The Chicken and the Pen

Sarah Jayne Johnson, shown here laughing near a fence.

By Sarah Jayne Johnson

Ah, the crock pot chicken.

    A delicacy for the high school junior, the retired librarian and everything in between! The ease of putting the pieces in the warm, cozy hand-me-down dish. The anticipation for sweet, succulent meat serving as a distraction for the daily ongoing threat of adulthood tasks like laundry, and checkbooks. What can be done with all this free time?! Surely the possibilities are endless.

    Even if the only thing there has been time for in the day is a four day old peanut butter sandwich and a text to mom saying "Alive, stop leaving voicemails "there is always time for crockpot chicken.

     Writing is the same way.

    The first 9 to 5 job is kind of like laying the frozen bird in the warming bowl for the first time...lots of uneasy questions and anxiety for what is in store. Will this give me food poisoning?

     Will my coworkers like me? Did I use enough barbecue sauce? Am I dressed professionally enough? The answers always come in time.

     When I first started my first full time job I figured it was a great way to supplement what I really wanted to do; Write. I wanted to write about everything from my life as a self-proclaimed blanket expert to stories about young men whose glasses turned them into human kaleidoscopes.

     The only way I could do that was to make enough money to pay people to buy my books, and that would cost no less than one million dollars a day.

     It took almost no time to figure out that my full time job was a full blown commitment. So much so that by the time I got home the precise location of my couch trumped any hope of creativity by a long shot. I had felt stress through college but this was different. This was the stress of my coworkers, my clients, my company and my paycheck all relying on my eight hour work day. A far different stress than "If this paper sucks I get a D and move on."

     Gradually I felt my evenings become devoted to quick dinners, maintaining dirty dishes, eating chips over a drop cloth and falling asleep on a couch. I got down on myself for pushing what I love and had worked so hard to make my career fall farther and farther down the ladder of priorities I was slowly drowning in.

     So after some trial and error, I think I've landed on a recipe for writing that will produce a decent amount of writing and, if you're lucky, a surprisingly simple dinner.

Step 1: Time Management

     Everyone is always saying "There aren't enough hours in the day". Well guess what, they're right and the days aren't getting any longer (besides Daylight Savings time, but you get what I'm saying). The amount of time in the day was not allotted for humans to get their errands done while writing the next great American novel all in time to vacuum the back room. These tasks and more must be factored in. Chicken doesn't just happen! It might not always be the same amount of time, and it might not always be the same quality of writing, but setting aside the time to do it will help make it a routine, a habit and less of a chore. At the very least it will be a good excuse to put off cleaning out the refrigerator for another day.

Step 2: Make a Work Space

     Imagine how it would feel to spend $400 on a Kitchen Aid mixer and let it sit on the counter and collect dust. Think of the guilt that would ensue as the gifted harmonica and partnered "How To" book stared from the dusty bookshelf in the corner whispering "You said you wanted to learn...you said...I'd be loved" The point I'm trying to make is this; Creating an environment to write in makes the process of writing more likely. It can be anything from a state of the art writing desk to a collapsible TV tray next to the couch. If the chicken is taken out of the freezer, it's more likely it will be made. So take the chicken out of the freezer, and get yourself a writing desk.

Step 3: Use What You Know

     I will never be a culinary genius. I once watched my sister make an apple pie with cheese baked into the crust and realized that not only would I never even think of that, but the closest I could ever get to that masterpiece was some CheezWhiz on a McDonald's apple pie.

     When I make crockpot chicken, I don't try and act like I'm a French chef cooking for the ambassador, I use what I know and do what I can to make it taste (and look) good. I'm convinced writing is the same way. I've never experienced being a professional athlete; I've never even experienced running a mile without having an asthma attack. It is not in the cards for me to write a novel about sports. However, I do work in an office. I watch Peggy in accounting talking numbers, I hear Carl get in a fight with a customer over the phone and I make heartfelt (and awkward) small talk with my boss every time we happen to be walking down the hall together. This is the life I experience, and this is what I can write about. How do you think shows like "The Office" or "Cheers" came to be? People use what they know, and write about it. If there's no paprika in the fridge, it can't be added to the chicken. If you've never gone on a road trip, stop trying to write about it (or go on a road trip!).

    Trying to balance everything is never going to be easy. If you are lucky enough to be someone who gets to do exactly what you want to do every day and get paid a livable quantity to do so, count your blessings. If you're like me, that's not always the case. Don't under estimate the power of simplicity and don't beat yourself up over not being an overnight success story.

     Make time for what matters, and let that be enough.

     So for now go write something, the chicken will cook itself.

Literacy and Scrabble and Rebranding: Oh My!

By Alison Wagener

Literacy Volunteers Chippewa Valley has served the community for the last 30 years, working with adults to help them achieve their education, employment, or life goals. This includes not only teaching them to read and write, but also to be proficient in computer skills, math, citizenship, food handling, job safety, and other necessary skills. 

But soon, the organization will undergo a rebranding, complete with a new name, logo, and website. MaryJo VanGompel, executive director of Literacy Volunteers Chippewa Valley, said that the changes will help “clean up some of the myths” that many have about the organization, and the new website design will better engage and facilitate students seeking help. I was lucky enough to get a sneak peek at the new website – I’m no expert in web design, but believe me when I say it’s polished, beautiful, and inviting, the kind of rebranding that could help further catapult the organization to even more success in serving our community.

Spelling Bee competitors

The rebranding will be unveiled at the organization’s 15th annual Scrabble Bee, held April 21 from 5-9 p.m. At the Bee, teams compete against each other to collaboratively make as many words as possible for as many points as possible during three timed rounds. The event will also include a 50-50 raffle, silent auction, and raffle baskets. Refreshments, which MaryJo was sure to add includes “adult beverages,” will also be available for purchase. 

As many of you may know, this is the organization’s biggest fundraising event of the year, but this year, it will be a lot bigger thanks to its new venue: the freshly re-opened The Lismore Hotel. Hosting the event at The Lismore will allow the event to bump up its capacity from 40 teams to 50, which MaryJo thinks will be enough to help them reach their biggest fundraising goal yet of $50,000.

Last year, the organization served 456 adults and 28 children, numbers that seem staggering until you consider the scope of illiteracy in the Chippewa Valley. “One out of every ten adults in the Chippewa Valley needs help with reading,” MaryJo said. “They’re functionally illiterate, so they don’t have enough reading skills to complete a job application or read a book to their child. When we look at the Census data from 2010, there are over 10,000 adults in the three-county area that don’t even have a high school diploma, and then about another five thousand have less than a ninth grade education.”

While many people believe that most students utilizing Literacy Volunteers Chippewa Valley are English language learners, this simply isn’t the case. In fact, this group only represents 35% of the organization’s students. The other 65% are comprised of adult basic education students who are functionally illiterate for a variety of reasons, most of which stem from being in poverty. 

You can help support the work of the Literacy Volunteers Chippewa Valley by registering for the Scrabble Bee, which can be done online or in-person at their office. Registration is first come, first-served, and at the time I talked to MaryJo, there were only fifteen spots open – so grab a group of word-loving friends and sign up!

Craft Talk Rewind & Fast Forward

B.J. Hollars shared his vision for the Chippewa Valley Writers Guild on Thursday, February 25 in the Volume One Gallery at The Local Store in downtown Eau Claire. Image: Michael Lundebrek

By Erin Stevens

Rewind: BJ Hollars, “Jump Off The Cliff And Build Your Wings On The Way Down: A Welcome And A Look Forward"

Did you miss the CVWG’s kick-off Craft Talk? Can’t remember all the details from last month? Looking for the photo of BJ Hollars as a young Goosebumps enthusiast? Then you’re in the right place! (Though sorry to say, I can’t find the photo…)

BJ’s opening Craft Talk was a great way to bring everyone together to talk about why the Guild was formed. In short, there have been many individuals asking about writing groups and literary events in the Chippewa Valley; however there wasn’t a community for these individuals to turn to. Thus, the Guild was born! 

Now that the CVWG has formed, our overall goal is to be inspired, and be inspiring to others. Through education, collaboration with others, and celebrating one another’s accomplishments, we want to create a safe place where our writing community feels comfortable sharing their work. We also want to build a community that inspires us to keep writing. 

BJ also talked about the importance of being good, literary citizens. How can you be a good literary citizen? I’m glad you asked! You can do the following:

- Start or join a writing group
- Register for one of the residencies at Cirenaica
- Attend our Craft Talks and Open Reads
- Volunteer your talents 
- Become a contributing editor or presenter 

Ultimately, this community is what we make of it. Attend Craft Talks and participate in Cirenaica. Help fundraise or contribute a column to our newsletter. Be part of making the Chippewa Valley Writers Guild a truly great community. 

Be inspired, and be inspiring!

Fast Forward: Patti See, "Writing Where You Live: Making The Most Of What You Have"

On deck for our next Craft Talk is the Chippewa Valley Writers Guild’s very own Patti See! Mark your calendars for Thursday, March 31st, at 7 p.m. at the Janet Carson Gallery, as Patti will talk to us about place, and using the setting you have for your story or nonfiction piece. Here’s the excerpt for her Craft Talk:

“How do you tell the real story that exists in your material? Pulitzer prize-winning author John McPhee says, “Creative nonfiction is not making something up but making the most of what you have.” Quality writing is built on choosing what to include, and, more importantly, what to leave out, especially when writing about where you live.”

So set an alarm on your phone or make a note on your hand, and be there. If you struggle with writing about place, then this is one Craft Talk you won’t want to miss!

Spotlight: Andy Patrie on Half-Life

By B.J. Hollars

We meet at Sacred Heart Church in the early evening—a place I’ve never been, but one Andy Patrie returned to daily for five years as a child.

            “I went to school next door here to the church,” 40-year-old Patrie tells me as we slip inside the propped wooden door leading us into the foyer.  “I spent a lot of time in this church, and probably a great deal of my 20s trying to figure out what that meant.”

            For Patrie, poems became the perfect vehicle for untangling his oft-fraught relationship with his faith, a “messy divorce” of sorts that ultimately inspired a series of poems on God, guilt and growing up, all of which inhabit the center of his soon-to-be released second collection, Half-Life. 

            Yet faith is but one of many themes Patrie tackles in its pages, the most prominent theme, perhaps, explores his candid assessment of his own mortality.        

            “I was doing dishes and the name ‘half-life’ came to me,” Patrie says, “and I thought, ‘There it is!  Now I have sort of a focus for this collection.’”

            While many of his poems explore the realities of reaching mid-life, for Patrie, this milestone is hardly a crisis.  His poems are more celebratory than elegiac, more filled with wide-eyed-wonder than a dirge-like lament for the past.  Whether recounting male-pattern baldness (“Black hole / swallowing strands of light”) or a kayaking trip with his wife (“The lake assures / it will flip / these kayaks / and dip us / as we slip inside”), Patrie always manages to excavate the beauty in the mundane.

            Tied to the subject of mortality is legacy, and I ask Patrie what he hopes his nine-year-old child, Simon, might one day take from his father’s work. 

            “That’s a great question,” Patrie says, leaving it to linger for a moment as the church returns to silence.  “I often think of [my wife] Adrienne as the person I’m writing for, but I would say oftentimes I’m thinking about Simon, too, and these little mementoes, I guess, for him, as he approaches these milestones, and what that will mean for him.”

            Patrie explains that the collection’s most personal poem is its last—one simply titled, “Simon.”

            “Simon is just really different,” Patrie says, “and I know every kid’s different, but in that sense of how he approaches what it means to be a boy.  There’s some gender nonconformity going on…so that poem really became just a way to say to him that it’s okay, it’s cool, with me, with us.”

            I smile though the night’s grown so dark he can’t see it.  By the glow of my computer screen, Patrie reads a poem, and then, at our interview’s conclusion, we leave that place, exiting through the same propped door we’d entered.

            Outside, an elderly man awaits us, and, in the kindest way possible, makes clear he’s curious about what we were up to in the church.

            “Not to worry!  There’s a simple explanation,” I explain, “we’re just two grown men reading poems in the dark.”

            Thankfully, before those words leave my mouth, Patrie offers a simpler explanation, explaining to the man that he’d attended the school many years prior, and that he’d just completed some poems on that experience.

            The answer seems to satisfy the man, and after a bit more conversation, he promises to see to it that the church door gets locked before the hour grows too late.

            We thank him, and then, after Patrie and I say our farewells, we get into our cars and drive off.

            In the rearview I spot the church’s twin towers, and between them, the circular stained glass peering out.

            Call it what you will—a marvel, a miracle, a mistake—but for me, our time in the church was nothing short of revelatory.

            How curious, I think, that for a man exploring life on the outside of faith, on this night, the doors remained open.

Half-Life will be available for purchase at Red's Mercantile and The Local Store in mid-March. 

The book release will take place at The Plus on March 19.

Interview music courtesy of Lee Rosevere

A Short History of the Chippewa Valley Local Authors

By Jim Alf

As an author of a self-published book of local history, I felt quite alone promoting sales.

Wanting a network and camaraderie, I thought about renting a booth at an event with a few other local authors. I mentioned the idea to author Dennis Miller who was very enthused. We decided to give it a shot and began by assembling a short list of local authors.

Thirteen showed up at our first meeting, six of whom quickly opted out. A suggestion that we ante $20.00 each to get started got an indifferent response. Enthusiasm was low. We were discouraged but determined, so we got more ink and more airtime, made posters and recruited.

Dennis and I set the second meeting for July 29, 2015. We put our books on the display shelves I had made and waited. At five minutes to the hour we sat alone in the room with a hundred empty seats. At two minutes to I told Dennis the ship was taking water and our dream of the Chippewa Valley Local Authors Group was history. A minute later an author walked in and placed a book on the shelf with ours.  Then, another came. Several members of the Western Wisconsin Christian Writers Guild arrived soon after, followed by others who caught wind of our burgeoning group from news items in the Leader-Telegram, Volume One or on Channel 13.

Humbled by the tepid reception of our first meeting, I cautiously solicited ideas and waited. A few cautious suggestions were offered, then a few more, and 15 minutes into the meeting the fire fell and it became like an old-fashioned tent revival. I passed the plate for 20 bucks, someone shouted we needed a tent, another said two tents.  The price of a booth at Festival in the Pines was instantly researched online—no, we decided, we were going to need two booths—and moments later a calculator appeared, costs were added up, and the next thing I knew $50.00 membership fees were being pressed onto Laurie Norlander who had mentioned that she was a CPA. All we were missing was our leader, and the job soon fell to Bill Callaghan, an executive in his family’s business, and the future president of our organization. The word group was exorcised from our original name and when the sawdust settled we were the Chippewa Valley Local Authors.

Bill Callaghan, the true believer who has provided expert leadership as President, called meetings every week to make the rapid preparations for our first exhibit at Festival in the Pines. On August 28th, just one month after our previous meeting, we set up in the rain at Carson Park and made a two-day, successful run of displaying our books. We did things right, we did things wrong and we learned.

Appearing on that drizzly day in the park was CeCelia Zorn, PhD., retired nursing instructor from UWEC who has become our Secretary. She is our expert keeper of the minutes and composer of beautiful letters. Karen Olson serves as Vice President and gifted designer of exhibits. Laurie Norlander has kept us on the financial straight and narrow.  Others constantly serve to fill every need, amazing Dennis and I with the fulfillment of our dream.

With the coalescing of our group, which has grown to 33 members, we had an epiphany about our role in the arts community. When arts are mentioned the usual entities come to mind: music, theater, visual arts, sculpture and others. As we began exhibiting alongside those artists, a new concept of ourselves slowly emerged. Just recently we were invited by Deb Johnson, Executive Director at the Heyde Center for the Arts, to display our books as part of a Typography exhibit, and as we did so, the scales fell from our eyes.

What we produce, we at last realized, is literary art—a contribution to the community as worthy as other genres. Having discovered that, our goal must now be to shoulder our way into the public consciousness as a legitimate art form and work hard to improve our craft so we might be acknowledged on the same scale as the other talented artists of our region.

Taking part in the newly emerging Chippewa Valley Writers Guild, we intend to exercise our talents to evolve methods of presenting the written word, surprising ourselves with the beauty that can come from within, whether by perspiration or inspiration.

And if the fire falls again, we will grab a bolt and illuminate our real name: Literary Artists.

Scribble (2-16-16): "If I Knew Then What I Know Now..."

Each month we’ll offer a low-stakes, writing prompt applicable to all genres.   This month, enjoy “If I Knew Then What I Know Now”—a prompt meant to spur a more reflective piece.

Upon completing the prompt, send your piece (500 words or less please) to chippewavalleywritersguild@gmail.com for potential publication in next month’s newsletter!

Without further adieu, “If I Knew Then What I Know Now”:

Scroll to the first photo on your phone (or, if you prefer, turn to the first page of your oldest photo album).  Study the photo, recall all you can about the moment—the people pictured, the place preserved—and then begin your poem/story/essay with the line “If I knew then what I know now…”  

Social: February-March 2016

Each month we’ll bring you the latest on writing and literary events in this region.  Thanks to the Volume One team for their incredible work in cataloging, collecting, and curating these many events, ensuring that our calendars remain always full.

Monday, February 22

Food for Thought Book Club • Altoona Public Library, 7:00p.m.

Thursday February 25

Poetry Reading by Lo Kwa Mei-en • University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, Centennial Hall room 2614, 6:00p.m.

Chippewa Valley Writers Guild Featured Event:
Craft Talk: B.J. Hollars presents “Jump Off the Cliff and Build Your Wings on the Way Down: A Welcome and a Look Forward” • The Local Store, 7:00p.m.

NOTA Open Read • University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, Davies Center, The Cabin, 8:00p.m.

Sunday, March 6

First Sunday Author Series: Dr. Hank Simpson • Menomonie Public Library, 1:00p.m.

Tuesday, March 8

Adventures in History Book Club • Chippewa Valley Museum, 6:30p.m.

Writers Read featuring poets Jan Carroll and Jeannie Robert • L.E. Phillips Memorial Library, 7:00p.m.

Western Wisconsin Christian Writers Guild Meeting • Bethesda Lutheran Church, 7:00p.m.

Thursday, March 10

Chippewa Valley Writers Guild Featured Event, co-sponsored by NOTA:
Open Read for the Community • The Cabin, Davies Center, UW-Eau Claire, 7:30p.m.

Thursday, March 17

Reading in the Gallery Featuring Wil Denson • The Janet Carson Gallery, 5:00p.m.

Saturday, March 19

Chippewa Valley Local Authors present at McDonell High School's Spring Arts and Craft Show • McDonell High School, 9:00a.m.-3:00p.m.

Wednesday March 30, April 6, 13, & 20

"We Are Gathered Here Today" poetry series presented by Max Garland• L.E. Phillips Memorial Library, 10:15a.m.-11:45a.m. (registration is required)

 

Thursday, March 31

Chippewa Valley Writers Guild Featured Event:
Craft Talk: Patti See presents “Writing Where You Live: Making the Most of What You Have” • The Janet Carson Gallery, 7:00p.m.