The late Phil Miller started the Collaborators writing group in the 1980s. In its early days, many writers in the group were students from his creative writing class at KCKCC. Since then, many poets and fiction writers have joined, forming a lively cross-section of writers. Phil Miller's spirit, values of inclusion, and love of literature still live on in the Collaborators.
The Diversifiers writing group, believed to be one of the oldest writing groups in the KC area, was started in 1923. For many decades until the mid-2000s, the group was comprised of only women writers from many walks of life. Past members included Frankie Wu, Elaine Lally, Eve Ott, Pat Martin, Dolores Miller, guests Phil Miller, and Bill Hickok, among numerous others.
The reading will feature the following Collaborators and Diversifiers, with a special tribute to Collaborator and Diversifier Eve Ott, who recently passed away:
- Patricia Lawson
- Celeste Oster
- Carl Bettis
- Phyllis Becker
- Beth Gulley
- Silvia Kofler
- Kathy Allen
- Malcolm Cook