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Volume: 17.09 • The South Carolina Writers Workshop Newsletter • September 2006 |
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NEWS |
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Board BulletinsNominations for 2007 SCWW Board of DirectorsNominations are currently being accepted for election to SCWW's Board of Directors for 2007. Anyone who is an active SCWW dues-paying member; is willing to volunteer their time, energy, and talents to the betterment of SCWW (including attending quarterly board meetings in Columbia); and is at least 21 years of age is eligible to be nominated. If you are interested in being a nominee or if you would like to nominate another SCWW member, please contact Sandra Johnson at sjohnson10079@sc.rr.com or by phone at (803) 865-8293. The nominations are for the six openings resulting when the two-year terms of Betty Beamguard, Mary Eaddy, Pat Graney, Sandra Johnson, Brenda McClain, and Linda Shaffer end on 12/31/06. Thus far, there are three nominees: Pat Graney (for re-election to a second term); Linda Shaffer (for re-election to a second term); and Hope Clark (for election to a first term). Please make your nominations by October 1 so that an election can be held in November. The terms of newly elected (or re-elected) board members will begin 01/01/07. Computers to Spare & ShareThe SCWW Board is looking for good used computers (minimum Pentium III PC or G3 Mac) to be donated for the conference auction. This may qualify as a tax deductable charitable contribution (please consult your tax advisor). To make a gift of a computer, please contact Susan Boyer susan.boyer@charter.net Chapter ChatterWords Worth Repeating"Joining the SCWW is the best thing that ever happened to my writing." - David Surrett Got News?What's happening in your local chapter? Who's getting published? Who has the most impressive portfolio of rejection letters? Are there local events for writers in your area? Does your local chapter have its own newsletter or web page? Please submit you news to quilleditor@bellsouth.net Aiken
Anderson
Charleston
Please note that starting in September the Charleston Chapter will meet at 7 p.m. on the 3rd Wednesday of the month at the Books-a-Million in West Ashley. Columbia I
Columbia II
Dillon
Greenville
Robin Prince Monroe' book, Devotions for the Brokenhearted: Hope for the Grieving, was released by Tate Publishing July 11. Info on it is on www.RobinPrinceMonroe.com. In addition, Peachtree Publishers has expressed interest in Silent Glades, a work in progress. Irmo/Chapin
Lexington
Myrtle Beach
Rock Hill
News by Betty Beamguard Luis Rodriguez will have a collection of his work available for purchase at the fall conference. Blood on the Page includes short stories, poems, and a novel excerpt. Luis is a writer of extraordinary talent. Connie Miller's poem, "The Wall," won third place in the 2006 Juried Literary Competition sponsored by the Arts Council of Rock Hill and York Country. After four years of Betty Beamguard's entries making it into the final ten in the Elizabeth Simpson Smith Contest for short fiction sponsored by the Charlotte Writers Club, her humorous "Connie Sue Confesses" merited honorable mention in the 2006 competition. Sandhills Writers Group
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OPPORTUNITIES |
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2006 SCWW Writers ConferenceOctober 20-22, 2006
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SCWW Members
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Non-members
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Early Bird Rate: to qualify, your registration form and payment must be either post-marked or received online via PayPal by Sept. 1, 2006.
SCWW Membership Rate: to qualify, your SCWW membership must be current at the time of your registration and payment is received.
Your conference registration fee includes admission to all regular sessions, continental breakfasts, evening receptions, and the Sunday Award's luncheon, as well as a copy of the SCWW '06 anthology, Catfish Stew, Volume IV, a conference notebook and guide, and session handouts and resource material.
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Ocean Creek Resort Phone: 1-877-844-3800 |
Rates (per night):
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Please refer to the SCWW Conference when making your reservations to receive discounted room rates. Rates do not include local and state taxes.
For additional information, contact the Contact co-chairpersons Dottie Boatwright dboatwright@sc.rr.com or Craig Faris craigfaris@rjsonline.net
Keynote Speaker: Tess Gerritsen is a physician and novelist who started her writing career as a romantic suspense author. In 1996 her first medical thriller, Harvest, marked her debut on the New York Times bestseller list. Since then, she has been a perennial presence on bestseller lists around the world, and is now published in 29 countries. Her thrillers include The Surgeon, Body Double, and Vanish, which was nominated for the Edgar Award. Her most recent release is The Mephisto Club. www.tessgerritsen.com
Jim Conover - After serving on the police force of Pekin, Illinois, for twenty years, Jim started a private detective firm with his brother Dennis. He chronicles his investigative work regarding child abduction/murder cases in his self-published book, Slayer of Innocence. He has also self-published two novels-Lynch Law and Greenhorn Killer-and has written three screenplays. He is currently independently producing a small-budget film based on his screenplay Sand Prairie. www.jimconover.com
Dr. Kwame Dawes - Distinguished Poet-in-Residence at the University of South Carolina, Director of USC's Master of Fine Arts program, and Director of the South Carolina Poetry Initiative, Dr. Dawes is not only an award winning poet and educator, but is also a celebrated playwright, actor, critic, essayist, and musician. He has penned eleven collections of poetry that include Midland, Resisting the Anomie, Progeny of Air, and most recently, Wisteria, and is the author of four nonfiction books, a collection of short stories and several anthologies. He has also written fifteen plays that have been performed in Europe, the Caribbean, and Canada. Among his many awards is a Push Cart Prize for Best American Poetry and Ohio University Press's Hollis Summers Poetry Prize. www.kwamedawes.com
Jane Friedman is editorial director of Writer's Digest Books and Writer's Market annuals. Her editorial resume includes turns at Writer's Digest magazine, Novel Writer and Publishing Success magazines, North Light Books, and The Evansville Review. In addition to acquiring 30 titles per year for Writer's Digest Books, she serves as fiction editor for IdentityTheory.com and teaches composition at the University of Cincinnati. F+W Publications www.fwpublications.com
Anne R. Gunton - Associate editor with Viking Children's Books/Penguin Young Readers Group. Dedicated to quality children's literature, Viking publishes an average of sixty titles per year, ranging from picture books for very young children to sophisticated fiction and nonfiction for young adults. Anne edits YA novels, middle grade novels, picture books and works with such authors as David A. Adler, Betsy Byars, Nancy Carlson, and Susane Colasanti. www.penguin.com/youngreaders
Deborah Grosvenor - Deborah Grosvenor has worked in book publishing for more than 20 years as an editor and agent. She has edited or represented several hundred nonfiction books, her best-known acquisition, however, being a first novel, The Hunt for Red October. Deborah signed up bestselling author Homer Hickham's first work, Torpedo Junction, and helped launch bestselling author Stephen Coonts's first novel, Flight of the Intruder. Grosvenor Literary Agency was formed in 1996 with a stable of about three dozen authors including New York Times bestsellers and Pulitzer Prize winners. She represents fiction, narrative nonfiction, history, biography, politics, current affairs, science, humor, memoir, self-help and anything Southern. Among her clients are Henry Allen, Tom Oliphant, Eleanor Clift, Mort Kondracke, Phil Jennings, Curtis Wilkie, Alston Chase, Gayden Metcalfe, and Susan McDougal.
Ann Ipock - an award-winning speaker, playwright, performer, as well as humor essayist whose column appears biweekly in the Georgetown Times, South Carolina's oldest newspaper. She is a regular contributor to other regional publications such as Sasee Magazine, Pee Dee Magazine, and The Myrtle Beach Herald. She successfully self-published two collections of her newspaper columns. New York Times best-selling author Dorothea Benton Frank writes: "Ann Ipock's writing embraces the imperfections of this life with a fresh voice and incredible humor. Her essays will tickle you to pieces! Ann's keen observations should be in needlepoint!" Her books are Life Is Short, But It's Wide and Life Is Short So Read This Fast! www.annipock.com
Beth Jusino - Literary agent with Alive Communications which has represented such best-selling authors as Rev. Billy Graham, Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins, and Karen Kingsbury. Sixty titles from 21 different authors represented by the agency have hit national best-seller lists within the last year--nine in their category's top slot. Prior to joining Alive Communications, Beth spent six years as Managing Editor for MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) International and she served as editor for MOMSense Magazine, the most widely distributed Christian parenting magazine in America. www.alivecommunications.com
Carrie McCullough is publisher for Harbor House Books, a regional publisher of adult fiction (mainstream, mystery, historical and horror) and nonfiction (Americana, Civil War, biography, paranormal). As publisher, she directs the daily activities of the Harbor House Books, including acquisitions, editorial content, publicity, marketing and sales. Prior to joining Harbor House, she was copy editor at The State newspaper and book editor at The Morning News in Florence, SC. She has also served as adjunct professor in the University of South Carolina's journalism program. www.harborhousebooks.com
Stu Miller has been a successful literary and packaging agent in Hollywood and New York for over 40 years, representing fiction and nonfiction authors, screen and television writers, producers, directors, interactive multimedia creators and a broad range of intellectual property. His clients have included multiple winners of Oscar, Emmy, Writers' Guild of America, CableAce, People's Choice, Golden Globe and many other national and international awards. His greatest pleasure is finding and nurturing previously undiscovered but talented writers and helping them to develop satisfying, rewarding careers.
Cathy Pickens is author of a new mystery series that features Avery Andrews, a 30-something lawyer, who returns to her small Upstate South Carolina hometown after losing her job with a large defense firm. The first book in the series, Southern Fried, earned Cathy the St. Martins Press Malice Domestic Award for Best Traditional Mystery in 2003. Her second novel, Done Gone Wrong, has met with glowing reviews as well. Like the main character of her novels, Cathy is a lawyer. She teaches law to business students at Queens University of Charlotte, NC, and serves on the board of an inter-agency forensic organization that serves Charlotte/Mecklenburg County. www.cathypickens.com
Marcia Preston - In addition to being editor and publisher of ByLine, a national monthly publication that showcases the work of both new and veteran writers, Marcia is an accomplished novelist. Her mystery/suspense novel, Song of the Bones, won the 2004 Mary Higgins Clark Award sponsored by Simon & Schuster. She writes contemporary women's fiction published in hardcover by Mira Books. Her latest, The Piano Man, deals with the ripple effects of a heart transplant. www.marciapreston.com
Chris Roerden - Author of newly released Don't Murder Your Mystery: 24 Fiction-Writing Techniques To Save Your Manuscript From Turning Up D.O.A., Chris worked 35 years in the publishing industry as an editor and is now a freelance editor and writing coach. In addition, she spent six years teaching college-level writing. As a specialist in the mystery genre, she edited such mysteries as Alex Matthews' Cassidy McCabe series and Deb Baker's forthcoming Murder Passes the Buck and Dolled Up For Murder. www.bellarosabooks.com
Terry Roueche - In addition to having written numerous one-act and full-length plays that have been performed throughout the Southeast, Terry's plays Parade Day, Take My Wife, Please and Norman Alexander have enjoyed successful runs on off-off Broadway. www.undertheorder.com
Ted Tally wrote the screen adaptation of The Silence of the Lambs for which he won the 1992 Academy Award, Writers Guild Award, Chicago Film Critics Award, and an Edgar Award from the Mystery Writers of America. That work was recently voted by Writers Guild members to their list of the "101 Greatest Screenplays." Tally also wrote the screenplays for Red Dragon, Thomas Harris' prequel to The Silence of the Lambs, as well as White Palace, Before and After, The Juror, and All the Pretty Horses. He served as Associate Producer on the Brian De Palma film Mission to Mars, and as Story Consultant on the Dreamworks Animation films Shrek 2, Madagascar, and Shrek 3. For the theater Tally has written Terra Nova (Obie and Dramalogue Awards), Hooters, Coming Attractions (Outer Critics Circle Award), Little Footsteps, and Silver Linings. His television scripts include The Comedy Zone, Hooters, and The Father Clements Story (Christopher Award). Born in North Carolina, educated at Yale and Yale School of Drama, he has also taught at each. Other honors include fellowships from the NEA and the Guggenheim Foundation. He lives with his wife and two children in Pennsylvania.
Kathie Fong Yoneda is an independent script consultant and producer with over 25 years of experience in the film industry. She has worked for such prestigious studios as Paramount, Columbia, MGM, Universal, 20th Century Fox, and Disney, specializing in story analysis and development of live action and animated projects. Her career includes executive positions with Walt Disney, Touchstone, Island Pictures and Walt Disney TV Animation. She is the author of The Script Selling Game: A Hollywood Insider's Look At Getting Your Script Sold and Produced, and is also a co-executive producer on the cable series, Beyond The Break. www.kathiefongyoneda.com
10:00 - 12:00 Early Registration - Water Oaks Foyer
12:00 - 2:30 Sessions A - Creekside Classrooms I, II and III
1. Poetry - Dr. Kwame Dawes - "The Anatomy of the Poem-- Using shorter form verse to study the essential DNA of poetry. Using visual art images and several shorter (largely Eastern) verse forms to explore some of the key elements of the poem--the metaphor, the simile, the breath, the poesy of rhetorical form, and much else. Come prepared to do a lot of writing.
2. Mystery - Marcia Preston - "Basics of Writing the Mystery"
3. How To - Cathy Pickens - "Plan Your Writing Life"
3:00 - 5:30 Sessions B - Creekside Classrooms I, II, and III
1. Humor - Ann Ipock - "The Humor Track: From Head-Nods to Belly-Laughs and Beyond"
2. How To - Jane Friedman - "Ten Steps to Finding An Agent" Ten Biggest Ways That Writers Sabotage Their Careers
3. Playwriting - Terry Rouche - "Playwriting Crash Course: Everything You Need to Know About How To Write A Play" Discover how to write a play from beginning to end and learn where to submit your completed work.
3:30 - 6:00 Registration & Check-In - Water Oaks Foyer
6:00 - 7:00 Everybody to Water Oaks Ballroom for the Evening Meet & Greet Opening Reception with heavy d'oeuvres and a bar
7:00 - 7:15 Welcome and Faculty Introductions
7:15 - 8:15 Announce Catfish Stew winners. Readings by Winners and a Live Auction
8:15 - 9:15 Panel Discussion: "Building Suspense in a Screenplay or Novel" Ted Tally, Tess Gerritsen, Kathie Fong Yoneda, Jim Conover and Deborah Grosvenor
7:00 - 8:15 Continental Breakfast - Water Oaks Foyer and Ballroom
8:15 - 8:30 Welcome and Announcements - Water Oaks Ballroom
8:30 - 9:00 Tess Gerritsen's Keynote Address "Where Do Stories Come From? - What Makes A Premise Great?"
9:15 -10:15 Session I
1. Jim Conover - "Self-publishing - A Growing Trend" Creekside I
2. Jane Friedman - "How to Find a Publisher or Agent Through a Professional Query Letter" Water Oaks II
3. Anne Gunton - "Clear and Immediate: What Makes A Young Adult Book Successful?" Creekside II
4. Kathie Yoneda - "Logline - A Writer's Most Important 25 Words or Less" Water Oaks III
5. Marcia Preston - "Dialogue That Sizzles" Creekside III
10:30 - 11:30 Session II
1. Tess Gerritsen - "Research: How to Incorporate It in Your Book" Water Oaks III
2. Beth Jusino - "Religious Writing 101: Writing from a Christian Worldview" Creekside III
3. Carrie McCullough -"Getting Published" Creekside II
4. Chris Roerden - "Don't Murder Your Mystery - or Other Fiction: Submissions and Voice" Water Oaks II
5. Cathy Pickens - "Write What You Know" Creekside I
11:30 - 1:00 Lunch - served buffet style - Served in Water Oaks I (included in conference price )
1:00 - 2:00 Session III
1. Ann Ipock - "A Package Deal: Self-Publish - Then Speak, Sign and Sell" Creekside I
2. Kwame Dawes - "Rhyming--Some considerations around the issue of rhyme in verse. Study some possibilities available to poets who like to work with rhyme and some of the implications of rhyme." Creekside II
3. Cathy Pickens - "Turning Crime Fact Into Fiction" Water Oaks II
4. Stu Miller - "Entertainment Business 101: An Agent's View of Selling Yourself and Your Work in the Entertainment Media" Water Oaks III
5. Marcia Preston - "How to Write Articles That Sell" Creekside III
2:15 - 3:15 Session IV
1. Chris Roerden - "Don't Murder Your Mystery - or Other Fiction: Tell-tale Techniques and Solutions" Water Oaks II
2. Terry Roueche - "From the Stage to the Page" (demonstrating play dialogue using actors) Water Oaks I
3. Anne Gunton - "Forever Young: Trying Your Hand at Writing for Children." Creekside I
4. Beth Jusino - "Author Branding: Positioning Yourself for Publishing Success." Creekside II
5. Carrie McCullough - "Things You Might Not Know About Being A First-time Author" Creekside III
3:30- 4:30 Session V
1. Kwame Dawes - "Stealing--three exercises of pilfering that can generate remarkably beautiful poems. How to draw on various other art forms to create something interesting in the poem." Creekside I
2. Deborah Grosvenor - "How to Write a Query Letter that Will Sell your Book Idea" Water Oaks II
3. Kathie Yoneda - "Creating Opportunities: Staying Challenged As A Writer" Creekside II
4. Jane Friedman - "How to Write A Nonfiction Book Proposal" Creekside III
4:30 - 5:30 Book Signings - Book Store Open All Afternoon Water Oaks III
6:00 - 6:45 Dinner Drinks with Live Auction & Prizes - Water Oaks Ballroom
6:45 - 8:30 Leisurely Dinner with Theatre - Water Oaks Ballroom all evening
8:45 - Open Mic for those who wish to stay
Critiques - Saturday 9:45 a.m. to 6 p.m. Ongoing critiques of your writing with faculty Creekside Library every 15 minutes all day Saturday for those who have signed up.
7:00 - 8:30 Continental Breakfast - Water Oaks Ballroom - all activities on Sunday
8:30 - 8:45 SCWW Business - Sandra Johnson, President in charge
9:00 - 10:00 Interactive Agents & Editors Panel - Kathie Fong Yoneda moderating On the panel will be Chris Roerden, Stu Miller, Anne Gunton, Jane Friedman, Beth Jusino, Carrie McCullough, Marcia Preston, and Deborah Grosnevor
10:00-10:30 Carrie McCray Awards and silent auction awards
11:00 Door Prizes and check out
Got news from your local chapter? Got a helpful writers web site to share? Got a caution about a bogus publishing opportunity or contest? Let's network our knowledge to build a better newsletter.
Deadline for submissions is the 21st of each month. Please send submissions to quilleditor@bellsouth.net either in the body of an e-mail or as an attached file in MS Word (DOC), Rich Text (RTF) or plain text (TXT) format. Articles accepted for publication will appear in The Quill and archived on the web. Writers retain all rights to their works.
Submissions may also be made on floppy disk and mailed to:
Leland Beaudrot
1 Cleveland St Ste 110
Greenville SC 29601-3646
Write on!
Leland Beaudrot, Editor
The Quill
All regular monthly programs, except as noted, are held at Second Presbyterian Church, 342 Meeting Street, Charleston, SC, at 7 p.m. They are free and open to the public. A book signing and reception follow the program. Contact: Linda@LindaAnnasFerguson.com
September 8, 2006 - Michael H. Lythgoe
Michael H. Lythgoe, author of Brass, is this year's winner of the Kinloch Rivers Chapbook Competition of the Poetry Society of SC. A former Jenny McKean Fellow in Creative Writing at George Washington University, he has taught at Syracuse University and has an MFA in Writing and Literature from Bennington College. He is now the president of the Academy for Lifelong Learning at USC, Aiken.
October 13, 2006 - Vera Gomez
Vera Gomez, a performance poet and writer, is a 2006 South Carolina Fiction Project winner. Her poems have appeared in Kakalak 2006: An Anthology of Carolina Poets, A Millennial Sampler of South Carolina Poetry, Ties That Bind, and Quintet. A graduate of Texas Tech University, she works in corporate communications and is currently an Arts Integration SmartArts poet teaching in the schools.
November 10, 2006 - Richard Garcia
Richard Garcia's next volume of poetry, The Persistence of Objects, will be published by BOA Editions in October, 2006. He is also the author of The Flying Garcias, Rancho Notorious, and Chickenhead, a forthcoming chapbook of prose poems. He has been poet-in-residence at The Long Beach Museum of Art, the Children's Hospital in Los Angeles, and the Gibbes Museum of Art. Among his numerous awards are the Pushcart Prize and a fellowship from the NEA.
December 8, 2006 - Holiday Party & Reading
Location TBA
January 12, 2007 - Open Mic: Elle Davis, Emcee
City Gallery at Waterfront Park, 34 Prioleau Street, Charleston, SC 29401
Elle Davis is a freelance editor and writer. She is the curator and co-producer for Monday Night Blues, the longest running weekly literary event in the Lowcountry. She has read for Piccolo Spoleto's Sundown Poetry Series and other venues and is currently working on her first novel.
February 9, 2007 - Kwame Dawes
Kwame Dawes is the author of twelve collections of poetry. His most recent collections are Impossible Flying (Peepal Tree, 2006) and Wisteria (Red Hen, 2006). He is the founder and director of the SC Poetry Initiative and the executive director of the University of South Carolina Arts Institute. Dawes is also a faculty member of Cave Canem and the Louise Frye Liberal Arts Professor in the College of Liberal Arts and is the Distinguished Poet-in-Residence at the University of South Carolina.
March 9, 2007 - Ray McManus and Susan Meyers
Ray McManus's book of poetry, Driving through the country before you are born, is the 2007 winner of the SC Poetry Book Prize sponsored by the SC Poetry Initiative. His poetry has appeared in numerous journals throughout the US and Canada. He actively teaches creative writing throughout South Carolina. He was the winner of the Academy of American Poets award at USC (1997), the James Dickey award in poetry (2000), and the 2002 South Carolina Academy of Authors Poetry Fellowship.
Susan Meyers is the 2006 winner of the SC Poetry Book Prize, sponsored by the SC Poetry Initiative, for her book Keep and Give Away. Her chapbook Lessons in Leaving was selected by Brendan Galvin for the 1998 Persephone Press Book Award. A long time writing instructor, she holds an MFA from Queens University of Charlotte. She is the current president of the Poetry Society of South Carolina.
April 13, 2007 - Katherine Smith
Katherine Smith is the author of Argument by Design, winner of the Washington Writers Publishing House poetry award. She is presently a professor of literature and writing at Montgomery College, MD, and a poetry editor for the Potomac Review.
The Lost Letters of Artemisia Genteleschi, a collaborative work with painter Judy Jashinsky on the life of Renaissance artist Artemisia Gentileschi, appeared on exhibit in 2001 at the Museum of Women in the Arts in Washington, DC.
May 11, 2007 Annual Forum - Gil Allen, Commentator
Gil Allen is a professor of English at Furman University and also the co-founder and co-editor of Ninety-Six Press. His collections of poems are In Everything, Second Chances, Commandments at Eleven, and Driving to Distraction. He was the 2002-03 recipient of the SCAC Literary Arts Fellowship and co-editor of A Millennial Sampler of South Carolina Poetry in 2005.
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2006
10 a.m. till noon
Publishing Seminar: "Putting a Poetry Book Together"
Ryan Van Cleave, instructor
The Showroom, 149 S. Daniel Morgan Ave., Suite 2, Spartanburg, SC
Co-sponsored by PSSC and The Hub City Writers Project
$10 for PSSC and Hub City members, $15 for others.
Contact: Angela Kelly, neonark@charter.net
Ryan Van Cleave teaches at Clemson University and is the author of five poetry collections. His latest volume is The Magical Breasts of Britney Spears (Red Hen Press, 2006). The author of a textbook on writing poetry, he is also the co-editor of five poetry anthologies, including Like Thunder: Poets Respond to Violence in America, which received the American Poetry Anthology Award.
SATURDAY, MARCH 10, 2007
10 a.m. till noon
Publishing Seminar: "Submitting to Poetry Journals"
Ray McManus, instructor
Biographical information: see March 9 program
(Location in Charleston TBA)
Contact info TBA
$10 for PSSC members, $15 for others
(Ray McManus's bio is listed for the March 9 program.)
Caught in the Creative Act, the popular book-and-writer series directed and taught by the University of South Carolina's Janette Turner Hospital, is back.
The 10-week course, which is free and open to the public, will open with a lecture by Turner Hospital on Nobel laureate Elie Wiesel's memoir, Night, on Sept. 11. Wiesel will speak on Sept. 12 as part of USC's annual Solomon-Tenenbaum Lectureship in Judaic Studies.
Caught in the Creative Act classes will be from 5:45-7:00 p.m. on Mondays and Wednesdays. The course will conclude on Nov. 15 with a talk by E.L. Doctorow, whose novel, The March, won this year's PEN/Faulkner award. Doctorow also was awarded the National Humanities Medal, which is conferred by the White House.
Other writers and their works featured this year will be Elise Blackwell, author of Hunger; Geraldine Brooks, author of the novel, March, and the non-fiction Nine Parts of Desire: The Hidden World of Islamic Women; Lan Samanatha Chang, writer of the novel, Inheritance; Daniel Buckman, who penned the novel, Morning Dark; l thi diem thúy, who wrote the novel, The Gangster We Are All Looking For; Michael Ondaatje, author of the novel, Anil's Ghost; and Lynn Pruett, writer of the novel, Ruby River.
Most classes will be held in Gambrell Hall auditorium, with the Oct. 25 and Nov. 2 classes to be held in the School of Law auditorium. Although Caught in the Creative Act is free, participants must register to participate. A registration form is available on the web site: www.cas.sc.edu/CICA/. Registrants are encouraged to buy books prior to the start of the course. Books also will be available for sale and signing on the evenings of author visits.
Turner Hospital is Carolina Distinguished Professor of English and Distinguished Writer-in-Residence at USC. Hospital, who grew up in Queensland, Australia, is an award-winning writer and novelist. Her novels include The Ivory Swing, The Last Magician, Oyster and, most recently, Due Preparations for the Plague, which won the Queensland Premier's Literary Award in 2003, and the Davitt Award from Sisters in Crime for best crime novel of the year by an Australian woman.
Complete details about Caught in the Creative Act, including a schedule, author biographies, information on books to be featured and a registration form, are available at the web site: www.cas.sc.edu/CICA/. For additional information, e-mail Hospital at jthospital@sc.edu.
September 16, 2006
Saturday, 1-2pm Set-up 2-7pm Public Event
Place: Gold Room at Charleston Southern University
All published authors are cordially invited to join in a mass book signing sponsored by Dreamalot Books in Goose Creek and Psi Chi, the Honor Society of the Psychology Department at Charleston Southern University in North Charleston. The event is charity fundraiser for Parents Anonymous. The Rally will be free to the public with donations welcome. Participating authors are asked to pledge 10% of all book sales to the charity. These donations will be tax deductible. The Writers’ Rally is a great opportunity for publicity in addition to supporting a very good cause. The Writers’ Rally is open to all published authors in SC, NC, GA and FL. If you would like to participate please contact Cherry Collins at Dreamalot Books in Goose Creek, SC at (843) 572-4188 or email dreamalotbooks@bellsouth.net to sign up and get further information.
Antlion Press is currently accepting story submissions for a new collection about life in the Southern United States. Stories must reflect the best of what the South is all about, a place where good people still know how to extend kindness and courtesy to strangers, a place where the Southern landscape remains alive in the mind's eye, where little things...things of the heart, still matter.
To get more information and complete submission guidelines, please go to: www.antlionpress.com
Stories Due By November 1, 2006
Chicken Soup for the Kids Soul Illustrated Series is a series of short reads designed to inspire kids ages 4-7 through real life character-building stories and uniquely features fun illustrations of popular animated characters.
Accepting TRUE stories for publishing consideration from adults written in first person about a childhood experience.
Topics/Traits to Write About:
Guidelines
1. Tell an exciting, sad or funny NON-FICTION story about something that has happened to you. Make sure that you introduce the other character(s).
2. Tell your story in a way that will make the reader cry, laugh or get goose bumps (the good kind!) Don't leave out anything - how did you feel?
3. The story should start with action; it should include a problem, issue or situation. It should include dialogue and you should express their feelings throughout the conflict or situation. It should end in a result, such as a lesson learned, a positive change or pay-off. The audience for this title is kids ages 4-7; therefore please write your story at a level to which they understand.
4. Above all, come from your HEART! Your story is important!
We are NOT looking for
A sermon, an essay or eulogy; a term paper, thesis, letter or journal entry or a story about politics or controversial issues; or a personal testimony that may mean nothing to the reader.
Story Specifications
1. All submissions are preferred e-mailed in Word format, otherwise, type-written on plain 8 1/2" x 11" paper. Email stories to ginal@lifewriters.com. Snail mail stories to Chicken Soup for the Kid's Soul Illustrated Series, ATTN: Gina Romanello, PO Box 10879, Costa Mesa, CA 92627.
2. Stories should be non-fiction, 300-1000 words in length. Authors of chosen stories are paid $200. Authors retain the copyright of their material.
3. Please note that if you have a favorite short story, poem or cartoon that has been previously published, feel free to submit any of the above for consideration. Please provide information regarding the original author and the publication in which it appeared.
4. Stories due by NOVEMBER 1ST!
Award: 1st prize $1,000. The winning work of short fiction by a woman will be published in Kalliope, a journal of women's literature art runners-up will be considered for publication.
Submit Short Fiction and check or money order (NO CASH) to:
KALLIOPE Short Fiction Contest
FCCJ - South Campus
11901 Beach Boulevard
Jacksonville FL 32246
Strict adherence to the guidelines is required. Any failure to follow these rules will disqualify entry!
$1,000 1st Place Award for the Best Poem by a Woman
Submit poetry and check or money order (NO CASH) to:
KALLIOPE Poetry Contest
FCCJ - South Campus
11901 Beach Boulevard
Jacksonville FL 32246
Strict adherence to the guidelines is required. Any failure to follow these rules will disqualify entry!
Friday small press reception at Firehouse Books:
Writers, readers, Lowcountry authors, and small press representatives will attend this free-to-the public reception, to enjoy and explore the changes in the literary marketplace, and the value of small press books.
Saturday Manuscript Critiques at the Cuthbert House Inn:
Writers meet in private with a small press representative for a manuscript critique geared towards publishing book-length work; $35. Manuscript submission deadline is November 10, 2006, Call 843-379-6607 or visit http://www.eatgoodbread.com/iodine.html for details.
No, the piranha don't have company. Amazon.com will soon be be offering Catfish Stew, Volume IV to the whole world! This year our publisher is BookSurge Publishing. In addition to printing our anthology, they will be marketing it on Amazon.com and elsewhere. The services they are providing will result in a wider audience for our writers and that's always a good thing. You will be able to learn more about them at the October conference.
Remember that SCWW will also be selling copies of Catfish Stew, Vol. IV at the October conference for $12, a substantial savings over the $16.99 plus shipping and handling price at Amazon.com. You will also be able to buy it from our website for $12 plus shipping.
Those SCWW writers who are featured in the 2006 anthology will receive two (2) free copies of Catfish Stew, Volume IV. In addition, all who attend the 2006 SCWW Writers Conference in October will receive one (1) free copy.
We congratulate those authors who are featured in the anthology this year. We believe the writing therein ranks with the best you will find anywhere.
"Madness takes its toll. Please have exact change." - Unknown
Before I cleared the community gate, I heard a yawn from the back seat of the Saturn.
"Are we there yet?"
I glanced in the rear view mirror and saw a freckled face with a tendril of auburn hair dangling between sleepy eyes. "Thaleia, why were you sacked out in my back seat?"
"I knew you'd be getting an early start. I couldn't let you get away without me."
"Knowing you, I don't think I could have escaped." I paused for a stoplight. "Want to come up front?"
"Do I get to drive?"
"No way!" I patted the passenger seat. "It's shotgun or nothing."
"Green light!" she cried. "Hit it!"
I steered us onto the Interstate. She reclined the passenger seat and scrambled over. Wearing a Bohemian skirt and muslin peasant blouse, she could have passed for a college student.
"Planning to enroll in USC when we get to Columbia?"
She tugged her disheveled garments back into order. "That'll do for a cover story."
"Cover story?" I set the cruse control just a shade above the speed limit to reduce the chances of rear end collision. "Will this be appearing in the next edition of Muses Monthly?"
"No, silly." She toyed with the power window button. "We're going to be meeting a bunch of literary types at the SC Center for the Book. Don't you think they'll be able to spot a Muse?"
"They what!" I almost collected a Darlington stripe from the guardrail. "What'll we do!?"
Having rolled the window completely down, she played her hand in the wind like an aileron. "You'll think of something."
"Look! It's you who've put me in this fix. Why don't you just poof out of here."
"From a car going sixty-eight miles an hour? That could be dangerous." She turned plaintive eyes on me. "You wouldn't want anything to happen to me, would you?"
"No, nothing like that. But you've become a bit of a pest lately."
She yawned and stretched, drumming her fingers on the headliner. "I've been bored, and it's your fault."
"Hey, I do a little writing now and then."
"A little? Too little! If you didn't take notes of our conversations, it would be little better than nothing."
"Sorry." Approaching the first tollbooth on the Southern Connector, I opened my dashboard stash of quarters. "Somehow there never seems to be time for everything."
"We'll have a couple of hours on the road, if you don't waste it all singing along with the radio."
"Okay, okay. But if Hootie comes on, either cover your ears or join us on the chorus."
I chucked eight bits into the coin basket, got the green light and punched the resume button. Accelerating to Interstate speed, we passed a lumbering semi, working his way through the gearbox. Thaleia waved vigorously and received a two-toot salute in reply.
"Friend of yours?" I asked.
"He's writing a novel."
"Let me guess, working title: Drawlin' an' Haulin', a Good ol' Boy's Guide to the Road More Traveled."
"Please!" she said. "Nothing so trifling. It's a thriller about a terrorist plot against the Port of Charleston. It's going to be a best seller."
"Let me guess. A wash-out, would-be Navy SEAL turned long haul driver gets his shot at redemption by taking out a squad of bad guys trying to hot wire a nuclear sub."
"Ummm-hmmm." She nodded. "And...?"
"Oh, yes. He couldn't have pulled it off without the help of a saucy, red-headed truck-stop waitress."
She grinned. "There just may be a novel in you, too, if we both work on it."
"Yeah, maybe," I said. "But first we've gotta' work out this cover story. Okay... you're my niece, my sister's kid, and you're with me to check out USC...."
The Quill is the newsletter of the South Carolina Writers Workshop.
Copyright 2006 by Leland Beaudrot, Editor. Contributing writers retain all rights to their work.