Free Comic Book!

Leave your wallet at home! On Saturday, May 2, participating comic book shops across North America will be giving away free comic books to anyone who stops in.

You can get your own free comic book between 11 a.m. and 9 p.m. at the House of Heroes, 407 N. Main St. Oshkosh. Titles include Star Wars, Avengers, Ultimo, Wolverine and more.

The price is right and this is a great activity that you can participate in with your children. Or not.

Author Visit - Elizabeth Berg

You're invited to the Oshkosh Public Library for a book talk & signing with New York Times best-selling author Elizabeth Berg at 11:30 a.m. Wednesday, May 13. She will talk about her latest novel, Home Safe. Visit Elizabeth Berg's website for more information about her books.

The event is free and open to the public. For more information, please call the Library at 236-5205.

Writing Prompt

The writing prompt for the April 18 meeting is: She had trouble with the truth; both telling it and accepting it.

Use the prompt any way you wish and modify as needed. Enjoy!

April is Autism Awareness Month

Autism: Spreading the Word ... and Hope
April is Autism Awareness month, and throughout the world, people are joining forces to spread the word about autism and to inspire others to lend a hand to people with autism and their loved ones.
Autism is a neurobiological disorder that hinders a person's ability to communicate and to socialize and that is often accompanied by challenging behaviors. Tens of millions of children and adults around the globe, of all ethnicities and socioeconomic circumstances, live with autism or a related disorder, such as Aspberger's syndrome. In the United States, one in 150 children has an autism-spectrum disorder diagnosis, and the rate of autism diagnosis has increased tenfold over the last decade.
Although there is no known cause or cure for autism, researchers are making progress toward those ends, and there are effective treatment and support programs for children and adults with autism-spectrum disorders. But we still have a long way to go. So it is imperative for those of us who can to do whatever we can to raise awareness of this debilitating disorder and to help those with autism and their families.
That's why, in 2007, Adams Media joined forces with former NFL champ Doug Flutie and his wife Laurie, parents of a son with autism, to publish A Cup of Comfort for Parents of Children with Autism. A portion of the profits from the sale of the book go to the Doug Flutie Jr. Foundation for Autism. Doug and Laurie Flutie wrote the book's inspiring foreword, and the wonderful stories in this book, all written by parents of children with autism, not only offer insight and hope, they also celebrate the successes and blessings of children and adults with autism.
Here's a snippet from just one of those stories, "Part of the Gift," by Thomas Cannon:
[story created with the assistance and encouragement of the Oshkosh Writer's Club]

My wife and I sit together on one of the couches in the doctor's examining room, which is at least 30 feet long with many toys in plastic bins."Yep, he's autistic," the doctor says nonchalantly, labeling our son as if she were stating the color of his hair.
Looking over at my little boy as he plays with a figurine of a knight on a galloping horse, I find her diagnosis impossible to believe. He's too engaged in the world around him ... He is too loving and too involved with me and his mom and two sisters. No, he didn't respond much to the doctor, but he is only three.
Yet, afterward as we eat lunch and even though Sawyer is strangely well behaved, the diagnosis also makes sense in many ways. He does have some sensory issues; he is evasive and shy around grandparents and strangers; and he does not talk yet. The diagnosis crushed the shield of denial that has obscured by vision, and I begin to grieve the loss of my son's future ...
Want to read the whole story? Click here.

"Read Across America" Authors Celebration

Those members who judged the Read Across America writing contest for Oshkosh elementary school children are invited to the Authors' Celebration at 2 p.m. Sunday, April 26, under the Dome of the Oshkosh Public Library, when the winners will be announced. The event will last about one hour and refreshments will be served.

Meeting Reminder

The next meeting of the Oshkosh Area Writers Club is 10 a.m. Saturday, April 4, in the lower level meeting room of the Oshkosh Public Library, 106 Washington Ave.. Correction to the email reminder: Jack F. is the Author Spotlight.

As always, meetings are free and open to anyone age 17 or older.

Grammer Lessons for the Hungry

Not sure whether its/it's at their/there house? Bone up on your grammar and punctuation skills and help end hunger at the same time through Free Rice. For every answer you get correct, 10 grains of rice are donated to help end world hunger. Don't fret if you answer wrong, the question will show up again later until you answer correctly.