SCWA / The Quill / August 2021
August 2021
Come Write With Us!
We continue our guest compositions in The Quill to showcase the creative writing and musings from members, board members and invited guests. Our August contribution is by board member Vivian Bikulege, well known across the association for hosting many activities, including Open Mic Nights with SCWA and partner organizations. Vivian introduces us to another famous writer in this wonderful piece. Send your own submission for consideration to Laura Corbin at writersassociationsc@gmail.com.
Vivian Bikulege
GUEST COLUMN BY VIVIAN BIKULEGE
Once in a while, I drift. It’s kind of like floating in the ocean, held up by the saltwater when there is no wind or riptide, just the gentle push and pull of waves cresting toward and receding from the shoreline. In those moments, or days, or weeks, I don’t feel like doing anything — housework, exercise, or writing.
One evening in July, while I was cushioned in this stale space of lethargy, I went back to a documentary I’d started on Netflix. Titled The Center Will Not Hold, it is a film directed by Griffin Dunne. His subject matter is his aunt, literary icon Joan Didion.
Somewhere between the black and white photos of Didion, her husband-writer John Gregory Dunne, and their adopted daughter, Quintana, I fell into Didion’s spell as she confessed to self-doubts and pleasures of a writing life. Was writing a relevant act? How does one come to terms with the disorder of life and create order in the form of an essay, novel or screenplay? To my knowledge, she did not rub her pen against the sandpaper of poetry.
What impressed me so very much was the transparency and brutal effects of age and loss on Didion. Her resilience, stamina and wisdom shine through each piece of the film, and I found myself roused by select Joan Didion mantras. I’ll paraphrase a few.
Your story unfolds as you write it.
Novels are about things you’re afraid you can’t deal with.
Listen to the edge of what people say.
Write to understand what you think and how you feel.
Remember what it is to be you. That is always the point.
Didion is best known for her work in non-fiction, my genre of first choice. I will never be a Joan Didion. I started writing later in my life. I don’t share her writing style, but because I love it, I suspect her influence will peek between the periods and line breaks of my own developing voice. I admire her life lessons and her ability to process pain, wonder and confusion onto the page.
If you are looking for inspiration, if you are caught between the dog days of summer and the next act of autumn, if you are floating and wondering what or how to write the next single word or sentence, but can’t, or won’t, or are wondering how, maybe listening to another writer will help. It’s why we belong to and write with one another in South Carolina and beyond. We find value in sharing and learning. We discover impetus and new pathways with words.
I recommend taking time to watch The Center Will Not Hold when and if you are interested. Drifting isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Sometimes you bump into a buoy of inspiration along the way.
PRESIDENT'S AUGUST UPDATES
I hope this finds you writing, enjoying yourselves and the services SCWA offers. There never seems to be a slow time for the SCWA board, but we put the less active times to good use as opportunities to improve member services.
While we continue to examine our top priorities of the future of our publications, 2022 program design and membership growth, the board also has spent considerable time on less exciting activities, such as examining our communications, reviewing our liability insurance and updating our coronavirus policy. Copies of board minutes, which reflect these, are available by contacting Laura Corbin at writersassociationsc@gmail.com.
We’re proud to celebrate some additional member news:
Barbara Evers received the Best Fantasy Novel Award for her first novel, The Watchers of Moniah, from the Imaginarium Convention in Louisville, Kentucky.
Bob Strother's short story, Unmoored, will appear in the spring issue of moonShine review.
Kasie Whitener racked up more recognition for her novel Before Pittsburgh, which received an honorable mention at the New York Book Festival. Whitener also was awarded the Broad River Prize for Prose by the Jasper Project in conjunction with Richland County, One Columbia for Arts and Culture (an SCWA partner) and Richland County Library Friends and Family. Her short fiction work, The Shower, will be published in the Jasper Project's journal Fall Lines - a literary convergence. Other SCWA members selected for publication in the journal are Danielle Verwers, Austin Hehir, Ann-Chadwell Humphries and Arthur McMaster.
Congratulations to all. We’re delighted for you!
Mike Lee
President
SCWA Board of Directors
Events and Education
WRITING DIVERSE CHARACTERS
Kevin Don Porter, a Maryland writer, reporter and book coach, will talk about creating diverse characters at 7 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 26, in a new virtual program, Writing Diverse Characters, presented by SCWA.
Porter is the author of two mystery books and Missing, a young adult novel about a 10-year-old Black boy obsessed with a missing girl.
“There’s a myth that Black boys don’t read, and as a result, there aren’t many Black boys featured as viewpoint characters,” Porter says. “While I didn’t write the novel for the sole purpose of dispelling this myth, I’m hoping that I contribute to its demise. Missing is a story that I believe will greatly resonate with today’s readers – youth and adults alike, regardless of race."
Porter’s talk is one of several upcoming SCWA discussions that will focus on diversity and storytelling.
Register for this FREE program at https://myscwa.org/virtual-events. Registrants will receive the Zoom link.
AUTHORS' CORNER
The live-streamed Authors' Corner at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 11, will feature a conversation with SCWA authors Linda Lovely and A.M. Ialacci. Learn more about Ialacci's novel, Riptides, Wrath, and Murder, here. Take a look at Lovely's book, With Neighbors Like These, here. The program, live-streamed on Facebook and YouTube, will be hosted by Kasie Whitener. No registration required. A recording will be available afterward.
BACK AT WORK: SCWA's Columbia III Chapter began meeting in person again in July. While some chapters have gone back to in-person meetings, others continue meeting virtually and still others are holding hybrid meetings. Check out the latest meeting information at https://myscwa.org/chapters; it is advisable to email the listed chapter leader for any last-minute meeting changes.
Membership News
HELP SCWA GROW
The SCWA is nearing its goal of 400 members. Let's continue to get the word out about this fabulous organization for writers of all skill levels and interests.
If you have a festival in your area, a special community event or even a farmers' market that offers organizations the opportunity to set up a table and make themselves known, consider hosting a table for the SCWA. Contact our membership chair, Nancy Allen-Mastro, at scwamembership@gmail.com; she can supply you with bookmarks to distribute. All that is necessary is for someone from your local chapter to be on hand to promote the SCWA and answer questions. Consider this to also be a time to feature for sale books published by members of your local chapter. If there is a fee for the table, we have limited funds to put toward this use.
Remember, more members means more revenue, which translates into more services for our members.
SHORT FICTION VIRTUAL GROUP
Whether it’s a short story or flash fiction, SCWA's Short Fiction Virtual Genre Group is focused on concise writing. Capturing an idea and creating a story in just a few words is an art, and it can be a tool to make any author's writing even better.
Wanda Craig, aka Raegan Teller (raeganteller@gmail.com), facilitates the group and encourages any SCWA member to join this unique group.
Short Fiction meets from 6 to 8 p.m. every second Thursday of the month. Participating members will be provided the Zoom link via email ahead of each meeting. Email Craig if you're interested in checking it out.
(Check out all of SCWA's virtual genre groups and contact the listed group leader if you're interest in one of them. This listing also features all of our local chapters; check out one in your area.)
INDIE AUTHOR BOOK FAIR
It is not too early to mark your calendars for the indie author book fair sponsored by the University of South Carolina Aiken’s Center for Lifelong Learning on campus on Nov. 13. The event, which will run from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., is free to guests. If you would like to sell your book, you may do so for a small fee. You do not need to be an indie author to purchase a table for sales.
This event offers writers the perfect chance to:
Promote your book(s).
Engage with other authors.
Hear speakers on the topic of writing throughout the day, including sessions that are genre-specific.
Peruse other authors’ books.
Organizers are still looking to round out the slate of speakers for the day. If interested in purchasing a table for sales or in being a speaker, contact Steve Gordy at authorsteveginaiken@gmail.com or call 803-645-0699.
SCWA is a co-sponsor of this event.
Questions or suggestions about SCWA membership?
Email scwamembership@gmail.com.