Callaway County anthology seeks entries

Carolyn Paul Branch edited "It Happened in Callaway," a new collection of stories and essay about the history of Callaway County and its residents, in honor of the county's 200th anniversary. The book is on sale now at the Kingdom of Callaway Historical Society.
Carolyn Paul Branch edited "It Happened in Callaway," a new collection of stories and essay about the history of Callaway County and its residents, in honor of the county's 200th anniversary. The book is on sale now at the Kingdom of Callaway Historical Society.

Businesses are temporarily closing their doors, school is out, and social events are being canceled left and right.

The Kingdom of Callaway Historical Society is hoping Callawegians will channel some spare time and energy into contributing to their upcoming anthology, "Callaway Tapestries."

"With so much unexpected time in everyone's lives, it is a good time to put one's Callaway stories in writing for this new book," said Diane Burre Ludwig of the KCHS. "These books are such treasures for our archives and for the generations to come."

The book intends to capture a snapshot of life in Callaway County, as remembered by those who love the county. It's a sequel to "It Happened in Callaway." The first volume was an unexpected hit, selling more than 300 copies in 10 weeks after debuting in October. Both books are part of Callaway County's bicentennial celebration.

Unlike volume one, there's no fee to enter a story for consideration (nor is there an associated contest). Each entry will be reviewed by an editorial board headed by Bruce Hackmann, who sits on the KCHS board of directors.

"The main thing is for people to express their memories, their experiences from so many different aspects of being in Callaway County," Hackmann said. "Since it's the 200th anniversary, I think it's a great opportunity for people to think of the things that really make this place special."

He said he's especially hoping for stories centered around Callaway County businesses, past and present.

Entries don't have to focus on the distant past: more recent events are fair game, too, and submissions from younger folks are welcome.

"People who've lived longer tend to have more experiences, but even the situation we find ourselves in now, with COVID, this is kind of uncharted territory for everyone," Hackmann said. "It's not out of the realm of possibility someone might want to tackle that issue - how it affected their family and community."

Don't be intimidated by the submission process. Hackmann said he and the submission board are happy to offer feedback and help edit pieces; he hopes to be able to use all submitted pieces.

Entries are due by 5 p.m. June 30, and the book should be complete by this fall.

"I don't want to get to end of June and we're just begging for stories," Hackmann said. "You have three months to write, so get started now."

Guidelines

Stories must be original and reflect the author's experiences and memories in Callaway County. Entrants do not have to live in Callaway County. Entrants may submit up to three stories apiece. Entries should not exceed 3,000 words and should fit one of four categories:

Living in Callaway: share interesting stories about growing up, family, school, church, etc.

Working in Callaway: share work experiences or reminisce about businesses that operated in the county, past or present.

Farming in Callaway: share stories about agriculture and life on the farm.

Witnesses to History in Callaway: share stories about being a witness to some of the significant events in our county's past.

Entries should include a cover page with the author's name, full address, phone number and email address; the title of the category; and the total number of pages. The category name should also appear on the upper left corner of the piece's first page.

Submission via email is preferred - send it to [email protected]. You may also mail entries to "Kingdom of Callaway Historical Society, Callaway Tapestries, PO Box 6073, Fulton, MO 65251." Written entries must be typed on 8.5 by 11-inch white paper, double-spaced, single-sided. Make sure to keep a copy for your records - submissions won't be returned.

Authors whose stories are chosen for publication may be asked to provide photos to illustrate their entries. Other relevant photos may be pulled from KCHS archives.

Entrants will be notified about acceptance by July 31.