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Welcome to the December issue of Attitudes at Altitude

From the Founder …
 
I’m thrilled that we’ve selected our site for the 2023 Hall Induction. It will be held at the DoubleTree Hilton Denver Tech: 7801 E Orchard Rd. in Greenwood Village. Up to 12 new inductees will be admitted into the Hall of Fame at the biannual Gala. The date is Saturday, September 16, 2023—add it to your calendar. Tables will be for eight ... why not gather your friends for a fun and delightful evening?

Equally thrilled that nominations for potential Inductees have already been received.
Keep them coming ... and do encourage others to add their author nominations.
You have until February 28, 2023, to submit.


This month, featured Hall Inductees are Jill Tietjen and Richard "Dick" Weissman.
Each add to their body of work with both having new books or contributions to those they are featured in. Jill also pens our monthly feature with sage wisdom shared for authors:
How to Succeed and Thrive as an Author: Lessons Learned from My Engineering Career.

Board members Mara Purl and Judith Briles along with Jeannette Seibly participate
at the @BNSouthlands on November 26 to raise funds to support the Hall.
Our ongoing supporting financial partner since the Hall’s first Induction has been Barnes & Noble. Through its Book Fair program,
Watch for next month’s new feature for the public. One of our Inductees will be featured in a live streamed Friday Author Happy Hour each month forward.

Wishing all of you a joyous Holiday time,
Attitudes at Altitude’s promise to our readers …

We celebrate the outstanding authors inducted into the Colorado Authors’ Hall of Fame ® (Hall) in 2019 and 2021. The Hall is the first in the United States to honor published authors exclusively. The next Induction will be on September 09, 2023 and will be held at the DoubleTree Hilton – Denver Tech Center in Greenwood Village, Colorado. Put the date on your calendar.

  • Each month, past Inductees are featured with their background and latest books.
  • One of our past Inductees will offer their sage advice on "how they do it"–whatever "it" is.
  • You will be the first to hear about the Hall Events that are planned. Nominations for 2023 Inductions are OPEN ... Who is your favorite author—one that has delivered mega hours of reading enjoyment ... one that has made an impact on society or their field? Nominate them. Forms are on the Hall’s website.

It’s Nominate a Favorite Author Time!

Will a Hall Inductee Be Someone You Nominated?


The Colorado Authors' Hall of Fame honors the authors of extraordinary, published works who meet the Hall’s criteria. Members of the public must study the criteria and enact their nominations of exceptional authors. Nominations are accepted from organizations or individuals throughout the state. A diverse group of Colorado citizens, including literary professionals, is recruited to serve as the Selection Committee. The Selection Committee reviews all nominations, performs additional research if necessary, and selects nominees for induction into the Colorado Authors' Hall of Fame.

They can’t be Inducted unless they are nominated ... that’s the first step.

Nominations are OPEN until February 28, 2023—submit yours ... and tell others to do so as well. And remember—it’s the breadth and inclusion of how great ... important ... impacting your Nominee’s body of work is. The judges do not read the books, although many may be aware of some of a nominee’s published work.

NOMINATE HERE: https://coloradoauthorshalloffame.org/nomination-form.html

 
 

Richard "Dick" Weissman
As one of the most productive and important authors writing about American roots music and the music business, Dick Weissman's Music Business: Career Opportunities & Self Defense has sold over 100,000 copies and is used in many college music programs. His work was among the earliest books written about the music business. It is also the first book written from a musician’s point of view, rather than that of a lawyer or music business executive. He was inducted into the Colorado Music hall of Fame, reflecting his contributions as an author, college professor, composer, and performer.

Dick’s books about the music business have been in widespread use at colleges for many years. Talkin ‘Bout A Revolution is one of the first books to provide a careful analysis of the interactions between American music and politics in a variety of musical idioms. Other published work includes: Creating Melodies, The Folk Music Sourcebook, Making A Living In Your Local Music Market, Which Side Are You On?, The Music Never Stops, The Folk Music of the United States and Canada, and Blues The Basics. His next book will deliver an analysis of black and white musical interactions in a variety of musical genres.

Books of note: Talkin' 'Bout a Revolution: Music and Social Change in America and Understanding the Music Business

 
 

Jill Tietjen
is ensuring that women are reflected in the historical narrative of the U.S. as evidenced by her nine books, 100-plus eNewsletters, 200-plus articles, five exhibits for Google Arts & Culture, four book chapters and more than 180 blog posts. Her two books in the Her Story Series®: Her Story: A Timeline of the Women Who Changed America received the Daughters of the American Revolution History Award Medal. Her latest, Hollywood: Her Story, An Illustrated History of Women and the Movies has just been released and the next in the series will be Her Story: Africa.

Jill is a pioneer for the STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics), has conducted research into historical women around the world for the past thirty years and speaks around the country about women’s contributions to history. One of the top historians on women across all fields of endeavor, she works to bring more visibility to women through her continual nominations of historical and living women for national, state and local awards. Jill is often profiled and quoted in the media, and her articles have been printed in a wide variety of publications. She has received more than 25 awards and honors, was inducted into the Colorado Women’s Hall of Fame, and later served as its president.
How to Succeed and Thrive as an Author: Lessons Learned from My Engineering Career
By Jill Tietjen

I have spent more than 45 years as a woman engineer in the male-dominated electric utility industry. So many of the lessons I’ve learned over the course of my engineering career are directly applicable to the work I do writing, publishing, and marketing books:

Never give up. When I was working on one of my books, my co-author told me that she had a project she was working on and she needed to do some tasks in a spreadsheet. But she couldn’t figure it out so she stopped. I was flabbergasted. What do you mean, you stopped? I never even envisioned that as an option! When you have a task to do you figure it out. You don’t give up, you get it done.

Find a way. When someone tells me I can’t do it, or women can’t do it, that just stiffens my backbone and makes me try harder. In fact, the 50 successful women profiled in my book Over, Under, Around, and Through: How Hall of Famers Surmount Obstacles found a way – they went over, under, around, or through the obstacles that were in their way. They used mental intelligence, emotional intelligence, social support, moral compass – spirituality, determination – perseverance – persistence, creativity, optimism, resilience, action-orientation, and passion either singly or in combination to overcome the obstacles.
We each have these abilities, too.


Many years ago, I heard physics professor Dr. Doris Kuhlmann-Wilsdorf speak at a Society of Women Engineers National Convention. During her remarks, she referred to the Yoda Syndrome – which basically means if you don’t look like the expectation (tall, white, male) then people walk right past you or don’t listen to you or don’t value your opinion.

In the movie Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back, our hero Luke Skywalker is ready to learn how to use his Jedi skills and goes to the planet where the Jedi master, Yoda, resides. Luke walks right past Yoda because in Luke’s eyes, the squat green creature can’t be a Jedi master. Many people experience the Yoda Syndrome. You have to demonstrate your competence and credibility constantly.


Here are some concrete steps you can take to thrive and succeed as an author:

First, you have to have more than thick skin – one of my friends calls it rhino skin. The arrows and pellets aimed at you have to roll off. You have to learn not to take things personally.

Second, you must work hard. Be excellent at what you do.

Third, hone that sense of humor. You will need it constantly. Learn to laugh at situations. Learn to laugh at yourself.

Fourth, emotional intelligence is not optional. Emotional intelligence includes the ability to handle one’s own emotions and to relate appropriately and empathetically with others.

Fifth, cultivate your social support network. We need contact with other people and we need people who support and encourage us.

In summary: Never give up. Find a way. Be aware of the Yoda Syndrome. Develop rhino skin. Be excellent at what you do. Hone that sense of humor. Develop or enhance your emotional intelligence. Be sure you have a support network. All of these skills will help you succeed and thrive as an author.
 
Meet the Hall’s Board
 
The Hall is honored to have a breadth of dedication and support from men and women who are supportive of the power of the written word and the Hall’s mission. You can find information about each on the Hall’s website here.
Meet Dr. Doug Gilbert
The democratization of knowledge and information has been a key theme for me as an educator over the past three decades. Having independent authors serve as effective voices in an increasingly concentrated and commoditized literary world is absolutely necessary now more than ever. The Hall of Fame can provide a platform for the tools, techniques, and knowhow to allow independent authors to meet the demands of this important role. Their voices need to be heard.

I hope to be a part of the solution of guiding Aspiring Authors to be impactful and effective role as independent voices in the creation of the Mentoring Program for the first five Aspiring Author Scholarship recipients.

Support the Hall

The Colorado Authors' Hall of Fame celebrates the accomplishments of living and passed authors who have been connected to Colorado—their words, wisdom, accomplishments, and the life-changing impact their works create. The result: their legacy lives on.

The Hall is an all-volunteer-run 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that honors and celebrates authors connected with Colorado by birth, residence, temporary residency for writing encouragement and support, writing about elements within Colorado, or placing storylines in or about Colorado.

Authors’ words have immense power and impact on changing others’ lives. They solve problems, bring awareness to a topic, and provide hours of pleasurable reading. It’s the power of their words.

Your financial assistance through donations and participation at events supports the bi-annual Induction Gala in odd-numbered years, the Aspiring Author Scholarships, and the general operation to bring these events to the public.

Support the Hall for this year going forward.
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