NOVEMBER MEETING

WHEN:    November 11, 2023 (Business meeting is 10:00 a.m.; speaker begins at 10:30 a.m.)

        WHAT:    Speaker April Wilkerson

        WHERE: Pioneer Room Norman Central Library or via Zoom

April Wilkerson is a research writer at the OU Health Sciences Center and enjoys writing poetry in her spare time. She will speak about both types of writing and how each often informs the other. She believes poetry should be as accessible as research topics. She has self-published a poetry chapbook and occasionally reads at open-mic gatherings. She appreciates the quote, “When reading something is effortless, great effort has gone into the writing.

                                                                OCTOBER MEETING

WHEN:    October 14, 2023 (Business meeting is 10:00 a.m.; speaker begins at 10:30 a.m.)

        WHAT:    Speaker Michael Gibson

        WHERE: Pioneer Room Norman Central Library or via Zoom

Michael Gibson is a graduate of the Norman Public Schools, with two degrees from the University of Oklahoma (OU). In 1972, he graduated Phi Beta Kappa with a B.A. in History. He received his J.D. in Law at OU in 1975. 

In 2008, Gibson was appointed to his current position as a Federal Administrative Judge with the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission. He is the author of a non-fiction book titled Can We Stop the Radical Religious Right? and two World War II novels: The Broomcorn Field and Leaving Pontotoc County. He is writing a third novel, Aftermath, which is in the immediate post-World War period. All three novels feature Oklahoma settings.

 SEPTEMBER MEETING

WHEN: September 9, 2023 (Business meeting is 10:00 a.m.; speaker begins at 10:30 a.m.)

            WHAT: Bob Macfadzean will be the speaker.

           WHERE: Pioneer Room Norman Central Library or via Zoom

Bob Macfadzean's first writing endeavor was creating a Cub Scout newspaper, called “The Spirit of ’75.” He was the editor and got each den to contribute sections on their projects and activities. His mom typed the manuscript, and they mimeographed enough copies for everyone in his pack. When he was 14, he applied for a job as a copyboy at the Dallas Morning News. An editor wrote back saying he was a little young to work at the paper, but he wished him well. 

In Bob’s professional career, he became an aerospace engineer and worked at a Navy lab, where he led and wrote about many development efforts. Currently, he works for a contractor at Tinker, reviewing documents (software specs and test plans) for the B-1 bomber’s “black box.” It’s actually an orange box! On a lighter side, his piece entitled “Weekend Cowboy” was published in Rodeo News. His published book is Surface Based Air Defense Systems Analysis.

 SPEAKER MEETING: July 8, 2023

Business Meeting: 10 a.m.; Program: 10:30 a.m.

Pioneer Room, Norman Central Library

FEATURING: Sharon Edge Martin

      Sharon Edge Martin writes poetry, fiction, and non-fiction. She has been published in Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine, Family Circle, Oklahoma Today, Outside, True West, and Malpais Review.  Her work is included in Michael Bugeja’s The Art and Craft of Poetry and in two recent anthologies, Indian Paintbrush and Bull Buffalo edited by Ron Wallace, and Level Land, edited by Crag Hill and Todd Fuller. She is a regular contributor to The Oklahoma Observer.

      Sharon’s most recent books are a poetry collection, Not a Prodigal, which was a finalist for the Oklahoma Book Award, and a book of Observer essays, I’ve Got the Blues: Looking for Justice in a Red State. She hosts a monthly poetry reading at Tidewater Winery in Drumright.

June 10, 2023

Business Meeting: 10 a.m.; Program: 10:30 a.m.

Pioneer Room, Norman Central Library

David Wilson-Burns is an experienced, versatile writer, and software engineer who was recently published by Kentstead Media, but he has been an indie writer for many years. Although he leans heavily toward contemporary fiction, he has also written comedy, horror, satire, personal essays, mystery, spiritual guides, a software engineering blog, a travel blog, and is currently writing a romance novel. He will talk about time management.

His most recent work, A Whiff of Life and Death, reached #9 on the Oklahoma Bestseller list featured in The Oklahoman and The Tulsa World. His other published works are Bay City Runaway, A Novel; Whiff, A Novella; My Wife Says I’m Complicated; A Beatific Lent; Fictdoodles; Underground Tourist; and the Lamentations and Exultations, Poetry of a Manic-Depressive.

 May 13, 2023

Business Meeting: 10 a.m.; Program: 10:30 a.m.

Community Room, Norman East Library

3051 East Alameda

 

    Our May speaker will be Sammy (Erskine Husbands), who will talk about writing how-to articles. He is a physical educator, a martial arts instructor, and co-author of The Introduction to the Johnson Method of Barbados Stick Science, Vol. 1. He owns Way of Life Tai Chi and has done many workshops and seminars in his home country of Barbados and Trinidad, the islands of sand, sea, sun, and liquid snow. He also coached the first Tai-Chi athlete on the island.

Sammy grew up listening to stories about Bajan Sticklicking and watching kung fu movies. When he and his family moved to the West Coast, he joined the Barbados Wushu Federation and wrote a skit called “Setting a Goal,” which was performed at The National Independence Festivals of Creative Arts (NIFCA).

In 2017 Sammy returned to Barbados to teach martial arts and fitness. He enrolled in the local college’s Physical Education program, where he honed his writing skill to produce martial arts how-to books.

 NORMAN GALAXY OF WRITERS

April 8, 2023, 10 a.m.

Pioneer Room, Norman Central Library

SPEAKER: Shayla Raquel Hale 

A best-selling author and public speaker, Shayla teaches people the ins and outs of writing, publishing, and marketing their books. She has taught in-person and online classes all over Oklahoma and Texas, focusing on author branding, self-publishing, book marketing, and the craft of writing. She has helped a number of writers bring their manuscripts to fruition. Her website is a treasure trove of information for authors. The address is https://www.shaylaraquel.com.

Shayla's books include Pre-Publishing Checklist, The Suicide Tree, The 10 Commandments of Author Branding, and Al Things I Should Have Told You.