Members' Biographical Information
(Listed in alphabetical order)
Nancy Bentley has published a series of non-fiction books on genre writing, journalism, playwriting, and video production for children, all while teaching and working as a library media specialist. Her picture book I’ve Got Your Nose! was a Junior Library Guild Selection and her film The Making of a Storybook: Mary Calhoun-Storyteller was shown at the Chicago International Film Festival. She also writes adult personal essays and short stories. Her latest children’s book Don’t Be a CopyCat! Write a Great Report without Plagiarizing is available from Enslow Publishers, Inc. For more information, visit www.NancyBentley.com.
Margaret Brettschneider taught literature and journalism for thirty years, twenty-one of them in Germany for the Department of Defense, with seven of those years on the east/west communist border during the Cold War. She retired in Colorado Springs in 1995 with her Army pilot husband, Ulrich. Under pressure from her former high school students, she began writing of these experiences, and five books have resulted under her pen name, M.J. Brett. Mutti's War is in its fifth printing and is winner of the Paul Gillette Award for historical fiction. It documents the journey of a young German mother across Europe during World War II with her three small sons. Shadows on an Iron Curtain tells of life on the Cold War Border under constant alerts and communist intrigue. It has been adopted by several Cavalry museums and needed security clearance. Between Duty and Devotion is a military love story of a fast-track officer who could command troops, but not his private life. Street Smart on a Dead End shows the cultural conflict between a twelve-year-old drug addict, her gang, and the straight-laced family who try to help her change her life. Mama Told Me Not to Come, a comedy, follows two overseas teachers in their disastrous romps around Europe and the Middle East....one accident-prone, and the other a victim of her own biological clock. Ethel and Lucy couldn't have done more mischief than these two. Margaret often speaks for groups and teaches writing classes for children and adults, and is invited into schools for discussions on WWII and the Cold War, or the drug and gang culture. Margaret’s latest book is I think I can, I think I can. For more information, visit www.mjbrett.com
Nancy Parker Brummett is the author of four books published by Cook Communications: Simply the Savior, It Takes a Home, The Journey of Elisa, and Reconcilable Differences: Two Friends Debate God's Roles for Women, written with Alice Scott-Ferguson of the Pikes Peak Branch. Their book was released in September 2006. A former newspaper columnist, Nancy also writes an online newsletter, articles for several websites and publications, and greeting cards and other product copy for social expression companies. Nancy frequently speaks to community organizations and church groups. She also volunteers for Family Life Services, a residential facility for single mothers and their children. Click here for her website.
Virginia Franklin Campbell has been an Independent Music Teacher for 48 years, and is a Music and Letters member of The National League of American Pen Women Inc. Some of her publications are Make a Memory: Recitals Worth Remembering and Alfred’s Piano 101, Exercises and Applications for Kawai Digital Pianos and Ensemble Pianos. Among her orchestrations for Keyboard Orchestra are Zum, Gali, Gali; Goldberg Variations: Number 3, Number 10 and Number 27 by Johann Sebastian Bach; and Prelude: Ave Maria by Johann Sebastian Bach. She has written an original solo for soprano and bass: Seasons of Life, and a musical setting of a poem by Anna DiBella, past National President, Dynamic, Time-Tested, We Survive, for and about Pen Women. She has conducted piano pedagogy workshops, lectures, clinics and master classes in many states and in Germany. She was President of the Pikes Peak Branch, 2000-2002, Fourth National Vice President 2002-2004, First National Vice President 2004-2005.
Cynthia (Cindi) Carroll is the author of Where Did the May Go?, a children’s book that was marketed in schools in all the English-speaking countries. She has also written several personal essays for Venture Inward Magazine. Because her father and husband were both in the Air Force, she has lived in four countries outside the United States. Over the years she has taught third and fourth grades and has given lessons on flute and piano. Cindi now digitizes embroider designs, creates art quilts, and has been a docent at the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo for twenty years. She is a member of the Pikes Peak Writers and is presently working on a novel: The House on Marquette. She joins Pikes Peak Branch as Letters Member.
Carol Caverly is the author of the Thea Barlow Wyoming mystery series, All the Old Lions, Frogskin and Muttonfat, and Dead in Hog Heaven. Her books were local best sellers and selections of the Detective Book Club. Her latest short story is included in the anthology, Homicide Host Presents.
Carol is a letters member of National League of American Pen Women Inc. She was a founding member and past president of Wyoming Writers, as well as a founding and current member of Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers. She was elected chapter president of the Rocky Mountain Chapter of Mystery Writers of America, serving on the national board, and is a long-standing member of the MWA, Sisters in Crime, and Pikes Peak Writers. For many years she has served as a judge for PPW and RMFW writing contests, presented a wide variety of programs at local and national writing conferences and been a member of the editorial boards for two short story anthologies.
Carol now lives in Colorado Springs, Colorado with her husband Don Hart, and is currently working on a thriller.
Kate Curry grew up in the little town of Gardner, KS, where she was editor of the high school newspaper printed in the Gardner News. She intended to be a reporter, but life took her in a different direction. She spent fourteen years as Director of Food Service at Union Hospital, Terre Haute, Indiana, before joining the original faculty in Dietetics and Nutrition at Florida International University, Miami, Florida. While there Katie published over 30 academic research articles, and two textbooks on Nutrition Counseling. Upon retirement she came to live in Colorado Springs where her early dreams of writing are coming to fruition. She publishes in the Fence Post, and submits articles and stories to other venues.
Doris Dembosky likes to quote poet Stanley Kunitz to offer insight into herself. "I have walked through many lives, some of them my own." She primarily taught English at a number of community colleges, including 15 years at Pueblo Community College. Her professional life, however, has ranged far and wide. Writing for pleasure came to her in the early 90s. She began with poetry and won several awards. After retiring from teaching, she switched to journalism. In addition to reporting assignments, she is beginning her tenth year writing "TimeOut," a weekly column for the Wet Mountain Tribune in Westcliffe, CO. Last year she placed second in "Best Serious Column" with the Colorado Press Association. In addition to writing poetry and personal essays, she has edited books for Pueblo Community College's Intergenerational Writing Project and has been published in Colorado Central Magazine and the Denver Post. She has chosen to close her bio with Stanley Kunitz: "I am not who I was." She is about to be more serious about her writing.
Joyce Gregor weaves her love of people, experiences, and faith into her writings. Her poems have been published in several magazines and anthologies. She lives in Westcliffe, Colorado, with her husband Ben who is an amateur photographer and often captures her words through his photography. Joyce holds a membership in the Pikes Peak National League of American Pen Women Inc. A listing of major publications includes: POETRY: Messenger of St. Anthony, "Who Is He," 1988; "Words From the Cross" (Free Verse published as an article because of length), 1989; "A Silent Garden," 1986; and United Methodist Reporter, 1983. Poems printed in Colorado Mile High Anthologies: "Parnassus," 1990, "Our Ageless Photocopy," "Urania," 1990, "Empty Houses"; "Pierian Spring," 1991, "Passing On"; Helicon 1993, "Bottled Memories”; Ariel 1995, "Grass Roots"; Olympia 1997, "Tapes for Michael.” Anthology of Central Colorado Writers: in Valley Voices Mountain Dreams, "Rosita's Parody," 1997: Valley Voices Passages. "Wind Traps," 1999; "Valley Voices, Ripples in the Stream of Life," "Vintage," 2001, in 2002, "Blind Man's Rainbow," 2005: two Haiku, An Anthology, Hard Ground III, Writing the Rockies. Pronghorn Press, 2003, Colorado River Rage, Morning In the Sangre Mountains, An Anthology, Columbine Poets: "30 Years or 30 Miles," 2008, "A Twist of Time," Talking River, A Literary Publication, "Marked Change," 2005. ARTICLES: Teddy Bear Review, June 2006: "Reflections of Teddy." Messenger of St. Anthony: "Your Touch of Color," 1986; " A Synopsis of Christian Art," 1990; " The Art of Christian Being," 1992: SHORT STORY: Reflections Literary Journal, “The White Bag,” 2005.
Eve Guy was born in New York but grew up in the South. A retired military officer, she writes Southern short stories, novels and poetry. Graduate of The Atlanta College Of Art, Atlanta, Georgia; Georgia State University, Atlanta, Georgia; and Jacksonville State University, Jacksonville, AL. Major: photography, art, sociology. Major awards/recognitions ART: Winner: MARTA (Metro Atlanta Regional Transit) competition, ART IN THE PARK. Winner: Jacksonville State University competition, first place photography. Finalist: Huntsville, AL Museum Of Fine Art, photography division. In 1992, her photos provided final input to legislators in Washington, DC to enact The Little River Canyon, AL, area as a wild and scenic river. Letters: Ozark Writers Conf: 2d place Flash Fiction. Finalist, Black Mt. Center for the Arts. Interests: photography, art, reading, music, travel. Member of the Fine Arts Center, Colorado Springs.
Diane Hoover was born in NYC across from Yankee Stadium, which might explain her great love for the Yankees. She grew up in the Washington DC metropolitan area, which certainly explains her great interest in politics. Diane has spent the last 35 years living near the foot of Pikes Peak, which definitely has helped inspire her writing. So far she has published several short stories and an occasional nonfiction piece, as well as placed in a number of contests. But it’s her Haiku for which she is known—at least among a small set of friends and relatives.
Betty Howard has been a published reviewer in the Colorado Springs Independent and the Bloomsbury Review, a feature writer for The Colorado Springs Business Journal and The Springs Magazine, as well as The Star, El Paso County Sheriff’s newspaper. She facilitates the Kerygma Writing Group, (associated with First United Methodist Church), is a member of the Eagle Rock Writing Group (UCCS) and Pen Women Writing Group. She is also the Coordinator of the “Shakespeare on a Sunday Afternoon” group and serves as the admiration society for her daughter, son-in-law and six grandkids. Currently she is working on a collection of short stories and is an avid designer knitter.
Jan Keller has worked as a professional writer the last 30 years in a variety of positions. She began her writing career on the staff of Ranchland News, a weekly newspaper in Simla, a small community on the eastern Colorado prairie. During her tenure with Ranchland News she wrote news stories, was a regular featured columnist, and served as the publication's advertising manager. At the encouragement of her readers, Jan published two books, Pieces From My Crazy Quilt and The Tie That Binds, each of which contains 25 of the most beloved of the more than 600 columns she wrote for Ranchland News. From the small town weekly newspaper, Jan moved on to work at a Colorado Springs design firm and then as marketing copywriter for a large direct-to-consumer corporation. All of Jan's various positions have provided the background and experience necessary for her to purchase and successfully publish The Country Register of Colorado, a bi-monthly publication distributed through advertisers and subscriptions. Jan became publisher of the Colorado paper in April, 2003 and in July of 2004 also began publishing The Country Register of New Mexico. "These publications are a delight for me to work on," says Jan. "Each edition features regional full-color art on the cover, usually by a woman artist who resides in Colorado or New Mexico. A spectrum of articles on a wide variety of topics of particular interest to women are also included, along with poetry and recipes."
Shannon Kenoyer-Lawrence is a mom of two, who has lived in Colorado Springs since she was 12 years old. She joins us as a "Friend." She loves Pikes Peak and the Rocky Mountain range and is constantly inspired by the beauty of Colorado. After years of letting her writing fall by the wayside, she has recently been inspired to throw herself back into writing. Her main focus is fantasy and horror, and she is currently working on a Young Adult fantasy novel. Shannon has also recently discovered a love of photography, and enjoys photographing the breathtaking Colorado scenery and wildlife, as well as her children. She is also currently a member of Pikes Peak Writers.
Beverly Lewis was born in Pennsylvania Amish country and was both a schoolteacher and an accomplished musician before becoming an award-winning, New York Times best-selling author of over 75 books of fiction for children, teens, and adults. With more than ten million copies of her novels in print, Lewis spends her free time touring and speaking. She and her family live in Colorado Springs. Discover more about Lewis at: www.beverlylewis.com. And see more about "The Confession: A Musical."
Joan Cameron Mitchell was born and educated in Glasgow, Scotland. She taught elementary school in Scotland, Montreal, Canada, Chicago and Colorado Springs, where she met and married her husband John. She served as a military wife all over the world and became a patron of the arts. Joan continued to study painting and is now a professional artist specializing in portraiture. The couple's last assignment was Berlin, where Major General Mitchell was commander of US forces, just prior to the fall of the Wall. Joan has published two memoirs, Comin’ Thru the Wry and Tear Down This Wall, based on the diary she kept during the couple’s four-year assignment in Berlin. She has spoken on art topics and on "Life after Retirement" since the couple retired in Colorado Springs.
Elizabeth Nichols is a Music Member in The National League of American Pen Women, Inc. She is a Professor Emeritus from Ball State University where she taught Music Education for over twenty years. Her publications include Orff Instrument Source Books, Vol. 1, 1970, Vol. 2, 1971; Tune into Limericks with Orff Instruments, 1988. She studied at the Orff Institute in Salzburg, Austria, and was one of the founders of the American Orff Schulwerk Association, and a workshop director for Orff Schulwerk in 36 states, Canada and South Africa, 1967 – 1985. She was the recipient of the Pikes Peak Arts Council AME Award in 1998 for launching the High Country Haiku Society, Colorado Springs, and for creating herself as “Grandmother Flute Player/Story Teller” for performances for adults and children. Elizabeth collects Native American instruments, and in the last few years has further developed her talent in Haiku and created a new haiku form, EYE-KU, which is visual poetry.
Dolores Campbell Quinlisk is a retired journalist and long-time executive director of two Colorado Springs non-profit organizations serving women and the aging. A graduate of Stephens College for Women in Columbia, Missouri, she began her journalistic career as Campus Editor of the college newspaper and then as a reporter for The Wichita Eagle, in Wichita, Kansas. After a few years off as a mother, she returned for a 15-year stint with The Wichita Eagle-Beacon, covering city and county government, the courts and urban affairs. In 1974, she won the News Enterprise Award from the William Allen White Foundation, and served four years on the Kansas Governor’s Commission on the Status of Women. During this time she also returned to school to obtain a BA degree in Political Science from Wichita State University. Moving to Colorado Springs in 1978, she used her public relations, communications and grant-writing skills as director of two non-profits for 25 years. She has written for The Senior Beacon, Colorado Springs Business Journal, and Life After 50. Now retired, she writes occasional poetry, personal essays and articles, and is working on a memoir.
Arvilla L. Rogers is a Colorado native who grew up in Creede and attended college in Denver. She began painting while in the Philippines during her husband's military duty at Clark Air Force Base. She attended art classes in Iran, Massachusetts, Alabama, and Colorado Springs. She paints in oil and watercolor and also does pressed flower pictures. She has shown work in juried shows, won awards and sold paintings throughout the United States.
Lois E. Stewart has been a Letters member since 1983. Offices and positions: Secretary for Colorado State Association NLAPW, 1986-1988; Chaplain for Colorado State Association NLAPW, 1988-1990; Piles Peak Branch Recording Secretary and Branch President, 1998-2000. Her published works include Look for the Rainbow, a book of original poetry and inspirational thoughts (1984), now in its third printing; a song "I Found the Rainbow" published in 1984; numerous greeting card verses published by Current and Leanin' Tree; and numerous work-related guides, articles and handbooks for The Colorado Department of Labor and Employment. Recognitions/Awards: Sterling Silver Hershey Kiss for Outstanding Public Relations from the National NLAPW; nominated for Colorado’s Poet Laureate in 1997. Awarded the Grand Cross of Color by the Supreme Assembly of the International Order of Rainbow for Girls, which has used and is still using Look for the Rainbow and I Found the Rainbow as a fundraiser internationally. Memberships: NLAPW; National Art Society; American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers; Fremont Center for the Arts, Canon City, Colorado; Pueblo Chapter #7 Order of the Eastern Star; First Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) Canon City, Colorado. Interests/hobbies: calligraphy with artwork; taught calligraphy at the Pueblo Community College (Canon City Branch); displayed/sold original calligraphy plaques under the business name of Stellar Creations.
Cassandra Quinn Thomas is from a family of Coloradoans who homesteaded on the eastern plains in 1900. She was editor of the Lever newspaper in high school as well as columnist for the Gazette Telegraph. Cassandra initiated, named, designed logo, wrote all articles and photographed events for the corporate TRW Transmitter Company Newsletter as well as working as a technical writer-editor. Her poetry has appeared in: Riverrun Literary Journal, Wish Women-A Poetry Forum for Women and ByLine Magazine. Her writing awards include honorable mention in the Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Contest, and the NLAPW Flash Fiction Contest. Recognition awards are the Colorado Scholars Award, El Pomar Scholarship and the Golden Key Honor Society. Her professional associations are with Poetry West and Women Writing the West. Charter member of Women in the Arts. Outside of writing, her interests lie in reading, watercolor, calligraphy and film.
Marylin Shepherd Warner is a writer, editor and writing teacher. She has B.A. and M.A. degrees in English and communications, and was a high school English and creative writing teacher for 30 years. She has published fiction, creative non-fiction, essays and plays in numerous national magazines and anthologies including St. Anthony Messenger, Byline, Woman's World, Aim, Reminisce, The Writer, and The Phoenix. Her writing awards include "Best Short Story by a Published Writer" from Lamplighters Intl., "Best New Children's Story" by Highlights, and contest awards in mystery and horror writing. She has been a Flash Fiction Contest Chair and Judge for the Pikes Peak Branch, NLAPW, and she does private editing and teaches workshops and weekly fiction writing groups for adult writers
Last modified: December 7, 2010