Registration for the 2011 SCWW conference opened June 15. If you haven’t had a chance already, please take a moment and give the sessions, faculty and other offerings a gander. The website, www.myscww.org/conference, has been updated, as has the SCWW blog, www.scwwblog.blogspot.com. To help with the registration process, here’s a couple of frequently asked questions. If you have any other questions not covered here, send an email to scwwconference2011@gmail.com or call me, Carrie McCullough, at 706-564-7998.
Q: I want to register for the conference. How do I do it?
A: Registration for the conference is done online, via a conference planning site called eventville.com. There are two links. You’ll need to choose that one that meets your payment choice – credit/debit or check. Those links can be found here: http://myscww.org/conference/.
Q: If I sign up for a critique, when will my appointment be held?
A: This year, we’re moving critique appointment times to Friday. This is to allow more time for attendees to go to sessions, and to offer as many sessions during the conference as possible.
Q: When do I need to get critique materials in by?
A: Attendees who register for a standard or extended critique must mail AND email their materials by September 1, 2011.
Q: Who is offering critiques this year? What about pitches and real-time queries?
A: For a cheat sheet of appointment times, by faculty member, visit this blog post: http://scwwblog.blogspot.com/2011/06/conference-alert-looking-for-some-one.html.
Q: I’m trying to reserve my room at The Hilton. What’s the discount code to get the SCWW block rate?
A: To get our special rate, be sure you use the code SWF.
Q: On the Hilton reservations site, I’m not sure where to put the code. There are several spots for those. Where does our code go?
A: Be sure to use the code in the convention code area. It should be the third box. If you have any trouble doing this online, you can always call the reservations desk at The Hilton. The number and our hotel rates are listed here: http://myscww.org/conference/accommodations.php.
Q: I just talked myself into adding an appointment time or meal ticket. How do I do this?
A: If you’ve already registered, please, don’t go through the registration system again. Instead, please email scwwconference2011@gmail.com. It’s better to email, rather than call, so that we’ll both have a written record of what’s being added.
Q: I know someone who wants to register, but doesn’t have Internet access. How can they register?
A: For registrations that can’t be taken care of online, please print out this page: http://myscww.org/conference/registration-fees.php. Instructions for mailing it in are included at the bottom of the page. You’ll need to mail it to the SCWW general mailbox:
SCWW
4840 Forest Drive, Suite 6B: PMB 189
Columbia, SC 29206
Q: Speaking of addresses, where do I mail my check, if I’m paying that way?
A: If you’re paying via check, please mail it to the following address, within THREE business day of your registration. Your registration is not complete until we receive payment:
SCWW
4840 Forest Drive, Suite 6B: PMB 189
Columbia, SC 29206
Q: Where do I mail my critique materials?
A: Please mail your critiques to:
Carrie McCullough
2240 Cadden Road
Augusta, GA 30906
Q: I noticed there’s two rates for each registration item. Why?
A: Attendees who register by September 1, 2011, received a discounted, early bird rate. For a full list of the prices, please visit: http://myscww.org/conference/registration-fees.php.
Q: Are there any changes to the Carrie McCray contest this year?
A: Yes, there are some changes. Please visit the Carrie McCray Memorial Literary Awards page for more information: http://myscww.org/conference/mccray/.
See you in October!
More Good News
More Good News
After reading some of the comments from the judges of the SCWW High School Writing Competition, it should not have come as a surprise to learn that many of the winners/entrants were also winners elsewhere.
Kathryn Lovatt (fiction) surmised “...there is a great teacher out there who works works, works with his/her students”; Tom Dabbs (nonfiction) in his appraisal of his top-winning selection said, “Should you accept the charge of the talents you have, should you become the writer you can and should be, you will have the exquisite privilege and damnable burden of being one who brings light to the world.” Gene Fehler (poetry) had these encouraging words, “Each . . . seemed to be written by someone well beyond the years of these poets. These students, along with many others whose poems were not selected among the top five, have fine careers ahead of them as poets.” Pretty powerful statements and true as we shall see.
Of the First Place, Second Place and Honorable Mention awards given to the twelve winning students, eight of these students went on to win silver and gold medals in the Scholastic Arts & Writing Awards.
Luke Hodges was awarded the highest level of recognition - Writing Portfolio Gold Medal - which carries a $10,000 cash scholarship. Other SCWW winners who also won gold and/or silver medals in the Scholastic Arts & Writing competition are Victoria Sharp, Megan Gallagher, Emilea Wright, Anna Faison, Eric Steifel, Lukas Hadstein and Katherine Carter.
Victoria Ford, a 2010 SCWW winner, was a $10,000 gold medal winner for her Creative Nonfiction Portfolio.
Luke and Victoria won two of only seven portfolio awards given nationally by the Scholastic Arts & Writing and were the only portfolio winners in South Carolina and the Southeast.
This prestigious awards competition began in 1923 by Maurice R. Robinson who said he wanted artists and writers to receive medals and recognition like athletes. The presentation was held in Carnegie Hall and their names were placed on a list of past prominent winners . . . Truman Capote, Richard Avedon, Andy Warhol, Sylvia Plath, Robert Redford, Joyce Carol Oates.
Imagine! Two out of seven nationally selected winners for writing are from South Carolina.
For a complete listing of the 2011 SCWW winners go to the website listed below.
Now, it’s time to turn to the SCWW October Conference. Registration opened June 15 and can be completed at www.myscww.org.The Carrie McCray Memorial Literary Awards, named in honor of one of SCWW’s founding members, are open to all registered attendees of the SCWW Annual Conference. Entrants must be current members of SCWW and must remain currant through the date of the Annual Conference. The categories are poetry, short fiction, novel/first chapter and nonfiction. Entries must be postmarked on or before August 20, 2011. Click on SCWW Contests for complete details of the competition.
Martha Greenway
SCWW Contests Co-Chair
After reading some of the comments from the judges of the SCWW High School Writing Competition, it should not have come as a surprise to learn that many of the winners/entrants were also winners elsewhere.
Kathryn Lovatt (fiction) surmised “...there is a great teacher out there who works works, works with his/her students”; Tom Dabbs (nonfiction) in his appraisal of his top-winning selection said, “Should you accept the charge of the talents you have, should you become the writer you can and should be, you will have the exquisite privilege and damnable burden of being one who brings light to the world.” Gene Fehler (poetry) had these encouraging words, “Each . . . seemed to be written by someone well beyond the years of these poets. These students, along with many others whose poems were not selected among the top five, have fine careers ahead of them as poets.” Pretty powerful statements and true as we shall see.
Of the First Place, Second Place and Honorable Mention awards given to the twelve winning students, eight of these students went on to win silver and gold medals in the Scholastic Arts & Writing Awards.
Luke Hodges was awarded the highest level of recognition - Writing Portfolio Gold Medal - which carries a $10,000 cash scholarship. Other SCWW winners who also won gold and/or silver medals in the Scholastic Arts & Writing competition are Victoria Sharp, Megan Gallagher, Emilea Wright, Anna Faison, Eric Steifel, Lukas Hadstein and Katherine Carter.
Victoria Ford, a 2010 SCWW winner, was a $10,000 gold medal winner for her Creative Nonfiction Portfolio.
Luke and Victoria won two of only seven portfolio awards given nationally by the Scholastic Arts & Writing and were the only portfolio winners in South Carolina and the Southeast.
This prestigious awards competition began in 1923 by Maurice R. Robinson who said he wanted artists and writers to receive medals and recognition like athletes. The presentation was held in Carnegie Hall and their names were placed on a list of past prominent winners . . . Truman Capote, Richard Avedon, Andy Warhol, Sylvia Plath, Robert Redford, Joyce Carol Oates.
Imagine! Two out of seven nationally selected winners for writing are from South Carolina.
For a complete listing of the 2011 SCWW winners go to the website listed below.
Now, it’s time to turn to the SCWW October Conference. Registration opened June 15 and can be completed at www.myscww.org.The Carrie McCray Memorial Literary Awards, named in honor of one of SCWW’s founding members, are open to all registered attendees of the SCWW Annual Conference. Entrants must be current members of SCWW and must remain currant through the date of the Annual Conference. The categories are poetry, short fiction, novel/first chapter and nonfiction. Entries must be postmarked on or before August 20, 2011. Click on SCWW Contests for complete details of the competition.
Martha Greenway
SCWW Contests Co-Chair
The Take Away
I listen to a show on National Public Radio called the Take Away. And these days I’m always thinking about the conference, so I started wondering about the Take Away for conference attendees.
What should you take away from our conference? That depends on you. What are you looking for by attending?
Are you just getting started as a writer and you’re looking for guidance? You’ve got a great idea, great plot and great settings, but now you’re stuck in the middle of your work? Have you finished your manuscript and now you want to know what to do next? Are you trying to sell your manuscript and you’d like to find out exactly how to approach your dream agent?
We’ve got classes to cover all of these subjects and more. For the beginning writer, I suggest courses on character and plot development. There is much to learn and a good place to start is any of the sessions David Coe is presenting. You will also have opportunities to meet and talk to other attendees, many of whom are new to writing as well as conferences. I hope you will find inspiration and encouragement in your interactions with other attendees.
If you’re in the middle of your manuscript, try the sessions on pace, craft or strategy. Lisa Tucker, David Coe and James Frenkel are offering a variety of sessions on these topics. It’s a good place to go if you’re stuck or you need some motivation to keep going.
And if you’re done, first congratulations, I suggest sessions on editing and crafting the perfect query letter or synopsis. All of those topics will be covered by Melissa Jeglinski, Stephanie Sun, Chuck Sambuchino and Conference Chair Carrie McCullough throughout the weekend.
There are also seminars on the business of writing and publishing as well as social media presented by Keynote Speaker M.J. Rose, Jessica Regel and Bill Starr.
Our faculty members were selected based on their ability to offer information and relevant industry information to our attendees. I’ve covered only a sample of the faculty members and courses we’re offering this year, please visit http://www.myscww.org/.
No matter your needs, any session is a great learning opportunity. I hope that you will take a little time to decide what you hope to gain from the conference, and then plan your time accordingly.
What’s your take away? It depends on you.
A Volunteer’s POV at SCWW Conference
Last year I was a full-time volunteer at our annual writing conference in Myrtle Beach. It was quite an experience. I knew SCWW put on a strong writers’ conference, but what I saw from my vantage point of the check-in/answer desk was a real wake-up message.
On Friday of last year’s conference, a very tire couple trudged up to the check-in desk. The lady said, “Can I still register?”
When I said she was most certainly welcome to do so, her face flooded with relief.
“My husband and I have driven from Phoenix, Arizona just so I could attend this conference.”
Dumbstruck I pushed the registration forms toward her. “How did you learn about us,” I asked her.
“There is a writers’ conference in Tempe and before I registered for it, I decided to Google writers’ conferences, and I found yours is the most comprehensive and best value. It was worth it to me to drive nearly across the country to attend. And the faculty you have put together is very impressive.”
I was impressed too! As she finished with the registration process and we continued to chat, she became so comfortable that she and her husband decided that he should take the opportunity to go visit friends in a near-by state and return on Sunday to get her.
I saw her again on Sunday morning, face beaming. I asked her if she had had a good experience at the conference, did she feel she had made a good decision to spend her weekend with SCWW. Enthusiastically she said yes and that she was planning to come back next time and bring a carload from her writing group. It was a highlight of my volunteer experience.
On Saturday I checked in a writer, physician by profession, who had flown in…again from Arizona…to get A critique ONLY from editor, Caitlain Alexander. I was awed that someone with a writer’s passion and very limited free time would fly cross country for a 20-minute appointment. Again I was struck by the quality of our faculty.
I ran into a friend from my home chapter on Saturday evening. She was as mad as a wet hen. “I am never coming to this conference again,” she said. It turns out the agent she thought would be her soul mate and would understand her writing esthetic was not a good fit. I tried consoling her, but it didn’t work…she was on her way home!
The next time I saw her was on Sunday morning after another critique with a different faulty member (who asked to see more of her work) and a pitch appointment (with a third faculty member who wanted to see the first 50 pages of another of her works). She was smiling and skipping to the tune of “Zippidy-Do-Da,” complete with the animated bluebirds from Song of the South.
“Aren’t you glad you stayed,” I asked, even though the answer was written on her face.
“We’re writers,” she said. “We’re opinionated and volatile. The agent I thought was so like me and would ‘get me’ was not who I needed to see.” And off she skipped, still smiling. I smiled too, happy to be associated with a writing conference that offers a wide variety of professionals so well versed in their fields of expertise.
I’m looking forward to volunteering at the SCWW 21st annual writers’ conference again this year. I hope I’ll hear a success story from you.
On Friday of last year’s conference, a very tire couple trudged up to the check-in desk. The lady said, “Can I still register?”
When I said she was most certainly welcome to do so, her face flooded with relief.
“My husband and I have driven from Phoenix, Arizona just so I could attend this conference.”
Dumbstruck I pushed the registration forms toward her. “How did you learn about us,” I asked her.
“There is a writers’ conference in Tempe and before I registered for it, I decided to Google writers’ conferences, and I found yours is the most comprehensive and best value. It was worth it to me to drive nearly across the country to attend. And the faculty you have put together is very impressive.”
I was impressed too! As she finished with the registration process and we continued to chat, she became so comfortable that she and her husband decided that he should take the opportunity to go visit friends in a near-by state and return on Sunday to get her.
I saw her again on Sunday morning, face beaming. I asked her if she had had a good experience at the conference, did she feel she had made a good decision to spend her weekend with SCWW. Enthusiastically she said yes and that she was planning to come back next time and bring a carload from her writing group. It was a highlight of my volunteer experience.
On Saturday I checked in a writer, physician by profession, who had flown in…again from Arizona…to get A critique ONLY from editor, Caitlain Alexander. I was awed that someone with a writer’s passion and very limited free time would fly cross country for a 20-minute appointment. Again I was struck by the quality of our faculty.
I ran into a friend from my home chapter on Saturday evening. She was as mad as a wet hen. “I am never coming to this conference again,” she said. It turns out the agent she thought would be her soul mate and would understand her writing esthetic was not a good fit. I tried consoling her, but it didn’t work…she was on her way home!
The next time I saw her was on Sunday morning after another critique with a different faulty member (who asked to see more of her work) and a pitch appointment (with a third faculty member who wanted to see the first 50 pages of another of her works). She was smiling and skipping to the tune of “Zippidy-Do-Da,” complete with the animated bluebirds from Song of the South.
“Aren’t you glad you stayed,” I asked, even though the answer was written on her face.
“We’re writers,” she said. “We’re opinionated and volatile. The agent I thought was so like me and would ‘get me’ was not who I needed to see.” And off she skipped, still smiling. I smiled too, happy to be associated with a writing conference that offers a wide variety of professionals so well versed in their fields of expertise.
I’m looking forward to volunteering at the SCWW 21st annual writers’ conference again this year. I hope I’ll hear a success story from you.
And the First Item Up for Bid . . .
Registration for the 21st Annual SCWW Writers' Conference opened at 12:01 this morning and now it's time for the Silent Auction! Well, not exactly right this minute, but things are underway and it's not too early to be thinking about it.
The Silent Auction tables will be crowded with baskets. Some will be spilling over with books in assorted genres, usually at least one for everyone's taste. Some will be stuffed with things only writers appreciate - how-to-books, items for inspiration, reference books. A new Chapter Challenge, Town Proud, will bring baskets filled with books, food, artwork, etc. that will introduce the winners to places throughout South Carolina. Our Chapters dot the state from the coast to the foothills.
And then there are those Silent Auction items that don't fit into baskets. There is usually artwork - sculptures, photography and paintings. In the past we've had special items donated by the Conference faculty, including critiques and signed books. Be watching for the lists of special auction items as we receive them.
We're making some changes this year, including opening the bids earlier and closing them earlier. You'll need to keep an eye on the tables if you want to keep the highest bid on your selection. Look for information about the time changes on our website www.myscww.org
The Silent Auction is an important source of income for the SCWW. All items are donated so 100% of the money generated goes directly to our programs - the contests we sponsor, our literary journal, the annual Conference. With arts funding diminishing, the Silent Auction and your support become even more important.
Oh, that first item up for bid? It's a 5 night stay in a beautiful guest house situated on the Cumberland Plateau near Sewanee, TN. Writers have been known to 'get away and write' in the idyllic setting of Three Oaks. Take a virtual tour, then come early and stay late at the Silent Auction. I think this item will be popular.
The Silent Auction tables will be crowded with baskets. Some will be spilling over with books in assorted genres, usually at least one for everyone's taste. Some will be stuffed with things only writers appreciate - how-to-books, items for inspiration, reference books. A new Chapter Challenge, Town Proud, will bring baskets filled with books, food, artwork, etc. that will introduce the winners to places throughout South Carolina. Our Chapters dot the state from the coast to the foothills.
And then there are those Silent Auction items that don't fit into baskets. There is usually artwork - sculptures, photography and paintings. In the past we've had special items donated by the Conference faculty, including critiques and signed books. Be watching for the lists of special auction items as we receive them.
We're making some changes this year, including opening the bids earlier and closing them earlier. You'll need to keep an eye on the tables if you want to keep the highest bid on your selection. Look for information about the time changes on our website www.myscww.org
The Silent Auction is an important source of income for the SCWW. All items are donated so 100% of the money generated goes directly to our programs - the contests we sponsor, our literary journal, the annual Conference. With arts funding diminishing, the Silent Auction and your support become even more important.
Oh, that first item up for bid? It's a 5 night stay in a beautiful guest house situated on the Cumberland Plateau near Sewanee, TN. Writers have been known to 'get away and write' in the idyllic setting of Three Oaks. Take a virtual tour, then come early and stay late at the Silent Auction. I think this item will be popular.
It's Finally Time to Register!
Are you ready to pick you sessions, critique preferences and pitch, query appointment choices? At 12:01 a.m. Wednesday, June 15, 2011, you can use these links.
For credit and debit cards, go to: Sign-Up Now
To pay via checks, go to: Sign-Up Now
For credit and debit cards, go to: Sign-Up Now
To pay via checks, go to: Sign-Up Now
Hot For the Presses
For Immediate Release to Sunday Arts Section
South Carolina Writers’ Workshop 2010 Writers’ Conference
October 21-23, 2010
Myrtle Beach, SC
Contact: Carrie McCullough
706-564-7998
scwwconference2011@gmail.com
Registration Opens for 21st Annual
South Carolina Writers’ Workshop Conference
Registration opens for the 21st annual South Carolina Writers’ Workshop on Wednesday, June 15 at 12:01 AM at their web site: www.myscww.org. This year’s conference, “The Method, the Market, the Muse,” will be held October 21-23, 2011, at the Hilton Myrtle Beach Resort in Myrtle Beach, S.C. The faculty will consist of more than 20 nationally-renowned agents, editors, and authors who will present workshops, panels, slush-pile sessions, and real-time queries. Faculty critiques by appointment will be conducted only on Friday, October 21, and are available to all registrants.
M.J. Rose, international best selling author of 11 books, will be the keynote speaker on Saturday night. Faculty-hosted dinner tables are a highlight of each evening. See a complete faculty list and their credits at www.myscww.org.
Carrie McCullough, conference co-chair of SCWW 2010 Writers’ Conference, was quoted in an article, “Make the Most of Any Writing Event,” (Writer’s Digest, Writing Basics, 2011) as one of ten top writers’ conference organizers. These are her suggestions to conference goers to “Get in the Right Mindset” before participating in a writers’ conference. “Writers make two big mistakes at conferences. The first is taking it all too seriously. Some folks are so overwhelmed with being at the conference [that] they forget to enjoy, learn and laugh. On the last day I see some [attendees] close to tears because they missed the trees for the forest. However, the other big mistake is being too laid back and too comfortable and forgetting the goal of getting published. While there are cocktail times and plenty of opportunities to mingle, publishing is a business.”
For details visit www.myscww.org, send emails to scwwconference2011@gmail.com, or call Carrie McCullough at 706-564-7998.
###
South Carolina Writers’ Workshop 2010 Writers’ Conference
October 21-23, 2010
Myrtle Beach, SC
Contact: Carrie McCullough
706-564-7998
scwwconference2011@gmail.com
Registration Opens for 21st Annual
South Carolina Writers’ Workshop Conference
Registration opens for the 21st annual South Carolina Writers’ Workshop on Wednesday, June 15 at 12:01 AM at their web site: www.myscww.org. This year’s conference, “The Method, the Market, the Muse,” will be held October 21-23, 2011, at the Hilton Myrtle Beach Resort in Myrtle Beach, S.C. The faculty will consist of more than 20 nationally-renowned agents, editors, and authors who will present workshops, panels, slush-pile sessions, and real-time queries. Faculty critiques by appointment will be conducted only on Friday, October 21, and are available to all registrants.
M.J. Rose, international best selling author of 11 books, will be the keynote speaker on Saturday night. Faculty-hosted dinner tables are a highlight of each evening. See a complete faculty list and their credits at www.myscww.org.
Carrie McCullough, conference co-chair of SCWW 2010 Writers’ Conference, was quoted in an article, “Make the Most of Any Writing Event,” (Writer’s Digest, Writing Basics, 2011) as one of ten top writers’ conference organizers. These are her suggestions to conference goers to “Get in the Right Mindset” before participating in a writers’ conference. “Writers make two big mistakes at conferences. The first is taking it all too seriously. Some folks are so overwhelmed with being at the conference [that] they forget to enjoy, learn and laugh. On the last day I see some [attendees] close to tears because they missed the trees for the forest. However, the other big mistake is being too laid back and too comfortable and forgetting the goal of getting published. While there are cocktail times and plenty of opportunities to mingle, publishing is a business.”
For details visit www.myscww.org, send emails to scwwconference2011@gmail.com, or call Carrie McCullough at 706-564-7998.
###
Conference Alert! Looking for some one-on-one faculty time?
As I pause from conference registration prep a few minutes ago, I pinched myself. No, it wasn't just to make a new bruise... I just can't believe it's the third time I've been behind the scenes of the SCWW conference registration launch. Each time I'm amazed all of the time the faculty gives SCWW to help members reach their writing goals.
Which brings me to a very popular part of the conference, one-on-one appointments. There are three types again this year -- critiques (standard and extended), pitches and real-time queries. Here's a cheat sheet of which faculty members are offering each type of appointment. In the coming days, we'll also have a cheat sheet on the faculty members -- what they're looking for and what they're teaching.
Agents
Which brings me to a very popular part of the conference, one-on-one appointments. There are three types again this year -- critiques (standard and extended), pitches and real-time queries. Here's a cheat sheet of which faculty members are offering each type of appointment. In the coming days, we'll also have a cheat sheet on the faculty members -- what they're looking for and what they're teaching.
Agents
- Bernadette Baker-Baughman: Standard and Extended Critiques, Pitches and Real-Time Queries
- Stephen Barr: Standard and Extended Critiques and Pitches
- Sorche Fairbank: Standard and Extended Critiques, Pitches and Real-Time Queries
- Alyssa Eisner Henkin: Standard and Extended Critiques, Pitches and Real-Time Queries
- Melissa Jeglinski: Standard and Extended Critiques, Pitches and Real-Time Queries
- Sarah LaPolla: Standard and Extended Critiques, Pitches and Real-Time Queries
- Jessica Regel: Standard and Extended Critiques and Pitches
- Eddie Schneider: Extended Critiques, Pitches and Real-Time Queries
- Jon Sternfeld: Standard and Extended Critiques, Pitches and Real-Time Queries
- Stephanie Sun: Standard and Extended Critiques, Pitches and Real-Time Queries
Editors
- James Frenkel: Standard and Extended Critiques, Pitches and Real-Time Queries
- Molly O'Neill: Standard and Extended Critiques and Real-Time Queries
- Toni Plummer: Standard Critiques, Pitches and Real-Time Queries
Authors
- David B. Coe: Standard and Extended Critiques, Pitches and Real-Time Queries
- Lisa Tucker: Pitches and Real-Time Queries
Editor Chuck Sambuchino and writers MJ Rose, Matthew Frederick and Bill Starr are also on faculty, but won't have any one-on-one appointment times.
So, now you know who you could meet with, but what do you need to do to make it happen? Register early! Conference registration will open at 12:01 a.m. Wednesday, June 15, 2011. You must be registered for the conference in order to make an appointment. Also, please note that critiques will be held on Friday this year.
Judges for the Carrie McCray Memorial Literary Awards
We are proud to present the judges for this year's Carrie McCray Literary Awards.
Poetry
Ken Autrey, a native of Alabama, is an Emeritus Professor of English at
Francis Marion University in Florence, SC. Previously, he served as a Peace
Corps teacher in Ghana, a writing teacher at Tougaloo College in
Mississippi, and a visiting professor at Hiroshima University in Japan. He
earned a B.A. degree from Davidson College and graduate degrees from Auburn
University and the University of South Carolina. His poems have appeared in
Atlanta Review, Chattahoochee Review, Cimarron Review, Poetry Northwest,
South Carolina Review, Southern Poetry Review, and elsewhere. His work is
included in various anthologies, such as The Southern Poetry Anthology:
South Carolina. His chapbook, Pilgrims, was published in 2010 by Main Street
Rag. He and his wife Janne live in Columbia. He has two daughters and five
grandchildren.
Phebe Davidson, long recognized as a leading South Carolina poet, is the author of twenty-three published collections of poems including Seven Mile (Main Street Rag Publishing Co., 20110), The Surface of Things (David Robert Books, 2009), Fat Moon Rising (Main Street Rag Publishing Co., 200) and now the long awaited Plasma Justice (Main Street Rag Publishing Col, 2011). Whether her subject matter is late night cop shows, the mysterious joys of family life, or the strangely compelling substrate of fairy tales, Davidson consistently delivers people that sizzle and snap in the readers mind. A Contributing Editor at Tar River Poetry and a staff writer for The Asheville Poetry Review, Davidson has received multiple nominations for a Push Cart Prize and holds several national awards Her work has been featured on the web at The Cortland Review, Verse Daily, and Town Creek Poetry and in print in The Kenyon Review, the South Carolina Review and Kakalak.
Maureen Sherbondy resides in Raleigh, North Carolina. Her short stories have appeared in numerous publications, including Southeast Review, Stone Canoe, The Chapel Hill News, and the North Carolina Literary Review. One of Maureen’s stories was selected as a runner-up in the William Faulkner – William Wisdom Creative Writing Competition; another story won the Piccolo Spoleto Fiction Open. Her poems have won first place in: The Deane Ritch Lomax Poetry Prize (Charlotte Writers’ Club), The Lyricist Statewide Poetry Contest, and the Hart Crane Memorial Poetry Award from Kent State University. Main Street Rag Publishing Company published her first chapbook, After the Fairy Tale, in 2007. Praying at Coffee Shops was published in February, 2008. The Slow Vanishing, a short story collection, was released this past fall. Maureen teaches writing workshops and also leads an open mike night.
Short Fiction
Marti Healy is a professional writer, published author, and newspaper columnist. The majority of her career was with an Indianapolis communications firm, serving as vice president and senior writer. She moved to Aiken, SC, in 2004. Healy has authored three books: The Secret Child, a novel that was a 2010 SIBA Okra Pick; The Rhythm of Selby, a novel that received a 2009 IPPY Awards Bronze Medal for popular fiction and two Indie Awards for writing and design; and The God-Dog Connection, a faith-based, animal-oriented book that garnered a warm endorsement by well-known actress and animal advocate, Betty White.
Dennis McDonald retired as an English Professor at Iowa Lakes Community
College in 2009. He continues to teach online short fiction. Prior to
teaching, McDonald worked as a freelance writer. His writing appeared in
Newsweek and other national publications, earned two national awards, and
resulted in a speaking engagement at Harvard University. He is currently at
work on a book of poetry about plants and vegetables, and a memoir about
childhood experiences growing up on a farm in Northwest Iowa.
Dr. Mark Sibley-Jones is a professor at the University of South Carolina where he has taught for fifteen years, including five years within the Honors College. Although his area of expertise is in contemporary fiction and Renaissance English Literature, his interests are wide and varied. As in most of his literature courses, Sibley-Jones emphasizes discussion as the catalyst of learning and the exploration of ideas. His Fall 2011 focus on Civil War literature was in part inspired by his research for a novel he is writing which takes place in that era. Outside of the classroom, Dr. Sibley-Jones serves as editor-in-chief of the Association of Honors Alumni Magazine, AHA!. In 2007 the Honor Students presented him with the Michael A. Hill Award.
Short Non Fiction
Joanna Biggar is a teacher, writer, and traveler whose special places of the heart include the California coast and the South of France. A professional writer for more than 25 years, her poetry, fiction, personal essays, feature, news and travel articles have appeared in hundreds of publications, including The Washington Post Magazine, Psychology Today, The International Herald Tribune, The People’s Daily, and The Wall Street Journal.
She has taught writing and journalism for over twenty-five years, both in greater Washington, D.C., at the Writer’s Center in Bethesda, Maryland, and in California. In recent years, she has taught travel writing workshops in France, Greece, Ireland, and Italy, served as a judge for journalism awards for the Northern California Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists, and as a co-chair of the Bay Area Group of the Society of Woman Geographers.
Barbara Outland is a publishing consultant and writer living in Rich Square, North Carolina. She is the former marketing manager for Louisiana State University Press, where she served on the press’s project review committee and spent 15 years promoting scholarly and trade books, including two winners of the Pulitzer Prize, several National Book Award and National Book Critics Circle Award finalists, and numerous other prizewinners. She holds a master’s degree in American history from LSU.
Rose Solari is a poet, novelist, playwright and cofounder of Alan Squire Publishing (ASP), a literary publishing house (a small press … with big ideas) in Washington DC. She is the author of two full-length collections of poems, Orpheus in the Park and Difficult Weather, as well as two chapbooks of poems, Selections from Myths & Elegies and The Stolen World. Rose wrote and performed in the multi-media play Looking for Guenevere, an Arthurian retelling, and is currently at work on a historical novel. In 2010, she made her third consecutive appearance at the Sunday Times Oxford Literary Festival in Oxford, England. Rose is a longtime faculty member of the Writer's Center, in Bethesda, Maryland, and serves on the Board of Directors.
Novel, First Chapter
Mary Glickman is a writer, public relations professional, and fundraiser. Born on the south shore of Boston, Glickman studied at the Université de Lyon and Boston University. After living in Boston for twenty years, she and her husband traveled to South Carolina and discovered a love for all things Southern. Glickman's first novel, Home in the Morning, was published as an E-riginal by Open Road Integrated Media in 2010. The bestselling novel tells the story of a Jewish family confronting the tumult of the 1960s—exploring the transition from the Old South to the New South. Home in the Morning has been optioned for film by Sundance director Jim Kohlberg. Glickman's second novel is forthcoming. She currently lives in Seabrook Island, South Carolina, with her husband, cat, and beloved horse, King of Harts.
Linda Watanabe McFerrin, poet, travel writer, and novelist, is a contributor to numerous newspapers, magazines and anthologies. She is the author of two poetry collections, past editor of a popular Northern California guidebook and a winner of the Katherine Anne Porter Prize for Fiction. Her novel, Namako: Sea Cucumber, was named Best Book for the Teen-Age by the New York Public Library. In addition to authoring an award-winning short story collection, The Hand of Buddha, she has co-edited several anthologies, including the Hot Flashes: sexy little stories & poems series. Her latest novel, Dead Love (2010, Stone Bridge Press) was short-listed as a William Faulkner-William Wisdom Finalist and is a finalist for a Bram Stoker Award for Superior Achievement in a Novel. Linda has judged the San Francisco Literary Awards, the Josephine Miles Award for Literary Excellence and the Kiriyama Prize, served as a visiting mentor for the Loft Mentor Series and been guest faculty at the Oklahoma Arts Institute. A past NEA Panelist and juror for the Marin Literary Arts Council and the founder of Left Coast Writers®, she has led workshops in Greece, France, Italy, Ireland, Central America and the United States and has mentored a long list of accomplished writers toward publication.
Lise Saffran grew up in Marin County, California in the shadow of Mt. Tamalpais and attended college in Eugene, Oregon. She earned her MFA at the prestigious Iowa Writers’ Workshop in Iowa City, after she had already pursued an advanced degree and career in public health. While at Iowa she was an Iowa Arts Fellow and has also received fellowships from the MacDowell Colony and Hedgebrook. She is currently Associate Director of the Master of Public Health Program at the University of Missouri. Still, between job and family she finds time to write. Her first novel, Juno’s Daughters, which is set in the San Juan Islands off the coast of Washington State has been hailed as "wonderfully immersive" (Publisher's Weekly) and "a heartwarming tale of the mother-daughter relationship" (Booklist). Her stories and essays have been published in a variety of literary magazines and her story “Men and Fish” is part of the Granta anthology of adoption stories called Family Wanted.
Poetry
Ken Autrey, a native of Alabama, is an Emeritus Professor of English at
Francis Marion University in Florence, SC. Previously, he served as a Peace
Corps teacher in Ghana, a writing teacher at Tougaloo College in
Mississippi, and a visiting professor at Hiroshima University in Japan. He
earned a B.A. degree from Davidson College and graduate degrees from Auburn
University and the University of South Carolina. His poems have appeared in
Atlanta Review, Chattahoochee Review, Cimarron Review, Poetry Northwest,
South Carolina Review, Southern Poetry Review, and elsewhere. His work is
included in various anthologies, such as The Southern Poetry Anthology:
South Carolina. His chapbook, Pilgrims, was published in 2010 by Main Street
Rag. He and his wife Janne live in Columbia. He has two daughters and five
grandchildren.
Phebe Davidson, long recognized as a leading South Carolina poet, is the author of twenty-three published collections of poems including Seven Mile (Main Street Rag Publishing Co., 20110), The Surface of Things (David Robert Books, 2009), Fat Moon Rising (Main Street Rag Publishing Co., 200) and now the long awaited Plasma Justice (Main Street Rag Publishing Col, 2011). Whether her subject matter is late night cop shows, the mysterious joys of family life, or the strangely compelling substrate of fairy tales, Davidson consistently delivers people that sizzle and snap in the readers mind. A Contributing Editor at Tar River Poetry and a staff writer for The Asheville Poetry Review, Davidson has received multiple nominations for a Push Cart Prize and holds several national awards Her work has been featured on the web at The Cortland Review, Verse Daily, and Town Creek Poetry and in print in The Kenyon Review, the South Carolina Review and Kakalak.
Maureen Sherbondy resides in Raleigh, North Carolina. Her short stories have appeared in numerous publications, including Southeast Review, Stone Canoe, The Chapel Hill News, and the North Carolina Literary Review. One of Maureen’s stories was selected as a runner-up in the William Faulkner – William Wisdom Creative Writing Competition; another story won the Piccolo Spoleto Fiction Open. Her poems have won first place in: The Deane Ritch Lomax Poetry Prize (Charlotte Writers’ Club), The Lyricist Statewide Poetry Contest, and the Hart Crane Memorial Poetry Award from Kent State University. Main Street Rag Publishing Company published her first chapbook, After the Fairy Tale, in 2007. Praying at Coffee Shops was published in February, 2008. The Slow Vanishing, a short story collection, was released this past fall. Maureen teaches writing workshops and also leads an open mike night.
Short Fiction
Marti Healy is a professional writer, published author, and newspaper columnist. The majority of her career was with an Indianapolis communications firm, serving as vice president and senior writer. She moved to Aiken, SC, in 2004. Healy has authored three books: The Secret Child, a novel that was a 2010 SIBA Okra Pick; The Rhythm of Selby, a novel that received a 2009 IPPY Awards Bronze Medal for popular fiction and two Indie Awards for writing and design; and The God-Dog Connection, a faith-based, animal-oriented book that garnered a warm endorsement by well-known actress and animal advocate, Betty White.
Dennis McDonald retired as an English Professor at Iowa Lakes Community
College in 2009. He continues to teach online short fiction. Prior to
teaching, McDonald worked as a freelance writer. His writing appeared in
Newsweek and other national publications, earned two national awards, and
resulted in a speaking engagement at Harvard University. He is currently at
work on a book of poetry about plants and vegetables, and a memoir about
childhood experiences growing up on a farm in Northwest Iowa.
Dr. Mark Sibley-Jones is a professor at the University of South Carolina where he has taught for fifteen years, including five years within the Honors College. Although his area of expertise is in contemporary fiction and Renaissance English Literature, his interests are wide and varied. As in most of his literature courses, Sibley-Jones emphasizes discussion as the catalyst of learning and the exploration of ideas. His Fall 2011 focus on Civil War literature was in part inspired by his research for a novel he is writing which takes place in that era. Outside of the classroom, Dr. Sibley-Jones serves as editor-in-chief of the Association of Honors Alumni Magazine, AHA!. In 2007 the Honor Students presented him with the Michael A. Hill Award.
Short Non Fiction
Joanna Biggar is a teacher, writer, and traveler whose special places of the heart include the California coast and the South of France. A professional writer for more than 25 years, her poetry, fiction, personal essays, feature, news and travel articles have appeared in hundreds of publications, including The Washington Post Magazine, Psychology Today, The International Herald Tribune, The People’s Daily, and The Wall Street Journal.
She has taught writing and journalism for over twenty-five years, both in greater Washington, D.C., at the Writer’s Center in Bethesda, Maryland, and in California. In recent years, she has taught travel writing workshops in France, Greece, Ireland, and Italy, served as a judge for journalism awards for the Northern California Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists, and as a co-chair of the Bay Area Group of the Society of Woman Geographers.
Barbara Outland is a publishing consultant and writer living in Rich Square, North Carolina. She is the former marketing manager for Louisiana State University Press, where she served on the press’s project review committee and spent 15 years promoting scholarly and trade books, including two winners of the Pulitzer Prize, several National Book Award and National Book Critics Circle Award finalists, and numerous other prizewinners. She holds a master’s degree in American history from LSU.
Rose Solari is a poet, novelist, playwright and cofounder of Alan Squire Publishing (ASP), a literary publishing house (a small press … with big ideas) in Washington DC. She is the author of two full-length collections of poems, Orpheus in the Park and Difficult Weather, as well as two chapbooks of poems, Selections from Myths & Elegies and The Stolen World. Rose wrote and performed in the multi-media play Looking for Guenevere, an Arthurian retelling, and is currently at work on a historical novel. In 2010, she made her third consecutive appearance at the Sunday Times Oxford Literary Festival in Oxford, England. Rose is a longtime faculty member of the Writer's Center, in Bethesda, Maryland, and serves on the Board of Directors.
Novel, First Chapter
Mary Glickman is a writer, public relations professional, and fundraiser. Born on the south shore of Boston, Glickman studied at the Université de Lyon and Boston University. After living in Boston for twenty years, she and her husband traveled to South Carolina and discovered a love for all things Southern. Glickman's first novel, Home in the Morning, was published as an E-riginal by Open Road Integrated Media in 2010. The bestselling novel tells the story of a Jewish family confronting the tumult of the 1960s—exploring the transition from the Old South to the New South. Home in the Morning has been optioned for film by Sundance director Jim Kohlberg. Glickman's second novel is forthcoming. She currently lives in Seabrook Island, South Carolina, with her husband, cat, and beloved horse, King of Harts.
Linda Watanabe McFerrin, poet, travel writer, and novelist, is a contributor to numerous newspapers, magazines and anthologies. She is the author of two poetry collections, past editor of a popular Northern California guidebook and a winner of the Katherine Anne Porter Prize for Fiction. Her novel, Namako: Sea Cucumber, was named Best Book for the Teen-Age by the New York Public Library. In addition to authoring an award-winning short story collection, The Hand of Buddha, she has co-edited several anthologies, including the Hot Flashes: sexy little stories & poems series. Her latest novel, Dead Love (2010, Stone Bridge Press) was short-listed as a William Faulkner-William Wisdom Finalist and is a finalist for a Bram Stoker Award for Superior Achievement in a Novel. Linda has judged the San Francisco Literary Awards, the Josephine Miles Award for Literary Excellence and the Kiriyama Prize, served as a visiting mentor for the Loft Mentor Series and been guest faculty at the Oklahoma Arts Institute. A past NEA Panelist and juror for the Marin Literary Arts Council and the founder of Left Coast Writers®, she has led workshops in Greece, France, Italy, Ireland, Central America and the United States and has mentored a long list of accomplished writers toward publication.
Lise Saffran grew up in Marin County, California in the shadow of Mt. Tamalpais and attended college in Eugene, Oregon. She earned her MFA at the prestigious Iowa Writers’ Workshop in Iowa City, after she had already pursued an advanced degree and career in public health. While at Iowa she was an Iowa Arts Fellow and has also received fellowships from the MacDowell Colony and Hedgebrook. She is currently Associate Director of the Master of Public Health Program at the University of Missouri. Still, between job and family she finds time to write. Her first novel, Juno’s Daughters, which is set in the San Juan Islands off the coast of Washington State has been hailed as "wonderfully immersive" (Publisher's Weekly) and "a heartwarming tale of the mother-daughter relationship" (Booklist). Her stories and essays have been published in a variety of literary magazines and her story “Men and Fish” is part of the Granta anthology of adoption stories called Family Wanted.
SCWW Writer's Conference in National Writer's Publication
Writer's Digest has used the article, "10 Secrets for Making the Most of Any Writing Event," in their annual Writing Basics issue, p. 56. Carrie McCullough, SCWW Conference Chair, was interviewed for this article last year, (It appeared in a regular issue of WD in 2010.) and hers is the lead quote.
See our ad on page 44.
See our ad on page 44.
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