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Alpha Writers foster love of writing
by Warren Haacke, Press-News Reporter
Many times it's hard for a writer to express the inter-workings of their craft. The ideas, the thoughts, the purpose, the psychology, the actual craft itself are difficult to put into words and explain to others in a rational way. Writing is a very personal and subjective art form and sometimes can only be best appreciated and analyzed by other writers.
A small group of inspiring writers in Osage and the surrounding area recognized the need for a support group in which area writers could find motivation, encouragement and inspiration for their craft.
"Our group, the Alpha Writers, actually started when Steve Thompson talked to me about some of his writings and we discussed the possibility of forming some type of group where aspiring writers could meet and share ideas and offer each other support," said Ramona Morse.
Embracing that concept, four charter members, Steve Thompson, Ramona Morse, Helen Huebsch and Jaceil Gisleson, formed a group called the Alpha (beginning) Writers on September 8, 1993.
The original intent of the four charter members was to create an atmosphere where aspiring writers could indeed find "motivation, encouragement and inspiration."
From those simple and humble beginnings in 1993, the Alpha Writers have inspired and supported a host of area writers over the last 15 years and probably more importantly, have become life-long friends in the process.
The group, which numbers 12 members at the present time, meets monthly in area churches or other public facilities that are available.
Present members of the group include: Dorcas Dorrow, Sylvia Duenow, Annabelle Fish, Ramona Morse, Dianna Nicolai, Arlene Shelton, Rita Smith, Sarah Stang, Steven Thompson, Bonnie Warrington, Susie Voigts, Alice Grinstead and Jennifer Jensen.
No dues are paid and the only commitment to the group is to complete a monthly writing assignment on a topic chosen by the group.
At the monthly meetings, which generally last 2 1/2 hours, members read their writing assignment to the group.
Originally no group members would offer critiques of each other's writing, they would simply listen.
"Eventually we decided that if we wanted to help each other and improve our writing skills, we should be willing to critique each other, said Morse who serves as the official spokesman for the Alpha Writers. "It was tough at first, but now we enjoy critiquing each other."
The group has a few other basic rules they adhere to at their meetings. "You have to be a good listener," Morse stated. "You also can't have excuses."
The group has a kitty in which members have to kick in 25 cents if they make an excuse.
"The person being critiqued also can't defend themselves, which is sometimes very hard," added Morse.
The group also tries to avoid writing about issues that involve topics like religion, current political issues and other topics that center on personal opinions.
Other than their normal monthly meetings, Alpha Writers also strives to broaden the horizons of their members.
"We have sponsored workshops and had evening presentations of poetry and writings for the public," said Morse. "We've also brought in published authors and poets, had open houses for authors and we have even mentored another writing group based out of Clear Lake."
In 1998 the Alpha Writers put together a book of their works entitled "The Best of the Alpha Writers". The book was dedicated to Carm Indra, a dedicated Alpha Writer who passed away in 1996.
The book itself is a collection of 149 pages of writings by the members of the group. The pages also contain short biographies of the 1998 Alpha Writers.
"We sponsored the book to raise money for scholarships to aspiring young writers in Mitchell County. We sold 500 copies of the book and presented three scholarships to students within the county," said Morse.
Alpha Writers in 1998 who contributed works for "The Best of the Alpha Writers were: Carm Indra, Sylvia Duenow, Vivian DuShane, Annabelle Fish, Jaceil Gisleson, Helen Huebsch, Larry Kershner, Marlene Kershner, Clarissa Larsen, Ida Mae Pfaltzgraff, Ramona Morse, Rita Smith, Sarah Stang, Deborah Thompson, Jeannie Thompson and Steven Thompson.
Occasionally members of the Alpha Writers submit their stories or poetry to various organizations for publication.
"Not everyone desires to have their work published, but it's nice to see if your works are worthy of some merit," said Morse.
Seven members of this year's Alpha Writers recently had poems selected to be included in this year's edition of Lyrical Iowa 2008. Dorcas Dorrow, Jennifer Jensen, Ramona Morris, Dianna Nicolai, Steven Thompson, Susie Voigts and Bonnie Warrington had their poems selected for publication. Another Osage poet appearing in the 2008 edition is Cathy Lee Simon.
More than 400 poets from a total of 2,674 entries were selected for Lyrical Iowa 2008.
When asked why they had a love for writing, the six Alpha Writers present at the August 21 meeting of the group had a variety of answers.
Ramona Morse - "I had an older sister who was a poet. I've always loved words and I had an 8th grade English teacher, Miss Watson who also inspired me to write."
Bonnie Warrington - "I like to write stories about my vacations and memoirs of my life. My travels with my husband throughout the United States and the world also serve as an inspiration for me." Warrington also served as the editor of the Nora Springs Advertiser for a short time.
Annabelle Fish - "I've always loved to read. After I retired 14 years ago I also began writing. I was a cousin to Carm Indra and I got her to begin attending Alpha Writers. I also had two teachers, Barbara Melson and Niki Farmikis who inspired me in school."
Dorcas Dorrow - " I write mostly poetry, although I have written types of things also. I worked at Waldorf College and did types of writing for the college and alumni association. I've also taken a poetry class and have been inspired by my own family. My husband, children and my parents all love or loved to read and my son has had some of his poetry published."
Rita Smith - "Ramona invited me to Alpha Writers. I guess you could say I write mostly humorous things. My late husband was quite a cut-up and a comedian and he inspires me in many of my writings."
Dorrow commented, "Annabelle and Rita have great gifts in finding humor in the gravest of situations."
Susie Voigts - "This is my 5th year of living with my daughter in Osage. I like to write rhyming poetry. I wrote some poetry earlier in my life and even submitted some for publication in the 1970's. After my husband died suddenly at a fairly young age, I stopped writing for a time, but since I've joined Alpha Writers I've started to write again."
"We've had members come and go over the years," said Morse. "We've had young people, teachers and a wide variety of people as members of Alpha Writers.
Morse continued, "Basically we are a group of people who love to write and want to share the love of our craft with others."
Story created Aug 26, 2008 - 12:00:13 CDT.
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