Lake Writers at Virginia Writers Club Annual Luncheon Meeting in Richmond: Pictured are, from left to right, Dick Raymond, board member; Betsy Ashton, newly elected Virginia Writers Club president; and Chuck Lumpkin, elected club second vice president. Not pictured are board members Becky Mushko and Jim Morrison.

Press release from Jim Morrison for the Virginia Writers Club and Lake Writers.

Three members of the Lake Writers were elected recently to help lead the statewide Virginia Writers Club in 2013.

Betsy Ashton was elected president of the club. She has served as the club’s first vice president for the past two years and is president of the club’s Valley Writers Chapter, which meets in Roanoke.

Chuck Lumpkin was elected to continue as the club’s second vice president. He has served for the past couple of years as president of the Lake Writers, which is part of the Smith Mountain Arts Council and is affiliated with the Virginia Writers Club as a sub-chapter of the Valley Writers Chapter.

Becky Mushko was elected to a three-year term as an at-large member of the club’s board of governors. She has served the past couple of years as the club’s recording secretary and as vice president of the Lake Writers.

Dick Raymond and Jim Morrison, former club officers, continue to serve on the club’s board of governors as appointed representatives from the Valley Writers Chapter.

The Virginia Writers Club was established in 1918 and is believed to be one of the oldest, continuous writers clubs in America. The club has ten chapters located around the Commonwealth and a total of about 325 members.

Elections were held on November 3 at the club’s annual luncheon meeting at the Commonwealth Club in Richmond. The keynote speaker for the luncheon was Dr. Andrew D. Kaufman of the University of Virginia, who spoke about his book Understanding Tolstoy.

For information about the Virginia Writers Club, the Valley Writers Chapter, and the Lake Writers, visit the respective websites at www.virginiawritersclub.org, www.roanokevalleywriters.org, and www.lakewriters.webs.com.