Time Out for Women Comes Full Circle

Early in November I attended the Phoenix "Time Out for Women" hosted by Deseret Book. I was also there on assignment and wrote an article about it for the Deseret News, which AP (Associated Press) picked up and from there KTAR (a local Phoenix station) picked it up and posted it on their website because it was a local event. Pretty cool!!!

Here are the links to my article: Time Out for Women comes full circle ending its 2012 tour in Phoenix where it began 10 years-ago ~ Deseret News, posted Tuesday, Nov. 6th and also in their print edition of the paper on Thursday, Nov 8th, 2012, Section C, Page 5 

And here is KTAR's website link to my article ~ I had a blast!! Fun assignment. Here are some of the pics - there are 11 photos on the Deseret News site, mostly of presenters (and I'm in a few).

    Friday evening Heidi Swinton spoke on "Seeking the Savior." 
     She is an author and screenwriter whose works include the PBS
  documentaries "American Prophet," "Sacred Stone," 
"Sweetwater Rescue,"Trail of Hope" and "America’s Choir." 
          She wrote President Thomas S. Monson's biography, "To the Rescue."

Chris Williams spoke on the power of
forgiveness. He is the author of  "Let it Go." 

While I was there I reconnected with friends I had not seen in awhile. In this case, Linda de Azevedo is someone I had not seen since I left my home ward, Studio City Ward, Burbank Stake (now the North Hollywood California Stake), to go to BYU. She is from Salt Lake City and came to watch her daughter, Julie de Azevedo Hanks, give one of the presentations.

         It's always fun to run into people you 
         know at Time Out for Women - 
         here are two ward member friends, 
         Kelly Merrill and Heather Roche

They brought all of the presenters out on stage the first evening to give a little "blurb" about what they would be speaking and/or singing about. 
        
               (Didn't get a very good pic of it).

Anthony Sweat. Sweat is an author and Church Educational System presenter/educator.

It was a lot of fun and even this ol' brain that's been around for quite awhile got some great ideas to help improve my life. Next year - let's all go... who has a BUS????

Na Na November!!

So, November is busy month for writers who want to make themselves a little crazy!!

It's "National Novel Writing Month"~ NaNoWriMo ~ the goal is to write a 50,000 word novel in 30 days, by the end of November. The RULE here is that you have to be working on a totally NEW novel.

So, for those of you who want the challenge of a monthly goal but want to continue writing your WIP (work-in-progress), you can do so with ANWAWrite. Although it is sponsored by American Night Writers Association (which I have been a member of for 23 years), you do not have to be a member to do ANWAWrite - they have a "BIAM" (Book in a Month) goal each November. The rules are more lax: you can work on something you have already started and set your own word count goal. However, you CANNOT EDIT that work during the month. If this one interests you - it is done by email - anyone can join in - no fees or memberships required. Just sign up at: ANWA Write Yahoo Group ~ Report as often as you can, cheer the others on, and write!

There is also a National YOUNG writers program National Novel Writing Month site: YWP NaNoWriMo ~ complete with prompts and helps

Then, there is "National Blog Posting Month" ~ NaBloPoMo ~ the goal is to post something on your blog every day during November (I'm thinking this might work for me - even though I am writing this on Nov. 2 and PLAN TO POST IT AS NOV 1st - so, not REALLY cheating, just a slow starter... hee hee ~ but the one time I managed to post EVERY day on my blog was in April of this year when I hosted a Poem a Day challenge for "National Poetry Month"). So, we'll see how I do.

"Picture Book Idea Month" ~ PiBoIdMo ~ the challenge here is to create 30 picture book ideas in 30 days during November.

Not to be outdone, the National Association of Memoir Writers uses the month of November for their "Memoir Writing" month; celebrating "National Life Writing Month" and "Write Nonfiction" to parallel the National Novel Writing Month  ~ here is the link to their website: National Association of Memoir Writers

There are plenty of people and groups doing a "Gratitude Month" where you journal about and/or post on your social media site or blog, something that you are grateful for each day in November. This one seems like a no-brainer for the month we celebrate Thanksgiving.

November 1st is always "National Authors' Day" and "National Family Literacy Day" - both worthy days. 

So, whether you feature yourself as a writer or not, everyone has a story to tell. Find a way to use this outside motivation and give it a shot!! You might wind up on the best seller list. Who knows?

Enjoy!! And .... WRITE WRITE WRITE!!

April is NATIONAL POETRY MONTH!! 30 Poems in 30 Days

So, APRIL IS NATIONAL POETRY MONTH!! And there are 30 days in April and I invite you to try writing a poem a day -- (or just a thought, a blog, whatever) - but there are SO MANY KINDS OF POETRY out there, that not only could you give it a try, you could actually write a DIFFERENT style of poem each day. I did this with my creative writing students last year and it was a blast! It was amazing to see what they came up with. (I'm doing it on our closed writers group online but I thought if I also did it here, others might want to join in).

I thought it might be fun to post the poem I come up each day here on my blog - you are welcome to do the same in the comments (or fire up your own blog)! Everyone should remember common courtesy - if someone writes something/anything - THEY ALSO OWN THE COPYRIGHT TO IT THE MOMENT THEY WRITE IT - so don't go using something you read here that someone else has written unless you give them proper recognition (and better yet, seek their permission to use it). Always include the name of the author of any story, poem, blog post or anything that you share. Thanks. [Drives me crazy when I read something wonderful that is flying through everyone's email and no one bothered to include the author's name]. :) 

Ok, so, if you want to join me - I think I'll post a different style with an example of it each day. Then, I'll make up my own poem and post it. 

Feel free to share your creations. You might really surprise yourself!!

Here is a link that you can use on your own for ideas and inspiration:
poets.org - info on National Poetry Month & more

So, this will be fun!!! WHO'S IN????

DAY 1 ~ Let’s write a couplet:

A couplet is a two-lined verse. Both lines rhyme and usually have a rhythm to them.
Try expressing your complete thought in two mid-sized poetic lines. The last words should rhyme. It can be spiritual or silly – couplets are great to write for children or with children.


It is possible to string a bunch of couplets together to create a longer poem, but for our first day – just try one 2-line couplet.

Here’s an example from "Nature's Shows," found in Tickle Day: Poems from Father Goose by Charles Ghigna

Nature puts on little shows
Every time it rains or snows.
                            © 1994 by Charles Ghigna

Anyway, here are my two offerings, for what their worth (one is simple; the other is silly).

~~~~~~~ I was thinking about the Lord's tender mercies and came up with this:

I know the Lord is mindful of me,
And it makes me happy as can be.
                             © 2011 by Stephanie Abney

~~~~~~~ then, in a moment of frustration, I thought a little on "getting one's nose out of joint" and came up with this:

Writing this little assignment
Puts my nose out of alignment.
                               © 2011 by Stephanie Abney

Did you think of a couplet? Just look around and think on an object, or an emotion and give it a shot!!

Enjoy!!

Why Do I Do What I Do When I Know What I Know??

Yesterday our class went on a marvelous field trip to the Halle Heart Center Children's Museum in Tempe, AZ. It was truly excellent. For two hours we went from station to station and learned all kinds of things (most I already knew, of course... but I learned a few new things myself). The students learned all kinds of new things. For instance, did you know that a Blue Whale's heart is the size of a VW Bug and that it weighs up to 2,000 pounds?!?

Then there was the visit to the "supermarket" where shopping carts held pretend food boxes, etc. and the kids had to read the labels to choose a good meal... and then the "fast food" stop where we sat at tables (WITHOUT anything to eat) and the guide showed us these disgusting little vials of fat for each of the fast food items. Yummy... ick!

And so went the day. I couldn't help but think I need to do better. Calling myself "fluffy" may get a chuckle or two, but it doesn't add to my lifespan or my energy.

Even so, I was thinking the whole time how good a Hershey's bar would taste about then... go figure.

The Pioneer in You

Bet you can guess what my topic is today. Actually, there is something inherently wrong in my mind to write about anything else on Pioneer Day. I’m a life-long member of the church and come from what is fondly referred to as “pioneer stock.” All eight of my great-grandparents walked across the plains to get to the Salt Lake Valley. Most of them did so in their youth so my great-great grandparents also crossed the plains with them. Even my grandfather walked across as a child. (He was an older gentleman when he married my grandmother, both of them widowed and then they had 3 more children, including my mother, in case you were wondering how I could possibly have a grandfather that was a pioneer). In fact, I remember being told the story of when he was sick and his mother told him to get into the wagon and he refused. He said he wanted to be able to tell his children and grandchildren that he walked every step of the way. Three of my great-grandparents (and the grandfather mentioned above) were born in Europe so you can add that long sea-voyage into the mix as well. It is thrilling and amazing how the love of the gospel and a desire to conquer new territory can sustain someone through the most difficult of experiences.

I’m actually half Danish and half English. My maternal grandfather was English and my maternal grandmother was Danish, while my fraternal grandfather was Danish and my fraternal grandmother was English; making each of my parents “half and half” and when you add up all the fourths (one from each grandparent), my sister and I still come out “half and half.” Sounds kind of like cream. Well, that’s a good analogy because cream rises to the top!

The human spirit fascinates me and I marvel at what drives people to accomplish such remarkable tasks. Today marks the anniversary of the arrival of a weary group of Mormon pioneers led by Brigham Young into the Salt Lake Valley in 1847. President Young told the saints that it was enough, saying, “This is the place.” For 20 more years another 70,000 Mormons traveled by wagons and handcarts to the Valley of the Great Salt Lake. After the completion of the transcontinental railroad in 1869, overland wagon travel declined and emigrants began arriving by rail. In the end, it didn’t matter how they came, only that they arrived.

Thus it is with each of us. It doesn’t matter what struggles we have to face to get where we are going; it only matters that we get there. The obstacles along the way shape us; they reveal our true character and prepare us for eternal life with our Heavenly Father and our loved ones. By its very definition every one of us is a pioneer: to be the first to prepare the way, to take part in the beginning of something, to initiate, to lead the way… so, to this I say, “Go forth and be bold!” Happy Pioneer Day, all you wonderful pioneers!!

Being the research queen that I am, I’ll leave you a couple of great links to help you celebrate:

Special treat ~ Pioneer Coloring Book: The Prayer Quilt ~ here is a pdf file of a coloring book about the pioneers that you can download and print off for any little ones in your family:
http://lds.about.com/od/visualmusicalaids/a/pionneer_book.htm

Excellent site for tracing your Mormon Pioneer ancestry from Europe, Scandinavia, Australia, and South Africa to Salt Lake City, Utah: http://www.xmission.com/~nelsonb/pioneer.htm

Mormon Tabernacle Choir singing “Come, Come Ye Saints”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t_9_uQiMmyQ