Phil Arnold passed around a copy of SCWW's anthology, now called Catfish Stew. This years entries were judged on five criteria: engaging/enlightening subject, appropriate style, voice, vividness of imagery, and absence of errors. All entries scoring above the median for each category were included. Greenville accounted for about 17% of the entries, though only Sue Renault placed in the top three in any category with her essay, "Writing Basics." Congratulations to all included in this year's tome. Let's all sharpen our quills and aim for the high ground next year.

Phil shared news that his words will be the introduction in a $60 coffee table book, Elvis Incredible. We hope they cut you in for a big slice of that Jackson trio. He also offered kind words for Printed Matters which he reads "cover to cover" each month. Much credit goes to our team of reviewers who contribute their talents to our monthly missive.

The Local Authors' Corner Grand-Opening has been set by the Clover Chamber of Commerce for Monday, December 8th, around 2:00 p.m. Everyone to mark your calendar!

However, I have decided to have a Christmas get-together on Tuesday, December 2nd, at the store. This will serve as a gift to "US" writers for our year of hard work. Wives, husbands, and other guest are most welcome. Anyone can bring their books that night to place into the store. This way your books will already be in the store for the Grand-Opening, for book signings. There will be refreshments, and music. For those who are coming from a long ways, if they should wish to stay over night, I will make arrangement with Best Western in Rock Hill, SC.

Much love to all my SCWW friends and fellow writers, Always!

Eloise Faris

R.S.V.P. emfaris@bellsouth.net

While you're making your Christmas list and checking it twice, be sure to note our next meeting, 6:00 p.m., Thursday, December 4th at The Open Book. Be sure to bring your readings, be they naughty or nice.

It was good to see Judy Root at the table with her story, "Garden Apartment." She described it as her "worst roommate story." Her description of her apartment did show us a less than desirable place to live. But give us more: some smells for the moldy bathroom and the roommate's cat, with cat hair in the food. I was confused about where the apartment was. She began with a Chicago location, but the one she lived in was in North Carolina. Make that location clearer in the beginning. Since she was a graduate student, make her car older. Some suggestions were to shorten the beginning and don't give so much back story. The characters in the Labor Party added to the overall work. Let us hear how you got rid of them. It needs revision, but has potential. Work on it and come back in December with the rest of the story.

Even though John Migacz got a D- for his use of political correctness in "Observations from a Coffeehouse Corner," he gets an A+ for delivery in this humorous narrative. John's eye for detail is 20/20 and his characterizations are so perfect that we feel like we know these people, or at least their types. Some suggested that he give Ms. Poundage a break, but only a little one-she's still obnoxious. Others thought he should reconsider the baby's name. Everyone enjoyed the unexpected ending, when the narrator noticed that he is being observed as well.

In the past few months, John has scared us with his eerie story about the poker table, he has had us reliving memories in his story about the female rocker, and now he has us laughing, at all of the right places too. John is becoming a master of observation and of wordsmithing Hey John, maybe you should write Observations from a Critique Group Corner. Then again, don't. That might be really scary!

Diane Barr / Conclave of Princes

Diane read a section from the middle of her book, Conclave of Princes. She filled us in about the story - the Pope is dying, Cardinal Rialto's aide has been killed in an unsuccessful attempt to end the Cardinal's life, and the main character, Peter, is an ex-cop priest assigned to protect the Cardinal from further assassination attempts. Diane explained a little about Church politics: that the Opus Dei exist under special authority of the Pope and are the antagonists of the Jesuits. Diane wasn't sure if anyone cared about Catholic Church politics but someone was quick to say, "The more the better! It makes things interesting."

Generally, the group felt that the selection flowed well and was in good writing style. They thought that a few passages could be changed to increase tension - use of shorter sentences was suggested to accomplish this. There was also a lack of clarity about the fact that the person referred to as "the rector," "the Cardinal's friend" and "Monsignor Gutton" was indeed one and the same person. There was an enthusiastic suggestion that Peter be carrying a Beretta instead of a 9mm - not sure why. And everyone agreed that the phrase "warm, black leather of the Mercedes" was effective in giving them all that wonderful, "new car" feeling.

Pat Stewart's trip to Chicago gave us a glimpse into what it's like to travel in today's security conscious America. The TSA (Transportation Security Administration) quickly realized that Pat obviously fit the profile of a hijacker. They had her 'wanded,' her carry-on searched and after arriving at her hotel she found that security had also searched then sealed her checked baggage. After struggling to break through the plastic security lock on her luggage, she found a less than conciliatory note from the people who had rummaged through her underwear.

The table felt Pat's essay could have focused on her copy of '100 Banned Books' as the reason for the TSA suspicions and brought the plastic lock problem into the story sooner. The horror of hotel refrigerator charges could have been stressed more. Some table folk wondered why nothing like this ever happened to them. The Double Dipper thinks it happens in some form to all of us but Pat keeps her writer's eye open and her editorial pencil sharp.

Bob Brown is writing about "coddled professional" and bold scientist Matthew in an as yet untitled story of a Saturday trial gone amuck when he cannot cut off his new machine. Some listeners wanted clearer definition of theory and purpose for the machine up front. Others were concerned about the logistics that not only Matthew's ankles would be burning given the dramatic danger of the machine and that his two sons, Jeffrey and Jerome, are alone just behind the door to the first floor.

It is apparent that Bob is writing about what he knows in terms of science, but placing that knowledge into the basket of the story's setting and emotional relationships seems to be a growth area. I would like to know more about Matthew's wife, unnamed at this point, from whom he separated with a "brief and pointless argument" and locked himself in the basement, in Matthew's quest for "emotions he doesn't know about yet." This story has a lot of potential. Thanks, Bob, for sharing it with us.

Once again we were treated to that fine delicacy of more fun poems read to us by Kami Kinard. In her How Did I Get into This Mess? collection, Kami has the reader stuck between a porcupine or a skunk (I'll choose the skunk any day). But the idea of screaming in pain or really really stinking is graphic and perfect for the targeted age. Although I had never heard of a wasabi, I could tell from her poem that a wasabi on my nose would hurt like the dickens. Most of the group thought it should be footnoted and explained so the reader would know right off we were dealing with horseradish here. Most felt wasabi up my nose would be stronger and that the last stanza could be a little stronger.

In "Bubble Trouble," a youngster is sailing towards the sun, because he grew his bubble too big. The pictures here are endless. I loved books where you got a bird's eye view of roof tops and trees. It was suggested that the rhyme scheme wasn't consistent throughout the poem and that the second stanza should be present instead of past tense.

"Stucka Yucca" and "Fly Catcher" are both perfect as written and are fun pieces that need no improvement. My personal favorite is "No Way Out." My only question is where were these when I was reading books over and over and over again to my son?

Sue Cook has set herself to the task of writing a calendar full of stories to mark various holidays. This month she marked Flag Day, June 14th, with a family backpacking trip. Thirteen year old Allie, shepherdess of her three younger siblings, narrates the peculiar adventure that begins with Grandfather calls the family to see a remarkable sight: "a full-sized American flag... floating on thermals in a waving, back and forth fashion." The mystery of how this came to be is never fully resolved, though two possibilities are put forth: skydivers lost it, or it came off a tall fire tower on the mountain top. Personally, I always keep a telescope handy, which would have likely aided in the investigation.

Allie's younger brother and cousin gather in the fallen flag and, with a little prompting from Grandfather, show their Scouting stuff with an impromptu discussion of flag etiquette. The family joins in and tells their favorite flag stories. Grandfather relates the story of his flight home from Vietnam as a wounded solder. His personal pity party is cut short when he's made to see that most of the "passengers" aboard the plane are "fallen servicemen returning home to their families for the last time," their coffins draped with American flags. The veterans in our midst offered helpful critique on these details. The story closes with the family gathered as an honor guard for the flag and those who through the years have fought to keep it flying.

"Thaleia?"

"Oh, please!" The figure seated on the corner of my desk in a white lab coat, her brown hair twisted into a tight bun in back, looked up from her calculator and peered at me through thick glasses. "Don't confuse me with my giggling twit sister."

"Then you are...?"

She extended a hand, cool and firm, like her demeanor. "Urania, Muse of Astronomy."

"Pardon me," I said. "You do look quite a bit like her."

She buttoned her lab coat one notch higher. "I am not here to foster your adolescent fantasies."

I sat in my favorite chair. "Then why are you here, and where's Thaleia."

"She didn't say where she was going, or when she'd be back." She punched a few lengthy figures into her calculator and made a notation on her clipboard. "But did say she felt neglected...."

"Neglected?"

She lifted a finger, like a prim school teacher. "Allow me to finish, please. She felt neglected of late and didn't see any hope of regaining your attention before Spring."

"Why Spring?"

"You fancy hiking," she said. "As your feet wander, so does your mind."

"Granted. A habit I aquired as a paperboy, wandering and pondering."

"You should try astronomy while you're up there some time. The stars are easier to see away from the lights and smog of the city."

"The only star visible when I hike is the Sun."

"I would have guessed." She toyed with her pencil, like a tiny baton. "My sister told me you're a wuss."

"Did she?"

"Um, hmm," she responded, shuffling through a pile of scratch paper. "That's no doubt why you didn't show up to see the recent solar eclipse."

"Duh! It was in Antarctica. A bit nippy this time of year."

"Actually, it's Spring there now. Daytime temps often reach the 20s."

"Sounds like your kind of place."

Head bent over her calculator, she paused an regarded me over her glasses. "How's that?"

"Cold and distant."

She pondered for a moment, tapping her chin with her pencil, then stowed her glasses, pulled the pins from her hair, letting it cascade over her shoulders and loosened her lab coat a few buttons. "I thought you weren't here to foster my fantasies," I said.

"Who said anything about your fantasies." She stowed her gear in her briefcase and stepped to the door. "I'm off to the library."

"Will I see Thaleia, or you, again soon?"

"Thaleia, eventually; me, don't hold your breath." She grinned wickedly. "But one of our sisters, count on it."

Printed Matters is the newsletter of the Greenville Chapter, SCWW, which meets on the first Thursday of each month at 6:00 p.m. at The Open Book, 110 S Pleasantburg Drive, Greenville, SC.

Thanks to our contributing writers and news reporters: Pat Stewart, Kami Kinard, Marcia Migacz, John Migacz, Judy Root and Cindy Kay.

Copyright 2003 by Leland Beaudrot, Editor. Contributing writers retain all rights to their work.