Shawano Area Writers taking part in ‘Afternoon With the Authors’

The Shawano Area Writers will be well-represented at an event designed to showcase the authors who walk among the regular folks of rural northeast Wisconsin. The Shawano City-County Library is hosting an “Afternoon With the Authors” from 3-6 p.m. April 14 as part of its observance of National Library Week. The event will be an open house where patrons can meet with almost a dozen authors one-on-one, learn about their writing and why they’re so passionate about it, and even stock up on some reading material. “People don’t always realize what amazing writing talent exists right in their own back yard, and this is a chance to meet authors up close and personal,” said Lee Pulaski, Shawano Area Writers president. “The library is providing us with a wonderful opportunity to showcase homegrown talent.” The Shawano Area Writers meet monthly at the library, usually at 10 a.m. on the third Thursday of the month. More than a dozen writers gather each month to share what they’ve written. “Anyone who has ever attended one of our monthly meetings knows that there are a variety of creative writers in northeast Wisconsin – from poets to folks who write personal essays to full-blown published novelists – and no matter how you’re feeling that day, you’ll definitely hear something that will make you smile and something that will make you cry,” Pulaski said. Here’s a brief rundown on the six members of the Shawano Area Writers who will be part of “Afternoon With the Authors”: - Dr. Steven Dakai: Dakai has been a nationally recognized professional and personal development consultant for over 17 years. He just released his new book, “Making Shift Happen.” Dakai is CEO of Shift Happens International LLC, a behavioral health consulting firm. He holds a doctorate in addictive disorders. He is well known for guiding individuals and behavioral health programs through coaching, mentoring, and professional learning opportunities. - Wendy Goerl: The secretary for Shawano Area Writers will be attending with copies of her poetry book, “Fantasms of Freedom,” as well as her how-to books, “30 Ways to Weave a Potholder” and “30 More Ways to Weave a Potholder.” In addition to compositions of words, Goerl also composes images in pencil, charcoal, acrylic paint and photography, some of which find their way into her written works. - John Mutter Jr.: Mutter is a longtime member of the Writers and has recently published an autobiography titled “No Time To Count: The Life of a Small-Town Writer.” The book looks at his life from his birth in 1943 to all of the various careers he’s had in his life and also talks about how taking a creative writing class in 1980 inspired him to write. - Lee Pulaski: Pulaski has a number of books in print. Currently, he is working on a series of mystery books based in Shawano County, mainly in Gresham. There are already two in print – “As American as Apple Pie” and “Death by Order of the Queen.” The third book in the series, “Murder at the Teddy Bears Picnic,” is due out May 1. - Carol Schlehlein: Schlehlein is a longtime member of the Shawano Area Writers, and she writes in several forms. In fall 2014, she published a book titled “God is My Help: A Book of Meditations,” which is a compilation of prayers and poems covering all 52 weeks of the year, as well as special holidays and birthdays. In March, Schlehlein published “Thunder Weather,” a novel based on a true story of family life on a farm in Mequon from 1900-1945. - Denis Vickers: Vickers is a professor at the College of Menominee Nation. He writes eclectic novels with truth-seeking underpinnings, strong doses of humor and occasional explicit erotica. In late 2014, he published the novel “Mikawadizi Storms,” a fictionalization of the issue of open-pit mining in Wisconsin. Besides authors from the Shawano Area Writers, the library event also will include Nadine Thies, Nancy Thelen, Gary Beyer, John Powers and Alicia Rades. To find out more about “Afternoon With the Authors,” call the Shawano City-County Library at 715-526-3829. For more information about the Shawano Area Writers, visit www.shawanoareawriters.org.