Hard copy brochures were mailed on Thursday, June 7, directly from the printer in Charlotte to everyone who has requested one, and to members who receive The Quill via the U.S. Postal Service. If you have not received yours by the time you are reading the July Quill, it may have gone into the postal black hole. Please contact Katie Griggs at Planning the Globe for a replacement. She can be reached at (800) 997-7345 or (843) 971-6034, Monday - Friday, between 9 am and 5 pm, or via email at kgriggs@planningtheglobe.com

Anyone who requested a brochure on or after June 6 should have been sent a brochure as soon as Katie received the shipment of stock brochures. If you have not previously requested a brochure, but have decided that you would like one, please contact Katie.

We are off to an amazing start with conference registrations! Although we opened registration a full month earlier than in year's past, and the conference is still four months away, over 60 people have already registered. We have registrations from as far away as Illinois and Florida, with inquires coming in from folks in Maine, California, Arizona, and everywhere in between. Many of these interested parties have caught our ads in Writers Digest, Shaw Guides, Poets & Writers, and other national publications. This year's conference is shaping up to be one to be remembered!

Three things I need to let you all know:

One is, although we have over 60 registrations, not everyone is selecting extended length critiques, so we do still have some left. If you have a manuscript ready, this is a fantastic opportunity to get the crucial first thirty pages critiqued by a professional--don't miss it!

Two, we've had isolated reports of another online registration glitch. If you received the following message at the end of your registration...

...this means that your registration did not go through. The web designer has fixed this problem, and no one else should experience it. It was caused by more than 25 minutes elapsing between when you first logged in and when you completed the process, which could easily have happened if you were referring to a brochure, flipping back and forth between the registration and the website, or if you were interrupted. We were unaware of the time limit until the problem occurred, and it has now been changed to 45 minutes. If you received the above message and have not already re-registered, you can now go back in, using the original password you created, and re-register. If you want to verify whether or not your registration went through, you can email Katie Griggs at kgriggs@planningtheglobe.com, or call her at (800) 997-7345 or (843) 971-6034. If Katie Griggs is unavailable, Katie Darby can also help you.

Three, this conference is for everyone, regardless of where you are on your writing journey. While we do have A LOT of editors and agents this year, we also have courses for those that are figuring out what they want to write and how to get it on paper. Not just one or two classes--there is something in every time slot for:

• those who are getting started;
• those who have a work in progress, and need help with a variety of craft issues;
• those who are trying to break into the industry with a completed project;
• those who are trying to market what they've already published.

Four...oops, did I say three? Sorry! I just thought of something else, and this is important. If you are as excited about this conference as I am, and you really, really want to come, but you are thinking to yourself, "There is just no way I can afford even the Conference Basic Package," PLEASE email Sandra Johnson at sjohnson10079@sc.rr.com. Sandra is our Scholarship and Volunteer coordinator this year. If you do not have email, please call me at (864) 370-9262. We have for years had a scholarship program that few take advantage of. Scholarships are not just for kids right out of high school--although recent graduates are welcome.

Scholarships are also for single parents, senior citizens on fixed incomes and anyone else who for whatever reason would not otherwise be able to afford to come. The only requirement is that you are an established SCWW member, and that you keep your membership current through the conference. The application process is simple--just type a letter or email of application stating briefly your writing efforts and financial need. Send mailed applications to P.O. Box 7104, Columbia, SC 29202. Email applications can be sent to Sandra at the above email address. ALL applications are held in strict confidence. It is my heartfelt wish that NO ONE who wants to come be left out for financial reasons. Please apply now--we have a limited number of scholarships available. We want to use every one, but once they are awarded, we won't be able to add more.

We also have a Volunteer program, where SCWW members work for part of the conference doing things like picking up faculty at the airport and returning them on Sunday, man the registration booth for a couple of hours while the PTG staff takes a break, act as room proctor for classes, etc. Volunteers work for half the conference and attend sessions the other half. It's a great way to help out the organization and attend the conference by paying only the cost of your hotel room, gas and incidental expenses. If you'd like to be a volunteer, please contact Sandra ASAP--at this point, all positions have been filled. However, Sandra is taking names for a waiting list as it is possible, based on conference enrollment that we may have to add positions, and it could be that someone is unable to serve for whatever reason.

I hope to see each and every one of you in October!

Susan

C. Hope Clark (Hope) founded and serves as editor of FundsforWriters.com, a well-known writer's reference that reaches 17,000 readers weekly with grants, markets and motivational editorials that generate stacks of thank-you notes from readers. Writer's Digest voted FundsforWriters one of its 101 Best Web Sites for Writers for the past six years.

Hope's dozen ebooks are rapid sellers ranging from Grants for the Serious Writer to Short & Sweet; Markets for Fillers. Hope has published in magazines like Writer's Digest, The Writer Magazine, ByLine Magazine, Next Step Magazine, College Bound Teen, TURF Magazine, and Landscape Management. The Shy Writer is a nonfiction paperback she penned to aid writers like her who have difficulty appearing in public. Published in 2004, it continues to readily sell.

Helen Coronato is a former English teacher and children's librarian who has two books debuting this summer: The Complete Idiot's Guide to Reading with Your Children, Alpha/Penguin Books, offers hands-on strategies for creating a literary rich home; 250 Questions Every Real Estate Investor Should Ask, Adams Media, draws on her expertise as a real estate investor. Helen hosts the monthly talk show A Novel Idea: Books to Motivate Your Muse at www.homegrownradionj.com where she welcomes an array of writing professionals. Her articles have appeared in numerous parenting publications and she currently writes monthly columns for two popular parenting e-zines.

Helen looks forward to helping new authors build their platforms and find their niche market. Please visit the author at her website www.helencoronato.com

Kelly L. Stone is a Georgia resident who has published articles in Family Circle, Writer's Digest, Cat Fancy, The Toastmaster, and other national publications. Her short memoirs have appeared in numerous Chicken Soup for the Soul and Cup of Comfort Anthologies. Her newly released novel, GRAVE SECRET, is now available and her book TIME TO WRITE: Over 100 Professional Writers Reveal How to Fit Writing into Your Busy Life will be available January 2008.

* Novelist Joyce Lavene, who was featured last month with her husband Jim, with whom she writes several successful mystery series, is also an award winning North Carolina features reporter (3 NC Press Association awards, 2007).

** Novelist T. Lynn Ocean, who was featured last month, has been a freelance writer for more than 10 years. Her work regularly appears in magazines nationwide.

Several other faculty members have non-fiction writing credits in addition to their current focus on other areas.

The following agents on faculty represent non-fiction: Andrea Brown, Mary Beth Chappell, Beth Jusino, Emily Sylvan Kim, Jud Laghi (non-fiction is Jud's primary interest), Jacky Sach, Kimberly Whalen

Here's an awesome opportunity to get feedback on your work from the experts!

Something new we're offering at this year's conference is "Slush Fest" sessions. These are interactive workshops, most with two faculty members-usually an editor and an agent-who will comment on participant submissions. For any prose session, bring your query letter and the first page of your manuscript or the first two pages of your manuscript on transparencies to class. For poetry sessions, bring a poem on a transparency(ies).

As you go into the class, your transparencies will be collected at the door. Selections will be picked at random, put on the overhead projector and feedback will be given to the class. This will be done anonymously. Do not put your name on your transparencies, and no one will know which one is yours except you. The idea is for faculty members to discuss what catches their attention-and what doesn't-and why. Of course, if your work catches a faculty member's attention, he or she may ask who the author is-and to see more of it.

Most copy shops (Kinko's, UPS Store, countless others) will make a transparency of two pages for a minimal charge. Should you need assistance, we will have transparencies at the conference, and the Hilton will make them for a small fee. You can also make them yourself in the Hilton business center.

If memory serves--and it may not serve well, mine is notoriously bad--two years ago, when we reserved rooms at the conference hotel, they charged my credit card right then for the first night. In case anyone is wondering, The Hilton does not do this. They will take a credit card number to guarantee the room, but they will neither authorize it nor charge any amount to it when the reservation is made. When you check in, they will do a pre-authorization, then charge your credit card when you check out.

This is good information if you are say, vacationing this summer, and would like to reserve your conference room now to make sure you get the conference rate, but don't want that amount showing up on your credit card in June.

I think I'll ask Sarah to add this to the FAQ on the website...

Susan

Last month we began discussing the survey questions related to what those who responded wanted in a writers' conference. One of the topics that we asked about was the Saturday night dinner. For as long as I've gone to the SCWW conference, the Saturday night dinner has been a banquet, for which a ticket could be purchased separately.

We've tried different formats-last year we had a dinner theater, which many enjoyed. But we were interested in what the majority of the membership wanted to see in that Saturday night slot. The next survey question was:

"Please rate the following options for the Saturday evening dinner. (Rate your first choice(s) and/or statements you agree with a 5, and the idea(s) you hate and/or strongly disagree with a 0.)

The results are below, in descending order of popularity, with the most popular response first: (There was a tie for first place, and the first two choices were the overwhelming favorites.)

1. Cocktail hour, followed by banquet with a writing/publishing focused speaker following dessert (Score 4.26)
2. Cocktail hour, followed by banquet with one faculty member at each table (Score 4.26)
3. Cocktail hour, followed by a dinner theater (like the one offered at the 2006 conference) (Score 3.25)
4. Cocktail hour, followed by banquet with no scheduled activities to allow conversation (Score 3.08)
5. Regardless of what form the banquet takes, I am unlikely to attend due to the additional cost (Score 2.30)
6. Regardless of what form the banquet takes, I am unlikely to attend because I prefer dining in a restaurant with friends (Score 2.21)

The next question was, "How do you feel about having silent auctions and/or live auctions and other fund raising activities at conferences? (Check all that apply.)

Here are the results:

Next we asked, "Should we continue to offer Open Mic?"

Here are the responses:

This is another area where we have differences within our membership -some members enjoy participating in open mic, while others prefer to socialize or network after the general sessions. We had several comments in different areas of the survey that voiced opinions regarding open mic that ranged from, "Add more open mic time," to "Do away with open mic." What I have personally observed also bears this out: some members eagerly try to get a top spot on the sign-in sheet, while others leave as soon as open mic begins.

The more of the survey you read, the more you realize that our membership has extremely diverse interests and opinions. Which makes it a challenge to design a conference to please everyone. But, if we properly analyze the results, we can take action to address issues where there is a majority opinion, and offer as many choices as possible in areas where there is no clear majority, allowing everyone to chose what appeals to them personally.

Y'all take care...

Susan

As of June 2007, Steve Gordy will be the new leader of the Aiken chapter.

Brenda McClain's "My Father's Story" has been named one of the SC Fiction Project winners. It will appear in September in the Charleston Post and Courier. She also won in 2003.

As of May 22, 2007, Phil Arnold has had more than 100,000 hits on his elvisblog website. Phil has posted 183 articles, all relating to Elvis or those close to him.

Elysabeth Eldering didn't win the Echelon Press monthly Fast Fiction contest--she went one better. The publisher picked up her story "Butterfly Halves" and it's available as a downloadable ebook. You can purchase Elysabeth's stories ("The Tulip Kiss" is also available) at www.fictionwise.com/ebooks/ElysabethElderingeBooks.htm.

Kevin Coyle's "Private Burning" was accepted by the Noneuclidean Cafe --"A journal of unexpected meetings." The Writer's Post Journal, a Pittsburgh-based small literary magazine, will be publishing his story "Happy Ending". Both stories should come out this summer.

Bob Strother's short story "Kokopeli Dreams" has been accepted for inclusion in Talking River, a literary journal published by Lewis-Clark State College in Lewiston, Idaho. The journal is a national publication, featuring creative work by some of this country's best contemporary writers.

Former SCWW President Bonny Millard recently won third place in the 2007 Knoxville Writers Guild Award for Fiction, named in honor of the late author Leslie Garrett, for an excerpt from her novel, "Southern Yard Art." She also won an Award of Merit (second place) from the East Tennessee chapter of the Society for Professional Journalists for series/package/project writing for several stories she wrote on a young Iraqi girl who came to East Tennessee for medical treatment. Millard has been accepted into the 30th Appalachian Writers Workshop at Hindman Settlement School in Hindman, Ky. The workshop will be held in late July, and she will be working with North Carolina novelist Pamela Duncan. Millard is the assistant city editor and education reporter for The Daily Times in Maryville, Tennessee.

A recent update on former SCWW member George Youngblood, by his son Daryl:

Dad has been at his nursing home for a about a month. He Has recently been opening his eyes but is still not really concious. This last weekend he had a fever and was taken to the ER to treat an infection. He has been transferred to Triumph Hospital in Tomball, TX..  He was at the Methodist Hospital where treatment was started for a lung infection, a urinary infection and ulcerated bedsores.  His fever is now under control but he will be given antibiotics for another few weeks.  He will probably stay at this hospital 2-3 weeks.  We are trying to find a different nursing home for him to go to after his stay at Triumph.

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 sbrailsford@arts.state.sc.us with "Subscribe" in the subject line.

July 1

Upstate Slam Team Performance and Open Mic
Sunday, July 1, 7:30 p.m.
Coffee Underground, Coffee Street, Greenville
$5
Info: www.witsendpoetry.com

July 2

Ferenc Mate signs his book "Ghost Sea"
Monday, July 2, 5:00 p.m.
The Happy Bookseller, 4525 Forest Drive, Columbia
Info: www.happybookseller.com

July 6

The Moveable Feast Literary Luncheon: Charlotte Hays
Friday, July 6, 11:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
Pawleys Plantation, 70 Tanglewood Drive, Pawleys Island
$25 tickets
Info and reservations: 843-235-9600 or www.classatpawleys.com

July 8

Slam Scrimmage: Teams of Poets Battle
Sunday, May 8, 7:30 p.m.
Coffee Underground, Coffee Street, Greenville
$5
Info: www.witsendpoetry.com

July 9

Poetry Alive for Teens and Adults
Monday, July 9, 12:00 - 1:00 p.m.
Beaufort Branch Library, 311 Scott Street, Beaufort
Info: 843-470-6500

Author Talk: Kathryn Wall
Monday, July 9, 5:00 p.m.
Beaufort Branch Library, 311 Scott Street, Beaufort
Info: 843-470-6500

July 10

Author Presentation: Joyce V. Coakley, author of "Sweetgrass Baskets and the Gullah Tradition"
Tuesday, July 10, 6:30 p.m.
Otranto Road Regional Library, Charleston
Info: www.ccpl.org

Presentation By Storyteller John Fowler
Sponsored by St. Timothy's Episcopal Church in Columbia
Tuesday, July 10, 12:00 p.m.
Free and open to the public; a box lunch can be reserved the Monday before the performance
Info: 803-333-4686

July 11

Friends of the Surfside Branch Library Book Sale
Wednesday, July 11, 4:45 p.m. - 6:15 p.m.
Surfside Branch Library, 410 Surfside Drive, Surfside (Horry County)
Info: 843-238-0122

Rosie Molinary signs her book "Hijas Americans: Beauty, Body Image, and Growing Up Latina"
Wednesday, July 11, 5:00 p.m.
The Happy Bookseller, 4525 Forest Drive, Columbia
Info: www.happybookseller.com

July 12

Lisa Earle McCloud signs her book "Finding Grace: When You Can't Even Find Clean Underwear"
Thursday, July 12, 5:00 p.m.
The Happy Bookseller, 4525 Forest Drive, Columbia
Info: www.happybookseller.com

July 13

Pigskin Poets: USC Gamecocks at Richland County Public Library
Friday, July 13, 11:00 a.m.
Bostick Auditorium, Richland County Public Library, Columbia
Free and open to children of all ages
Info: www.richland.lib.sc.us

Carolina Cousins sign their new book "Way Down Dead in Dixie"
Friday, July 13, 5:00 p.m.
The Happy Bookseller, 4525 Forest Drive, Columbia
Info: www.happybookseller.com

The Moveable Feast Literary Luncheon: Robert Ackerman
Friday, July 13, 11:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
Carefree Catering, 8151 Hwy 17 South, Pawleys Island
$25 tickets
Info and reservations: 843-235-9600 or www.classatpawleys.com

July 14

Friends of the Richland County Public Library Summer Booksale
Saturday, July 14, 9:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.
RCPL Operations Center, 130 Lancewood Road, Columbia
Info: www.richland.lib.sc.us

July 15

Slam Scrimmage: Teams of Poets Battle
Sunday, July 15, 7:30 p.m.
Coffee Underground, Coffee Street, Greenville
$5
Info: www.witsendpoetry.com

July 17

Meet the Author: North Carolina Mystery Author Jane Tesh
Tuesday, July 17, 6:00 p.m.
Socastee Branch Library, 141 707 Connector Road, Myrtle Beach
Info: 843-215-4700

Karen Petit signs her new children's book "Mystery at Foggy Bottom Lake"
Tuesday, July 17, 5:00 p.m.
The Happy Bookseller, 4525 Forest Drive, Columbia
Info: www.happybookseller.com

July 19

Lunch with Mary Alice Monroe in Greenwood
Sponsored by Waldenbooks and the Greenwood County Library
Thursday, July 19, 12:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m.
The Inn on the Square, downtown Greenwood
Info: 864-941-4650

Logan Ward signs his book "See You In a Hundred Years: Four Seasons in Forgotten America"
Thursday, July 19, 5:00 p.m.
The Happy Bookseller, 4525 Forest Drive, Columbia
Info: www.happybookseller.com

July 20

The Moveable Feast Literary Luncheon: Hank Kilbanoff
Friday, July 20, 11:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
Pawleys Plantation, 70 Tanglewood Drive , Pawleys Island
$25 tickets
Info and reservations: 843-235-9600 or www.classatpawleys.com

July 21

Point of View Writing Workshop, Taught by Ashley Warlick
Sponsored by the South Carolina Writers Workshop
Saturday, July 21, 2:00 - 3:30 p.m.
Hughes Main Library, Greenville
Free and open to the public
Info: www.myscww.org

The Write Track: A Women's Writing Workshop
Saturday, July 21, 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
Ten Thousand Villages, Lewis Plaza on Augusta Road, Greenville
Preregistration required
Info: Diane Taylor, dpt201@aol.com, 864-963-0752

South Carolina Storytelling Network Appears at JulyFest
Saturday, July 21, 3:00 - 5:00 p.m.
South Carolina State Museum, Gervais and Huge Streets, Columbia
Info: Clarissa Mendoza, 803-898-4982

Friends of the York County Public Library Book Sale
Saturday, July 21, 10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
First ARP Church gymnasium, 201 East White Street, Rock Hill
Info: 803-981-5837

July 22

Upstate Slam Team Performance and Open Mic
Sunday, July 22, 7:30 p.m.
Coffee Underground, Coffee Street, Greenville
$5
Info: www.witsendpoetry.com

July 23

Meet the Author: Chad Dudley
Monday, July 23, 6:00 p.m.
Socastee Branch Library, 141 707 Connector Road, Myrtle Beach
Info: 843-215-4700

July 27

The Moveable Feast Literary Luncheon: Elise Blackwell
Friday, July 27, 11:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
Kimbel's. Wachesaw Plantation, Murrell's Inlet
$25 tickets
Info and reservations: 843-235-9600 or www.classatpawleys.com

July 29

21st Anniversary of Slam Poetry Celebration
Sunday, July 29, 7:30 p.m.
Coffee Underground, Coffee Street, Greenville
$5
$300 prize; Registration Required
Info: www.witsendpoetry.com; Kimberly@witsendpoetry.com

July 30

Hub City Reading Series: Author Scott Nicholson
Monday, July 30, 7:30 - 8:30 p.m.
The Showroom at Hub-Bub, 149 S. Daniel Morgan Avenue, Spartanburg
Info: www.hubcity.org

Meet the Author: South Carolina Author Elizabeth Huntsinger Wolf
Monday, July 30, 6:00 p.m.
Socastee Branch Library, 141 707 Connector Road, Myrtle Beach
Info: 843-215-4700

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

August 25

Conference for Children's Writers and Illustrators
Sponsored by the Emrys Foundation and the Society for Children's Book Writers and Illustrators
Saturday, August 25, 9:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Gunter Theatre at the Peace Center for the Performing arts, downtown Greenville
Fee: $100 - $150 (based on affiliations and registration date)
Information and registration: www.emrys.org; Katy Smith, 864-467-1147

September 1

Deadline for Recycled Words: Poetry Contest
Part of Sumter's Accessibility 2007: Sustainability, the Green Art Poetry and Film Festival
Prizes offered in three age categories
$5.00 readers fee for three poem collections
Information and full guidelines: Booth Chilcutt, bchilcutt@sumter-sc.com

September 17 - October 3

Caught in the Creative Act, Fall Session
Featuring: Robert Olen Butler, Edmund White, and Shauna Singh Baldwin
Mondays and Wednesdays, 5:45 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.
Free and open to the public
Registration required
Info and registration: www.cas.sc.edu/cica

October 1

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

October 26-28

South Carolina Writers Workshop 17th Annual Writers Conference
Featuring Keynote speakers Mary Alice Monroe and McNair Wilson
Friday, October 26 - Sunday, October 28
Hilton Myrtle Beach Resort, Myrtle Beach
Information and registration: www.myscww.org or conference@myscww.org or 864-370-9262

March 17 - April 9, 2008

Caught in the Creative Act, Spring Session
Featuring: Joyce Carol Oates, Peter Balakian, Francine du Plessix Gray, and Salman Rushdie
Mondays and Wednesdays, 5:45 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.
Free and open to the public
Registration required
Info and registration: www.cas.sc.edu/cica

In honor of the 40th Anniversary of the South Carolina Arts Commission, the Commission and its literary partners are pleased to announce a call for submissions for the inaugural South Carolina First Novel Competition. The application deadline is January 2, 2008; the award winner will be announced in May 2008. Guidelines will be posted on the South Carolina Arts Commission Web site in July. www.SouthCarolinaArts.com

Partnering with the SC Arts Commission and the Hub City Writers Project for the First Novel Competition are the South Carolina State Library and The Humanities Council SC. The contest will be judged by a nationally recognized writer.

"Ecopoetry is not a description of dwelling with the earth, not a disengaged thinking about it, but an experiencing of it" (Jonathan Bate, The Song of the Earth).

Category #1: Ages 19 to adult

• First Prize: 200.00
• Second Prize: 100.00
• Third Prize: 75.00

Category #2 Ages 15 years to 18 years

• First Prize: 100.0000
• Second Prize: 75.00
• Third Prize: 50.00

Category #3: Ages 8 to 14 years

• First Prize: 75.00
• Second Prize: 50.00
• Third Prize: 25.00

*Winning poems will be announced on October 13th and will be published the following day in the Sumter Item newspaper.

Sumter's Accessibility 2007: Sustainability, the Green Art Poetry and Film Festival will feature the use of poetry and film to address and interpret issues of reuse, recycling, and the environment. And as part of this event, the South Carolina Poetry Initiative will co-sponsor an ecopoetry contest titled Recycled Words. Participants in this contest are being asked to explore themes associated with major environmental concerns. You may choose to address issues relating to the world's abuse of nature, the need for recycling, the extinction of a particular animal, or issues relating to global warming. In addition to writing two poems centering on any topic of environmental concern, participants are being asked to create a nature-based "Found" poem. This is a form of poetry that uses recycled words, phrases, or themes from poetry or essays written by other poets. The poems created are original poems, yet somewhere in the poem there is a theme, cluster of words, or word combination that has been borrowed, recycled, and then placed in a new and original poem.

The Green Art Poetry and Film Festival is a unique festival that will feature the screening of selected and winning video entries as well as readings of the winning poetry submissions. There will be a festival awards evening and special reception for event participants held on October 13th. Information about the festival and the multitude of events that will be taking place during the week of October 8 through October 13, 2007 will be forthcoming.

1. All submissions must include a three poem collection of original work.
2. Submitted poems should not exceed thirty lines.
3. All poems must be nature-based poems.
4. Two poems can be of the author's choice following any form: free verse, sonnet, haiku, etc.
5. One of the three submitted poems must be inspired by a poet who has written an ecopoem or essay. That is to say, a piece by a poet that engages in some way with an issue or issues that interrogates, explores, celebrates, or interacts with some aspect of nature or environmental concern.
6. The poet's "found" nature-based poem will have, in-part, used words, word combinations, phrases, or a theme represented in his or her selected poet's nature-based poem.
7. On a separate piece of paper, you must cite the author, title of the piece, theme, word, or words used in your found poem.
8. Each group of submitted poems must include a cover sheet that lists the author's name, address, phone number, email address, and the title of each poem being submitted.
9. Your name should not appear on the page with your submitted poem(s).
10. Submissions will be accepted from June 1st to September 1st .
11. Announcement of the winners will take place at The Green Art Festival which is going to be held in Sumter Opera House and City Centre, Sumter, South Carolina.

Submission fees: $5.00 'reader's fee' for each three-poem collection submitted. Participants can submit multiple 3-poem collections.

Submission fees will be used to fund the contest and future contests.

Submissions should be sent to:

Booth Chilcutt
Cultural Director for the City of Sumter
209 North Purdy Street
Sumter, SC 29150

*Checks should be made payable to: Sumter County Cultural Commission

Poets for Possible Reference:

• William Wordsworth
• Henry David Thoreau
• Joy Harjo
• Jonathan Bate
• John Clare
• Raymond Williams
• E. P. Thompson
• Donna Landry
• William Christmas
• Henry Dumas
• Mary Oliver
• Langston Hughes
• Maya Angelou
• Juan Felipe Herrera
• Jane Hirshfield
• Diane Di Prima
• Nikki Giovanni
• Jane Hirshfield
• Abena Songbird
• Niyi Osundare
• Derrick Walcott
• Louise Gluck
• Wendell Berry

Judge for the Contest:

Ray McManus - received his MFA in poetry from the University of South Carolina in 2001, and his Ph.D. in Composition and Rhetoric in 2006, at the University of South Carolina. Ray is the author of Driving Through the Country Before You Are Born which won the South Carolina Book Prize in 2006 for poetry sponsored the South Carolina Poetry Initiative and published by USC Press in April 2007. His poetry has appeared in Nimrod, Crazyhorse, Jabberwock, Natural Bridge, Los Angeles Review, Cold Mountain Review, and other journals and anthologies throughout the United States and Canada. Ray is the winner of the Academy of American Poets award at USC (1997), the James Dickey award in poetry (2000) at USC, and the Academy of South Carolina Author's fellowship for his poetry (2002). He teaches poetry writing, composition, and literature at the University of South Carolina, where he has received numerous awards for his teaching. He has served as Writer in Residence for the Palmetto Center for the Arts at Richland Northeast High School from 2003-2006, and has been the Director of Creative Writing at Tri-DAC since 2002. Since 2000, Ray has taught poetry writing to South Carolinians of all ages through a program he co-founded called Split P Soup. He lives in Columbia with his wife, Lindsay, and his children Sean and Morgan.

Charlene Monahan Spearen received her MFA degree in Creative Writing in May 2003 from the University of South Carolina, and she is close to completing her doctoral degree in Composition and Rhetoric. She is Poet in Residence for the Columbia Museum of Art and has been awarded other residencies throughout the state of South Carolina. She is the Program Coordinator for the University of South Carolina's Arts Institute and the Assistant Director of the South Carolina's Poetry Initiative. Charlene also teaches at the University of South Carolina. She has facilitated creative writing workshops throughout the state of South Carolina, teaching with passion the art of writing poetry to both adults and children. She is a strong advocate for creative writing as means for dealing with the female's sense of self, especially with regard to issues of trauma and conflict. Her work includes a chapbook of poems Without Possessions (Stepping Stone Press, 2006), selected poems in Southern Poetry Anthology: South Carolina Contributors (Texas Review Press, 2007), Yemmessee, Writers at Carolina, Aspects, and Promise Magazine, as well as other awards and nominations.

Here's another question that we'll add to the FAQ list:

The conference seems more expensive this year. How much more expensive is this year's conference than last?

Comparing the same features, this year's conference is $9 more than last year's.

We are offering two options for registration this year. One option, the Conference Basic Package, is $169 for SCWW members. This option includes everything that was included in last year's conference registration fee except the light hors d'oeuvres at Friday night's reception and the box lunch on Saturday. It also includes the critique, which we paid $40 extra for last year, as well as refreshments between sessions, which we didn't offer last year.

Registrants who choose the Conference Basic are welcome to attend the opening mixer with cash bar by the pool, there just won't be any hors d'oeuvres served. Also, they'll need to purchase Saturday's lunch separately, either by purchasing a meal ticket, going out to pick up a quick lunch, packing a lunch, or having lunch at one of the Hilton's restaurants. Assuming that an attendee runs out and grabs a Subway sandwich combo, here's a comparison of last year to this year:

While this year's comparable package is $9 more than last year's, you simply can't find another conference with over 70 workshops, nine agents and nine editors for less than $200.

For those of you who in your survey indicated that you'd like a more inclusive package, and those of you who wanted more faculty interaction, we're offering a different type of package--one we've never offered before. The Complete Conference Package for SCWW members is $289. This package includes all meals for the weekend: Breakfast & Breaks on Saturday & Sunday; Lunch both days; Dinner on Friday night--something that many of us have gone out for in the past after the light hors d'oeuvres reception--and dinner on Saturday night, which has historically been an extra charge. Dinner both nights and lunch on Sunday will feature faculty-hosted tables.

Sarah and I, along with the rest of the board, put a lot of time and consideration into this year's packages. We wanted to expand what we offered to those that wanted more, without taking away anything from those that were happy with what they've been getting for the price they've been paying. We believe that we've found a way to let everyone choose what's right for them. We hope you'll think so, too.

Y'all take care,

Susan

From my study, I observed my blue terry-cloth robe flit by the door. "Where are you going?"

Thaleia turned back, a bottle of my shampoo in hand, and stood in the doorway. "I'm headed for the shower."

I jerked my thumb over my shoulder. "Bathroom's back that way."

She cocked her head toward the front door. "But the real shower is out there."

"Thaleia! You can't stand in the front yard in the rain, somebody might see you."

She sighed and rolled her eyes. "We've been over this–"

"Yeah, yeah, I know. You're my Muse, so no one can see you but me," I said. "But still sometimes people give us a look like they're seeing something."

She giggled. "They think you're talking to yourself."

"Like I'm crazy? Well, if not yet, you'll get me there some day."

She popped open the shampoo and squeezed out a puff of sweet coconut fragrance. "You always said, 'The only difference between crazy people and writers is that when writers hear voices, they take notes.'" She set the bottle down on the corner of my desk and untied the sash of her borrowed robe.

"Don't you da–"

Before I could get the words out, she spun around like a bullfighter and cast the robe over my head like a cape. By the time I tossed off the wrap and sprang from my chair, she had fled, laughing, out the front door. Through the pebble-finished glass of the sidelight, I could see her blurry image capering on the lawn. I hung the robe on the inside door knob to encourage modesty on her return.

I had only just returned to my study when the door bell rang. I opened the door just a crack and thrust out the robe. "Put this on first!"

"I beg your pardon!" came the indignant reply. "Better you should drape it over that... that thing!"

I jerked the door wide to find Rhoda, our neighborhood association property manager, pointing to a bronze nude on my lawn. I put on my most ingratiating smile. "Problem?"

"This is a retirement community, not an avant garde art museum. You cannot erect a display on your lawn without prior approval of the Board."

"But you must admit," I said, "considering what young girls are wearing these days, she's not entirely immodest. Look, she has an arm across her–"

"I do NOT need a lesson on art appreciation!" said Rhoda. "But I must insist on your observance of policies. This was all covered in the covenants you signed when you purchased your home in Graystone Court."

"No problem," I said. "I was planning to give it to the city anyway, to display in Falls Park. She'll be showering in the Reedy by next week."

Rhoda shot the statue and me disapproving glances. "Better there than here," she said, and dashed back to her car through the shower.

I turned to go back inside; a wet hand came down on my shoulder. I heard Thaleia gasping for breath.

"Couldn't you... have gotten her... out of here sooner?"

"You were doing such a good job." I opened the door, reached in for the robe and handed it behind me. "And what's this I hear about 'no one can see me but you?'"

"Who knew she's been sitting in her office writing a murder mystery!"

"So, did you lend her some inspiration?" I asked.

"No." Thaleia stood beside me, swaddled in blue terry. "But you inspired a new victim."