Hi folks,
      I hope you are all having a great summer! Small turnout for our writing group tonight...only me and a new lady named Jen.
     Reminder, story deadline July 10...any format, any topic , 1000 words or less! Let's give Dianne a lot to choose from!
      Have a great day! And keep writing!
                                            Kris

Pictures and Pens - Year 2

NOTICE!! I need writing entries of under 1,000 words by May 10, 2013. This is for the beginning of year 2 of "Pictures and Pens." I will also still need entries for the last picture of year one, which is posted in the library and will be on the library blog by the end of today.

The International Falls Public Library is rolling out year 2 of “Pictures and Pens.” Photographers and writers needed! “Pictures and Pens” is a monthly program that pairs photographs and stories. Each month, we are asking for writers to submit a short piece of writing, a poem, story, memoir or article of less than 1,000 words, a winner will be selected and then the next month we’ll ask local photographers to provide us with a photo to go with the writing and one winning photo will be selected.

Each month, beginning in May we want writers to submit an original piece of writing, under 1,000 words with your name and contact information on the back, along with a submission form granting us permission to use the writing (only one submission form needed). Submission deadline for writing is the tenth of each Month. One writing piece will be selected each month to receive a prize of $50. Writings not selected will be carried over to the following month. The winning author will be ineligible to win the next month, but can submit again after that. Winning author and writing will be announced on the first day of each month, beginning in June.

Each month, beginning in June we want photographers to view the winning writing and provide us with a photograph to illustrate the piece. Submit your photo by the last day of the month with your name and contact information on the back, along with a submission form granting us permission to use the photo (only one submission form needed). One photo will be selected to receive a prize of $50. The winning photographer will be ineligible to win the next month, but can submit after that.

The winning photos and stories will be posted on the library blog at http://ifallslibrary.blogspot.com, available for viewing in the library and at the end of a year, when we have twelve photo and story combinations we’ll put them together in a small book. The program is partially made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a grant from the Arrowhead Regional Arts Council thanks to a legislative appropriation from the Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund. For additional information or to submit photos or stories, please contact Diane Adams at the library, 218-283-8051, dadams@arrowhead.lib.mn.us

Submission forms are available on the library blog.

April Words

The group tries to create a writing prompt for the next month at each meeting to encourage us all to write each and every month. the favorite prompt continues to be a list of words that we try and work into a coherent piece. (At least we try to be coherent.)

So before the April 24th meeting at 6:30 pm, try and use the following words in a writing:

Basketball

Puppy

Dolphin

Colander

Spring

Tree

Blue

March Assignment

If you would like to attend the March 27, 2013 meeting in the library meeting room at 6:30 pm, we encourage you to tackle the month's writing assignment. This month we selected a group of words and ask that you write something using these words in the writing.

Snickerdoodle

Green

Eggplant

Basket

Airplane

Again, we don't care what you write, we just want to encourage you to write, whether story, essay, poem or shopping list.

Diane

February meeting

The writers' group met last night and Tony Jaksa was present and talked about his desire to see more information about safety and being safe out in the general public and not relegated to after the fact, after the accidents happen. He has been working with his young grandchildren to raise them up with a vocabulary to talk about being safe. With that fresh in our minds, we decided to make the February assignment be something about safety. Include some kind of message about safety in whatever you write about this month. Let's see how many different ways we can talk about being safe. Keep writing. And check out the library blog at ifalllibrary.blogspot.com for the newest pictures and pens photo to write about as well. Diane

January writing prompt

Okay all you writers in Koochiching County! Whatever form you write, whether poetry, novel, essay, memoir, short story or more, write about resolutions. Just put pen to paper, fingers to the keyboard and write! Diane

Oh Holy Night

　

It was Christmas Eve and we were preparing to have our annual

Christmas Eve candlelight service. This year would be extra special because

our small congregation actually had enough children to have a proper

Christmas pageant. Ben and Laura were both 5 years old and made a very cute Joseph and Mary. Since Mary was so young we thought it best to use a doll for Jesus.

The evening was working out to be perfect. Outside snow was gently falling, just enough to be pretty, but not dangerous for travel. The windows of the church glowed softly through the night . People began to arrive laughing and chatting, calling out Christmas greetings to one another.

Once inside everyone found there favorite pew and sat just enjoying the peaceful setting. The pews had been polished until they shone and you could smell lemon polish mingling with the scent of burning candles and fresh pine. Poinsettias decorated the alter where the crèche sat.

The Pastor stood up front and welcomed everyone. We sang a few carols and then The pastor began to read the Christmas story. Mary and Joseph, escorted by the Sunday school teacher began to make their way to the Crèche. Both had stubborn looks on their faces and had to be prodded along. Finally Mary sat holding Jesus. Everyone was quietly listening to the Christmas story, when Joseph leaned over and said something to Mary, nobody is quite sure what. Suddenly Mary jumped up, swung Jesus by his feet, hitting Joseph alongside the head. She then stormed off the alter and crawled under her Mom’s pew, and cried as though her heart was broken.

Poor Joseph sat sobbing loudly and holding his head. He could be heard saying over and over, “ I won’t ever play with girls again!”

The Pastor chuckled and said, “ Well I usually quote the Angel now and say Peace on Earth and good will to men!, and that’s especially needed tonight. May G-d bless you all as we celebrate this season of Peace and Love.”



       It’s been 20 years since that Pageant and today I was fortunate enough to witness Ben and Laura’s wedding. Their courtship was long and not without a few battles, and I hope they’re always as happy as they are

today! But I’ll always remember the first domestic battle they had!