Vice President Nate Scholze presided, as President Don Schambow was undergoing surgery.

The Board agreed that the WRWA Newsletter should be placed online using HTML (Hypertext Markup Language) so the entire newsletter can be viewed online. In addition, a downloadable PDF version will be placed online. That requires Adobe Acrobat Reader, a free download available at http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html. Some concern was expressed regarding the effect on membership. Will some people stop paying membership dues because they can get the newsletter online? Thus, this is viewed as a one-year experiment and will be reviewed at the May 2007 board meeting (or earlier, pending effect on membership).

The Board formally approved advertising rates as reflected in the spring and summer 2006 editions of the newsletter. The editor may increase these rates by up to $10 per class at his discretion. Advertising will continue to underwrite the cost of newsletters longer than 20 pages. The editor may increase the length to a maximum of 40 pages at his discretion and at an average cost over the baseline cost of 20 pages of no greater than $250 per issue, calculated on an annual basis (spring through winter).

The WRWA has operated in the past without any formal budget. The Board agreed to develop a formal budget as a management tool for its annual operations. All Board members and other leaders who normally have annual expenses in their particular areas of responsibility will submit budgets to Treasurer Jim Williams by July 15 so he can present a unified budget to the board at its meeting on September 22nd in Janesville.

Former WRWA Presidents and long-time members Elaine Clipper Hanson and Patricia Dunson-Boverhuis were elected Honorary Lifetime Members. Their awards will be presented at the Fall Conference in Janesville.

The Board approved a proposal by Charles P. Reis, WRWA representative to the Wisconsin Poet Laureate Commission, that we place a notice in the summer newsletter soliciting contributions for an endowment fund being established by the Wisconsin Poet Laureate Commission. The endowment (target: $25,000) will be used to supplement the $2,000 that the State of Wisconsin now offers to reimburse our Poet Laureate for expenses incurred while performing official duties.

Membership Chair Robin Butler reported that as on May 1st, WRWA membership stands at 418, a slight increase since the beginning of the year. He will be sending out membership renewal cards. Members are urged to note their dues expiration dates, which are reflected on the mailing label on the newsletter. All members are strongly encouraged to recruit new members.

Robin noted that libraries that receive copies of The Wisconsin Regional Writer are charged a $15 publication fee. He proposed, and the Board agreed, that these libraries should receive complimentary copies. The president must approve any additional libraries nominated by members to receive complimentary copies. Members are encouraged to donate their copies to local libraries rather than discard them.

The Board agreed that awards for all WRWA sponsored writing contests shall be limited to first, second, and third places, with no more than two honorable mentions, at the discretion of the contest judge.

My hope is to add more creative content to The Wisconsin Regional Writer in future editions. WRWA members whose dues are up to date may submit articles, essays, historical/remembrances, short stories, or poems for consideration to The Editor at 23059 Old 35, Siren, WI 54872 or via e-mail to newsletter at wrwa dot net. I strongly prefer e-mail submissions, but will accept typescript submissions. If sending via e-mail, please include the manuscript in the body text of your e-mail and not as an attachment. If typescript, please submit on clean white paper, single-spaced, using 12 point Times New Roman or Courier New font, as I will have to scan the text into my computer and my scanner does not handle other fonts or double-spacing well. The maximum length is 800 words, though shorter is preferable and will have a higher chance of being printed. I will, on occasion, take longer items, but only rarely. Short stories, historical/rembrances, and poetry may be submitted without prior coordination. If you wish to submit and article or essay, however, it is best to discuss that with me in advance via e-mail or letter. I will only accept articles and essays with a strong connection to writing. I will try to acknowledge receipt of all submissions. That's easy via e-mail. However, if you send something via regular mail, please include your phone number, as I will not respond by mail. No manuscripts will be returned. The editor retains the right to edit any submission for clarity, punctuation, spelling, and grammar, but will not edit for style, length, or content. Submission constitutes the author's permission for one-time publication rights in The Wisconsin Regional Writer. The author retains the copyright and all future rights.