It has been my pleasure to serve SCWW as Editor of The Quill since January of 2005, the time has come to pass the pen to the hand of another. The changes in my life which prompt this are all positive and do not reflect on SCWW. After years of declining health and increasing disability, my wife is experiencing nothing short of a miraculous remission which we attribute to "prayer and medication." For the aid of others, let me mention an on-line resource that has helped further her goals: SparkPeople.com. This program has helped her virtually turn back the clock as she turns back the scale, losing weight while gaining energy and mobility.

Thus having before us the opportunity to see more of life than we imagined possible, I am trying to reclaim more of my personal time. My efficiency in this role already suffers from my lack of attention to the editorial process due to seizing the days as they come. Aware of this shortcoming, I have already tendered my resignation of this post to the SCWW Board, to be effective not later the publication of the December 2007 issue of The Quill. Appointment of my replacement before that time would be greatly appreciated. For further information, please contact our President and Vice-President via e-mail.

Qualification and selection of the new Editor will be up to the Board of SCWW, but let me offer these thoughts from my own experience. Knowledge of HTML (web page code) is not essential, though an eye for graphic arts would be a plus. Knowledge and training in journalism would of course be helpful, but I've gotten by with little of that. Just keep as your mantra Bob Seger's line from Against the Wind, "Deadlines and commitments, what to leave in, what to leave out." Oh, and having a personal Muse is a good idea, if you don't mind her eating your favorite snacks and leaving you with a bag of crumbs, running up your cell phone bill text messaging her eight sisters, and leaving her graffiti on your gray matter.

Leland

Quill Editor (For Now)

Thank you to everyone who entered this year's competition. The judges have made their selections. While we wish we could include everyone's work in this issue, space limitations force us to draw a line somewhere. That line will be determined during the layout process, based on how much space we have left after including the highest-ranked stories, essays, and poems, not to mention a select number of the black-and-white photographs we received.

To facilitate this process, acceptances will be made on a rolling basis, with the authors of the highest-ranked pieces notified first, followed by the next tier, etc. Do not despair if you don't hear from us right away--this process should take about a month, during which all acceptances will be made. But please keep a lookout for an e-mail with an attached acceptance form that must be filled out and mailed back as soon as possible. Any delays could force us to skip your piece in favor of the next one on our list.

Thanks again for giving us the privilege of reading your work. We look forward to seeing our first issue in print.

Thanks!

--Kevin

I can hardly believe it, but we've more than doubled our registrations since last month! Not to worry, we still have extended critiques available, as well as the standard length and faculty appointments without critique. Due to the generosity of our faculty, critiques and/or appointments are still available with most faculty members. Here are a few things I need to update you all on:

1. We have two Friday Intensive Workshops that are full: Mary Beth Chappell's What Agents Wish Every Author Knew and Jim Gilbert's Editing and Refining Your Novel. Gwen Hunter's Have Them at Hello: Opening Lines, First Chapters and David B. Coe's With a Little Help From My Friends: Character Growth and Plot Development each have one spot left. Most of the rest are filling up, so get your spot soon if you haven't already!
2. Late Thursday, someone trying to register alerted me that they were unable to make a selection for the Friday intensive workshops. Unfortunately, we had another minor registration application glitch, and because some of the sessions were full, the system was locking all of them out. If you had this problem, email your choices for the Friday intensive workshops to Katie Griggs at Planning the Globe: kgriggs@planningtheglobe.com
3. All volunteer positions have been filled, and all scholarships awarded. However, as I said before, if you are as excited as I am about this conference, and you really want to come, but are struggling to make that happen due to financial considerations, please contact me ASAP at susan.boyer@charter.net. We will work with you any way that we can. We truly want to make this conference accessible to everyone.
4. You all know by now that we are trying really, really hard to make everyone happy. (Yes, I am crazy!) One of the things that I've heard about that is making at least a few folks unhappy is the decision to limit the book signing to faculty only. I hope everyone understands that this decision was driven by the size of this year's faculty and the limited time on the schedule for the book signing.

That said, I have an idea that I hope will be a workable compromise: I've asked The Hilton for space for an SCWW members' table in the book signing area. Because space is limited, anyone who wants to participate must sign up in advance by emailing (susan.boyer@charter.net) or calling ((864) 370-9262) me as soon as possible. Space will be allocated on a first-come-first-served basis. Those who participate will have an assigned spot with a name sign that we'll provide (just like the faculty), and space for a small stack of books (with more room under the table for storage). Set up should be minimal, and can begin at 4:00 for the 4:30 event. Anyone registered for the conference is eligible to participate as long as she/he signs up in advance.

Another option for having your books available at the conference is outlined in the article, We Want Your Books! This was my original plan for showcasing member books, and we will still offer this option.

I'm really getting excited! I hope to see you all in October!!

Y'all take care,

Susan

We are honored to have New York Times bestselling author Mary Alice Monroe as our keynote speaker this year. Mary Alice is known for richly textured books that explore the compelling parallels between nature and human nature. She brought to life the saga of endangered sea turtles in The Beach House and in Swimming Lessons, the majesty of birds of prey in Skyward, and the struggles of our changing landscape in Sweetgrass.

"I am inspired by the varied ecosystem with the ocean, beaches, marshes, wetlands and mountains and discover powerful metaphors that add a greater degree of depth and emotion to my novels," says Mary Alice.

Monroe's novels have won critical acclaim and awards. Her books are sold worldwide. Her 10th novel, Swimming Lessons and her first children's book, Turtle Summer: A Journal for my Daughter, a companion to the novel, were released in 2007. Mary Alice lives on a barrier island outside Charleston, South Carolina.

Friday: Keynote Address - Finding the Soul of the Story

Saturday: Workshop - Southern Fiction: What it is, Why it's Popular and the Market for it

Sunday: Workshop -Climax and Resolution: The One-Two Punch

The Dixie Divas, four nationally published book-writing belles who tour and promote their work together: From the left (seated), Karin Gillespie, J.L. Miles, Patricia Sprinkle; Standing, Julie Cannon.

National bestselling author Karin Gillespie has written three novels in the The Bottom Dollar Girl series and is co-author of The Sweet Potatoto Queen's First Big-Ass Novel. All of her novels have been selected for the Literary Guild and Doubleday Book Club. Her first novel Bet Your Bottom Dollar has been optioned for film by James Wood.

Friday: Intensive Workshop - Beating the Odds: Getting Your Novel Published in a Tight Market

Saturday: Humor Sells: Putting the Fun into Your Fiction

The Crafty Writer: Learn the Style Tricks of the Pros to Create Prose That Sells

J.L. Miles' debut novel, Roseflower Creek, was Cumberland House Publishing's lead book when it debuted in hardcover. Earl Hamner, creator of The Waltons calls it "A powerful, extraordinary novel." The late William Diehl wrote, "The lyric prose will thrill you, the story is unforgettable, and the characters will stay with you forever." Cold Rock River, the journey of two young women born a century apart debuted October 2006 in hardcover. N.Y. Times best-selling author Dorothea Benton Frank writes: "Cold Rock River by J. L/ Miles is a powerful story of family, love and loss that will keep you up into the wee hours. Absolutely wonderful! Beautifully told and straight from the heart of an exquisitely talented writer."

Saturday: Five Things That Make a Good Story Great

Promoting Your Books With A Touring Group

Sunday: Bringing Your Characters to Life

Mystery Times declares, "Forming a triumvirate with Anne George and Margaret Maron, Patricia Sprinkle adds her powerful voice to the literature of mysteries featuring Southern women."

Sprinkle has two new books out this year: DEATH ON THE FAMILY TREE, a mystery with a genealogical twist, and GUESS WHO'S COMING TO DIE?, the ninth title featuring Judge MacLaren Yarbrough, a small-town magistrate in Middle Georgia.

Friday: Intensive Workshop - Developing Series Characters and Keeping Them Fresh

Saturday: Promoting Your Books With A Touring Group

Time Management for Writers

A graduate of the University of Georgia, Julie Cannon is the author of the "Homegrown" series published by Simon & Schuster. "As a child, I would sit still and listen to my kinfolks indulging in that wonderful southern tradition of oral storytelling. Their stories were bizarre and fabulous, truly stranger than fiction. I didn't know it then but I was collecting memories like lightning bugs," says Julie. Her books include: Truelove & Homegrown Tomatoes, 'Mater Biscuit, and Those Pearly Gates. In January of 2008 Penguin will release The Romance Reader's Book Club.

Robert Morgan, the author of the award-winning and bestselling novel Gap Creek, which was an Oprah Book Club selection in 2000 and winner of the Southern Book Award for fiction, was profiled in May.

T. Lynn Ocean, whose novels include Fool Me Once, Sweet Home Carolina, and the recently-released Southern Fatality, was profiled in June with the mystery authors.

What is advertorial and why is it lucrative? Pick up a copy of any national golf, sports or investment magazine and you'll see some nifty articles (complete with photos) that are written in the style of a true editorial. But take a closer look and you'll discover that they are actually paid advertisements. Thus, the word advertorial. While the magazine sales force does the selling, the magazine editors usually contract out the actual writing. Advertorial is a very specialized field, but it's not brain surgery! There is a simple formula for writing it, and simple rules to follow when dealing with both the editors who hired you and the clients they represent. I've been writing advertorial for five years now and it pays better than any other freelance I do. My advertorial mentor is a recovering attorney (his words--not mine) who quit practicing law to write. And guess what? He hasn't yet sold a screenplay, but he's been earning a fulltime living for several years with advertorial. 'Nuff said.

Catch Tracy's Friday Morning Intensive Workshop, The Lucrative Business of Advertorial Writing to learn how you can pay the bills with your writing skills while polishing that novel!

Every published SCWW member who would like to have their books available for sale at the Barnes and Noble on-site store, please email me (susan.boyer@charter.net) the titles and ISBNs (and the name you published under if it's different than the one we know you by). The on-site store will be open from 9 am until 5:30 pm on Saturday, October 27th. We will have a special table set up to showcase member books, and want to make sure everyone is represented.

We'll also have a list of member-published books in the conference notebook. Because so many of our members have published, and to make sure I don't miss anyone, please email me this information! (Even if you are my neighbor, my mother or the pastor of my church--send me an email!!)

We are working on an arrangement with Barnes and Nobel for them to also take member books on consignment if the titles are unavailable for them to order for whatever reason. We do not have an answer from them yet, but we'll keep you posted. If this may be an issue for you, please let me know, so that I can give them an idea as to how many titles we may be asking them to take.

Registrants who would prefer may direct sell their own books during the book signing, provided that they sign up in advance. (See the Conference Registration Alert.) Please email me the information for the list in the notebook if you choose this option.

This year's open mic nights will offer something a little different for conference attendees. Friday night will be divided into two separate open mic sessions: one for poetry and another session for fiction and creative non-fiction. Saturday night's session will be combine the genres and promises to be quite the literary event.

A Fast-Paced Festival featuring Fiction and Creative Non-Fiction

Writers will read excerpts, 3-5 minutes in length (including introduction and comments). Sign-ups for the first 20 writers of fiction or creative non-fiction will be taken at the open mic door beginning at 8:45pm. Writers are asked to turn in a 3 x5 index card with a few introductory comments about themselves. Humor, if appropriate, is welcome! If you have questions, contact Mary Ann Henry at charlestonwriter@comcast.net

This open mic poetry session is sponsored by The Poetry Society of South Carolina. The host will be poet Katherine Williams, a veteran of numerous Poetry Readings across the country and a Pushcart Nominee. Each poet will be allowed time to read two poems. Please make sure that each poem is no longer than one page. Sign-ups for the first 25 poets who wish to read their original work for Friday Night Open Mic will be taken at the door for the open-mic poetry session, beginning at 8:45 pm. For more information or questions contact: Mary Harris at wordnotes185@hotmail.com.

If you miss the cut for Friday night's sessions, sign up for Saturday! Saturday night's Open Mic Session begins after dinner (around 9:30 pm) and lasts for about an hour. This session combines the genres (poetry, fiction and creative non-fiction) and rumors are circulating that at least one of our esteemed instructor/lecturers may honor us with a reading. The first 20 poets and fiction or creative-non-fiction writers who sign up at the door are asked to provide a 3 x5 index card with introductory comments about themselves. Presenters of poetry, fiction and creative non-fiction are all asked to keep their readings under 3 minutes. This should be a fun night and great way to top off the evening. If you have questions, contact: Mary Ann Henry at charlestonwriter@comcast.net

Bonnie Stanard's poems and a short story were recently accepted for publication by the Petigru Review, and a poem was accepted by The South Carolina Review.

Ilmars Birznieks, originally from Latvia and author of two novels, attended the Harriette Austin Writers Conference at the University of Georgia in July. Ralph McInerny, of the Father Dowling mysteries, was the keynote speaker.

And, checking in from Kazakhstan (No, not Borat!):

Hi,

Just thought I'd let you know I'll probably miss the October workshop, which I really like and enjoy. I'm in Kazakhstan working on a major project. At least being here is helping build some ideas.

Regards to all,

Lyle Hendrick

Nan Lundeen's poem, "falling into night" was published this summer in the College of Charleston's international literary journal, Illuminations. Nan is a Greenville chapter member and attends Sarah Cureton's novel critique group.

Twelve writers have been named winners of the 2007 SC Fiction Project, sponsored by the SC Arts Commission in partnership with the Charleston Post and Courier. Greenville chapter member Wilma Reitz is one of those winners. Wilma's story will be published in the Post and Courier on September 23, and will be published electronically on the newspaper's website after that date. The deadline for submissions to the 2008 SC Fiction Project is January 15, 2008. See www.SouthCarolinaArts.com/fictionproject/2007/2007winners.shtml.

Ron Cooper's novel Hume's Fork was recently released by Bancroft Press. The book, which is set in the Low Country, was a finalist for the Bread Loaf Writers' Conference's Bakeless Literary Prize. Novelist Ron Rash (One Foot in Eden) called it "one of the funniest novels I've read in a long time, while Booklist called it "a funny, fast-paced, hugely entertaining story . . . comparisons to John Kennedy Toole's A Confederacy of Dunces are not without merit." Ron is a South Carolina native who now lives and teaches in Ocala, Florida. www.roncooper.org

"What I Know About Writing: Confessions of a Southern Novelist"

Saturday, August 11, 2007

10:30 am - 12 Noon

Marlene and Nathan Addlestone Library/ Room #227
College of Charleston
205 Calhoun Street (corner of Calhoun and Coming)
Charleston, South Carolina 29424

Free/Open to the Public
Contact: Mary Ann Henry at charlestonwriter@comcast.net for more information

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.

I would like to draw your attention to the 2007 Statewide Arts Conference, CELEBRATING OUR PAST, CONNECTING OUR FUTURE!, in Newberry on Sept. 10 and 11. We'll kick off the conference with a celebration of the Arts Commission's 40th Anniversary, and then offer workshops designed to inform your work and provide tools for the present and the future. Network with your colleagues during breaks, meals and "Open Space" sessions, and be sure to attend the Scottie Award Event when the SC Arts Alliance will honor artist Dr. Leo Twiggs. Registration is $140 per person for individuals representing organizations and $70 per person for individual artists not employed by arts organizations. Visit www.SouthCarolinaArts.com/statewide for more information or to register. Registration deadline is Aug. 20.

August 2

Brad Land, author of Goat and Pilgrims upon the Earth--Book signing and talk
Thursday, August 2, 7:00 p.m.
Socastee Branch Library, 141 707 Connector Road, Myrtle Beach
Info: 843-215-4700

August 3

The Moveable Feast Literary Luncheon: Brad Land
Friday, August 3, 11:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
Restaurant TBA
$25 tickets
Info and reservations: 843-235-9600 or www.classatpawleys.com

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 7

Meet the Author: David Maring-Book signing and talk
Monday, August 7, 7:00 p.m.
Socastee Branch Library, 141 707 Connector Road, Myrtle Beach
Info: 843-215-4700

August 21

Arts of the Roundtable: How to Write for Magazines, with local editors from Skirt!, Edible Lowcountry, Hilton Head Monthly and others.
Sponsored by the Arts Council of Beaufort County.
Tuesday, August 21, 2-4 p.m.
Arts Council of Beaufort County, 1111 Boundary St., Beaufort
Free and open to the public. Editors will vary per session.
Info and RSVP: 843-379-ARTS, www.beaufortcountyarts.com

August 22

Arts of the Roundtable: How to Write for Magazines, with local editors from Skirt!, Edible Lowcountry, Hilton Head Monthly and others.
Sponsored by the Arts Council of Beaufort County.
Wednesday, August 22, 9:30 a.m.-12 p.m.
The Jazz Corner in the Village at Wexford, Hilton Head.
Free and open to the public. Editors will vary per session.
Info and RSVP: 843-379-ARTS, www.beaufortcountyarts.com

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

Deadline for Carrie McCray Literary Awards
Awards available for Short Fiction, Novel (First chapter(s)), Non-fiction, and Plays & Screenwriting (Beginning Scene(s)).
*Must be registered to attend 2007 South Carolina Writers Workshop Conference to be considered.
Information on eligibility and format: myscww.org/contests.htm

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

January 2, 2008

SOUTH CAROLINA FIRST NOVEL COMPETITION DEADLINE:
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: www.southcarolinaarts.com/firstnovel/index.shtml

January 15, 2008

2008 SOUTH CAROLINA FICTION PROJECT DEADLINE:
The deadline for submissions to the 2008 South Carolina Fiction Project, a contest of previously unpublished short stories sponsored in partnership with The Post and Courier, is January 15, 2008. For more information, including full guidelines, please see the South Carolina Arts Commission Web site at www.SouthCarolinaArts.com.

February 22-24, 2008

2008 SOUTH CAROLINA BOOK FESTIVAL (12th Annual)
Friday, February 22-Sunday, February 24
Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center, Lincoln Street, Columbia
Free and open to the public on Saturday, February 23 and Sunday, February 24
Info: www.scbookfestival.org

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

The South Carolina Arts Commission would again like to congratulate the winners of the 2007 South Carolina Fiction Project. For more information on the 2007 winners, please see the SC Arts Commission Web site at www.southcarolinaarts.com/fictionproject/2007/2007winners.shtml
The twelve winning stories will be published in a special insert of The Post and Courier on September 23, 2007. The stories will also be published electronically on the South Carolina Arts Commission and The Post and Courier Web sites after that date.

The South Carolina Arts Commission is happy to announce that two South Carolina communities will be participating in the second round of The Big Read, a program of the National Endowment for the Arts in partnership with the Institute of Museum and Library Services and in cooperation with Arts Midwest.
Charleston and Spartanburg will both host The Big Read in the fall of 2007. Charleston's program, led by the Charleston County Public Library, will read Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston. Spartanburg's program, led by Spartanburg County Public Libraries, will read The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald. Charleston and Spartanburg will join 117 other cities across the nation participating in the second round of The Big Read.

The Big Read is an initiative of the National Endowment for the Arts in partnership with the Institute of Museum and Library Services and in cooperation with Arts Midwest.
The purpose of The Big Read is to encourage literary reading. Big Read grants, ranging from $2,500 - $20,000, are available to revitalize the role of literature in American popular culture. Organizations selected to participate in The Big Read will receive a grant, financial support to attend a national orientation meeting, educational and promotional materials
for broad distribution, Organizer's Guide for developing and managing Big Read activities, inclusion of your organization and activities on The Big Read Web site, and the prestige of participating in a highly visible national initiative.
Approximately 200 organizations of varying sizes across the country will be selected in this third round cycle to participate in The Big Read from January - June 2008. The deadline for applications is July 31, 2007. Go to www.NEABigRead.org to download the Request for Proposals. Questions? Call Arts Midwest at 612.341.0755 or e-mail TheBigRead@artsmidwest.org.

South Carolina Council of 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.

Sunday, Aug. 12, 2 p.m.
Table Rock Book Fair and Authors' Day

A variety of authors are gathering at the Table Rock Lodge Book Fair on August 12 at 2 pm to sell and sign books, and generally shoot the breeze. Casual readings have been known to occur. George Singleton, John Lane and Betsy Teter, Cassandra King, Sherry Austin, Dot Jackson, Mindy Friddle and several others are slated to appear. For more information, contact Dot Jackson at dotjackson6mile@aol.com.

Saturday, October 20, 9:30 a.m - 4 pm
Fiction Workshop in Anderson S.C.

A one-day indepth Fiction Workshop with Christy Award-winning novelist/instructor Rosey Dow will be held Saturday, October 20, 2007, in Anderson, S.C. It will begin at 9:30 AM and conclude at 4 PM. Rosey is the author of 11 published novels and is the director of ChristianFictionMentors.com, a twelve-lesson interactive program that guides writers through their first novel. Registration for the workshop is $35. For more information or to register, please contact Elva Martin at (864) 226-7024 or by e-mail at elvamartinministries@charter.net.

I just discovered a great author by the name of John Scalzi. His first novel, Old Man's War, is one of the most compelling science fiction books I've ever read. But this is not a book review. This is the story of how I came to find one of my now new favorite authors - Mr. Scalzi. Basically, I discovered John Scalzi because Joe Hill is Stephen King's son. Confused? Let me explain?

I recently read on a blog that Stephen King's son, Joe Hill, had published his debut novel. Being a loyal Stephen King fan, I enthusiastically purchased his book, Heart-Shaped Box, on Amazon.com. I enjoyed the novel immensely and logged onto Joe Hill's website to find out more about him. While reading his blog, I found a link to John Scalzi's blog. I so enjoyed what I read there that I immediately purchased Old Man's War.

Why am I telling you this? To demonstrate two things:

1. Networking with other authors is crucial to building your audience. They can wittingly and unwittingly help you sell your book. I would have never found John Scalzi without Joe Hill. It wasn't Joe Hill's intention to promote Scalzi; he simply made an innocent remark about another author.
2. A blog is equally as crucial as networking. A blog led me to Joe Hill and his blog led me to John Scalzi, and I would not have purchased Old Man's War if Scalzi did not have an interesting and entertaining blog.

Marketing a book is a multi-pronged attack. Having friends and setting up a blog are two effective and inexpensive ways to get your book on the minds and into the hands of readers.

R.W. Ridley

BookSurge Publishing Consultant and IPPY Award Winning Author
Learn more about the benefits of self-publishing your book with BookSurge.

(Orlando FL) July 18, 2007 New stages will occur in the 2007-08 season produced by Women Playwrights' Initiative (WPI), as timing and guidelines have changed for WPI's annual Call for Scripts.

The two major differences from previous WPI competitions are the dates moved up from a September start date to an August 1-October 1 timeframe and WPI is now requesting one-act plays. Previous Calls for Scripts have asked for full-length plays.

Women writers who reside in the following states are eligible: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, or Virginia. Scripts must be original and unpublished short plays of 25 to 60 minutes in length, which may open up the field for more submissions than in previous years.

WPI President Lyndol Michael said "We're also committed to improving the quality of the scripts we receive. WPI started the annual Playwriting Workshop in 2006, and, happily, nine of the 10 writers in this year's Workshop were from Southeast states."

WPI is aiming for a new stage as its expected venue for the winning script(s). The group's reading panel will reach its decision in January 2008, a developmental process with the playwright(s) will begin in February and culminate with a staged production tentatively to be at Orlando's May 2008 International Fringe Festival, the oldest operating Fringe Festival in North America.

For more information, please call Julia Gagne at 407-273-9723, or email her at julesgee@cfl.rr.com. Complete Call for Scripts guidelines are at www.WomenPlaywrights.com.

About Women Playwrights Initiative. WPI is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to foster the development and production of plays written by women, through educational outreach, workshops, readings and productions. www.WomenPlaywrights.com

"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:

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.

Date: July 20th thru September 30th, 2007

Guidelines for submitting manuscripts are as follows:

1. Chapbook manuscripts should be between 20 and 28 pages.

2. Individual poems within the manuscript may have been published in literary magazines, but may not have been published together as a book or chapbook.

3. A non-refundable entry/reading fee of $15 must be included.

4. There must be two title pages: one with the title of the manuscript and the names of the first three poems, plus the poet's name, address, and email address; the second should be identical but should not include the poet's name or address.

5. The poet's name must not appear on any page of the actual manuscript.

6. The poet must own the copyright to the work or be able to secure permission to reprint any copyrighted poem.

7. The winning poet must be able to submit a copy of the poems on disk to the South Carolina Poetry Initiative.

8. SASE, for notification only, must be included with submission. Manuscripts will not be returned.

9. Entries will be accepted between July 20th and September 30th, of 2007.

10. Entries postmarked later than September 30th, 2007 will not be considered.

11. The winners will be announced at an Award Ceremony at the Columbia Museum of Art on the evening of October 6th.

12. At least five manuscripts will be selected for chapbook publication.

13. At least ten poets will be selected for web-publication. (Five to ten poems, biographical data, and photo will be tastefully featured on the Poetry Initiative Website)

14. Previous winners should not submit manuscripts for a period of two years.

15. Contest is open to writers who are 18 years or older.

16. Poets must be South Carolina natives or permanent residents of South Carolina.

SERIES EDITOR, KWAME DAWES, DISTINGUISHED POET IN RESIDENCE, USC.

Note: Email submissions are not accepted; mail submissions to:

South Carolina Poetry Initiative
University of South Carolina
Department of English
Columbia, South Carolina 29208

For further information contact: Charlene Monahan Spearen; Assistant Director SC Poetry Initiative; University of South Carolina; Tel: (803) 777-5492; Email: cmspeare@gwm.sc.edu

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.

Words & Music, 2007 opens November 14 and runs through November 18. 2007 theme will be The Fallout for Life and Literature When Cultures Collide.

Featured in this year's dynamite line-up will be Palestinian poet Ibtisam Barakat, author of Tasting the Sky: A Palestinian Childhood; and Iranian native Reza Aslan, author of No God But God, internationally acclaimed writer and scholar of religions, regular commentator for NPR's Marketplace, and Middle East Analyst for CBS News. His first book, The Origins, Evolution, and Future of Islam, has been translated into half a dozen language. The first evening event of Words & Music, 07 will be a joint venture with New Orleans Center for Creative Arts, Riverfront (NOCCA) and the new Arabic/English literary journal Meena, founded in New Orleans by Andrea Young and others. The event will be an evening of readings at NOCCA. For information on these important authors click on Barakat and, then, on Aslan.

They will be joined at Words & Music by respected Chicana poet, fiction writer, and human rights advocate Sandra Cisneros, author of The House on Mango Street, Caramelo, and other works. Ms. Cisneros will open Words & Music, 07 with an address to creative writing students at the Faulkner Society's annual master class for high school students, a joint venture with New Orleans Center for Creative Arts, Riverfront. For detailed information on Ms. Cisneros, one of America's most important literary voices, click here on: Cisneros.

Rolling down old Highway 20 toward home, helping Benny Mardones on the radio sing "Into the night," I steered through the last curve before Brushy Creek. The community gate came into view, as did a redheaded gamine standing on the sidewalk, holding a crudely lettered cardboard sign. I pulled in to the entrance drive, switched off the radio and opened the passenger door. "Get in."

Thaleia turned up her nose. "You're going out of the Musing business and don't need me anymore. I'm a free-agent."

"I know you're not serious, your sign is in Greek. But if that's the way you want it." I reached to pull the door shut. She snatched it open and hopped in.

"You were going to leave me out there! Like last weeks newspaper."

"You're too big for the recycle bin, and I don't think they take used Muses."

She traded her stern scowl for her impish grin. "Let me drive!"

"No, you don't even have a chariot license, and besides--"

She snatched the keys from the steering column and clutched them to her chest like a favorite teddy bear. "Mine!"

"You think you've got me, don't you." I slipped my wallet from my hip pocket and pulled out my spare key. "We'll just see about that." I thrust the key into the ignition. It wouldn't turn.

"Yes, I guess we will. I believe that one is only good to open the door if you get locked out." She jingled my ring of keys between us. "Need these?"

I snatched them back, pulled the emergency door key from the ignition and fumbled with four office keys, three house keys, a mailbox key...."

"Looking for this?" Thaleia dangled the car key briefly, then let it drop inside her shirt.

"Fetch that back, and fast, girl. We're blocking the gate."

Thaleia fished the key from its cozy hideaway. "I'm driving."

"Okay, you can steer," I said. "But I'm staying in the driver's seat."

"That's all a Muse could ask for." She started the car. "So, what are we waiting for?"

We pulled through the gate. Though Thaleia steered like a pro, I kept our speed below the 15 MPH neighborhood limit.

"Let's take the long way!" She jerked the wheel right. "We'll have more time to talk."

"You mean you'll have more time to play--Watch that recycle bin!" She deftly dodged the green tub with a flick of the wrist. "Look, if we see anybody, I'm taking the wheel."

Thaleia chuckled softly. "How very like writing this is. Don't you see? You, in the driver's seat, setting the pace and taking the credit, and me, your faithful Muse, ever at your side, guiding the story to its conclusion."

"And sometimes that conclusion is elusive," I said. "And short stories turn into novellas."

Thaleia steered left to bring us back to the main street. We reached the stop-sign at the intersection. "Wait a sec," she said. "I have to know, are we still a team?"

I looked back over our path. No wake of destruction, no tire tracks through prim flower beds, no mailboxes strewn by shattered posts. "Set a course for home, navigator. I hear my laptop calling."