Prairie Writers of Southeast Kansas

  The Prairie Writers Group is a gathering of local writers that meet the third

Wednesday each month at 2pm. We share a brief article assignment on seasonal or inspired topics. This group originated from the writer of Little House on the Prairie, Laura Ingalls, and her historic prairie cabin exists about eleven miles southwest of our Library. The bottom of this page has a list of some of my articles, and most were Biblically related pieces. These were done specifically for the meeting assignments, but they also added some research to "Revealing Bible Mysteries."

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Hey! Do you remember the movies Back to the Future 1,2, & 3?

The flying cars, hover-boards, brain chips, food hydrators, and 3D images?

That was the year 2015! Are these things becoming real to you Yet?

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Prairie Writers Events

These random topics are assigned as exercises given at our monthly meetings to deliver at the next months gathering. We just write in the title decided each month and magically fill in the blank page. Even when we have a month to create the story, it still seem like a chore until we get started. The pages are not mandatory, they just give a perspective of different styles and approaches. There is no club to join: Listeners, gawkers, and pastries are welcome at these open meetings.

Some examples of our group activities

The Article to write for the September 2015 meeting is a story on:

Relocation or Dislocation.

The Article to write for the August 2015 meeting is a story on:

Do you ever think we should just stop doing this?

The Article to write for the May 2015 meeting is a story on:

Every Day in May a May Day.

The Article to write for the January 2015 meeting is a story on:

Speculative Stories - This involves using facts to change a historical event.

Much like a conspiracy theory or a what if - current or past.

Some of my sample stories from the monthly meetings

A Different Ending, The assignment was to make a different ending for the story of Joseph and Mary. This is the summary of the story derived from outline that is in "A Different Ending-2." This was updated 3-6-2014, for only the outline was posted on the website 2011 version.

A Different Ending-2, is a cryptic outline of Bible and historic statements that identify the date of the Messiah's birth, December 2011.

A Writer's Goal, outlines of some club members, with a brief insight on how they personally effect the focus of meetings, February 2012.

Spring Green, is a recognition of nature in the warming season, March 2012.

Unknowns and Never Knowing, examines our approach to finding the truth in the snares of deception, August 2012.

Not this Christmas - Responding to a flurry of public medias trying to promote some traditional fantasies, we decided to express a different viewpoint. December 2012

Prairie Writers Monthly - Another simple reflection of the personalities in one of our monthly meeting of the Prairie Writers group. June 2013

Treasure in the Keys - We were instructed to write a short story using four randomly assigned items. (railroad tracks) (velvet curtain) (hard sacrifice) (ships captain) This was supposed to force me to write fiction, but it came out to be true. July 2013

She Thinks She's My Cat - One of the men at the February meeting  (not me!) was in a crosstalk discussion, and made a remark that stilled the air. I caught part of it, and Cherilyn jumped in with; "That is our topic for the next month." We are to write a story on "She thinks that she is my girlfriend." Personally, I thought that this would be a suicidal topic if my "other friends" read it, no matter how it was labeled. So my article title got a minor topic modification to protect me from future back-peddling skirmishes. March 2014

The August 2014 topic is to use four words in  a story (Window, Desk, Tree, and Light). When I wrote a piece in a coffee shop, it had a different feel from my normal styles, and then someone sent me an email with a photo that kicked me into writing something else. So here are two entries for the August topics.

Ane Mae's Establishment was written first, then Gas Prices was inspired by another writer.

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A Variety of Reading

Spider Bite - A true story of a Brown Recluse bite on my leg in summer of 2016. This is just a reference for what to expect, or what the symptoms are of the event. There is no cure in the medical field, so you just have to manage. It was a powerful experience.

Panama & Mexico Beach Hurricane pdf Florida Hurricane of Oct 10, 2018

Text only Version 182k of the day before to 20-days after the devastation

Panama Hurricane-2 pdf Same file 5.3meg With Photos

Norfolk-K-9-Part-1of2.pdf - Handling & Training  Norfolk-K-9-Part-2of2.pdf - 12 Week Training Schedule. An adventure of study in Dog Training with Norfolk & Suffolk Virginia Police Department in the mid 1970's. My experience proved; it is harder to retrain Dog & Owner, after poor habits are developed, so start early.

Aesop-Fables.pdf – 620-560 BC, at Time of Daniel. Short Stories implying Wisdom of the Greeks

An astonishing part in reading these Fables was to find many phrases and quotes that are considered

great components of literature which originated in these simple scripts.

* Birds of a feather flock together * Once upon a time * One turn deserves another * bell the cat *

* Much ado about nothing * Do not count your chickens before they are hatched *

* Wolf in Sheep's Clothing * With all your might * remedy that is worse than the disease *

* enough to spoil the appetite * Every man for himself * as good as ever * buy this & I’ll throw that in

* Woe is me (from Bible)* master of his own fate * learn from the misfortunes of others * 

* Fair weather friends * Necessity is the mother of invention * It is easy to kick a man that is down *

* Look before you leap * A man is known by the company he keeps * Any excuse will serve a tyrant *

* a hot summer's day * No gratitude from the wicked * one bad turn deserves another *

* Appearances are deceptive * United we stand, divided we fall * Little by little does the trick *

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The Prairie Writers Page was created for the Writers Group of Independence, Kansas that normally meet in the library on the third Wednesday of each month at 2pm.

(email for possible changes)

There are also the Night Writers Group of Cherryvale, Kansas that normally meet in the Cherryvale library on the first Tuesday each month at 6pm.

We can have a different format for the topics if there is feedback to this site.

Suggestions will help in this process.

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A Photo walk through of the Astra Arts Festival

An Annual Literary Event in Independence, Kansas

July 6, 2014, at downtown Independence, Kansas

the local Self Published Authors were presented at

Celebrity Hall of Fame 212 N. Penn Avenue for sales, signing and discussions.

Click on the title to see a great collection of photos for that event.