Deck the Club Halls

As a self-employed freelance writer, my prospects for a holiday office party are fairly bleak. Writing by nature is a solitary undertaking. For that reason, writers often join associations and organizations in order to pool resources, exchange ideas,  and yes, party, with associates.

Denver Woman's Press Club

Recently, I attended a holiday gathering at the Denver Woman’s Press Club. Coincidentally, it is the 100th anniversary of the DWPC clubhouse, a charming little Victorian building surround by tall office buildings and parking lots not far from Colorado’s capitol building. It is always a pleasure to spend time in the little house and visit with the talented journalists who belong to the organization. DWPC is one of few, or possibly the only woman’s press club to own a building. The house is a historic treasure purchased by DWPC in 1924.

My next stop on the holiday party circuit was the Columbine Genealogical and Historical Society. This organization meets in a church, and the holiday party is always a bountiful pot luck lunch. Members bring out their best recipes and wear their finest red and green sweaters for the event. This group of serious genealogists has always been interested in and supportive of my writing, and I look forward to rejoining their board of directors for the coming year.

A writing mole can socialize only so much. I was not able to attend the Colorado Authors’ League holiday party this year. I recently attended one of their interesting seminar presentations about e-books at the mens’ Denver Press Club. This past spring, I was honored at the CAL annual banquet with their 2010 award for Best YA Nonfiction book for my biography, General William Palmer: Railroad Pioneer.

Although my Women Writing the West group is spread throughout the nation, we stay in touch daily via a Listserv bulletin board. Once a year, the group gathers for a national conference in a different Western location. We often create friendships with fellow members who live nearby. I’ve enjoyed many outings and adventures with my publisher, Filter Press, my research partner, Christie, with whom I recently enjoyed a holiday lunch and history walk, and several others. Who says writers are isolated?

Groups and clubs perform an important function in our writing lives. They draw us out with opportunities to learn and socialize, and they provide fabulous opportunities to embellish our experience. Holiday parties are an especially nice way to enjoy our peers and associates.

Joyce Lohse, 12/15/10
www.LohseWorks.com

 

A Majestic Stove

Hearth Cooking

It always happens sooner or later. The subject eventually returns to food and cooking. It is especially appropriate now with the Thanksgiving holiday looming. As you think about these types of cooking, consider the experience of roasting a turkey using either method. A trip to the Wheat Ridge Historical Museum was instructive. Their restored sod house offers two styles of cooking in close proximity. At the hearth is the traditional style used by pioneers. They were happy to be indoors under a roof, sod or not, instead of preparing meals on an open campfire with little available fuel other than dried out buffalo pies. Skillets and Dutch ovens were utensils of choice to cook hot meals and stews for hungry families in this solid stone hearth, which also provided plenty of heat for comfort.

Majestic Wood Stove

Then along came the Majestic Wood Stove. It had all the bells and whistles, for those who could afford it. This stove in the photo has six burners and warming cabinets overhead. It’s a beauty. My friend, Yellowstone Carol, loves Majestic stoves and swears by them. She cooked many a fabulous meal on one up in Yellowstone Country. She became especially proficient at baking pizza in them. She enjoys any opportunity to stoke one up with chopped wood to give it a whirl with her latest recipe.

Living history and house museums are a great place to step back in history, whether to learn about life in the kitchen, or any other pioneer endeavor. To find such places in Colorado, refer to The Walls Talk: Historic Museums of Colorado, by Patricia Warner, from Filter Press.

Joyce B. Lohse, 11/9/10
www.LohseWorks.com

 

Scenic Routes and Rest Areas

You can see for miles from Grand Mesa.

We are fortunate in Colorado to enjoy the most beautiful scenery in the world. No matter how much you travel throughout the state, there are still surprises left to discover. This was the case this past weekend. On a jaunt to the West Slope, we were running early and decided to take a side trip to Grand Mesa. Although we had been there many years ago, we had approached from the south. Lured by a “scenic byways” sign, we drove in from the north on roads we had never before traveled. After traversing stark rocky canyons which made our jaws drop, we crept upward onto the high flat mesas that allowed us to view vast panoramic miles of valleys which surrounded us. The terrain at well over 10,000 foot altitude reminded me a little of Swan Lake Flats and the Lamar Valley in Yellowstone. I don’t often compare scenery to Yellowstone terrain. In this case, I made an exception. The only thing lacking was wildlife, which I attributed to the mid-day hour. My eyes strained through the dark scrubby trees and underbrush for wildlife — any wildlife! Marmots, who should have greeted us from among the tumble of crumbled basaltic rock columns, were absent. A moose crossing sign gave us hope, but no critters other than hawks and insects appeared to bring life to the landscape. The mesa left us wanting more and pondering a return trip.

Taking the Other Road through Grand Mesa

At the beginning of summer, I usually vow to take better care of my yard, and to get out to see more hidden corners of my chosen home state. Although I’ve done a little of both, summer has a way of slipping away before all expectations are met. As usual, I reach out to a book for perspective.  The book, a gift from my publishers at Filter Press, is “Colorado Scenic Byways: Taking the Other Road” by Jim Steinberg and Susan Tweit. Winner of the 2008 Colorado Book Award, Steinberg’s outstanding photography, and Tweit’s enlightened insights and connection to nature bring it all home. Not only does this gorgeous publication introduce the reader to roads never before experienced, but it also chronicles those routes already traveled. I feel a sense of satisfaction and some pride when I recall the scenic byways I have driven and enjoyed since arriving in 1974. I am also proud to know Susan Tweit through Women Writing the West, and I willingly turn myself over to her guidance through and connection to this wonderful mountainous place. This book is a must for all Colorado road trip junkies and their coffee tables. Visit Susan’s web site at: www.susanjtweit.com

This pit stop includes a history lesson.

Now, about that rest area. On I-70 west of Vail, Colorado, we often stop in Edwards for a comfort stop and to stretch our legs. This trip, we stopped at the rest area in Eagle instead. I had forgotten about the charming little history museum there. Kids of all ages can enter a real Denver & Rio Grande caboose as well as historic log cabins for a little diversion before scrambling back into the confines of the family auto. This little museum, complete with a visitor’s center, is a delightful surprise and a real treasure for interstate travelers who wish to take a break.

Joyce B. Lohse, 8/30/10
www.lohseworks.com

 

In Like A Lion

Actually, the weather has taken a mild turn with the arrival of March. A road trip to the West Slope over the weekend was still mighty cold with a dusting of snow on the mountains, although a snowstorm threatened to block our way home over the Great Divide. Since then, a welcome whiff of spring has been riding in on the mountain breezes. Looks like winter might be winding down after all.

Book activities are roaring in like a lion. The March issue of True West magazine features my article, “General Palmer’s Baby Railroad”, about the arrival of the Denver & Rio Grande to the Rocky Mountain West. It is quite a thrill to have my piece featured in this nationally distributed publication. The magazine is great, and I’m honored that my work is part of the train issue.

Coming soon in Denver … on Wednesday, March 24, 5-7 p.m., I will have the pleasure of signing books at the Molly Brown House Museum, along with my colleague and friend, Debra Faulkner. The event is called “Meet the Women in Denver’s History”. The cost is $10, and it will be a great opportunity to visit the historic Molly Brown House Museum. Come by the gift shop and say Howdy!

In the meantime, work continues at a lively pace for Women Writing the West, and for my next book for “Now You Know Bios” for Filter Press. Library and internet searches are revealing many interesting pieces of history. A writer’s work is never done … and neither is the fun!

Joyce B. Lohse – 3/4/10
www.lohseworks.com

 

Moving Forward on Thanksgiving

If Thanksgiving is upon us, it must be time for CAL – the Colorado Association of Librarians Conference. Every year, publisher Filter Press hosts a booth for this event in Denver, allowing the authors to meet and greet librarians, teachers and readers. It is always illuminating, and a mixed bag of good news and bad news comments. The bad news is predictable … more book buying budget cuts, more social studies programs slashed, more demand for books about speicalized topics way down on the priority scale.

The good news is encouraging and will keep us going. As more people learn about our “Now You Know Bio” series, they find more ways to integrate them into their programs, and more people read them. They recognize the quality of the biographies and the research which has gone into each one. They love the topics we’ve chosen, and enthusiastically look forward to the newest arrivals.

I’m thankful for what we have, and I embrace the challenge of moving forward to produce more pioneer stories which appeal to young readers and history buffs of all ages. I appreciate Filter Press, who believes in my work and publishes it, giving me a voice, and for the encouragement and support of my colleagues there, and in Women Writing the West. I am honored to apply my writing skills to preserve history, and to give a voice to women who were formerly silent and consequently overlooked. Many of their stories have emerged and can now be celebrated, either as individuals or in conjunction with their pioneering partner.

John and Eliza Routt (rhymes with “scout”) provide a great partnership story. My award-winning book, First Governor, First Lady: John and Eliza Routt of Colorado, published by Filter Press, is a duo-biography about the life and work of the Routts as Western pioneers. I was fortunate to revisit their story and share it in an article for the current holiday issue of Steamboat Magazine. To read a condensed version of the article, go to: http://www.steamboatmagazine.com/articles/255.php

Happy Thanksgiving!
Joyce Lohse – 11/23/09
for more information about Now You Know Bios:
www.lohseworks.com
www.filterpressbooks.com

 

Little Libraries

Little libraries make the world go round. On the plains southeast of Denver last Saturday, Librarian Gayle Gresham hosted an Author Open House at the Elbert Public Library, which shares space with the Elbert School Library. It is a warm and wonderful place, full of the hustle and bustle of folks looking for a good read, and kids Googling the internet.

Along with Filter Press, I was invited to meet and greet patrons, and display and sign books for sale. With a craft bazaar taking place elsewhere in the building, traffic moved from one venue to the other. It was a fine, fun time, well spent in a welcoming space for authors and readers to mingle and celebrate books.

The Elbert Library is also home of the Women Writing the West Collection. These books receive a second life when they are removed from the WWW trade show exhibits to make room for new titles. They are then processed and placed into circulation in Elbert, where they have become quite popular as locals seek out titles they might have missed, many with Western and historical themes. A new shelf will soon be added to facilitate expansion of the collection.

Joyce Lohse, 11/18/09
www.lohseworks.com

 

Spring Forward in Colorado

As we spring forward deep into March, daylight savings time looms. In spite of this change, with its annoying psychological adjustments, spring brings hope and optimism, and a full history calendar. The highlight of this spring has been the arrival of a small but mighty little baby named Cutler. All difficulties dim and recede with the arrival of a grandchild.

A birth of a different sort will take place next month with the publication of my next book, General William Palmer: Railroad Pioneer, a “Now You Know Bio” from Filter Press. This book will come on the heels of the Pikes Peak Library District’s symposium collection about William Palmer, to be introduced on March 13, with a chapter I wrote included in the text. “Women Out West” magazine is making a comeback with publication of its winter issue containing my piece about Molly Brown. Looks like a busy springtime in the Colorado publishing and history world.

My appearance and presentation schedule includes the following:
April 18 – Carbon Valley Library, Firestone, Author Open House and Presentation
April 19 – Englewood Public Library, Author Open House
April 21 – Columbine Genealogical & Historical Society presentation, “Lurking In Cemeteries: A Researcher’s Guide”
June 10 – Pikes Peak Genealogy Society, Penrose Library, Colorado Springs, “Family History: Truth & Mystery”

Joyce B. Lohse – 3/7/09
www.lohseworks.com