MOLINE, IL?The award-winning documentary Letters Home to Hero Street, produced by Lora Adams of WQPT-Quad Cities PBS and Kelly and Tammy Rundle of Fourth Wall Films, has received a Mid-America Emmy® nomination in the Historical Documentary category. A gala award ceremony will take place in St. Louis, Missouri on October 3.

Letters Home to Hero Street focuses on a young Mexican-American veteran's personal view of World War II as told through the letters he sent home to his family in Silvis, Illinois. He becomes one of eight veterans of WWII and the Korean War killed in combat from the same block-and-a half long neighborhood now called Hero Street, USA.  Frank Sandoval was just beginning a new job at the Rock Island Arsenal when he was drafted in 1942. He sent hundreds of letters to family and friends during the two years he was in the service and the 130 letters that remain tell the story of one man's dramatic and epic journey from Illinois to India. Killed on the bank of the Irrawaddy River in Burma on June 1944, Frank was one the first of the Hero Street Eight to fall in combat.

Reenactments in the film feature Eric Juarez, Maya Chavez, Cindy Ramos and Josh Wielenga, all from the Quad Cities. WQPT's Chris Ryder was the cinematographer.

The 25-minute historical documentary film was partially funded by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council and recently received a Silver Eddy and the Audience award at the 2015 Cedar Rapids Independent Film Festival.

Fourth Wall Films is an award-winning independent film and video production company formerly located in Los Angeles, and now based in Moline, Illinois. This is the second Emmy® nomination for Fourth Wall Films' Kelly and Tammy Rundle.

WQPT is a media service of Western Illinois University. For more information, visit http://wqpt.org/.

Book uncovers collection of poetry about struggles of mind, heart, soul

 

FENNVILLE, Mich. - Working through adult and childhood trauma, author Sidonamarie offers readers a glimpse into her mind, heart and soul with a compilation of poems that reflect her life. The poems in "By the Pond" (published by AuthorHouse) serve as a therapy in order to sort the chaos of her mind.

 

An engrossing collection of poetry, this book shows the author's journey of remembering who she is, who she has been and who she will fiercely fight with heart, soul, spirit and mind to continue to be. It is also a journey of the mind, working through chaos brought by trauma. While the heart of it is Christian-based, Sidonamarie believes that her poetry speaks to all. It shares her private struggle without preaching or forcing her ideas on anyone.

 

An excerpt from the poem, Can a Voice:

can a voice be the rebel

and not add to wars and their aggression?

can a voice speak the truth

and not add to the lawlessness?

 

A mixing of thoughts, ideas and dreams, "By the Pond" presents a new and fresh way of approaching and creating poetry and using it as a positive avenue through the dark times in life.

 

"By the Pond"

By Sidonamarie

Hardcover | 6x9 in | 110 pages | ISBN 9781504911498

Softcover | 6x9 in | 110 pages | ISBN 9781504911481

E-Book | 110 pages | ISBN 9781504911474

Available at Amazon and Barnes & Noble

'In the Arms of God' shares true stories from author's experiences with God

 

BELLA VISTA, Ark. - Author Ira E. "Ed" Delk believes that whenever he has needed help, God has intervened in his life and been a constant presence. In his new memoir, "In the Arms of God: A Testimonial" (published by WestBow Press), Delk shares his experiences to showcase how God truly does work in mysterious ways.

 

"In the Arms of God" traces Delk's life from childhood to the present. The fifth child in a family of nine children, Delk enlisted in the Air Force and served during the Korean War. When he returned, he earned a J.D. from the University of Iowa and practiced law for 32 years before getting an MBA. When he retired, he and his wife moved to Arkansas.

 

Throughout these events, Delk says that in order to save his life or change his direction, God intervened in his life. In one example, Delk's physician, who usually prescribed pain medication for regular pains, changed his usual routine and ordered an x-ray on Delk's lower back. The x-ray found an aortic aneurism.

 

This event inspired Delk to look back on his other life experiences and see God' work. Through his book, Delk hopes to illustrate that God is present and relevant to daily life. He also hopes to encourage readers to examine how God has affected their own lives.

 

"In the Arms of God"

By Ira E. "Ed" Delk

Softcover | 6 x 9 in | 52 pages | ISBN 9781490881805

E-Book | 52 pages | ISBN 9781490881799

Available at Amazon and Barnes & Noble

 

About the Author

Ira E. "Ed" Delk served in the Air Force during the Korean War. He practiced law for 32 years in Sioux City, Iowa, and earned an MBA. He retired as senior vice president and general counsel of Midwest Energy Company. He has previously published "The Second Time Around," "Tess's Tale," "Deadman's Run," "The Plight of the Common Man" and "The View from the Hilltop." More information is available at www.eddelkauthor.com.

 

and follow @westbowpress on Twitter.

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New book offers rich glimpses into farm life in 1950s, 1960s

TEMPE, Ariz. - Lawn Griffiths has released a collection of true stories and essays titled "Batting Rocks Over the Barn: An Iowa Farm Boy's Odyssey" (published by Xlibris). The award-winning writer's latest book follows his incredible journey as a young Iowa boy who dared to chart his destiny beyond the rural landscape of the 1950s and 1960s.

 

"Batting Rocks Over the Barn" captures the rhythm of rural life through the eyes of a young boy who grew up to become a newspaper journalist and farm editor. As largely a non-fiction biography, the work is narrated by the author from real experiences on the farm leading up to college.

 

The book devotes considerable space to the writer's parents, his twin brother and sister, plus such other people as hired men, neighbors, teachers and others who came to the farm.  All are important because of their genuine place in the writer's formative years, especially in their teaching responsibility.

 

Pervading the book is the author's belief that, put together, the varied experiences, jobs and misadventures helped shape him to be an alumnus of the rural school of hard knocks.  Time and again, the author has zeroed in on single elements of his farm life like fences, grease guns and harvesting wild asparagus in the roadside ditches, the  death of the town's blacksmith and city kids' raiding of his father's melon patch.

 

"Batting Rocks Over the Barn"

By Lawn Griffiths

Hardcover | 6 x 9in | 150 pages | ISBN 9781503572843

Softcover | 6 x 9in | 150 pages | ISBN 9781503572836

E-Book | 150 pages | ISBN 9781503572829

Available at Amazon and Barnes & Noble

 

About the Author

Lawn Griffiths spent 40 years in daily newspapers as writer, editor and columnist, including 12 years with the Waterloo (Iowa) Courier, 25 years with Tribune Newspapers in Mesa, Arizona, plus freelance writing for the Arizona Republic. Born in Des Moines, Iowa, in 1946, he grew up on a farm near Parkersburg, Iowa. He earned a bachelor's degree in science journalism from Iowa State University in 1968 and master's degree from the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University in 1972. He also served in the Peace Corps in Paraguay and the U.S. Army. Griffiths has earned more than 80 writing and community service awards.

Rock Island, IL/June 15, 2015 - Media Link is proud to announce that Adrian Wille has joined our team! Adrian, a German National, proves that the Quad Cities is a region attractive to natives as well as internationals. He will serve as Marketing Assistant for the full service strategic communications marketing firm.

"I'm happy to call the Quad Cities my new home. And Media Link is different from the organizations I have worked with previously. It offers exceptional transparency, flexibility and efficient strategic marketing solutions crafted individually to each client, "says Wille.

Adrian graduated from Friedrich-Alexander University of Erlangen-Nuremberg with a Master's Degree in Development Economics and International Studies, as well as a Bachelor's in Business & Economics and MENA Area Studies. Adrian contributes to Media Link's marketing and advertising operations by providing an interdisciplinary and international perspective. He has gained early marketing experience during his studies as graduate student research assistant in the field of macro-marketing and by interning in Nuremberg and Berlin. He later accepted a position as a Project Manager at a business consultancy in Cairo and Alexandria, Egypt, where he contributed to the foundation of a transnational startup. He eventually moved to the Kurdistan Region of Iraq to conduct research on the capital's real estate market. Adrian is actively involved in our community. He is Vice President and a Board Member of the Palomares Social Justice Center in Moline. He is also a member of the Young Professionals of the Quad Cities, the German-American Heritage Center and the American-Scandinavian Association. He volunteers at the Komen Quad Cities Race for the Cure and is a proud AIESEC alumnus.

"Adrian's background and his zest for learning bring a lot of energy to our office. We're excited to have him here. His interdisciplinary thinking is a welcome complement to our team," says Natalie Linville-Mass, President of Media Link.

Media Link is a full service strategic communications marketing firm specializing in strategic media buying and placement. Media Link works with businesses in the Quad-Cities and around the country to develop and execute customized marketing strategies to help them more effectively reach their customers. Media Link developed and launched its own media buying software system, Media Link Software™. This company is also one of the only marketing firms in the region to have obtained an 8(a) SDB certification, a designation of significance to clients who contract with the federal government.

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MOLINE, IL - WQPT, the Quad Cities Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) station, has announced Michael Carton has joined the station as the new director of education and outreach.

Carton has been a teacher for seven years, most recently as a first grade teacher at Frances Willard Elementary. He is a graduate of Western Illinois University, with a degree in elementary education, and is the recipient of the 2015 Master Teacher Award from the Dispatch Argus Newspaper. He has also been honored by PBS with a Teachers Innovator Award.

Carton began his association with WQPT as a member of the first class of WQPT/PBS Ambassadors in 2004. Since that time, he has remained a committed volunteer, most recently earning the National Friends of Public Television Outstanding Volunteer of the Year Award for his work on WQPT's new special event for families, Imagination Station. WQPT chose Carton as its Volunteer of the Year in 2009.

"I am really looking forward to this opportunity to reach more students in my new role with WQPT," said Carton. "I have had the good fortune of teaching 30 first graders, but this job gives me the ability to make a difference to even more people, from pre-school through adults."

"Michael is a seasoned professional who will combine strengths of classroom teaching with the power of PBS programming for the benefit of all children in our region, expanding that vision to include learners of all ages," said Mary Pruess, WQPT general manager. "We are delighted to welcome him to our team."

Carton succeeds Ana Kehoe, who spent 20 years in the WQPT position, retiring last year.

WQPT is a media service of Western Illinois University. For more information, visit http://wqpt.org/.

New book offers rich glimpses into farm life in 1950s, 1960s

TEMPE, Ariz. - Lawn Griffiths has released a collection of true stories and essays titled "Batting Rocks Over the Barn: An Iowa Farm Boy's Odyssey" (published by Xlibris). The award-winning writer's latest book follows his incredible journey as a young Iowa boy who dared to chart his destiny beyond the rural landscape of the 1950s and 1960s.

"Batting Rocks Over the Barn" captures the rhythm of rural life through the eyes of a young boy who grew up to become a newspaper journalist and farm editor. As largely a non-fiction biography, the work is narrated by the author from real experiences on the farm leading up to college.

The book devotes considerable space to the writer's parents, his twin brother and sister, plus such other people as hired men, neighbors, teachers and others who came to the farm.  All are important because of their genuine place in the writer's formative years, especially in their teaching responsibility.

Pervading the book is the author's belief that, put together, the varied experiences, jobs and misadventures helped shape him to be an alumnus of the rural school of hard knocks.  Time and again, the author has zeroed in on single elements of his farm life like fences, grease guns and harvesting wild asparagus in the roadside ditches, the  death of the town's blacksmith and city kids' raiding of his father's melon patch.

"Batting Rocks Over the Barn"

By Lawn Griffiths

Hardcover | 6 x 9in | 150 pages | ISBN 9781503572843

Softcover | 6 x 9in | 150 pages | ISBN 9781503572836

E-Book | 150 pages | ISBN 9781503572829

Available at Amazon and Barnes & Noble

About the Author

Lawn Griffiths spent 40 years in daily newspapers as writer, editor and columnist, including 12 years with the Waterloo (Iowa) Courier, 25 years with Tribune Newspapers in Mesa, Arizona, plus freelance writing for the Arizona Republic. Born in Des Moines, Iowa, in 1946, he grew up on a farm near Parkersburg, Iowa. He earned a bachelor's degree in science journalism from Iowa State University in 1968 and master's degree from the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University in 1972. He also served in the Peace Corps in Paraguay and the U.S. Army. Griffiths has earned more than 80 writing and community service awards.

to receive a free publishing guide. Follow us @XlibrisPub on Twitter for the latest news.

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Wanda Reu pens story of acceptance, respect between English family, Arabian servant

DONNELLSON, Iowa - From the wetlands of Louisiana to the hot sands of Saudi Arabia, author Wanda Reu's new historical novel places readers "Between Two Worlds" (published by AuthorHouse).

Reu's fascination with Louisiana's culture and people began when her uncle brought back stories of living in the southern state. Now, Reu uses this interest in Louisiana's rich culture to create a fictional story about two families - worlds apart - whose lives are equally changed by each other's influences.

"I chose to write this book to reveal my concern about the complex, ever-existing problems that are part of our world scene today," Reu says. "I hope some fresh ideas are revealed that will challenge us to strive to do what we can to change our global situation."

In "Between Two Worlds," Bowregard Le Faye - a resident of the Lake Charles La Blue estate in Louisiana - meets his future wife Catherine after she decides to leave "boring old England" and seek adventure and success in New Orleans. Upon settling down in a house, the Le Fayes give birth to a son, James. James is introduced to one of the house servants - a young Arabian man named Abu - who teaches James about the culture, traditions and lifestyle of his native land.

As the two learn from each other, an unbreakable bond is created that fosters both young men's respect for their differences, ultimately inspiring James to one day live in Arabia himself.

"Between Two Worlds"

By Wanda Reu

Hardcover | 6 x 9 in | 578 pages | ISBN 9781496961648

Softcover | 6 x 9 in | 578 pages | ISBN 9781496961631

E-Book | 578 pages | ISBN 9781496961624

Available at Amazon and Barnes & Noble

About the Author

Wanda Reu was born and raised in Midwestern America. She grew up in a rural area, and her father was a tiller of the land and a guardian of the animals that helped provide income for his family. By the time Reu reached the sixth and seventh grades, it was nothing for her to read 100 books each winter. As an adult, she wondered what it would be like to write her own books. She loves historical dramas, mysteries, humorous stories and stories of faith. She also enjoys reading children's stories and has written a number of children's books. In the years since her retirement, she has enjoyed writing all sorts of stories and poetry.

. For the latest, follow @authorhouse on Twitter.

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Le Claire is excited to welcome Mike Wolfe, Frank Fritz and Antique Archeology to the area. The team will film episodes of their hit series AMERICAN PICKERS throughout Iowa. Filming will begin next month.

AMERICAN PICKERS is a documentary series that explores the fascinating world of antique 'picking' on History. This hit show follows two of the most skilled pickers in the business, Mike Wolfe and Frank Fritz, as they embark on an epic road trip across the U.S. in search of America's most valuable antiques from motorcycles, classic cars and bicycles to one-of-a-kind vintage memorabilia. Mike and Frank are on a mission to recycle America, restore forgotten relics to their former glory, and learn a thing or two about American history along the way.

Filming is scheduled to start next month.  AMERICAN PICKERS is looking for leads and would love to explore what you may have. They are on the hunt for interesting characters with interesting and unique items.  Some of what they look for: vintage bicycles, toys, unusual radios, movie memorabilia, advertising, military items, folk art, vintage musical equipment, vintage automotive items, early firefighting equipment, vintage clothing, pre-50's western gear.

AMERICAN PICKERS is produced by Cineflix Productions for History. New episodes air Wednesdays at 9pm ET on History.

If you have a large collection or want to refer someone to Mike and Frank, email: your name, number, address and description of the collection and photos to: americanpickers@cineflix.com , or call 1-855-old-rust.

Birds teach gardener lessons in 'Bird Lady Meets Mort and Ort in "It's a Great Day for Pulling Weeds"'

LAKE CARROLL, Ill. - Author and registered nurse Janet E. Golden, writing under the pen name Gramma Golden, launched a new marketing campaign for her children's book "Bird Lady Meets Mort and Ort in 'It's a Great Day for Pulling Weeds'" (published by AuthorHouse) this year with an online radio interview about her book, which can be found online at www.toginet.com/podcasts/authortalk.

Golden shares an educational message through a whimsical story about talking birds who teach a gardener to correct her irresponsible gardening habits.

As a result of reading numerous articles and reports about the drastic loss of vital pollinators and their habitats in magazines, journals and the news media, Golden's desire is to teach the younger generation to become responsible gardeners.

"I have noticed changes in our own gardens with a decrease in butterflies, bees and blooms in the past few years," Golden says. "I want my readers to help Bird Lady in her effort to help nature and our environment survive by making changes to their practices."

Mort and Ort Aahkamort are unusually attractive and vividly colored birds who visit Bird Lady's garden. Throughout the story, Mort and Ort teach Bird Lady to recognize her careless gardening practices. The lessons Bird Lady gets from Mort and Ort help her make changes in her garden so that nature may thrive.

"Children are naturally drawn to their surroundings - they are curious and love chasing butterflies, birds, bugs and the like," Golden says. "It is vital to teach our youngsters now to become responsible in reversing our gardening practices and nurturing our environment so that wildlife can be sustained."

In attempting to reach more children and adults with her message, Golden has read her book to more than 1,700 elementary school children in the past year, a senior center gathering, Vacation Bible School attendees and as the guest author at a Young Authors Award Ceremony for children and their parents.

Golden writes blog posts in an effort to continue with her theme of educating readers, young and old, about various concerns regarding nature.  So far, a series of 12 blogs can be read on her website, www.grammagoldenbooks.com.

"Bird Lady Meets Mort and Ort in 'It's a Great Day for Pulling Weeds'"

By Gramma Golden

Softcover | 8.5 x 11 in | 38 pages | ISBN 9781491867709

E-Book | 38 pages | ISBN 9781491867716

Available at Amazon and Barnes & Noble

About the Author

Gramma Golden is a registered nurse and healthcare educator. She strives to teach young readers to care for, and be responsible stewards of, the environment in which they live. She has written a monthly newspaper article for the past ten years on nature and preservation of natural habitats for the lake community in which she lives. She lives in northwestern Illinois with her husband.

. For the latest, follow @authorhouse on Twitter.

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