about the group
The Blue Billies is a writers' group dedicated to developing, expanding and experimenting with the crafted word and its presentation. We are particularly interested in pulling the written word off the page to stretch the membrane between theatrical performance and traditional literary reading.
We originally called ourselves the Blue Mountain Writers' Group in honor of the blue hills of Southern Illinois, the northernmost fingertips of the Ozark Mountain Range, but the name quickly devolved to Blue Hillbilly Writer's Group, and from there, it was a short fall to Blue Billies, which stuck. The Blue Billies hosts a literary salon that meets the second Friday of every month at the Longbranch where local writers gather to share their work.
Elaine Ramseyer began writing when a near-death experience ignited a fire inside her to tell her stories. She originally wrote about her bust-out, white trash childhood, but more recently she’s written a historical novel based in Southern Illinois in the 20s called “King.” The nobility of the common person is her overarching theme. She is currently working on a cookbook for the Longbranch Cafe & Bakery and continues to chip away at her memoir.
We originally called ourselves the Blue Mountain Writers' Group in honor of the blue hills of Southern Illinois, the northernmost fingertips of the Ozark Mountain Range, but the name quickly devolved to Blue Hillbilly Writer's Group, and from there, it was a short fall to Blue Billies, which stuck. The Blue Billies hosts a literary salon that meets the second Friday of every month at the Longbranch where local writers gather to share their work.
Elaine Ramseyer began writing when a near-death experience ignited a fire inside her to tell her stories. She originally wrote about her bust-out, white trash childhood, but more recently she’s written a historical novel based in Southern Illinois in the 20s called “King.” The nobility of the common person is her overarching theme. She is currently working on a cookbook for the Longbranch Cafe & Bakery and continues to chip away at her memoir.