Becky Lee Weyrich was a pillar of SWA when I joined in 1990. It was a re-building year after the Workshop wasn't held due to lack of funds the year before. Becky taught that year, a commanding presence with her deep voice, reading glasses perched on the end of her nose and her hair pulled back so severely into a single long braid that she would never need a face lift. Becky gave her all to SWA - a board member who served as president, a teacher, an award sponsor - nurturing many fledgling writers into successful authors.
My favorite Becky story occurred a few years after I joined the board. Becky was on a panel with other instructors including fantasy author Tom Deitz. Tom announced he had published 9 books and 4 were still in print and he stood them up on the front of the table. While the other panelist introduced themselves, Becky walked out and returned with a box. When her turn came, she stood and said "My name is Becky Lee Weyrich and I have 27 books published, 7 still in print here." She lined up her books. "This one's in print in 2 languages - Spanish and French - and this one's in 4! I've been in print longer than you've been alive!" She sat down triumphantly, but soon shot a wink down the table at Tom, who toppled his books then stood clapping and coaxed us into a standing ovation.
Well, Becky passed away a few years ago, but thanks to technology, she's back in print. Diversion Books is re-releasing Becky's books as e-books! They released 5 titles on June 10th and have 5 more scheduled on July 1st and 4 more each on July 22nd and August 5th. The e-books are available on amazon.com and bn.com and there are some mass market paperbacks, too. She still deserves a standing ovation.
~~ Amy Munnell
Amy is the current president of SWA, serving on the Board of Directors from 1993-2007 and again from 2011 to the present. She has been a freelance writer and editor for 29 years with her work appearing in various publications including the Chocolate for a Woman's Soul series, Saying Goodbye, From the Heart, Points North, ByLine, Athens Magazine and Georgia Magazine. Find Amy on Twitter: @amunnell
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