Do you know this song?

“You’ll go home and get your purses,
I’ll go get my niece and nurses,
And away we’ll go.
Mm mm mm…
Off we’re gonna shuffle,
Shuffle off to Buffalo.”

Tomorrow, I head to Buffalo, MN for the annual arts & crafts show. I’ll have my books and announcement of my upcoming book, Pins & Needles. One reviewer, Sally Roesch Wagner, Ph.D.  http://www.matildajoslyngage.org/
Executive Director, The Matilda Joslyn Gage Foundation, Inc.
Adjunct Faculty, The University Honors Program, Syracuse University
Adjunct Faculty, St. John Fisher Executive Leadership Program
Public Scholar, Humanities New York,
wrote this about my sequel to Scruples & Drams:

In this historic novel set in 1909 Maude Porter and Jennie Phillips balance their careers with fighting for women’s basic rights – some openly, others behind the scenes. These old friends, who we met in Cindy Stupnik’s earlier Scruples & Drams, continue to face fearsome adversaries with growing courage and conviction. Along the way, we meet the historic characters who populate the village of Clearwater, Minnesota and get a flavor of early white settlement and its challenges. Stupnik has a gift for drawing us into the time and place, and this book hits the mark.

In addition, if you pre-order Pins & Needles, you will receive a 30% discount when I launch the book in October.

See you tomorrow,
Cindy

http://www.cynthiafrankstupnik.com/books/

Pins & Needles is in the hands of the publisher after many editing projects.  I am thankful to friends, relatives, and my editor from Heritage Books for doing such a good job.  Writers are mostly the worst editors ever. Publisher/editor is working on the cover.  We should know soon when the launch date is!!!  We are still thinking Oct 13, 2018, at the historic Clearwater United Methodist Church on Main Street, Clearwater.  Maude’s home sat kitty-corner of the church.   Thank you, Clearwater History Group for doing such a wonderful job on your new webpage!!!

Hopefully, we will have a cover design to share asap.

The article, “Mary MacNicholl: A Woman With Vision,” is out being edited and approved by contributors.  So far good comments.  I am happy.  I am proud to have had such an excellent role model during my teen years.  She was that, as well, to so many others.  Her power of influence lives on.  She broke through the ceiling for others as the first woman to be ordained Methodist in Minnesota.

I am excited to tell you about a number of event dates coming up.

August 4-5: 1st I’ll be attending Clearwater’s Heritage Days and Rendezvous, in Clearwater, Minnesota.  I’ll be there from 9:30 a.m. (or so) until 3 or 4 p.m. on Saturday, and on Sunday 10 a.m. until 2 p.m.

You’ll find me at the Clearwater Dam where the village history began .

I’ll be up at the Great River Regional Library–Clearwater--at 11 a.m. on Saturday

Clearwater Author Cynthia Frank-Stupnik

Date is tentative; Cover is tentative; Cindy is waiting!!!!  Join the gang:Come to the book launch!  MORE TO COME SOON!  I CAN’T WAIT TO SEE ALL OF YOU!

Penny Leuthard from The Citizen Tribune did such a nice job on my grant and project about my Mary MacNicholl.  http://citizennewspaper.com/author-frank-stupnik-retracing-life-local-minister Mary MacNicholl.

Thank you so much, Penny.

http://www.gcah.org/resources/gcah-distributes-12000-in-grants-awards-and-scholarships

Very nice press release put out by General Commission on Archives and History for the United Methodist Church ….

Cynthia Stupnik stated, “I am grateful for the Women in United Methodist History Research Grant that will help me bring to fruition my research and writing project on Reverend Mary MacNicholl. The first woman to receive full-clergy rights in the Minnesota Methodist Conference in 1958, MacNicholl’s vision of becoming a Methodist minister came to her when she was in kindergarten.  Throughout her life, she followed a narrow path to reach that goal. Mary MacNicholl’s spiritual journey took bends and turns.  She faced daunting challenges, especially when she had to defend herself from male bias. By understanding how she forged a path for mothers to follow, one can truly understand God’s place for women in His church. Mary MacNicholl died in 1979 from a rare form of blood disease.  If she were alive today, she would be proud of the many women who have fought the good fight not to be identified as a ‘woman minister’ but simply to be identified as a minister, a reverend, or a pastor.”

I’ll be speaking at the Big Lake Great River Library tonight at 5:30.  Hope to see you there!

https://griver.org/event/big-lake/cynthia-stupnik-clearwater-history-and-the-art-of-historical-writing/2018-06-04/41894

HOPE YOU ARE HAVING A NICE MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND!   I am excited to re-announce that I have two pans in the fire right now–or more.  First, this Thursday and Friday, I’ll be sitting at a table at the St. Cloud River’s Edge Convention Center .  I’ll be staying close to my table so I can hand out postcards to those attending annual United Methodist Conference, May 30-June 1 with information about Miss Mary MacNicholl, the first ordained woman Methodist minister in Minnesota.  This summer, if she were still alive, she would be celebrating her 60th year.  Unfortunately, Miss Mac died in 1979 from a rare form of leukemia.  I’ve researched her life and would love to come to any group, United Methodist, women’s, men’s, or combined to present her work, challenges, and  stewardship while she served the church.

Next Monday at the Big Lake Great River Library, I’ll be present Clearwater and how to incorporate history into any writing project.  A secret?  Research and research and research.  But that is not all so come out and see me at 5:30 in Big Lake, June 4.

I am also sending out a SAVE THE DATE for Clearwater’s Heritage Days, the first weekend in August.

Watch for the announcement of the next book launch for Pins & Needles, the second in the Main Street series set in Clearwater, Minnesota, in 1909-1910…

Hope to see you soon. and look at my webpage cynthiafrankstupnik.com for updates.

I’ll be sitting at a table at the St. Cloud Convention Center next Thursday and Friday, May 31-June 1 to promote my research, essay, and presentation for Reverend Mary MacNicholl, the first woman ordained in the Minnesota Methodist Church.  I can bring her story to any group interested in learning about this path forger who really had to break through the glass ceiling back in the 1950s to become a minister.

June 4, Monday, at 5:30 I’ll be presenting “Clearwater  and the Art of Historical Writing” at the Big Lake Library.

 https://griver.org/locations/big-lake.

Hope to see some of you soon.

Cindy

I’ll be joining in all the fun at the Clearwater Crafts & Vendors sale this Saturday, May 19, 10-3, at the Lions’ Pavilion in Clearwater, Minnesota….. I’ll be bringing books and my sister and I will bring many new Main Street SUNDRIES, formally, Jennie’s Corner’s products.

Hope to see you there.  Watch for more EXCITING ANNOUNCEMENTS coming SOON!

Word has it…spring is all around.  Except for an occasional outing and windows and doors opening, I’ve been going nose first into my computer, working to put the final stages on Pins & Needles and my essay about Mary MacNicholl, the first ordained woman in the Methodist church in Minnesota.

Some of you may remember that I thought my novel about Maude Porter, Clearwater’s pioneer who lived to be 103, would have been published last year.  Unfortunately, no.  I have a contract now with a new publisher. I am happy to have had extra time to rewrite and make the book better.  So the book launch will be late summer or early fall.

Also, Mary MacNicholl’s paper came to a stop when I received the contract for Pins & Needles. I am back working on the last section of this project while I wait for one more edit of the novel.

Winter was a rough one for all of us who aren’t really impressed with white stuff, especially the last few months.  I postponed a couple speaking events because they fell at the same time as the blizzards.  Fortunately, I was able to talk about everything Clearwater, Minnesota, at a wonderful book club in Vadnais Heights this past week without any weather-related issues.

Now, I am preparing for Clearwater’s Spring and Summer Craft and Vendor event May 19, 2018 from 10-3.  The last time my sister Becky Frank and I did this, we brought all my books and our Jennie’s Corner Pure & Simple Products–soaps, lotions, postcards, magnets–and oh, so much more.  We had a wonderful time and are preparing for another great time.  Contact me here or on my Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/CynthiaFrankStupnikauthor/

if you have a special request.

Lots going on.  Another Clearwater talk was postponed in March because of a nasty little ice and snow storm at the Big Lake Great River Library.  I’ll be bringing everything Clearwater to talk about the village’s history and the Main Street Women’s series Monday,  June 4, 2018, at 5:30.

Lots more to be announced later.  Just an FYI:  I will be part of the Clearwater Heritage Days this year again–down at the river as part of the Rendezvous and up at the library where I will  talk about “HERITAGE” and everything Clearwater.  Looking forward to the first weekend in August.

I am promising myself I’ll get out and about very soon.  Right now, birds are singing, the sun is shining, and the skies are blue.  I am content.  Hope to see you all soon.