March Newsletter :: “Log of the Trail”

Meeting Announcement: Our March meeting will be held on Tuesday, March 15, 2011, at the Fort Davis Public Library in Fort Davis, TX, from 7:00 – 9:00 pm. If you wish to carpool from Alpine, meet us in the Big Bend Telephone parking lot before we depart at 6:30 pm.

Speaker: Barbara Blake – “The Character Arc: A Journey of Change”
Refreshments: (You know who you are, we hope!)
Writing Assignment: Something Irish (500 words or less)

From the desk of our president:

March winds and April showers? Don’t we wish? Wild fires? Brave pilots and big yellow helicopters that drop retardants on them? Skunks and their early morning perfume? A morning with one percent humidity? Vertigo and my sympathy to fellow sufferers?

Take your pick or think of a better one. Perhaps you can turn it into a poem or story.

Happy days, restful nights and productive writing to each of you.

Phyllis Musgrove


Barbara Blake’s Presentation at the March TMTW Meeting

Author Barbara Blake will present a short program entitled “The Character Arc: A Journey of Change” at the March 15 meeting of the Texas Mountain Trail Writers.  Barbara is the author of the book A Guide to Children’s Books about Asian Americans (England: Ashgate Publishing Co.,

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February Newsletter | “Log of the Trail”

Meeting Announcement: Our February meeting will be held on Tuesday, February 15, 2011, in the Fiesta Room of the Hallmark Apartments in Alpine.

Writing Assignment: Love Lost, Then Found Again, 250-500 word limit.

Speaker: Phyllis Musgrove will speak about “Who Says Writers Heads are Blocked?”

Refreshments: Petei Guth will provide refreshments for the February meeting.


From the Desk of our President

Our new year got off to a great start, and we welcomed several newcomers and visitors to our January meeting in Fort Davis. We enjoyed an outstanding program from Jackie Siglin.

Despite February’s roaring in like a lion, our spring retreat planning committee finalized plans for what I think will be an outstanding 20th anniversary conference. I hope many of you can attend.

Phyllis Musgrove

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January Newsletter :: “Log of the Trail”

Meeting Announcement: Our January meeting will be held on Tuesday, January 18, 2011, at the Fort Davis Public Library in Fort Davis, TX, from 7:00 – 9:00 pm. If you wish to carpool from Alpine, meet us in the Big Bend Telephone parking lot before we depart at 6:30 pm.

Speaker: Jackie Siglin – Can You Write It Better?

Jackie’s Presentation at the January TMTW Meeting

Jackie Siglin will present a program, Can You Write It Better?, at the TMTW meeting on January 18, 7 pm at the Fort Davis Public Library.  The presentation will be on how to self-edit your writing, make it tighter and clearer.  The information will be based on what she learned this summer in a Writers’ League of Texas session presented by author, Carol Dawson.


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TMTW 2011 Spring Retreat :: Save The Date!!!

!!Save the Date!! Mark Your New Calendar Now

Texas Mountain Trail Writers Spring Retreat

April 8, 9, 10, 2011

The Texas Mountain Trail Writers invite you to celebrate their 20th annual retreat in the mountains at the Paisano Encampment (7 miles west of Alpine)

Professional Speakers, Fabulous Food, [...]

October Newsletter | “Log of the Trail”

Meeting Announcement: Our October meeting will be held on Tuesday, October 19, 2010, at the Fort Davis Public Library in Fort Davis, TX, from 7:00 – 9:00 pm. If you wish to carpool from Alpine, meet us in the Big Bend Telephone parking lot before we depart at 6:30 pm.

Speaker: Darrell White – About his newly completed book!
Writing Assignment: A Ghost Story – Something spooky – anywhere from funny spooky to horror spooky. 500 words or less.
Refreshments: Eleanor Taylor, with coffee fixin’s by Phyllis Musgrove

To my friends who enjoy playing with words. ~ Reba

“One morning I shot an elephant in my pajamas. How he got in my pajamas I’ll never know.” – Groucho Marx

“Take my wife, please.” – Henny Youngman

“If all the girls at Vassar were laid end to end, I wouldn’t be surprised.” – Dorothy Parker

“You can always count on Americans to do the right thing – after they’ve tried everything else.”- Winston Churchill

“I belong to no organized party. I am a Democrat” – Will Rogers

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April Newsletter |”Log of the Trail”

Meeting Announcement: Our April meeting will be held on Tuesday, April 20, 2010, in the Fiesta Room at the Hallmark Apartments in Alpine from 7:00 – 9:00 pm.

Speaker will be Darrell on the new novel  “Imp Of Woe”.
The assignment for April is Poetry! Old ones or New ones, as long as we haven’t heard them. Up to 3 short ones or one very long one.

From the Atelier of our President:

Yeah, team!  Another successful retreat completed.  Thank you, Reba and Jackie, for co-chairing this event and thank you to your team of workers who helped bring it all together!  I heard many good comments from our guests.  And, I thought our presenters were especially good.  And, they participated in almost all of our activities which was nice.

We’ll sum up and discuss the retreat during our next meeting which will be Tuesday, April 20.

Let’s keep the May 15 Trip to Lubbock date on our calendars.  That’s the target date for the writer’s night with the Lubbock Writer’s group.  And, our meeting in May will be our last meeting until September.  Be thinking about the location for that party/meeting.  I would love to offer my place,  however, my little place is so small when you cuss the cat you get fur in your mouth.

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Last Chance Corral

WRITERS, Welcome to the
Last Chance Corral

Writers’ Round-Up

“I Owe it to Myself!”

It’s been a long winter.
The refund check hasn’t come.
I’m sick of cold weather.

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Writers’ Heaven – Spring in the Davis Mountains

Located in the beautiful mountains of West Texas, Paisano Baptist Encampment is a 95-year-old family retreat. Paisano was established by pioneering ranch families who began meeting for preaching and dinner on the grounds. Old timers used to camp in tents and eat meals prepared on chuck wagons.

Paisano was established for the purpose of worship and Bible study while enjoying nature, and now they also share their beautiful grounds with other groups. The camp provides a cowboy-type atmosphere in West Texas between Alpine and Marfa.

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Spring Writers Retreat | Our Speakers

Acclaimed children’s author, Jessica Lee Anderson; New Mexico writing instructor and manuscript doctor, Lucia Zimmitti; Sul Ross State University research archivists, Melleta Bell and Jerri Garza; and newspaper photojournalist and humorist, Blair Pittman, highlight the annual Writing Round-Up of the Texas Mountain Trail Writers near Alpine on April 9, 10, 11, 2010. A weekend of learning and fun with celebrated speakers, western outdoor cooking, a haiku poetry walk, warm days, cool evenings, and readings around a campfire in the inspiring Davis Mountains is planned for guests. The 19th annual spring retreat in the Big Bend area has many repeat writers returning for the writing tips, publishing secrets, gorgeous scenery of Paisano Encampment, hiking, recharging of batteries, and congenial camaraderie.

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February Newsletter |”Log of the Trail”

Meeting Announcement: Our February meeting will be held on Tuesday, February 16, 2010, in the Fiesta Room at the Hallmark Apartments in Alpine from 7:00 – 9:00 pm.

Our speaker will Darrell White who will share the history of Valentine’s Day and some of its customs throughout the world, such as how Japan has two Valentine’s Days — February 14 for women and May 14 for men!
Writing Asssignment by Darrell White: Your writing assignment topic for the February meeting is your best or worst Valentine’s Day or Valentine’s Day gift.

From the Atelier of our President:

Where is our promised snow?  My sister called this morning; they’ve got 3 inches so far in Natchitoches, Louisiana, a place that rarely sees snow.  She is thrilled!  Of course everything has been shut down and cancelled over there so she’s got a long weekend at home.  They may get up to 7 inches before the front moves out.

I am happy with sun, of course.  And thankful that I live in an area where we can have snow one day and sun the next!  And, if you don’t like the weather, wait a minute!

We’re anxious to hear how Kip liked Alaska and look forward to a report from her.  She should now be back in the warmer climes of Texas.

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