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On May 3, 1982, a writers’ club was
formed by Helen Barranger, Rodney Franklin, James Moore, Nancy Rock, Ed
Sandhaus and Mary Jo Shannon. Having just completed David Barudin’s creative
writing course in Roanoke College’s Continuing Education Program, they
recognized a need for a Roanoke area group that included all types of
writers. The six founders called themselves the Valley Writers and appointed
Ed Sanhaus as coordinator for their group. May 13, 1982, the Monday they
first met at the Roanoke County Library headquarters, became their
official day of origin.
In the summer of 1984, Helen Barranger presented the idea for an area
Writers Conference to the Valley Writers, Artemis, Hollins College, and the
local chapter of American Association of University Women. Within days,
representatives from these organizations planned a conference. The first
Blue Ridge Writers Conference was held at Roanoke College that fall. From
1984 until the BRWC moved to VA Tech, Valley Writers underwrote or sponsored
the conference.
Ed Sandhaus served as coordinator of the club (1982–83), followed by
Rodney Franklin (1983–89) and Ernie Reynolds (1989–91). Bud Feuer was
the first elected president (1991–97). The current president is Jim
Morrison."
Since becoming a chapter of the Virginia Writers Club in 1991, the Valley
Writers Chapter has hosted four quarterly meetings of the Virginia Writers
Club. Valley Writers will host the fifth one on September 8, 2007, in
Bedford.
Valley Writers has sponsored many guest speakers, such as Judy Ayyildiz,
Pinckney Benedict, Gordon Bennett, Anne Bromley, Amanda Cockrell, Barbara
Yount Coyne, Tommy Denton, Grace Toney Edwards, Keith Ferrell, Parks Lanier,
Jim Minnick, Cara Modisett, Becky Mushko, and others.
In 2000, Valley sponsored a panel of Rodney Franklin, Paul Corn, and
Paula Tiara discussing their self-publishing experiences. Through the
years, members of Valley Writers have participated in area bookfests,
conducted educational presentations (such as the 2005 "Advice for
Aspiring Authors" series at Roanoke County Library headquarters), and
presented readings at libraries, schools, retirement homes, and even a
winery.
In 1989, Valley Writers published its first anthology, the Best Short
Stories and Poetry by Valley Writers. A second anthology, Fit to Print,
appeared in 1998, followed by Fit to Print II in 2002. In recent years, many
members have published their own books.
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