For this year's student contest, we received over 148 entries. The contestants represented the following schools: D.W. Daniel in Central, Charleston County School of The Arts in North Charleston, Easley High in Easley, Kingstree Senior High in Kingstree, James F. Byrnes High in Duncan, Stratford High in Goose Creek, Airport High in West Columbia, Wando High in Mt. Pleasant, Home School in Columbia, Marlboro County High in Bennettsville, Batesburg-Leesville High in Batesburg, Academy for the Arts, Science & Technology in Myrtle Beach, and Pickens High in Pickens, SC. Congratulations to all the winners, their schools and their teachers.

Fiction Winners:

1st Place: "A Visit" by Jaydeep K. Srimani from D.W. Daniel High School in Clemson, teacher Nancy Swanson.

2nd Place: "Greater Than The Wind" by Brianne Holmes who is home schooled in Columbia by Mrs. Debbie Holmes.

Honorable Mentions:

1st Place: "Peregrinations In Space" by Brantley Farmer from the Academy for the Arts, Science & Technology in Myrtle Beach, teacher, Amy Hardwick-Ivey.

2nd Place: "Behind These Walls" by Jeffrey Cablad from the Charleston County School of the Arts in North Charleston, teacher Mary Ann Henry.

3rd Place: "The Basic Doctrine of Humor" by Andrew Thomas Barber from the James F. Brynes High School in Duncan, teacher Mrs. Tracy Camp.

Non-Fiction Winners:

1st Place: "A Rhapsody in Blue" by Claire Greenstein from D.W. Daniel High School in Clemson, teacher Nancy Swanson.

2nd Place: "Anomalies" by Jason Hedetriemi from D.W. Daniel High School in Clemson, teacher Nancy Swanson.

Honorable Mentions:

1st Place: "Winter" by Rachel Lee from the Charleston County School of the Arts in North Charleston, teacher Mary Ann Henry.

2nd Place: "Not Forgetting" by Angela Zeigler from D.W. Daniel High School in Clemson, teacher Nancy Swanson.

3rd Place: "Her Strings" by Emily Medders from D.W. Daniel High School in Clemson, teacher Nancy Swanson.

Poetry Winners:

1st Place: "The Lumberjack's Wife" by Suzannah Isgett from Charleston County School of The Arts in North Charleston, teacher Mary Ann Henry.

2nd place: "The Last dance" by Katie Queen from D.W. Daniel High School in Clemson, teacher Nancy Swanson.

Honorable Mentions:

1st Place: "Glancing Backwards" by Philip Brawner from D.W. Daniel High School in Clemson, teacher Nancy Swanson.

2nd Place: "Proof of Inarticulate Poets, or Maybe Just Tactless Ones" by Virginia Lee Pfaehler from Charleston County School of The Arts in North Charleston, teacher Mary Ann Henry.

3rd Place: "Bazaar" by Jaydeep K. Srimani from D.W. Daniel High School in Clemson, teacher, Nancy Swanson.

Thanks to the teachers who encouraged their students to submit their work, to Craig Farris for printing the awards and to our judges, Idella Bodie (Fiction and Non-Fiction) and Gene Fehler (Poetry) for caring enough to support young people in their writing.

Idella Bodie's 24 books include The Secret of Telfair Inn, The Ghost in the Capitol, Mystery of the Pirate's Treasure, Trouble at Star Fort, Stranded!, The Mystery of Edisto Island, Whopper, South Carolina Women, Carolina Girl, Sacred Vision, and biographies of the American Revolution. The Sons and Daughters of the American Revolution honored her for this series. South Aiken High School has a writing award in her honor. Her Alma Mater, Columbia College, presented her the Wil Lou Gray Outstanding Educator Award, and Toastmasters, the International Communication Award. South Carolina Library gave her a lifetime membership for the preservation of South Carolina's literary heritage. Her works appear in Highlights, Cricket and Guideposts.

Gene Fehler's poems and stories have appeared in more than 500 magazines and anthologies. His books of poems include Center Field Grasses, I Hit the Ball! and Dancing on the Basepaths (McFarland & Company); Let the Poems Begin! A Poet's Guide to Writing Poetry (Good Apple) and Goblin Giggles (Little Simon). He has two books scheduled for 2008 publication by Clarion: Beanball, a free verse novel and Change-up, illustrated Baseball Poems. His nonfiction books Tales from Baseball's Golden Age and More Tales from Baseball's Golden Age were published by Sports Publishing. For further information see his website: www.genefehler.com.

Y'all may have picked up on the fact that we've made some changes to the conference this year. Sarah and I, with the help of Cynthia Dyer (Publicity Chairperson), Craig Faris (Graphic Artist), Sandra Johnson (Volunteer Coordinator), Kathryn Lovatt (Fund Raising Chairperson), and Kevin Coyle who has blanketed every coffee house and book store he can find with posters, are doing everything we can to deliver the conference that the majority of our membership wants. We know we'll never please everyone-not on our best day. But it won't be for lack of trying.

Here's what hasn't changed: SCWW is having a conference in October. October 26th - 28th, to be precise. It will be an opportunity for many of us to see old friends and for all of us to make new ones. We're going to have a great time, and we're going to learn a lot.

Here are a few things that will be different this year:

Faculty Hosted Tables: At dinner on Friday and Saturday, and at lunch on Sunday, faculty members will be hosting tables. There will be a framed sign in the middle of each table to identify the faculty member who will be sitting at that table. Attendees can choose which agent, author, editor or poet they want to dine with. First come, first served. No knocking your friends out of chairs to make a spot. Please don't sit with the same faculty member twice out of consideration for the other attendees.

More Opportunities for Interaction With Faculty: The Hilton offers a centralized conference facility, with all the classrooms on the mezzanine level. The hotel bar is also on the mezzanine level. There are many great spots on the mezzanine level, in the lobby below, and just outside on the pool deck to relax and gather informally. Faculty members will be available when not teaching or critiquing to mingle.

Critiques: I learned something this winter. Charging conference attendees for a critique and then paying literary agents to do the critiques constitutes a reading fee, and is a violation of the Association of Authors' Representatives (AAR) canon of ethics. We put agents in an awkward spot when we ask them to do critiques for a fee and charge attendees extra. A few participate in the critiques but decline compensation. Some come, but do not participate in critiques. Some agents decline to come at all. Thus, we are changing our approach to critiques.

Included in the registration fee is one faculty critique. Each critique comes with a 20-minute appointment sometime during the conference. Every registrant may sign up for one of the following:

• Standard length prose critique - 10 pages plus a 1-page synopsis
• Extended length prose critique - 30 pages plus a 1-page synopsis
• Poetry critique - up to five poems, for a total of no more than 10 pages
• Plays/Scripts/Screenplays - 10 pages plus a 1-page synopsis
• Appointment only - a 20-minute one-on-one appointment with a faculty member to ask whatever questions you like. Faculty appointments are designed for attendees who do not have a manuscript ready for critique, or, who, for any reason prefers not to have a critique.

There are a limited number of extended length critiques available. Please register early to insure that you get one. Once they are all allocated, standard length critiques will be substituted. Everyone who registers and wants a critique will get one.

Any remaining appointments on faculty members' schedules may be signed up for at the conference after the Friday evening session, on a first-come-first-served basis.

As in the past, you will be asked to list your 1st, 2nd, and 3rd choice for manuscript critiques, and every effort will be made to see that you get one of your choices. However, critiques are subject to faculty availability, and assigned on a first-come-first-served basis.

Brochures: We give you several options for getting a conference brochure this year. Anytime after the brochure is ready (mid-May), you can print one from our website by clicking on the "Print Brochure" button on the main conference page.

Right beside the "Print Brochure" button, there will also be a "Mail Me a Brochure" button. Click it, and we will be more than happy to mail you a brochure.

If you receive The Quill via email and would like to request now that a brochure be mailed to you when they are ready, click here.

Those of you who receive the printed version of The Quill will automatically be mailed a brochure.

At any time, you can call me at (864) 370-9262 to request a brochure, or to let me know that you did not receive one as requested. If I'm not home, please leave your name and address on my voice mail and we'll promptly mail you a brochure.

Thanks in advance to all of you who use the "Print Brochure" button, or use the website information to complete your registration. This will save the organization money, which can be used for scholarships, funding volunteers, faculty, et cetera.

Frequently Asked Questions: We will be adding a conference FAQ section to the website. Please email any conference related questions you might have to conference@myscww.org. You will receive a personal reply, and the question and answer will be added to the FAQ page. Please check out the most recent information posted before sending a question to make sure the answer isn't already there.

If you do not have internet access, please call me at (864) 370-9262 with your question.

More next month. By then, it will all be up on the website-most of it is there right now-check it out! www.myscww.org/2007_conference.htm

Y'all take care,

Susan

Mindy Friddle's first novel, The Garden Angel (St. Martin's Press/Picador), was selected for the Barnes & Noble's Discover Great New Writers program in 2004. She has received a fellowship in fiction from the South Carolina Academy of Authors, has twice won the South Carolina Fiction Prize, and was awarded the Walter Dakin Felllowship in Fiction from Sewanee. A book reviewer and columnist, Friddle holds an MFA from Warren Wilson.
She lives in Greenville where she directs the Writing Room, a program for writers. She is now at work on her second novel.

Robert Morgan is the author of the award winning, bestselling novel Gap Creek, an Oprah Book Club selection in 2000. He holds an MFA from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Morgan has published five previous books of fiction and nine volumes of poetry. His poems have appeared in many magazines, including The Atlantic Monthly, The New Republic, Poetry, The Southern Review, The Yale Review, The Carolina Quarterly, and The New England Review. His awards-too numerous to list-include four NEA Fellowships, a Guggenheim Fellowship, and a Rockefeller Foundation Bellagio Fellowship. His stories have been included in New Stories From the South: The Year's Best and Prize Stories: The O. Henry Awards. Robert Morgan teaches English at Cornell University. This Rock is Morgan's sixth book of fiction.

George Singleton has published four story collections and one novel. His fiction has appeared in The Atlantic Monthly, Harper's, Playboy, Zoetrope, The Georgia Review, Shenandoah, and elsewhere, and has been anthologized in New Stories from the South eight times. His new novel, Work Shirts for Madmen, will be published in the Fall of 2007. He lives in Dacusville, South Carolina.

Ashley Warlick is the author of three novels, The Distance From The Heart of Things (1996), The Summer After June (2000), and Seek the Living (2005), all published by Houghton Mifflin. She is the youngest winner of the Houghton Mifflin Literary Fellowship, a founding member of the advisory board for the Novello Festival Press, and book columnist for several newspapers. In 2006, she received a fellowship in literature from the National Endowment for the Arts. She teaches in the MFA program at Queens University in Charlotte, North Carolina, and at the South Carolina Governor's School for the Arts and Humanities.

Scholarships: A limited number of scholarships are available for SCWW members to cover the cost of conference package registration (all conference meals included), and pre-conference workshops. Scholarship recipients are responsible for their own transportation, hotel accommodations, and out-of-pocket expenses. To apply: Please submit a brief summary of writing efforts and scholarship need along with the conference registration form to:

Conference Scholarships
PO Box 7104
Columbia SC 29202

Applications must be postmarked by August 1, 2007. You will be notified of your application status by September 1, 2007. All information will be held in strict confidence, and scholarship recipients will be anonymous.

Volunteers: Interested in helping with the conference? A limited number of SCWW members can attend half of the conference sessions (beginning with the Friday Intensive Workshops) and work for half of the conference. There will be no registration fee, and all meals are provided beginning with breakfast on Friday. However, volunteers are responsible for their own transportation, hotel accommodations, and out-of-pocket expenses. All volunteers must arrive at The Hilton by Thursday at 7:00 pm to attend a pre-conference meeting. Contact Sandra Johnson, volunteer coordinator, at sjohnson10079@sc.rr.com, or mail your request to:

Conference Volunteers
PO Box 7104
Columbia SC 29202

Hey, all of you with websites and blogs! We need your help. To maximize our internet exposure, we'd like the conference to be listed on as many websites and blogs as possible. This will push us up the priority list when potential attendees perform Goggle searches for conferences.

Please put this link http://myscww.org/2007_conference.htm under a line of text that reads "The Best Writers Conference of 2007" so that we'll pop up in a general Google search on any of those words.

After you've done this, email a link to your site to s.cureton@myscww.org. We'll include your name on a conference "hit list" web page with a link to your site (to increase your Goggle visibility), and include you on the list of Contributors to the conference in the conference notebook.

Thanks!

Susan & Sarah

Last month I said that this month I'd talk about questions 9 - 18, all of which dealt with the anthology. But I've changed my mind. I want to talk about the conference. Before I get to that, however, I will say this: our anthology editor, Kevin Coyle, and assistant editor, Aimee Caruso, spent a lot of time going through the questions related to the anthology, and used the responses when making plans for this year's updated publication.

Onward to the conference related questions (19-36). We asked a lot of questions about the conference for two reasons: it is our single largest annual project as an organization; and, we have always asked folks who attended the conference to fill out a survey-but have never asked the members who didn't go why not. Inquiring minds wanted to know.

Of the 190 survey respondents, 80 attended the conference, 104 stated they didn't, and 6 skipped the question. I'll take that as a "didn't go." So, the survey was completed by 42% folks who attended the 2006 conference, and 58% those that did not.

Here are the reasons given by those that didn't come:

The "other" reasons ran the gamut from the dangers of air travel to the fact that we traditionally hold the conference in the middle of deer season. Most fell into either the personal / family priorities or time constraints categories. A few were folks disappointed in conferences from prior years for reasons ranging from the poor quality of the tapes to the cynical tone of a past keynote speaker. Several found it hard to get around at Ocean Creek because of handicaps or infirmities.

Question #21 was "What would make you more likely to attend next year's conference?" Here are the responses:

Again, the 'other' category was mostly variations on the above. A subject that came up several times was the agents on faculty: more of them, AAR members, agents looking for clients, agents representing different genres. Several members asked for more non-fiction and poetry offerings.

The thing that strikes me here is the disconnect between question 20, and question 21. When we asked folks why they didn't come, we got a lot of "I don't have time, date conflicts, other priority" type answers. (Not to imply these aren't legitimate!)

But when we asked what would make folks who didn't come in 2006 more likely to come in 2007, we heard (aside from the "have it in my city" responses): More agents, more access to agents, more editors, more networking opportunities, more craft courses, and more advanced courses.

Now, we can't do anything about schedule conflicts or family priorities. We can't hold the conference in 3 different cities. We can't make air travel safer, and I'm not sure moving the conference out of deer season makes sense when it would mean moving it into baseball season or NASCAR season or some other season. But...

We can bring in more agents. We can make sure we have a variety and that they are all top-notch. We can bring in more editors. We can build in lots of opportunities for networking. We can add craft courses and more advanced courses. We can add more non-fiction and more poetry to the curriculum. We can make sure the tapes/cds are good quality. We can get positive keynote speakers and literary authors and science-fiction authors.

We can, and we have.

See y'all in October!

Susan

On May 17th at noon across SC, Brenda McClain will be appearing on ETV (TV and radio) in a taped segment within a "Road Show" that will be live from Barnwell. The interview concerns a novel and movie she is writing that is inspired by a major historical event in SC in the early 1950's, the building of the Savannah River Plant, which took away the land and homes of 6000 people in Barnwell and Aiken counties.

Katherine S. Crawford's historical novel, Unto the Hills, recently won First Place in the historical fiction category of the 2007 Paul Gillette Writing contest, held by the Pikes Peak Writers' Conference. She had submitted the first few chapters for critique at the SCWW Conference in 2004. "The editor, Duncan Murrell, was the one who really helped me get proactive about finishing it. I've got a literary agent now, so maybe some day it'll be on bookshelves."

Bob Strother's story "New Blood" has been chosen for publication in the "Midnight Times 4th Annual Vampire Fiction Issue." (Of course that title makes you wonder if they have a non-fiction issue.) The e-zine can be downloaded at www.midnighttimes.com. Congratulations Bob, even if you are getting pretty scary.

While Leland Beaudrot's mischievous Muse, Thaleia, is away (last seen headed for Vegas), he turned his talents to non-fiction. His article, "Turning an upside-down world right-side up," will appear in the May 2007 issue of ARP Magazine. Early in May, this issue will be featured on the magazine's web site www.arpmagazine.org, which Leland serves as web master.

From Betty Beamguard's unpublished fiction collection, These Women, the following stories are scheduled for publication: "One Too Many" in MoonShine Review, "Up From the Grave," in the May/June issue of the Oxford So & So, "My Shining Eyes" in the Whim's Place Flash Fiction Collection, and "Connie Sue Confesses" in the 2007 Charlotte Writers Club Anthology.

Billie Bierer's story, "The Prophesy of Bluesy Figwater," has been accepted for publication by Amazon Shorts.

Susan Lindsley's memoirs, Yesterplace: Blue Jeans and Pantaloons in Post World War II Georgia, was be released by the Old Capitol Press in Milledgeville, Georgia. A collection of essays about rural life, including horse herds, politicians, cattle rustlers, bootleggers, and having Flannery O'Connor as a farm neighbor. The book also contains recipes for such items as possum and raccoon -- and of course Southern fried chicken and spoonbread. The manuscript won two first place awards at the Southeastern Writers conference. In addition, Susan's manuscript The Bottom Rail took third place in completed novels at the 2007 Dahlonega Literary Festival.

This is another update for my father George Youngblood. He still remains at the acute care facility for now although the time is drawing close for him to be transferred to a skilled nursing facility.
He has had no real significant improvement since my last e-mail although he is having small, slight improvements every week like yawning, leg movements and reactions to touch and face stimulus We see him everyday and we exercise and speak to him.
I will keep you posted on his status. As always, thank you for your prayers and words of encouragement.

Daryl Youngblood

The South Carolina Arts Commission Literary Arts Bulletin, a twice-monthly e-publication, is designed to provide a coordinated, comprehensive listing of literary events across the state. Each issue provides a list of the next four weeks of literary activities on our calendar, along with a few highlights of other upcoming events. To subscribe, please email twallace@arts.state.sc.us with "Subscribe" in the subject line.

May 2

Mary Alice Monroe signs her new novel "Swimming Lessons" and her children's book "Turtle Summer"
Wednesday, May 2, 5:00 p.m.
The Happy Bookseller, 4525 Forest Drive, Columbia
Info: www.happybookseller.com

May 3

Paula Deen Signs at Litchfield Books
Thursday, May 3, 4:00 p.m.
Litchfield Books, 11427 Ocean Highway Unit G, Pawleys Island
Info: www.litchfieldbooks.com

May 4

Poetry Connections: Expressions of Candor presents "An Evening With Abdalla"
Friday, May 4, 6:00 p.m.
IP Stanback Museum & Planetarium, South Carolina State University, Orangeburg
Info: 843-426-6966

Frisson: Artists Respond to Art Renga Poetry Party
Friday, May 4, 6:30 p.m.
Columbia Museum of Art, Corner of Hampton and Main Streets, Columbia
Free with admission or membership
Info: www.colmusart.org

The Moveable Feast Literary Luncheon: Harlan Coben
Friday, May 4, 11:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
Inlet Affairs, 4024 Highway 17 Business, Murrells Inlet $25 tickets
Info and reservations: 843-235-9600 or www.classatpawleys.com

May 7

Hub City Reading Series: Dot Jackson
Monday, May 7, 7:30 p.m.
The Showroom at Hub-Bub, 149 S. Daniel Morgan Avenue, Spartanburg
Info: www.hubcity.org

Writers Reading-An Evening of Literary Delights
Monday, May 7, 7:00 p.m.
Waccamaw Higher Education Center, Pawley's Island
Free
Info: 843-349-4030

May 10

"Where Have All the Moonshiners Gone"-Book signing and talk
Featuring historian & journalist Jerry Alexander and mountain man Robert Perry
Thursday, May 10, 5:30 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.
Pickens County Museum of Art and History, 307 Johnson Street, Pickens
Free and open to the public
Info: 864-898-5963

Rita Y. Shuler signs her book "Murder in the Midlands"
Thursday, May 10, 5:00 p.m.
The Happy Bookseller, 4525 Forest Drive, Columbia
Info: www.happybookseller.com

May 11

Poets in the Forest: Moody Black
Sponsored by Travelers Rest Arts Mission
Friday, May 11, 7:00 p.m. (6:30 p.m. for open mic sign up)
Leopard Forest Coffee Company, 26 S. Main Street, Travelers Rest $5.00 cover ($2.00 students)
Info: www.trartsmission.org

The Moveable Feast Literary Luncheon: Nathaniel Philbrick
Friday, May 11, 11:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
Pawleys Plantation, Pawleys Island $25 tickets
Info and reservations: 843-235-9600 or www.classatpawleys.com

Poetry Society of South Carolina Annual Forum, Gil Allen, Commentator
Friday, May 11th, 7:00 p.m.
Second Presbyterian Church, 342 Meeting Street, Charleston
Info: bardowl2@aol.com

Glenis Redmond: Poetry Performance
Friday, May 11th, 7:00 p.m.
Greenville County Public Library, Hughes Main Library, Greenville
Free and open to the public
Info: www.greenvillelibrary.org

May 12

Book signing at Books On Main-Multiple Authors
Saturday, May 12, 11:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Books On Main, 1209 Main Street, Newberry
Info: 803-321-1920

May 16

Voices of Camden - The Quarrel with Oneself
Dynamic and diverse dramatic monologues written and performed by students of a creative writing class led by Broadway veteran Tony Scully.
Wednesday, May 16, 7:00 p.m.
Wood Auditorium, Fine Arts Center of Kershaw County, Camden
Tickets $5
Info: 803-425-7676

May 17

Reception for Frank Baker, author of "Coming Distractions-Questioning Movies"
Thursday, May 17, 5:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.
SC Center for Children's Books and Literacy, 1500 Senate Street, Columbia
Info and RSVP to 803-734-8207

May 18

Dick Holmes signs his book "Recipes for Gratitude"
Thursday, May 18, 5:00 p.m.
The Happy Bookseller, 4525 Forest Drive, Columbia
Info: www.happybookseller.com

The Moveable Feast Literary Luncheon: Ron Rash
Friday, May 18, 11:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
Austin's at Pawleys, 11359 Ocean Highway, Pawleys Island $25 tickets
Info and reservations: 843-235-9600 or www.classatpawleys.com

May 18-20

Writer's Retreat at the Beach
For beginning or experienced writers
Sponsored by the Writers' Workshop of Ashville
Friday, May 18 - Sunday, May 20
Folly Beach, SC $325
Info: www.twwoa.org, 828-254-8111

May 19

Melinda Long reads at Hub City
Saturday, May 19, 11:00 a.m.
The Showroom at Hub-Bub, 149 S. Daniel Morgan Avenue, Spartanburg
Free
Info: www.hubcity.org

Perry Wood signs his book "Silent Speedways of the Carolinas"
Saturday, May 19, 5:00 p.m.
The Happy Bookseller, 4525 Forest Drive, Columbia
Info: www.happybookseller.com

May 21

Emrys Reading Room: Mamie Morgan and Brad Land
Monday, May 21, 7:00 p.m.
The Handlebar, 204 E. Stone Avenue, Greenville
Info: www.emrys.org

May 22

Evenings With Carolina Writers: Dr. John Griffin
Tuesday, May 22, 7:00 - 8:15 p.m.
Greenville County Public Library, Hughes Main Branch
Free and open to the public
Info: www.greenvillelibrary.org

May 25

The Moveable Feast Literary Luncheon: Kathryn Wall
Friday, May 25, 11:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
Louis's at Pawleys, Pawleys Island $25 tickets
Info and reservations: 843-235-9600 or www.classatpawleys.com

Showcase Tales (Stories for Life Festival)
Friday, May 25, 7:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.
Various venues in Charleston
Free and open to the public
Info: www.stories4life.org or www.piccolospoleto.com

May 26

Stories for Life Festival presents Tell Me a Story' at the Piccolo Spoleto Children's Festival
Saturday, May 26, 9:30-4:00pm
Venues include Marion Square, Charleston Museum, Charleston Public Library, and Saint Mathews Lutheran Church
Free and open to the public
Info: www.stories4life.org or www.piccolospoleto.com

"An Afternoon of Mystery"-Book signing and reception Featuring Chad Dudley, author of "The Next" and "Playing the Winner"
Saturday, May 26, 1:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Pickens County Museum of Art and History, 307 Johnson Street, Pickens
Free and open to the public
Info: 864-898-5963

May 29

Rebecca Ramsey signs her book "French by Heart"
Tuesday, May 29, 5:00 p.m.
The Happy Bookseller, 4525 Forest Drive, Columbia
Info: www.happybookseller.com

June 2

Poetry Workshop - Making Tension Work For You
Taught by Cathy Smith Bowers
Sponsored by the Poetry Society of SC
Saturday, June 2, 10:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.
DeBordieu Colony Beach Club, Georgetown $40 for Poetry Society members; $50 for all others
Lunch provided
Registration by May 20th; space limited
For information and registration, contact Dennis Ward Stiles at 843-452-0798

August 3-5

Writing In Place Conference
Hosted by Hub City Writers Project at Wofford College
Friday, August 3 - Sunday, August 5
Wofford College
Information and registration: www.hubcity.org, 864-577-9349

October 1

Deadline for South Carolina Arts Commission Prose and Poetry Artist Fellowships
Monday, October 1
Guidelines and information available at www.SouthCarolinaArts.com

Winners of the SC Poetry Initiative's 2007 Single Poem Contest and 2007 Poetry Book Contest were announced in a ceremony on Saturday, April 21 at the Columbia Museum of Art. The South Carolina Arts Commission would like to congratulate all of the winners.
The Single Poem Contest, sponsored by USC's SC Poetry Initiative and The State Newspaper, was won by Ed Madden for his poem "Prodigal: Variations."
Donna Levine Gershon was first runner-up with "Laundry," and Karen White was second runner-up with "Emily Does The Blues."
Other finalists included: "Osage Orange" by Ed Madden,"The Spider Lily" by Randy Spencer, "The Bread Vendor" by Bill Giles, "Eve" by Kristen Gravitte, "A Normal Life" by Marjory Wentworth, "Sullivan's Island Girls at Thirteen" by Caren Banov Masem, and "Raindrop Elegy" by Helen Bradenburg.
Bill Giles and Kristen Gravitte were honored with Readers Choice awards. Ed Madden also won the 2007 Poetry Book Contest, sponsored by USC's SC Poetry Initiative in partnership with USC Press, for his collection Signals. The book will be published by USC Press.

Three Lowcountry authors made the SIBA (Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance) Top Ten List for the week of April 22nd. Congratulations to:

#5 Dorthea Benton Frank, Sullivan's Island, The Land of Mango Sunsets
#8 Mary Alice Monroe, Isle of Palms, Swimming Lessons
#9 Cassandra King, Beaufort, Queen of Broken Hearts

South Carolina Teachers of English is planning for their 2008 conference on January 24-26 at Kiawah Island. The theme of the conference is "Celebrating South Carolina Writers," and they hope to involve a wide variety of Palmetto State writers to share their works and expertise with teachers from across the state. Writers who are interested in attending or presenting may contact Vice President Nancy Swanson for more information: swansonv@pickens.k12.sc.us. Free lodging and meals and a small honoraria are offered as compensation to participating writers.

Can you sum your book up in one short and concise sentence? Can you coherently describe your book in 30 seconds or less? If you were on the elevator with a potential reader, agent, or acquisitions editor and had only three floors to pitch your book, could you do it effectively? If the answer to any of these questions is no, you have some work to do.

People from every walk of life these days have at least one thing in common. They all have very little time. Don't waste the precious time of somebody you want to read your book with long rambling monologues. Create a short pitch that tells the listener both what sets your book apart from other books and what makes it similar to other books in your genre. Avoid terms like "this is the greatest coming of age southern lit ever written." One, it tells you nothing about the story, and two, it tells you the wrong things about the boastful, overconfident author.

Once you learn how to describe your story quickly and effectively, you're going to be amazed at how much easier it will be for you to sell your book.

 - Look for more "Low-Cost Marketing Solutions" to come from Richard Ridley, award-winning self published author of The Takers and Dèlon City, and BookSurge Publishing Consultant. Click here to learn more about how to effectively self-publish and sell your work through BookSurge.

"Before paperbacks and pocket books, before blogs, there were broadsides."

Broadside Press seeks to revive an antique art of publishing: the broadside. These single page publications, intended to be posted in public places, have been long since supplanted by newspapers and electronic communications. But broadsides still offer an opportunity to "put words out there for people to snort at, sigh over, argue with, and read."

By melding the old art-form with new technology, Broadside Press seeks to "put art and literature on the streets, bringing it out of journals and into public space." Each month, a new broadside, containing writing from e-mail submissions and art from a pool of artists, is published on their web site in PDF format. They ask that volunteer Vectors download, print and post at least two copies in public places (coffee shops, libraries, bookstores, etc.) with the goal of "every state by '08. At this time, there are no Vectors in South Carolina. Any volunteers?

You can see a writeup of Broadsided in the July 2006 issue of Poets & Writers: www.pw.org/mag/0607/newspresspoints.htm For more information, to download a broadside or make a submission, please see their web site www.broadsidedpress.org or e-mail Editor Liz Bradfield broadsided@gmail.com

In the womb-like serenity of my small study, surrounded by books piled in convenient reach, I pondered the sound of creaking and hoped it was only my rocking chair.

"What have you done with my room!?"

"Lo and behold; look who's here. My own dear Muse." Seated on the corner of my desk, wearing a 'What happens in Vegas....' T-shirt, Thaleia glowered at me with knitted brow. "Not much has changed since you last departed, except for that litter-box in the kneehole. Hope you don't mind sharing space with LucyFur."

"It's not this room I'm talking about." She hopped down from her perch, stepped over and tapped my forehead. "It's this one."

"Oh, that." I looked around. The spines of all the tomes that surrounded me bore the imprimatur of things theological. "Guess my reading has been a bit more scholarly lately."

"A bit?" Thaleia pulled close a small file box to use as an ottoman. "All my old stuff is either stashed or trashed. And who are those two bearded old geezers in there?"

"That would be John Calvin and John Knox. You mean... they're really in there?"

"Big as life. When I arrived, they tried to slap me in the stocks." She bent toward me and confided in a stage whisper. "They called me a 'ho!"

"What exactly did they say?"

With stern face she pointed a finger. "'Ho, wench! Defile not this sacred place with thy vain wantonness!' Or something like that."

I had to chuckle. "Who knew the old boys had gained such a foothold."

She leaped up and stamped a foot. "It's not funny!"

"Now you've got to admit...."

"No... I mean..." Tears welled up in her eyes. "I'm the Muse of Comedy. Where do I fit in. Or do I?"

"THAH-lee-ah," I said, with great care in the pronunciation. Her eyes sparkled like just washed windows.

"My name! You finally said it right!" She spun around in her happy dance.

"I've been brushing up on Greek lately."

LucyFur stepped in to utilize her facilities under the desk, but first paused to sniff my Muse's bare feet. Thaleia reached down to stroke the large brown tabby. The appreciative cat rubbed against her legs and rumbled a purr.

"If you can make friends with the kitty-beast you can get along with anybody," I said. "Why not stick around and make nice with your new roommates."

"They don't like me, remember." The cat stepped into the litter-box and began to rearrange the landscape.

"Maybe if you dressed a little more modestly."

"Can't help it." She tugged at the hem of the T-shirt. "My luggage got lost on the return trip."

"So what they say is true: What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas."

She rolled her eyes. "That settles it! You need my help before your wit withers entirely. But what'll I do about the old guys?"

"Let's add a new man to the mix." I picked The Life of Luther from the shelf near my chair and handed it to the Muse.

Thaleia studied the cover illustration. "Another stuffy old guy? At least he doesn't have a beard."

"But he does have a convivial attitude. Luther once said, 'We old folks have to find our cushions and pillows in our tankards. Strong beer is the milk of the old.'"

"Sounds like my kind of people." She handed back the book. "How quickly can you upload him."

"No time at all. Marty and I are old friends. You might say we're a couple of... 'Buds.'"