Wisconsin Olympic Athlete Memoir Gwen Jorgensen

 

Gwen Jorgensen, USA’s First Gold Medal Triathlete

by Gwen Jorgensen, Elizabeth Jorgensen, Nancy Jorgensen

Young Reader Memoir, 175 pp

October, 2022, Meyer & Meyer Sport (UK) Ltd.

paperback, $16.95

Buy on Amazon

 This memoir of USA Olympic Triathlete from Wisconsin, Gwen Jorgensen, is a lovely book geared toward young readers, encouraging them to reach for their dreams. Gwen competed in triathlon in the 2012 Olympics in London and the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. The book is an account of her years of training, and overcoming challenges to become a professional athlete on her way to the world stage and a gold medal.

Gwen had big dreams of being an Olympian as a child, working hard to become a competitive swimmer. She learned about swim meets through school, and her parents supported swim lessons at a local high school. There she met friends who encouraged each other at practices and in competitions.

Eventually she earned a walk-on collegiate swimming spot at UW-Madison, added running to her repertoire, and then finally when learning about the triathlon, bicycling. She met her husband while training for triathlon events and competing in Europe, Mexico, Canada, Japan, and Australia. The book intertwines her preparations for Rio with elementary years, upper grades and college. Along the way she dealt with bone breaks and fractures and other lessons of difficult training situations, including heartbreaking setbacks and losses. Gwen shares what it was like to prepare for the triathlon in Rio, from packing for the journey with her husband, to what each moment of the journey, of being in Brazil, including recipes for healthy meals, such as her overnight oatmeal. 

A personal letter from Gwen which includes an invitation to engage with young readers who can post their goals on her social media pages sets the stage. Tips and lessons, such as how to learn swim strokes, self-advice about patience and dedication, personal essays, and excerpts from newsclips.

The book is nicely laid out and easy to read, embellished with art work, personal quotes, and numerous photos, giving it a scrapbook feel. The book also includes goal-setting advice and a worksheet. Gwen Jorgensen is a positive, encouraging read and would make a wonderful gift for the young reader in your life.

Debut novel for dystopian fans

 

Tiny Tin House

Futuristic Fantasy

Debut Novel

paper, $17.99

Hardcover, $34.99

ebook, $7.99

Buy on Barnes and Noble

Amazon

In the Christian States of America, a woman's place is with a man. No exceptions.

Although she's legally an adult, eighteen-year-old Meryn Flint must live at home until her stepfather, Ray, finds her a husband. That's the law.

But when Ray kills her mother and Meryn must flee for her own safety, she quickly discovers there's no safe place in the CSA for a woman on the run. Unless she's willing to marry her former boyfriend-a man who's already demonstrated his capacity for violence-she'll be forced to live on the street. And that's a dangerous option for a woman alone.

As time runs out, Meryn is offered a third path: build herself a tiny house, a safe place to call home. Even though it's a violation of her Family Duty as well as every moral law on the books, Meryn seizes the chance.

But even a tiny tin house might not be enough to save her . . .

______

Author, L Maristatter,has published poetry in Songbirds Southwest and fiction in The Saturday Evening Post.

Crossing the Pressure Line by Laura Anne Bird

 

Crossing the Pressure Line

Laura Anne Bird

Middle grade fiction, 243 pages

Orange Hat Publishing, March 1, 2022

$14.95 paper

$6.99 ebook

Buy on Amazon 

Barnes and Noble 

Kobo 

About the Book:

Twelve-year-old Clare Burch has just lost the person she loves most in the world. She wonders if her feelings of sorrow and self-blame over her grandfather’s death will ever go away.

Out of the blue, a special request sends Clare on a journey from her home in Chicago to the Northwoods of Wisconsin. She knows that she must honor Grandpa Anthony’s last wishes, even though they completely upend her summertime plans.  

Clare heads to rural Alwyn with her little blind dog and a duffel bag full of worries. What will she do without her best friends and swim team? Who will take her fishing and spoil her with candy now that her grandfather is gone? And most important, is she strong enough to let him go, forever?

During her summer up north, Clare stumbles upon the answers to her many questions. Even more, as she makes peace with why she couldn’t save Grandpa Anthony, she ends up rescuing someone else from danger.

Above all, Clare learns to listen to the courageous voice inside—and discovers just how tough she really is. 

My Review

Twelve, going on thirteen-year-old Clare is part of Grandpa Anthony’s last pet project—getting his girls to just get along better. Grandpa’s will has two surprising directives, neither of which sounds like any fun, especially not when both Mom and Grandma can’t even agree on what to pack for a summer exiled up north at Grandpa’s favorite place in the world.

“No friends, no swim team, no you, and a mom and grandmother who are experts at arguing.”

But a little voice inside of her says, “Just make it work, Clare Burch.”

It’s a summer of revelation as Clare makes goals, and works to achieve them. She keeps up with her friends at home, makes new friends who have surprising international backgrounds but aren’t really much different, keeps in shape by swimming in the lake, tries to reel in that elusive musky, and learns to drive. But when Grandma Lulu makes a devastating decision, it’s just one more hurdle to try to handle.

Revelations come in many forms; revelations of self-acceptance at any age or stage of life as Clare works to overcome survivor’s guilt and learn empathy, her mother works to accept her talents, and Grandma to accept her new life without her husband. The Burch family makes their mark in the late Grandpa Anthony’s hometown, but for how long? Anything can happen above the pressure line—where the air is more breathable and the stress of problems seem easier to resolve.

Middle grade, pre-teen girls will find much to enjoy about Clare’s eye-opening summer, where she learns to look past outside and recognize grief plays out in many forms. Just a note: keeping certain endangered or predatory bird feathers is illegal in Wisconsin, but if you want to know more about that, you’ll just have to read the book.

About the Author:

A Milwaukee native, Laura Anne Bird graduated from the University of Notre Dame with a degree in English. She lives in Madison with her husband, three teenagers, and little dog. When she’s not reading, writing, or reviewing books, she loves to exercise and explore the outdoors. Crossing the Pressure Line is her first novel. You can find her on Instagram @laura_at_the_library. www.laurabirdbooks.com

Short quirky tales from Wendy Wimmer

 

Entry Level
Wendy Wimmer
Short story collection
Autumn House Press, August 24, 2022
190 pp
$12.49 ebook
$17.95 paper

Buy on Amazon 
Barnes and Noble 

About the Book
Tales of characters trying to find their way through the struggles of underemployment.

Wendy Wimmer’s debut short story collection, Entry Level, contains a range of characters who are trying to find, assert, or salvage their identities. These fifteen stories center around the experience of being underemployed—whether by circumstance, class, gender, race, or other prevailing factors—and the toll this takes on an individual. Wimmer pushes the boundaries of reality, creating stories that are funny, fantastic, and at times terrifying. Her characters undergo feats of endurance, heartbreak, and loneliness, all while trying to succeed in a world that so often undervalues them. From a young marine biologist suffering from imposter syndrome and a haunting to a bingo caller facing another brutal snowstorm and a creature that may or not be an angel, Wimmer’s characters are all confronting an oppressive universe that seemingly operates against them or is, at best, indifferent to them. These stories reflect on the difficulties of modern-day survival and remind us that piecing together a life demands both hope and resilience.

Entry Level was selected by Deesha Philyaw as the winner of the 2021 Autumn House Fiction Prize.

My Review

Many of these quirky and poignant tales were published in other venues before being collected into one powerful volume. How do we push ourselves out of a rut, out of our circumstances, out of our dreams and into reality…for that matter, what is reality? Wimmer works magic with language and character, posing thought-provoking what-ifs: what if we could get a do-over by going back in time? What if there was a magic pill that took control of the consequences of our choices? My favorite explores the origination of dreams in “Where She Went.”

The stories are told from different personas with different needs and wishes, different perspectives, but all wanting something elusive, and maybe unattainable. Wimmer easily into different genres, ages, life circumstances, telling ghost stories from a scientist’s point of view, life as a conjoined twin, a little girl, a bereaved widower. Each of the fifteen stories will speak to someone.

About the Author 

Wendy Wimmer is a writer living in Wisconsin. Her work has been published in Barrelhouse, Waxwing, Paper Darts, Believer, ANMLY, Per Contra, Blackbird, and others. She holds a PhD in English Literature with a Creative Dissertation from the University of Nevada at Las Vegas, and a Master of Arts in English Creative Writing from the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee.

new story of Black culture in history

 

Enslaved, Indentured, Free: Five Black Women on the Upper Mississippi, 1800-1850

Mary Elise Antoine

US History

Wisconsin Historical Society Press

October 5, 2022, 240 pp,

Ebook $11.99; paper $24.95

Buy on Wisconsin Historical Society 

Barnes and Noble 

About the Book

The Northwest Ordinance of 1787 made slavery illegal in the territory that would later become Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, Wisconsin, and part of Minnesota. However, many Black individuals’ rights were denied by white enslavers who continued to hold them captive in the territory well into the nineteenth century. Enslaved, Indentured, Free shines a light on five extraordinary Black women—Marianne, Mariah, Patsey, Rachel, and Courtney—whose lives intersected in Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin, during these seminal years.

Focusing on these five women, Mary Elise Antoine explores the history of slavery in the Upper Mississippi River Valley, relying on legal documents, military records, court transcripts, and personal correspondence. Whether through perseverance, self-purchase, or freedom suits—including one suit that was used as precedent in Dred and Harriet Scott’s freedom suits years later—each of these women ultimately secured her freedom, thanks in part to the bonds they forged with one another.

My Review

Using public records available, Mary Elise Antoine weaves together a story of early settlement on the upper Mississippi, focused on Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin. Beginning with Marianne, a freeborn black woman who remained free, the author researched and shares about the lives of four other women whose lives touched.

Marianne was born in the country along the southern Mississippi in the mid eighteenth century, and married three times to French traders. Her second husband relocated to Prairie du Chien. She was a unique figure who owned land, farmed, bore thirteen children and practiced healing ways. The author notes that Prairie du Chien was already diverse with mixed cultures. “In the early nineteenth century, race did not automatically exclude people of color from various institutions on the prairie. However, when white American men brought people of African heritage with them to the prairie, they also brought racial inequality,” she writes.

The second subject, Mariah, was brought to Prairie du Chien in 1816, one of 200 enslaved, indentured, or hired working people brought to the area between 1816 and 1845, almost all by members of the US Army. Because slavery was illegal in Illinois Territory, Mariah’s owner changed the sixteen-year-old’s legal status to indentured. Mariah later married a young soldier, though was “rented” by her owner to others. When her owner left the area before her servitude was concluded, he forced her to pay the rest of her contract in order to claim her freedom. She and her husband divorced in 1839; she subsequently remarried and moved to a home on land owned by Marianne.

A third woman, Patsey, was brought to the area by the Indian agent in 1829. Again, the agent forced Patsey into indentured servitude to get around the law; the indentured work-around was apparently a common ruse, legally recorded wherever the family moved, as well as moving their slaves in an out of territory where slavery was illegal, or calling them variably servant or slave. Patsey had children who were also indentured.

Courtney was brought to Prairie du Chien as a servant for an army captain who was allowed to claim her as an expense to his account, asking a few dollars a month compensation, her clothing and one ration of food per day. He also provided a description: five foot-four, black skin, eyes and hair. This girl was eventually sold several times and moved to different locations in the area, even leaving her son in slavery to one family. She finally was moved to St. Louis.

Rachel had been purchased in St. Louis for a soldier with a young family stationed in Prairie du Chien. When no longer needed, she was returned to St. Louis and sold again, but this time Rachel took advantage of a Missouri law that allowed enslaved persons to sue for their freedom based on prior residence in a free territory. she filed suit in 1834 which was rejected for a word choice, being called a servant by the soldier. With the help of her attorney, she appealed. During the time, the attorney also filed a petition for Courtney, both of which were successful in 1836. Courtney and her son returned to Prairie du Chien where she married and went to live on land owned by Marianne.

The text is somewhat dry and filled with much speculation as well as factual information derived from public records as there are little or no personal records from these women. The diligent research was excellent. Events of the time were overlaid to provide some color. Laid out in seven chapters, five for the women portrayed and two others describing circumstances and life at the time, the book is a lively portrayal of life on the new frontier. Images of noted individuals, places, and records and notes accompanying the text provide a nice variation.

About the Author

Mary Elise Antoine is president of the Prairie du Chien Historical Society and former curator at Villa Louis. She is the author of the War of 1812 in Wisconsin and coeditor, with Lucy Eldersveld Murphy, of Frenchtown Chronicles of Prairie du Chien.

New tween fiction from Tim Fox

 

A Place to Grow, book 2 in the Place series

Tim Fox

Journeys Publications

Oct 5, 2022

Children’s fiction

$2.99 ebook

Buy on Amazon

About the Book 

Big Mama has a family of active cubs to raise, even as a new threat emerges. Twelve-year-old Tracy has places to explore, things to discover, and her first 5K race to run. Aunt Lynette, Mallory, and Jamie provide guidance, love, and support, helping Tracy to thrive. And Tracy's wonderful friend, Kitty, is there watching over them all. A Place to Grow picks up where A Place For You left off and will leave readers cheering for this uniquely blended family of humans and cats! A Place to Grow is joyful, appealing to cat lovers, and empowering for girls.

My Review

The second book in this series can be read as a standalone. This sweet story explores how a young girl is adapting to her new life in her great-aunt’s home. Aunt Lynette has a wonderful neighbor, artist Mallory, whose boyfriend, Jamie, is a game warden who also runs amateur races. Together, these four learn and grow with each other, along with a pet rescue kitten, and a local mountain lion mama raising her cubs. As the author says, this series blends a wonderful group of people and critters into a unique blended family. Set in lovely Wisconsin, Tracy is determined to learn more about her environment with Jamie’s help and encouragement, training and running in race events with the support of everyone, developing observational, gardening, and artistic skills with Mallory, and a love of cooking and sense of kindness and responsibility from Aunt Lynette.

There’s a bear involved, too, but you’ll want to read about that for yourself.

Recommended for the tween set girl, though any reader would enjoy this series.

About the Author

Tim Fox is a Wisconsin writer who loves hiking in Wisconsin's state parks and natural areas. He has been a teacher and coach and now does personal fitness training.

His author website is timfoxauthor.com.

New from Barbara M Britton

 

Christmas at Whispering Creek (Christmas Holiday Extravaganza) 

Barbara M Britton

White Rose Publishing

October, 2022

$5.99 ebook

$15.99 print

264 pp

Buy on Barnes and Noble

Amazon 

Publisher

Bookshop

About the Book

All Samantha Williams wants to do is to use her teaching degree to instruct a classroom of second graders. But, after a breast cancer diagnosis at the age of twenty-three, and failed reconstruction surgery, Sam finds herself without a job and temporarily living with her parents. This isn’t the life Sam expected. When a family friend dies and leaves Sam a house and land in Whispering Creek, Tennessee, Sam must decide if leaving Wisconsin for Southern living is in her lesson plans.

Nashville native, Cole Donoven, left his family’s electrical business to write country music. When Cole’s song-writing partner and girlfriend dumps him for a country music star, Cole abandons Nashville to hole up in Whispering Creek and compose one more song. The last thing Cole expects to find in the sleepy small town is a deceased friend, estate squabbles, and a Northern beauty. Will the chaos in Whispering Creek help create a bestselling song for Cole and possibly help him find a life-long collaborator?

My Review

Echoing an achy country song, Britton’s latest contemporary inspirational holiday romance is a sweet twang of a hurting-and-healing stoked ballad set in rural Tennessee. When a down-and-out too-young cancer survivor is crushed by the loss of her beloved teaching job, and gets two more jolts in one day with the creepingly suspicious loss of her boyfriend and news of the death of Ted, a beloved influential friend, Samantha heads out for an adventure to learn the details of her inheritance. To her surprise, it comes with a house, cranky neighbors, and another handsome, hurting stray friend of Ted’s, the ultra-handsome and helpful songwriter Cole. Cole happens to be recovering from an unceremonious dumping of his glamorous partner, and appears at Ted’s country home to finish a contractual obligation for one last song. It’s chaos when he happens upon a furious contender for Ted’s estate, a beautiful damsel, and a tornado, all of which work to remind him that he’s never been the one in charge of his fate—God is, and he’d better re-learn that trust and faith practice.

Filled with lots of natural angst, a steady measure of faith, and delicious sweet romance, fans of Britton and clean romance will enjoy this loving holiday story. I received an advanced copy. The review is my own.

About the Author

Barbara M. Britton lives in Wisconsin and loves the snow—when it accumulates under three inches. Barb writes romantic adventures from Ancient Israel to Modern Day USA and especially enjoys bringing little-known Bible characters to light. She has a nutrition degree from Baylor University but loves to dip healthy strawberries in chocolate. Barb is a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, Romance Writers of America and American Christian Fiction Writers. You can visit Barb online at www. barbarambritton.com or follow her on Facebook and Twitter.

WHS Presentation on Oct 13

 Image courtesy of the Badger History Group (BHG.2006.007.0001)

The Badger History Group (BHG) invites you to the second lecture of the 2022-2023 season, BAAP Rocket Propellant Production, to be presented by Frank Wolf on Thursday, October 13 at 7pm.

Frank will describe how rocket propellant grains were manufactured at the Badger Army Ammunition Plant, using pictures and descriptions of the many buildings, equipment, control systems, personnel, and safety requirements. And a few stories. As a 56-year veteran of the energetic material industry, including 31 years at the Badger Plant as a chemical engineer and Chief Modernization Engineer, Frank is a font of knowledge on the production processes of the Plant. He also serves on the BHG Board and is a local historian of nearby Mazomanie.

This will be a hybrid event, via Zoom and in-person at the Museum of Badger Army Ammunition. In the Museum, masks are optional. Seating is limited for museum and zoom so registration is recommended. Zoom link information is below. To register, please call the museum at 608-448-0244 and specify for museum or zoom, your name, and number in your group.

To Zoom in

Topic: BAAP Rocket Propellant Production with Frank Wolf

Time: Oct 13, 2022 07:00 PM Central Time (US and Canada)

Join Zoom Meeting

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84468089544?pwd=d3VGY3l6UzZhbUFYM1dTTmo3YnpaZz09

Meeting ID: 844 6808 9544
Passcode: 585844
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​Heather S. Sonntag, PhD, MLIS
(she/her/hers)
Assistant Archivist of Visual Materials
Division of Library, Archives, and Museum Collections

Wisconsin Historical Society
Collecting, Preserving and Sharing Stories Since 1846

Wisconsin Women Leaders Conference June 6

 

Wisconsin Women Leaders Schedule

A. THE YEARLY KICKOFF MEETING (speakers below) will be a little longer than the rest of the monthly web meetings to pack in multiple speakers and again will also be recorded for viewing at your convenience.

Date: 6/6/2022 at 9 am until 2:30 pm (also recorded for watching later). Speakers/agenda:

9:00 am - Arrival, Check-in, Welcome.

9:20 am - Opening Introduction.
by Marianne Huskey, Chief Operations Officer: Valley Building Systems, Emcee, Milwaukee Women Leaders.

9:30 am - Keynote: Finding Your Purpose.
by Nicki Vo, Director at Rustoleum.

10:00 am - Keynote: Silencing Self Doubt and Overcoming Impostor Syndrome.
by Brooke Van Asten, Director at Acuity.

10:30 am - Break.

10:45 am - Panel: Achieving Optimal Work/Life Balance.
by Laura Scherer, Director at GE Healthcare (Milwaukee), Susan Hjelsand, Director at National Kidney Foundation (Milwaukee), Patricia Smigla, Vice President at U.S. Bnk (Milwaukee), Addie Gerritts, Vice President at Continuus Technologies, and Sitara Unni, Senior Director at GE Healthcare.

11:30am – Keynote – Emotional Intelligence
By Melissa Henning, Senior Talent Management at Rev Group

12:00 pm - Lunch.

1:00 pm - Keynote: Driving Culture and Strategy.
by Amy Schubert, Vice President at BMO Welth Management.

1:30 pm - Keynote: Leadership in a Male Dominated Workplace.
by Marianne Huskey, Chief Operations Officer at Valley Building Systems.

2:15 pm - Closing remarks.
by Marianne Huskey, Chief Operations Officer: Valley Building Systems, Emcee, Milwaukee Women Leaders.

2:30 pm - Event closure.



B. FUTURE MONTHLY WEB DATES.
Please mark these future monthly web dates from 2-3 pm for an hour each (again all recorded for you to watch at your convenience as well):

- 6/6/2022. Jul.11, Aug.8, Sep.12, Oct.10, Nov.14, Dec.12, 2022.
2023: Jan 9, Feb 13, Mar 13, Apr 10, May 8, June 12, July 10, Aug 7, Sep 11, Oct 9, Nov 13, Dec 11.
(featuring top women leaders from Southwest Airlines, Symantec, Vanderbilt, Cox, Microsoft, and many more).

C. ONLINE RESOURCES.
You will find past meetings recorded (also completion certificates if you track your development hours), upcoming dates, key articles, book summaries, mentoring resources and more by logging in and your registration includes a full year's access.

Write Now literary tour and giveaway with Chanelle Coleman

 

 

Write Now Literary is pleased to be organizing a one-month book tour and book giveaway for Naked & Not Ashamed: The Transformational Devotional Experience by Chanelle Coleman. The book tour will run May 2- 27, 2022. 

ISBN: 979-8985407600

Genre: Spiritual

 

   

Chanelle Coleman Wesley is a native of Milwaukee Wisconsin. She is the creative powerhouse of CeCi’s Ink, an innovative storytelling company that conveys stories through poetry, books, playwrights, blogs, fashion, and motivational speaking. Chanelle is significantly inspired by her late mother’s, Brenda J. Coleman, penchant for prolific storytelling and developing a strong sense of faith. As a survivor of abuse, Wesley believes in passing on the communication skills she developed to cope in those environments. She is also an accomplished playwright with her latest project, a gospel stage play entitled The Beautiful Truth About an Ugly Lie to be released soon. She strives to empower individuals who have lost their ability to advocate for themselves by challenging them to recognize the power of their voice. Her greatest accomplishment, however, forever remains becoming a mother to her six beautiful children and “GiGi” to her two adorable grandchildren.

Naked & Not Ashamed is a transparent conversation between Sisters. One that allows both the writer and reader to expose themselves without fear or sense of condemnation. It’s a journey towards healing that allows us to dialogue without masks, charades, or pretense. We explore familiar stories of women in the Bible. These powerful narratives of trial, triumph, failures, and flaws show the resiliency, redemptive and transformative power of encountering Christ. I also reveal personal experiences of my own Christian walk with all its ups, downs, twists, and turns. But the most amazing part of these chronicles is you! Right now, you are writing your story. Are you living with pain, grief, and regret that needs to be released? This book is designed to help you see your own undeniably powerful narrative. I want to challenge you to see the hand of God in your life and urge you to find the ability to tell your story. We accomplish this through journal prompts, activities, prayer, etc.

Tony instantly began screaming and yelling. I continued to bite down harder. I continued biting and grinding my teeth until I couldn’t bite anymore. I let go. He fell back onto the bed. I jumped up out of the bed, my heart was pounding, terrified I opened the door, and I was met with darkness. Hurriedly I ran out past the dining room, through the hallway to the kitchen. Panicked, I reached the back door. I began pulling on the door, but it was locked. Fear seized me as I began fumbling with the knob trying to unlock the door. The latch finally twisted up and I raced up the back-hallway stairs. At last, there was light. I ran as fast as I could through the open kitchen door. The light continued to welcome me as I forged ahead running through the hallway past the bathroom and my aunt’s and grandparent’s bedrooms, the dining-room and into the living room to the couch where my grandmother was sitting. I distinctly remember her shocked expression as I pounded towards her as she sat there speechless, on the couch holding my baby brother. I felt relieved and a sense of security momentarily came over me until my grandmother spoke. She stared at me, with her mouth opened in shock. She screamed, “Chanelle, you’re naked! Where are your clothes?” Momentarily, I had forgotten that I was naked, but the awful realization of my nakedness began to cover me like a garment. It was the evidence of my pain, humiliation, and fear. I stood there breathlessly as I gasped, painting for air, naked and ashamed, I told her my story. 

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10 E-books and One paperback

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Tour organized by Write Now Literary Book Tours

 

Seeking Truth with Elgin Husbeck

 

Seeking Truth: How to move from partisan bickering to building consensus

Elgin L. Hushbeck, Jr.

Inspirational, Epistemology, 292 pp

April 26, 2022, Energion Publications, Gonzalez, FL

ebook $8.99

Print paper $24.99

Buy on Barnes and Noble

Buy on Amazon

About the Book:

We live in a world that is not governed by Truth. Disagreements surround us. Recent Presidential elections are hotly contested and won by the narrowest of margins. Charges of misinformation, fake news, and bias abound. Everyone claims they are correct; they have the Truth.

Seeking Truth looks at both the philosophical and practical issues of Truth to understand how we come to know what we know and why we disagree so much. More importantly, it lays out how we can disagree in ways that avoid division and polarization and instead move to build a consensus on the Truth.

Seeking Truth addresses things like how to think about what you believe, how to handle disagreement and errors positively, how do you know if you are open-minded, and how to make better decisions.

Seeking Truth uses a lot of examples to make this case. To avoid current disputes, most are drawn from history, as people in various times and settings sought to understand how nature works, what happened in a particular event, or what is the best way to proceed or govern ourselves. Science, history, politics, business, all of these areas involve Truth in one way or another.

Get Seeking Truth to become a better thinker, a more critical thinker, and one who moves closer to the Truth.

My Review:

Using examples from our past in science and philosophy, politics, and communication, Hushbeck sets out to show us a more perfect way to disagree while not having to be of the same mind in his compelling book, Seeking Truth. It’s a big topic and timely as the world has become more polarized in action and reaction. Hushbeck’s approach to guiding readers on this journey out of the pit of partisanship is a thoughtful, pedagogical study of applying critical thinking to distill “absolute, objective truth.”

The book is not terribly long but well detailed and covers considerable ground from the antiquities to recent US polls of opinion. The book is divided into three main parts with digestible chunks: one – a study of history to set the table for establishing truth; two – how disagreement and error shape society and understanding; and three – a reasonable guideline for purposeful discussion. It’s not an easy read, but honest and forthright and best of all, sensible and objective.

I appreciate the examples from science and history about how theories of elements, disease, and energy have evolved as the methods of testing improved; how the Lincoln-Douglass debates of the mid-nineteenth century US show that complexities of context shape public opinion, echoing down through the generations.

Moving beyond bickering can only happen when people are willing. “Reason does not work on those who embrace irrationality,” Hushbeck points out. “For some, truth is just a power structure, a tool for oppressors to use on the oppressed.”

Offering plenty of advice for defining and refining disagreements and errors and avoiding repression and censorship, Seeking Truth is not an answer, but a process. Reaching a common goal is a commitment, a constant testing of theory and practice, and keeping communication open. “Hopefully, if a side consistently loses because of bad arguments, they will seek to develop better ones. As a result, the level of discussion will improve.”

We are fallible, Hushbeck concludes, but learning better arguments “can only improve the process of seeking and bringing us all closer to the truth.”

 Recommended for readers interested in learning more about applying and practicing critical thinking.

 

About the Author:

Elgin L. Hushbeck Jr. has been many things over his life, author, hardware engineer, software developer, manager, small business owner, educator, lecturer, and family man. He wears many hats, but there is a common thread throughout. Mr. Hushbeck has been an Evangelical Christian for over 40 years.

Mr. Hushbeck's background includes academic studies in religion, history, and engineering, culminating with a Bachelor's Degree in Electrical Engineering, and Master's degrees in both Christian Apologetics and an MBA/Technology Management. As an engineer, he worked for several engineering and technology firms, including five years at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena. There he was part of a team developing a high accuracy GPS receiver. He was also part of the Voyager Flight Team for the encounter with the planet Neptune. His wife Hanna also has dual Master's degrees, one in Nursing with an emphasis in Informatics, and the other in Applied Computer Science. From 1999-2007 they owned their own company, which designed and developed databases and custom software applications for small businesses.

Mr. Hushbeck has taught at the University of Phoenix, and most recently for Rassmussen College. He has taught, among other things, classes in Information Technology, Computers Science, and Business. He also taught critical thinking both to students and to other faculty. http://www.hushbeck.com

New YA Adventure from Amy Laundrie

 

Stranded on Castaway Island

by Amy Laundrie

YA Adventure, 262 pp

HenschelHaus Books, April 2022

Electronic $8.95

Print $14.95

Buy

Publisher

Barnes and Noble

Amazon

 

About the Book
Ex-best friends Annie and Mirra are shipwrecked and must try to survive on a remote island near Nova Scotia inhabited only by wild horses—or that’s what the fourteen-year-old girls think at first. Then they discover warm embers and strange footprints.

About the Author
Amy Laundrie taught elementary school for over thirty years. She loved sharing her love of nature with her students and incubated chickens, quail, ducks, and geese with them in the spring. Her latest book, FOLLOW ME INTO THE WOODS, is a nature picture book and the first in a series. NOAH'S ARK PET CARE CLUB is a fun story about three kids who pet-sit. Amy’s also the author of WHINNY OF THE WILD HORSES, and the Kayla Montgomery mystery series for older readers. EYE OF TRUTH, THIRTY PIECES OF SILVER, DELIVER US FROM EVIL, LEAD US NOT INTO TEMPTATION, and WOLVES IN SHEEP'S CLOTHING include suspense, light romance, and horses. Visit her at www.laundrie.com.

 

For Immediate Release

April 6, 2022

 Creative Wisconsin magazine is back!

The storied magazine returns as an on-line periodical is open for submission.

In 2022 we will publish and email two editions, one on or about June 1, and the Wisconsin Writers Association Jade Ring contest winners and placers edition on or about September 1.

We invite writers who are members of any writing organization to submit. Please include a 2-sentence bio with each submission. Attach your Word doc or docx, or paste your submission in the body of your email. Please send material via email to submit@wiwrite.org before or by May 1, 2022 for publication in the June 1, 2022 edition. For the full guidelines, please see the website page. http://wiwrite.org/wwapress/creative-wisconsin-magazine

Creative Wisconsin is about and for you.

What we are looking for: Previously unpublished (posted once on a blog or your own website is not considered previously published):

·       Poetry (up to about 25 lines, please; ask about longer pieces)

·       Short fiction – up to 2,000 words

·       Book reviews – up to 500 words

·       Essays/Advice/How to/Filler anecdotes – up to 1,500 words

·       Interviews – up to 1,500 words

·       Artwork/photography (must be able to submit hi res work) Art to feature for the covers are most welcome.

·       News of your publication or contest wins or interviews or intriguing blogs

Submissions and questions to submit@wiwrite.org

If you don’t hear back, I probably didn’t receive your message, so send again. Acceptances and further instructions will be sent later.

Lisa Lickel, editor

Alternate email: lisalickel@yahoo.com

Wisconsin Writers Connect event April 14 2022

Wisconsin Writers Connect

Mid-State Technical College

Hear from Great Authors—Support Student Writers

Come out to hear Wisconsin authors read from their works during this special evening with renowned authors Matt Cashion and Jeff Snowbarger. We’ll also celebrate the winners of our student writing contest, Write on the Money.
Refreshments provided.

Date: Thursday, April 14, 2022
Start Time: 6:30 p.m.
Location: Stevens Point Campus – CER 635

Author Presentations – Matt Cashion and Jeff Snowbarger

Matt Cashion will read from his last novel, Our 13th Divorce, winner of the Edna Ferber Book Prize from the Council of Wisconsin Writers. Jeff Snowbarger will read from his work 

exploring American myth.

Student Awards

After reading, the writers will present the student winners of Mid-State's Write on the Money Contest with their awards. The student winners will also have the opportunity to read from their winning entries. Winners and finalists who have agreed to publication of their entries will be showcased in a digital magazine to be shared with the Mid-State student body and used in Mid-State writing classes.

Author Bios

Matt Cashion

Matt Cashion is a professor of creative writing at UW–La Crosse. The author of three books, his novel Our Thirteenth Divorce won the 2017 Edna Ferber Book Prize, and his story collection, Last Words of the Holy Ghost, won the 2015 Katherine Anne Porter Prize. Other work has appeared in The Sun, Willow Springs, Grist: A Journal for Writers, Carolina Quarterly, Cutleaf, Moon City Review, Passages North, storySouth, The Writer’s Chronicle, and elsewhere. Born in the North Carolina mountains and raised in coastal Georgia, he earned an MFA from the University of Oregon and has also worked as a journalist, bartender, piano mover, and third-shift convenience store clerk. Since 2006, he has enjoyed hiking, biking, skiing, snowshoeing, kayaking, and running through the beautiful Driftless region of western Wisconsin.

Jeff Snowbarger

Jeff Snowbarger was featured in Tin House as their New Voice in Fiction, and Best American Short Stories 2010 declared his story “Bitter Fruit” one of the year’s notable publications. He has recently published in Slate Magazine. He is a graduate of the Iowa Writers’ Workshop where he received the Truman Capote Fellowship and served as a distinguished Post-Grad Teaching Fellow. At UW–Stevens Point he teaches advanced fiction, intro to creative writing, and freshman and sophomore English.

Leading with Clarity Connection and Courage by Cindy Warner

 

Leading with Clarity, Connection and Courage: The Secret to Whole Leadership
 
Cindy Warner
Nonfiction, Education leadership
July, 2020
108 pp.
 
Ebook $9.99
Print $19.99
Buy from the author, Amazon
 
 
About the Book

Ignite your potential by using all of your intelligence! Whole leaders are not only more effective, they lead happier, healthier and more authentic lives. Executive coach and leadership expert Cindy Warner shares the science of our “three brains” and provides easy-to-use tools to increase productivity, optimize emotions and relationships, and take decisive action. With inspiring “Horse Wisdom” stories from her work in Equine Assisted Coaching, Warner shows how to combine business sense with the “heart intelligence” of empathy and intuition, and the courage of conviction and action that separates exceptional leaders from the good ones. Pragmatic and inspiring, with tools that build self-awareness and actionable development strategies, this book can ignite your authentic wisdom and intelligence to increase your leadership “horsepower” forever. It will improve not only how you lead, but how you live.

 
A brief interview with the author
Cindy, what do you love about this book? 
It is based on solid research, it is entertaining, and it provides information to help us lead more enriched, empowered, impactful lives.
 
Tell us about your motivation for writing it.
Leadership needs to engage our thought, emotion and action. Most people have a bias towards using one of these. The best leaders balance all three. This book gives practical ways to use all of our intelligence and abilities to lead with more authenticity and effectiveness. It is written for leaders, but anyone benefits from the knowledge and wisdom this book offers.
 
What do you hope readers will tell others about it?
The book inspired and empowered them to use more of their natural intelligence and gifts to be happier and more effective in everything they do. 
 
What's next for you?
I continue to bring more “Horse Wisdom” to leaders around the world. Perhaps a second book in the future! 
 
Anything else you'd like to share?
Check out my Horse Wisdom Blog, and my posts on Facebook and LinkedIn for up-to-the-minute ideas and inspiration!
 

About Cindy

Cindy Warner is the author of the best-selling book Leading with Clarity, Connection, and Courage: The Secret to Whole Leadership. She is a highly sought-after executive coach and leadership development expert who ignites leadership potential and helps leaders build more engaged, empowered, and nimble organizational cultures.

 

With over 25 years of experience bringing world-class leadership development programs, talent management processes, and organizational development results, Cindy has coached hundreds of leaders and teams across the globe in multiple organizations and industries, including Kimberly-Clark Corporation, Emerson Electric, Tectronic Industries, and more. She is an adjunct professor at Moraine Park Technical College and has been president and owner of Professional Executive Coaching, LLC for over 15 years.

 

Best known for her authentic and empowering style that ignites potential, optimizes individual strengths, and overcomes barriers with efficiency and fun, Cindy delivers results through focused, productive coaching and experiential learning, often partnering with horses to jump-start insight and learning agility. Clients report exceptional results in leading with higher authenticity, self-awareness and confidence.

 

Cindy has a Master of Science in Human Resources from Marquette University, and is a certified coach by the International Coaching Federation. Her expertise in leadership development and executive coaching was developed her entire professional career in human resources, supported by multiple credentials in leadership program design and facilitation, organizational development, and talent management. Cindy recently integrated her passion for horses into her work to continue bringing best practice learning and life-changing emotional intelligence to leaders around the globe.

 

WWA JADE RING CONTEST opens March 1

 

Contest opens on March 1, 2022 and closes on June 5, 2022

The Wisconsin Writers Association is pleased to announce our 73rd annual Jade Ring Writing Contest.  

Categories: 

• Fiction: Including short story, flash, novel excerpts, romance, mystery, humor, science fiction, fantasy, etc. Limit 2,000 words. 
• Nonfiction: Including article, essay, nostalgia, memoir, humor, self-help, etc. Limit 2,000 words. 
• Poetry: Including any style or theme. Up to three poems may be submitted per entry. No poems may be longer than a page. 
  
  

Eligibility: 

• Contest is open to anyone writing in English, age 18 or older. 
• Only original submissions which have not been published in print, digital, or online (including blogs or social media) will be considered. 
• Simultaneous submissions are allowed, applicants MUST email submit@wiwrite.org to withdraw your submission if it is accepted elsewhere. 
• Jade Ring Contest Administrators and Wisconsin Writers Association Board Members are not eligible to submit. 
• Jade Ring Contest Administrators reserve the right to close any category that does not meet the minimum level of submissions, in which case entry fees will be refunded. 
• Questions about eligibility, please contact submit@wiwrite.org. 
  
  

* Fist, second, third place winners in each category.  To learn more about Shake Rag Alley visit: shakeragalley.org

Submission Guidelines:*

• The Jade Ring Contest accepts online submissions and payments only. Mailed submissions will be discarded without being read. 
• One entry per category per person. 
• All entries must be formatted as double spaced (with the exception of poetry, which may be single spaced), 12 PT font, 1 inch margins, paginated, and in a common serif font such as Times New Roman. 
• Entries must be submitted as a Word document. PDF files and other file types such as Pages and Google Docs will not be accepted. 
• Entries must be text only. Please do not insert clip art, drawings, icons or any graphics within the document. 
• The Jade Ring Contest is judged blind. Author name should NOT appear on the submission, either on the manuscript or on the file name. 
• Title and Word Count must be placed at the top of the first page. 
• Please name your files as follows: Title +category (e.g.; TaleofTwoCities_fiction.doc) or Title+category+critique, if you are purchasing a paid critique option (e.g.; TaleofTwoCities_fiction_critique.doc). Please take care to ensure your file names are properly formatted. 

*Entries that fail to follow submission guidelines will be disqualified. 

Publication Rights:

• WWA reserves the right to publish winning entries on its website. First-place winners are expected to submit a brief biography and head shot for use in promotion of the Jade Ring Writing Contest.
  
• WWA reserves the right for Jade Ring Writing Contest administrators to copy edit winning entries prior to publication on its website, in the Creative Wisconsin Anthology, and other partner publications.
  

 Special note: Please add submit@wiwrite.org to your contact list to ensure timely emails that do not disappear into spam or junk folders.

Meet Our Judges 

David J Rank - Fiction 

Author, editor, and recovering journalist, David J. Rank has written hundreds of articles for newspapers, magazines, and online, with more than 35 short stories and flash fiction pieces published in regional magazines, online, and in anthologies. He is the founder and director of the nonprofit Novel-In-Progress Bookcamp & Writing Retreat. David is the past president of the Wisconsin Writers Association, and member of Chicago Writers Association, Off Campus Writers’ Workshop, HerStry Writing Community, Horror Writers Association, and Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers of America.

Bruce Dethlefsen - Poetry

Bruce Dethlefsen, Wisconsin Poet Laureate (2011-2012), has three full-length books of poetry published.  Bruce volunteers doing poetry workshops in Wisconsin prisons and lives in Westfield, Wisconsin.

Orange Hat Publishing Ten16 Press Editors - Nonfiction 

Sean Malone, Jenna Zerbel, Kaeley Dunteman