Summer has had some interesting discussions of our books.
For May we read Vanessa Diffenbaugh's Language of Flowers about a young girl who ages out of foster care and how she begins life on her own. Through her interest in flowers she begins a job and a future. During our meeting we discovered local organizations that help foster children who have out grown the system but still need support and encouragement. When we chatted with Vanessa, we shared this info with her to add to her Camellia Network organization that helps these young people.
Pies, pies and more pies for our June meeting as we ate our way through Making Piece; A Memoir of Love, Loss and Pie by Beth Howard. Most members brought their best pie to share while we chatted with Beth from her Gothic House. Losing a spouse is very difficult and we appreciated the frank sharing by Beth and our PQ's who have lost spouses.
Then for July we had a special meeting time at noon in order to Skype with author Lucinda Riley about her international bestseller The Orchid House. She seemed a bit overwhelm by the success and shared that she used the names of her 5 children for characters in the book although the characters themselves had none of the characteristics of her children. Her next book The Girl on the Cliff has much of herself woven into one of the characters and she asked that we read it and then Skype with her again to compare the two books. Thanks to Queen Chris for hosting our special time meeting.
Our August selection will be One Foot in Eden by Ron Rash. Unfortunately we won't be able to visit with Ron as he has a previous engagement that evening. Looking forward to meeting at Queen Beverly's and we will selecting the books for the next few months.
Hope you all are having a great summer!
Southwest Louisiana Pulpwood Queens Book Club
Friday, August 10, 2012
Friday, April 20, 2012
State of Wonder
We have had an amazing year thus far.
Our January meeting began with author Robert LeLeux stopping in on his way to New Orleans. To hear him read from his new book The Living End was well...the living end! If you have a family member with Alzheimer's, Robert's book will lift you up and show you some of the blessings that are hiding. And he brought his beautiful Mom with him! Thank you for stopping in on such a rainy night.
February brought the Homecoming of Samuel Lake with a telephone visit with author Jenny Wingfield. What a delight as we shared with how the story of Samuel Lake touched her and each of us.
In March, Meg Waite Clayton author of The Four Ms Bardwells visited with us via SKYPE just before leaving on her European tour. We were hoping to win her contest for a vacation to California, but alas none of the SWLA PQ's will be going.
Now it's April and we are reading State of Wonder by Ann Patchett who has recently opened an independent book store in Nashville because there wasn't one. Authors do amazing things!
Looking forward to seeing you next week at our April meeting!
Our January meeting began with author Robert LeLeux stopping in on his way to New Orleans. To hear him read from his new book The Living End was well...the living end! If you have a family member with Alzheimer's, Robert's book will lift you up and show you some of the blessings that are hiding. And he brought his beautiful Mom with him! Thank you for stopping in on such a rainy night.
February brought the Homecoming of Samuel Lake with a telephone visit with author Jenny Wingfield. What a delight as we shared with how the story of Samuel Lake touched her and each of us.
In March, Meg Waite Clayton author of The Four Ms Bardwells visited with us via SKYPE just before leaving on her European tour. We were hoping to win her contest for a vacation to California, but alas none of the SWLA PQ's will be going.
Now it's April and we are reading State of Wonder by Ann Patchett who has recently opened an independent book store in Nashville because there wasn't one. Authors do amazing things!
Looking forward to seeing you next week at our April meeting!
Friday, January 20, 2012
Diamond Tiara Award!
Been waiting for pics but haven't gotten them yet so guess I'll just have to write 1000 words! That's hard for me to do so I'll just copy Kathy Patrick's announcement for our Southwest Louisiana Pulpwood Queens Book Club to have been honored with her Diamond Tiara Award! Queens you are fabulous!!!!
January 12, 2012
Jefferson, Texas - As the founder of the now 525 chapters of The Pulpwood Queens Book Club, making us the largest "meeting and discussing" book club in the world I would officially like to announce our award winners for this past 2011 year:
2011 Pulpwood Queens Books of the Year!
Pulpwood Queen Book of the Year - "Georgia Bottoms" by Mark Childress
Pulpwood Queen Bonus Book of the Year - "as the sycamore grows" by Jennie Helderman
Pulpwood Queen Teen to Adult Crossover Book of the Year - "Scout, Atticus, and Boo" by Mary McDough Murphy
Pulpwood Queen Children's Book of the Year - "Man in the Moon" by William Joyce
Other presentations and awards are:
The Doug Marlette Award - Teri Tanner, owner of A Real Bookstore in Fairview, Dallas, Texas. This award is giving in loving memory of Pulitzer Prize winning political cartoonist, author, and Pulpwood Queen favorite, the late, great Doug Marlette. Past recipients include Marly Rusoff, Mary Gay Shipley, and Sonny Brewer.
The Kat Award to Phil Latham, Editor/Publisher of The Marshall News Messenger. This award is given to someone in the media who goes beyond the call on promoting literacy.
The Diamond Tiara Award goes to:
Queen Mary Grove of The Pulpwood Queens of Anchorage, Alaska who has started five chapters of the Pulpwood Queens including one in a women's prison, The Pulpwood Queens of Hiland Meadows and now the NEW The Paroled Pulpwood Queens of ALASKA!
Queen Alyse Urice of The Golden Pulpwood Queens of Golden, Colorado for personally gathering books through the Literacy & Hope Project and distributed $16,700 books last year to homeless shelters, libraries, and schools and included creating an elementary school library too. Queen Alyse is also starting in February a new book club for homeless women.
Queen Kay Huck of The Pulpwood Queens of Southwest Louisiana for providing books and textbooks for an entire school since their chapter started in Nicaragua and even make mission trips there to provide the books.
This is a NEW award this year to recognize a Head Queen who runs a Pulpwood Queen chapter/chapters who set the standard for providing excellence and raising the bar in promoting literacy and thus being the "diamonds" in our Pulpwood Queen tiaras which like our motto, "Tiaras are mandatory and reading good books is the RULE"!
We are not your mama's book club. We are a book club that is not only having BIG TIME FUN while we are reading but we are making a BIG TIME DIFFERENCE!
The sole purpose of the Pulpwood Queens Book Clubs is to promote authors, books, reading, literacy, reading and help undiscovered authors get discovered in a really big way! Also The Pulpwood Queens have adopted The Dolly Parton Imagination Library atwww.imaginationlibrary.com as their charity of choice and raised over $6,000 last year for this project. Each year at Girlfriend Weekend, all 50 authors who attend donate a personal item that ties in with their book to autograph and silent auction. This year will be doing so again and if that is not enough another press release as follows:
PRESS RELEASE
$20,000 Granted to Northeast Texas Schools to Promote Literacy
$20,000 Granted to Northeast Texas Schools to Promote Literacy
Kathy Patrick, founder of the Pulpwood Queen Book Club, and Pulitzer Prize finalist author John Berendt will present checks to librarians from Jefferson and Linden-Kildare school districts during an awards ceremony at the 12th Anniversary Girlfriend Weekend Author Extravaganza in Jefferson, Texas. The checks being presented are from the Burt and Nancy Marans Charitable Fund with East Texas Communities Foundation. Totaling $20,000, the grants will be distributed to six Northeast Texas school districts allowing these area schools to purchase over 1,300 books for school libraries.
With ongoing budget cuts to school libraries, Patrick’s local book club chapter has stepped forward by working with donors to fund book purchases for school libraries. An advocate for literacy, Mr. Marans hailed literacy and education as keys to individual success and advancement in life. Prior to his death, he frequently participated in volunteer reading programs at elementary schools.
Kathy Patrick’s Pulpwood Queen Book Club is based in Jefferson, Texas, and is the nation’s largest book club with 525 chapters nationwide and in 15 countries. The Pulpwood Queens’ primary focus is promoting literacy.
East Texas Communities Foundation is a nonprofit corporation serving 32 counties in East Texas. In 2010, the Foundation distributed a record $4.89 million in grants and manages over $46 million in 173 unique charitable funds which support non-profit organizations and student scholarships.
Our congratulations to all the winners and for more information you may contact Kathy L. Patrick at 903-445-2353 or emailkathy@beautyandthebook.com.
Kathy L. Patrick
Author of "The Pulpwood Queens' Tiara Wearing, Book Sharing Guide to Life", Grand Central Publishing
Founder of the Pulpwood Queens and Timber Guys Book Clubs
Beauty and the Book
608 North Polk Street
Jefferson, Texas 75657
The Greatest Book Show on Earth - Girlfriend Weekend 2012
Well Kathy Patrick did it again. The greatest circus of authors and readers in the small town of Jefferson, TX. Over 50 authors were in the ring with Lion Tamer Queen Kathy www.BeautyandtheBook.com. She had us all jumping through hoops from Clown Alley where the authors clowned around while serving a fabulous BBQ dinner from the local establishment, Riverport BBQ, which tragically burned to the ground the following evening. (No one was injured and they will rebuild.) We were awakened by sirens in the middle of night as the fire was only two blocks from The Excelsior Hotel where we were staying. This historic hotel has been operating continuously since 1850 and has house President Grant and Lady Bird Johnson. This year they had a fabulous breakfast for us each morning before we entered the circus tent.
Entering the Circus Tent (Jefferson Tourist Center) was like old home week as we laughed and shared with our favorite authors Shellie Tomlinson, River Jordan, Kathryn Casey, Mary Lee Malcolm, Nicole Seitz, Robert LeLeux, Judy Christie Deeanne Gist Marcia Fine and met many new ones who will joining the list like Jenny Wingfield, Michael Morris, Wade Rouse, Man Martin, Bill Torgerson, Robert Hicks, Tina Sloan. As well as PQ's from other areas Tijuana Neal, Marsha Toy Engstrom, Lisa Hodgson, Jonni Webb, Pam Carter, Karen Pellerin, Mary Yetta Alexander, the Conway PQ's....
Wow...a little bit of over load and so hard to recall without pictures...and lots of pictures there are floating all over FB! Here are a few of our favorites..
One thing we did hear, please post book reviews, just a simple I liked/disliked this book, helps the authors tremendously.
Am posting pictures of your queens dressed to the nines..in our Pink Prom Attire and Circus Best. Queens Beverly Martin, Rose Gray, Beverly Hill and Candy Case, joined me in this fun filled gathering.
Get ready for next year Jan 17-20, 2013 when the theme will be The Gilded Age..Looking forward to some outstanding books and good hearted fun.
Entering the Circus Tent (Jefferson Tourist Center) was like old home week as we laughed and shared with our favorite authors Shellie Tomlinson, River Jordan, Kathryn Casey, Mary Lee Malcolm, Nicole Seitz, Robert LeLeux, Judy Christie Deeanne Gist Marcia Fine and met many new ones who will joining the list like Jenny Wingfield, Michael Morris, Wade Rouse, Man Martin, Bill Torgerson, Robert Hicks, Tina Sloan. As well as PQ's from other areas Tijuana Neal, Marsha Toy Engstrom, Lisa Hodgson, Jonni Webb, Pam Carter, Karen Pellerin, Mary Yetta Alexander, the Conway PQ's....
Our first night - at the Author Dinner
We bring our Alligator Mascot with us
Deeanne Gist shows us how a proper Victorian lady dresses from the bottom
to the top....Wonderful!
Dinner with new and old author friends Bill Torgerson, Nicole Seitz, Shellie Tomlinson and Robert Hicks
Beautiful authors Meg Clayton, Judy Christie Lisa Wingate and
Aren't we a circus to die for! LOL
Pink Prom Night with Kathryn Casey
Dinner with Mary Lee Malcolm and friends
One thing we did hear, please post book reviews, just a simple I liked/disliked this book, helps the authors tremendously.
One of the many wonderful panels of authors: Nichole Seitz, Michael Morris, River Jordan, Robert LeLeux and Kathy Patrick
Bev Martin, Kay Huck, Kathy Patrick and Shellie Tomlinson
Am posting pictures of your queens dressed to the nines..in our Pink Prom Attire and Circus Best. Queens Beverly Martin, Rose Gray, Beverly Hill and Candy Case, joined me in this fun filled gathering.
Wouldn't you love to go to Pink Prom Night with these gals?
Another fabulous panel with Kathryn Casey, Marilyn Gilhuly, Jan Reid, Reavis Wortham, Robert LeLeux and Kathy Patrick
Get ready for next year Jan 17-20, 2013 when the theme will be The Gilded Age..Looking forward to some outstanding books and good hearted fun.
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