us know. I haven’t heard from anyone, yet, but the request still stands. Each of our members is at a different place in their lives as well as their writing journey. And the board wants to ensure that the chapter provides for the writing needs of every chapter member. If there’s something more or different that you need from the chapter, even if it’s more time for socializing with your chapter mates, please let us know. Chances are that at least a few others would probably enjoy that, too.

Well, that’s it for now. See you at the next meeting.

Sincerely,

Jen FitzGerald