Thursday, June 30, 2016

comedy-writing opportunity

Comedy Quickies returns to bring the laughs — five minutes at a time

Comedy Quickies, the kickoff event to the 2016 Whistler Writers Festival, returns on Oct. 13, 2016 to showcase some of the best and brightest comedy writers from across the country.

Following its sold-out 2015 event, Comedy Quickies is looking for writers, armchair comedians and humourists of all stripes to submit their skit, stand-up routine, monologue, original song or poem. The only caveat is each act must come in at five minutes or less.

A panel of judges will select their favourite submissions to bring to life onstage at the beautiful Maury Young Arts Centre, with a chance to win hundreds of dollars worth of cash and prizes for Best Writing and the audience award for Best Act. All finalists will be compensated for their work.

The producers will work with the writers to hone their scripts, cast the production (if necessary), and rehearse in time for the show. All you’ve got to do is bring the funny, and the Comedy Quickies producing team of Ira Pettle and Brandon Barrett will take care of the rest.

Submissions, which can come in written, audio or video format, are due Aug. 15. The finalists will be selected by Sept. 1. Visit http://whistlerwritersfest.com/comedy-quickies/ to submit or email comedyquickies@whistlerwritersfest.com for more information.

Elma (Martens) Schemenauer http://elmams.wix.com/elma . CONSIDER THE SUNFLOWERS: 1940s-era novel about love, Mennonites, faith, & family. Set in Vancouver & rural Saskatchewan. Order from Chapters online http://tinyurl.com/ny8smwk or Borealis Press http://tinyurl.com/lfdo9pf . More info at http://elmams.wix.com/sflwrs . Book trailer https://youtu.be/sBRuhh1xX7Y .

Wednesday, June 29, 2016

A WITNESS IN TIMES OF WAR AND PEACE by Wilfried Hein: review by Elma (Martens) Schemenauer

Wilfried Hein [shown in the colour photo] is a Mennonite I "happened" to sit beside at a Christian writers' conference in Abbotsford, British Columbia last May. As we introduced ourselves, I discovered that he is the translator-editor of a book that beautifully helps fill a gap in my knowledge of Mennonite history.

I grew up hearing stories of Russian Mennonites, particularly those who emigrated to Canada in the 1920s. These stories, a precious legacy from my ancestors, inspired my 1940s-era Mennonite novel CONSIDER THE SUNFLOWERS [available from Chapters Online http://tinyurl.com/ny8smwk or Borealis Press http://tinyurl.com/lfdo9pf ].

I also spent time researching Mennonite history in general, especially while writing my genealogical book JACOB SIEMENS FAMILY SINCE 1685. However, I never heard or read much about Mennonites in Germany during relatively recent times. Then Wilfried Hein came to my "rescue."

Wilfried's father, Gerhard Hein [in the black and white photo], was a Mennonite pastor, historian, author, and editor working in Germany during the 1930s and after. His memoirs comprise the heart of the book A WITNESS IN TIMES OF WAR AND PEACE. Wilfried translated them from German and enhanced them with photographs, notes, editorial comments, appendices, and bibliographies.

A WITNESS IN TIMES OF WAR AND PEACE tells of Gerhard's happy childhood in the Ural Mountains of Russia and his emigration to Germany in 1925 at age 20. Gerhard stayed in Germany, unlike the many Mennonites who moved to Canada during the 1920s. After undertaking theological studies in various German cities from 1925 to 1931, he interned as a pastor in the early 1930s.

Gerhard Hein was ordained in 1935. A year later he married Lydia Hege from near Worms, Germany. Their sons, Eckart and Wilfried, spent the World War II years without their father since Gerhard was serving as a translator and code-breaker in Nazi Germany's Wehrmacht (united armed forces).

His involvement in the military raised and raises serious questions since Mennonites have traditionally held pacifist beliefs. However, Gerhard said, "I never questioned that under the present circumstances I had to obey the state and serve in the military, and I was convinced that God would give me opportunities, even as a soldier, to be a witness for Christ" (page 92).

This turned out to be the case. In the words of the book's back cover, "He displays courage in a terrifying and uncertain time by voicing his concerns about the National Socialistic ideology in both words and deeds, standing up for his beliefs by pointing to the One who can bring real peace. His story shows that in the darkness of war, rays of genuine love, care, and compassion can shine through."

After the war Gerhard returned home and continued his work as a pastor, serving in several German towns and cities including Berlin. Through his engaging memoirs, I gained new insights into German political, social, and spiritual life, especially among the Mennonite minority.

I was also impressed and inspired by Gerhard's prolific historical, writing, and editing activities. I found it especially interesting that he contributed to the Mennonitische Lexikon (Mennonite Encyclopedia), which I often consult in its modern and expanded form (Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online, or GAMEO).

Another example: He was instrumental in having the Mennonitische Forschungsstelle (Mennonite Research Institute) relocated to its new home at the Weierhof near Kirchheimbolanden in Southwest Germany. I was privileged to spend several days there while investigating my family history.

Along with everything else Gerhard did, he somehow found time to write a number of poems based on Bible verses. One of his favourite verses, proven many times over his lifetime, was "Before they call, I will answer" (Isaiah 65:24).

The book can be obtained from www.friesenpress.com , House of James in Abbotsford, BC, or directly from wilfhein@telus.net .

Friday, June 24, 2016

marketing tips

10 Traits of Successful Authors by Rob Eager: http://www.startawildfire.com/2016/06/10-traits-of-successful-authors.html . I agree with all except maybe #5. Building one’s own website is easier than it once was thanks to online organizations such as WIX, which offer step-by-step guidelines & the opportunity to do it for free.

Wednesday, June 22, 2016

ways to combine pictures with your writing - not just for kids' books

Interesting article: http://tinyurl.com/jmcr43c

Saturday, June 18, 2016

Here’s a pancake recipe I developed using sorghum flour, which seems to agree with some people even if they can’t tolerate other grains.

In the first picture, sorghum-pecan-banana pancakes fry beside regular ones. The second shows a finished sorghum-pecan-banana pancake. Delicious.

RECIPE: GLUTEN-FREE SORGHUM-PECAN-BANANA PANCAKES

In a bowl thoroughly mix the following ingredients.

¼ cup sorghum flour [available in bulk food stores]

1 tsp baking powder

pinch of salt

¼ cup pecan halves or pieces [shelled]

a banana thinly sliced [or use less banana if desired]

In a measuring cup, thoroughly mix the following ingredients.

1/8 cup cooking oil

1 egg

enough buttermilk to make ½ cup altogether

Pour the ingredients from the measuring cup into the bowl and mix. If the batter is too stiff, add more buttermilk.

Drop large spoonfuls onto an oiled frying pan or similar to form 4 pancakes. Fry on one side till they hold together. Turn over and fry on the second side.

Friday, June 17, 2016

opportunities for writers & one for artists June 17, 2016

HISTORY + ART = PEACE The History + Art = Peace art contest aims to foster a deeper understanding of WWII history, human rights issues, and social justice values. Artists and writers are encouraged to submit their original work on the theme of "sustaining hope" and address the following question in their work: Stories and human rights violations from World War II in Asia are still forgotten today. How can creative arts sustain hope, reconciliation, and social justice? Prizes range from $100 - $1000. Deadline: July 8, 2016.

Greenboathouse Press in Vernon, BC, is throwing open the mailbox. They're currently looking for a poetry manuscript to produce during the summer months of 2017, for release later in the year that fits into the aesthetic of their back list (so you should have a look at that). Submission deadline is August 15, 2016. Please read and follow guidelines. www.greenboathouse.com

Pelican Book Group, an American Publisher, is looking for Christian Romance. They specify not to send them works that have been previously self-published. Check them out here.

Ploughshares, a literary journal, is currently seeking queries for “Look2”, their series on essays about underappreciated/overlooked writers. They pay up to $250 per essay. They accept queries only. To learn more, read their call for submissions.

Freedom with Writing compiled this list of 7 Eco-Friendly travel markets that pay writers. They send out new paid writing opportunities weekly.

newish Christian publisher: Gilead

Interested in inspirational Christian fiction? Here’s a possible reading (& perhaps submitting) opportunity: http://tinyurl.com/zxkelo2 .

Wednesday, June 15, 2016

Consider the Sunflowers: review by Slavomir Almajan

Slavomir Almajan is a friendly & inspiring poet Bob & I met at a Kelowna Word Guild event where I spoke. Here’s his review of my 1940s-era Mennonite novel Consider the Sunflowers. Thanks, Slavomir.

Consider the Sunflowers – Elma Schemenauer

A Melody in Minor Keys

Yes, Consider the Sunflowers is like a melody in minor keys. It is a melody that rises above the quietness of the prairie about the souls and simple lives of the ordinary people in an ordinary landscape with destinies that are all but ordinary. The story of Consider the Sunflower had grown thin and tall like a white birch.

I like to see and talk about a written story like about a living entity with all the attributes that life comes with. What’s happening to it after the author leaves it with the reader must look like a life cycle in the context of a forest that is about to grow after the reader sets it aside and continue minding his daily business or go to the desk and grow his own trees and so on. A story, every good story in itself must leave behind it a legacy of thought and emotion that will ultimately bear fruits. According to these criteria, Consider the Sunflowers by Elma Schemenauer passes the test and I solemnly declare it aliveJ!

I read it enthusiastically, I read it quickly. This is not to say that I viewed it as pure entertainment but rather like a mind and heart capturing story. Of course, as a writer and poet I would probably structure it differently but, again, that’s the beauty of a well written novel: it multiplies in the mind and heart of the reader. I would envision my story rather like a rich leafy and shadowy linden tree with flowers coming to blossom in June, with multitudes of birds singing and bees collecting the nectar and the sadness of leaves coming down in the fall. But that would be my story, a story of a guy familiar not with the prairie but rather with a mountainous landscape with springs and creeks, with green meadows and the charm of nightingales.

Most of the reviews that I read on Consider the Sunflowers gravitate around love, marriage and the challenges of life. And, yes, there is plenty of meat to satisfy the interest of many who prefer this kind of ingredients of a story. I like them too but with so many novels written around these themes many of the stories become more like variations of the same. What sets this story apart? Let’s see!

The plot has a straight line shape that grows in colour and intensity. The author proves that the plot is not all that there is but rather it gives depth and nuances to the characters and to the larger context of the community. Not necessarily what characters say in the dialogs is what defines them but rather how they respond to the basic challenges of life. Sometimes through the process of reading I felt like being immersed in a beautiful breeze of sound, a melody in minor tunes. The drama is more like something we all go through in our everyday life but Elma’s characters’ response is unique. A rather acrimonious co-existence of Roland and Frank within the same community evolves in a rare fruit of mutual acceptance. Frank and Victor outgrow their mutual disregard for each other, Frank, the half Gypsy and half Christian young man is ultimately accepted in a community with strong prejudices and strict moral dogmas.

Tina is a center pillar of the whole structure. She is a victim of loneliness in a place that was, according to her dreams, meant to be a paradise. She is a living example of what destructive power loneliness can unleash on a human soul. There, in the realm of loneliness, the time seems to be painfully slow and the mind excruciatingly hasty in building an almost alternate reality so much so that even the absolutes are being questioned and moral boundaries blur up to become a heavy fog of uncertainty.

The author leaves plenty open doors or just slightly cracked throughout the story. I can foresee a whole series of follow up novels like: “Consider the Laughter” with Dorrie and Roland devouring life with an astronomical hunger, “Consider Coming Home” with Frank’s surrender to the Almighty and his ultimate new birth, “Consider the Colours” with Tina surrendering to the beauty of the prairie and her artistic inclinations past on Klara or Morgan, etc.

There is also a door just slightly ajar towards the beauty of concurring fears and prejudices, towards growing through the spirit of wisdom and revelation, towards finally seeing the big picture that God kept displaying before our eyes for ages. Maybe there is also a door towards a novel addressing a conflict between the old and the young...

Elma Schemenauer proves to be a resourceful story teller and Consider the Sunflower is just one piece of a puzzle that she is called to put together.

Slavomir Almajan

Kelowna, BC

Monday, June 13, 2016

story-writing exercises

Looking for story-writing exercises for yourself or for a writing class or workshop? Lots of them here among On the Premises’s previous mini-contests: http://onthepremises.com/minis/ . Note that these On the Premises contests are no longer available to enter.

free contest: stories about darkness

On the Premises regularly runs writing contests. There are no fees to enter but the organization pays you if you’re a winner. The current contest is for short stories 1000 to 5000 words long on the topic of darkness—open to a wide range of interpretations. Deadline is September 2, 2016. More information at http://onthepremises.com/current-contest/ .

Thursday, June 9, 2016

article on book covers

Good article here on book covers: http://tinyurl.com/zxamr7f .

Monday, June 6, 2016

speaking about writing & my novel CONSIDER THE SUNFLOWERS in Kelowna, BC

I enjoyed speaking about writing & my novel CONSIDER THE SUNFLOWERS at a June 4 event in Kelowna, British Columbia. It was sponsored by The Word Guild, a cross-Canada association of writers & editors who are Christian. Sallyanne Calver in the bright top is very capably in charge of BC’s TWG chapters. The friendly Slavomir Almajan arranged for us to use space in his home church, Evangel on Gordon Road. Legendary lake monster Ogopogo welcomed my husband, Robert S. Schemenauer, & me to the city.

elma's almanac