Minda Powers-Douglas is the author of the non-fiction book "Cemetery Walk" and is the founder and editor of Epitaphs Magazine. She has interviewed people all around the U.S. as well as other countries. She enjoys traveling with her husband, visiting every cemetery she comes across, reading and photography. Her photography appears on this Web site as well as in "Cemetery Walk."

Minda has been writing stories since she could pick up a pencil and form words into a sentence. One of the most pivotal moments in her earl writing life was when she was in sixth grade, her essay on achieving world peace won a contest and was printed in the local newspaper. At the time, she was the the most shy kid in her class and was thrilled for winning ... and also very aware of the stares of the other kids in class as they wondered how this kid was ever chosen. That was the moment when she started understanding how writing could make a difference.

In 1994, Minda graduated from Augustana College in Rock Island, Ill., with an English major and theatre minor. College proved to be a pivotal time in her life, as she went from shy and soft-spoken to a woman with convictions. Always a feminist at heart (before she even knew what the term meant--that women are indeed important citizens of the planet whose voices matter), she embraced Women's Studies and learned about the state of the country and world through the eyes of women. She also conquered her shyness and took on a theatre minor during her last two years at Augie ... all because it was her dream to direct a stage play. Minda ended up stage managing the play "Equus" during her senior year and directing a number of one-act plays for the main stage, including two by Anton Chekhov and some she had written herself.

After college, Minda went on to become a member of the Unsafe Ensemble, a Quad-City theatre troupe that produced locally written plays. During her time with U.E., she wrote, directed, stage managed and even starred in a number of plays. Eventually she became the Ensemble's co-director and helped write grant proposals, which led to grants awarded for the production of more local plays.

After three year's with U.E., she decided to pursue her own programs and wrote a grant proposal to produce poetry workshops for kids. This was the first grant of many she would receive from Quad City Arts, a local organization and gallery. She received grant awards which helped her produce the Progressive Poetry Workshop for Kids, which eventually led to the creation of Girls Make a Difference. GMAD was a program she poured her heart and soul into for five years, which was geared for girls ages 9-14 as a way to express themselves creatively and honestly. The program was met with positive response and grew from a dozen participants the first year to more than 40 girls signing up by the fifth year. GMAD was based on a self-published book she wrote of the same name.

Minda continues to teach workshops on topics such as cemetery art, memoir writing, creative writing and more. She fits as many programs in as she can while working full time at Palmer College of Chiropractic in Davenport, Iowa, as a writer and editor for the Marketing and Communications Department. She has been with the college for more than 10 years.

A member of the Association for Gravestone Studies and the Alliance of Illinois Cemeterians, Minda is often researching cemeteries and cemetery and funerary history. She volunteers for various local cemeteries and is currently a co-director for "Forget-Me-Not: Victorian Day at Oakdale Memorial Gardens" in Davenport, Iowa.

Minda lives with her husband, caricature artist and musician Bill Douglas, and their feline kids in Moline, Ill.

Author Minda Powers-Douglas is available for speaking engagements and book signings. For more information, contact minda@thecemeteryclub.com

Oct. 24, 2005
'Cemetery Walk' Book Launch Party a Success

The book launch event for Minda Powers-Douglas' Cemetery Walk, held in the Union at Palmer College of Chiropractic on Sunday, Oct. 23, was an occasion for celebration. Decorated in festive Mardi Gras trimmings, the launch drew in a crowd of nearly 100 people.

Early in the event, Ms. Powers-Douglas was escorted in by a traditionally styled New Orleans jazz funeral, complete with a three-piece band (trumpet, banjo and clarinet), her husband, parents and other family members and friends. The band played "When the Saints Go Marching In," starting with a slow and somber rendition then swinging into an up tempo that would make any second line put on their dancing shoes.

After 30 minutes of live jazz and gnoshing on tasty New Orleans dishes (including curried fruit, pralines and the author's own sweet potato recipe), Ms. Powers-Douglas delighted the crowd with a slide show of New Orleans cemeteries and then gave a reading from her book. After the reading, the crowd lined up to buy books and have them signed. Long before the event wrapped up, every copy of Cemetery Walk was sold and people were putting in their orders for the next shipment. Copies of "Epitaphs Magazine" were also for sale, and all but one of the issues were sold.

Said Ms. Powers-Douglas, "I couldn't have asked for a more wonderful event. I only wish that all the supportive people I've met online from Pennsylvania, Florida, Oregon, Wisconsin, Louisiana, England and many more could have been here to share in this wonderful occasion. They are truly amazing people, and I couldn't have done any of this without them.

"I also have to thank my family--especially my mother Cindy Powers, my aunt Connie Bivens, and my grandmother Willa Mae Bray--for making all the delicious food and for helping make this event possible. My friend Tracey Kmetz was also such a help. I'm very fortunate to have such fantastic people in my life."

Representatives from a number of Quad-City cemeteries were also in attendance. Greg Vogele of Chippiannock in Rock Island, Todd Slater of Moline's Riverside and Moline Memorial, and Deb Millhollin of Oakdale Memorial Gardens in Davenport all came to show their support.

"We had a lot of people come up to us and tell us we really know how to throw a party," said Cindy Powers. She also noted how nice it was that Palmer College, her daughter's employer for the past 10 years, allowed them to use the Union to host the party. "It's a lovely place, and it was perfect for this event."

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Author Appearances

Saturday, Sept. 24
2:30-3 p.m.
4-4:30 p.m.
Featured speaker, "Forget-Me-Not: Victorian Day at Oakdale Memorial Gardens," Davenport, Iowa

Thursday, Nov. 3
6 p.m.
Guest speaker for the November meeting of the Rock Island Arsenal Historic Society, Rock Island, Ill.
2006

Tuesday, Jan. 17
9:50 - 10:30 a.m.
Guest speaker for Bettendorf Middle School class.

Saturday, Jan. 21
1 - 3 p.m.
Presenting the workshop "The Ins and Outs of Self-Publishing" through Rock Island Parks & Recreation. Rock Island Fitness and Activity Center, room 3, 4303 - 24th St., Rock Island, Ill. To register, call (309) 732-PARK or visit www.rigov.org. Cost: $21.

Tuesday, Feb. 6
Guest speaker for the Scott County Genealogical Society



Saturday, March 4
Heritage Fair
Putnam Museum & IMAX Theatre
1717 West 12th Street
Davenport, Iowa
Presenter. Merchandise booth will be available.

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Book Tour

Erzulie's
807 Rue Royal
New Orleans, LA
Saturday, Dec. 3, from 2 - 5 p.m.
Sunday, Dec. 4, from 1 - 5 p.m.
A book signing with the author will be held at Erzulie's Authentic Voudou the weekend of Dec. 3-4. Please come and support this recently opened New Orleans store in the French Quarter and celebrate with us! Street team members are in great need for this event, as most of the media outlets in New Orleans are still out of order. E-mail for ways you can help spread the word! minda@thecemeteryclub.com
www.erzulies.com

Readmore Book World
180 19th Ave.
Moline, IL 61265
(309) 764-2653
Saturday, Dec. 10, from 2 - 4 p.m.
A book signing and reception with the author will be held at Readmore Book World. If you'd like to help out on the street team, please e-mail
minda@thecemeteryclub.com

Art Talks with Bruce Carter
WVIK Augustana College Radio
90.3 FM Quad Cities
95.7 FM Dubuque, Iowa
http://wvik.org/listings-arttalks.htm
Minda will be the featured guest on "Art Talks with Bruce Carter" on WVIK, the public radio station of Rock Island, Ill. The station is located on the campus of Augustana College, Minda's alma mater. Minda will discuss her book and perform a reading on Thursday, Jan. 5, at 7 p.m. CST. The broadcast will be available online. See the Web site for details. WVIK Art Talks

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Join the Street Team
What is a street team? A street team is a group of volunteers that work together to spread the word about a writer or other type of artist and his or her work. A street team can increase a writer's presence in a local community and on the Internet through posting fliers or sending e-mails about upcoming events. Team members can also help the writer get more in-person appearances (such as book signings, presentations or lectures) by requesting them at different venues such as local bookstores.

By joining the "Cemetery Walk" street team, you will have access to promotional materials not available anywhere else. You will also have direct contact with author Minda Powers-Douglas and her manager/husband Bill Douglas, who will send you the materials and keep you posted on upcoming events. In exchange for spreading the word about "Cemetery Walk," you can receive items such as posters, magnets, bumper stickers, passes to special events and more.

What the street team does:

- Contact bookstores, libraries, etc., and request that they carry "Cemetery Walk" and suggest that they hold a book signing/presentation.

- Post fliers at bookstores, coffee houses, libraries and anywhere people meet and might be interested in the book.

- Send e-mails to friends and family about the book.

- Write positive reviews of the book on Web sites (such as Amazon.com).

- Suggest reading "Cemetery Walk" for your book club.

- Create "buzz" in any way you can about "Cemetery Walk"!

For more information, e-mail minda@thecemeteryclub.com

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