SCWA / The Quill / February 2022
February 2022
Message from the President
Hello members and friends of SCWA! We begin 2022 with enthusiasm and hope, and by announcing the new leadership of the board of directors. At the January board meeting, I was elected president, a role that I humbly accept with an appreciation for the confidence placed in me by the board. Our 2022 board is composed of a team that exudes excellence in literary arts and business and a dedication to serving SCWA members.
All board members – directors and advisors – dedicate their time and talents to add value to SCWA through their service and leadership. I’m proud to announce the appointment of the following team members who have accepted additional responsibilities, for which we are extremely grateful.
Abby Morales, 1st Vice President/Marketing
Lynn Volkenant, Treasurer
Sharon Thomas, Secretary
Raegan Teller, Vice President, Membership
Austin Hehir, Chapter Liaison
Paul Davis, Vice President, Events & Education
Catherine Con, Director, Technology
This leadership team is supported by additional board members participating in committee work alongside board advisors and contract staff delivering exceptional quality to our members.
The Events & Education Committee already is hard at work delivering outstanding programming, including all new weekday workshops, longer-program curricula, a new slate of faculty and a fall conference for October. We’re excited about plans for The Petigru Review, under new leadership and opening for submissions in the spring.
I hope you’ll consider joining one of our committees dedicated to fundraising, membership, marketing or diversity. Each committee is pursuing specific recommendations to strengthen our organization and make it more representative of the South Carolina literary community. Committee service is a great way to get involved in the association and make new connections while requiring just the minimum investment of time and talent. If committee service interests you but you’re not sure where or how to serve, email me at scwritersassociationpresident@gmail.com and we can discuss it.
Kasie Whitener
President
SCWA Board of Directors
Events and Education
FALL CONFERENCE
Registration for SCWA's in-person fall conference by the beach Oct. 21-23 is OPEN. We're so excited for this upcoming event filled with craft and publishing classes, panels on query letters, demystifying the agent process, building a writing life and career in the Carolinas and so much more. Peruse the conference website for information on faculty, schedule, session descriptions, lodging and scholarships. Come write by the beach!
The first 16 registrants win a free book!
If you can't make it to Pawleys in late October, have no fear! We've got a virtual conference Oct. 7-9 for those of you who want or need to stay at home. Or you can attend both! Registration for our virtual conference option opens soon. Watch for details!
FEBRUARY EVENTS
We had a great month of virtual events in January, starting off with our generative workshop, a conversation about publishing a memoir, a fruitful shared writers studio hosted by the Columbia II chapter, and most recently, a fantastic Become an Author workshop with Jenn Solheim on writing sound and silence. Join us for our February Writer's Studio members-only event hosted by the Aiken chapter. Register at Virtual Events. Members can access recordings of these events in the Members Only section of the website.
WOMEN'S HISTORY MONTH, NATIONAL POETRY MONTH PLANS
SCWA is celebrating Women’s History Month in March and National Poetry Month in April by holding a partner event with the Nickelodeon Theatre in Columbia, S.C. Celebrating the life and work of poet Ruth Stone and as part of the documentary Vast Library of the Female Mind showing at the Nick, SCWA plans to hold a poetry reading. Details to come soon!
Submission Opportunity
Publications
THE PETIGRU REVIEW
SCWA member submissions for The Petigru Review will open in April, with worldwide submissions opening later on in the year for our annual digital issue to be published in September 2022. Stay tuned for more details, including volunteer opportunities, in future newsletters. In the meantime, you can direct any questions to Maria Picone, managing editor, at mspicone@gmail.com.
Membership News
MESSAGE FROM SCWA'S NEW VP, MEMBERSHIP
When I was first approached about serving on the SCWA Board, my immediate reaction was, "No, I don’t have time." A couple weeks later, someone else suggested it again. This time I paid more attention, as I'm a firm believer in "signs" from the universe and to listening to your intuition. And to be honest, I'm no busier than other writers.
So, as I begin my tenure the as vice president, membership, I'm glad I accepted the role. As I've witnessed the board's dedication to ensuring SCWA is the best writers' organization it can be, I am grateful to them and to the others before us who worked diligently.
As membership VP. I commit to you — our membership and other writer friends who are considering joining — that I will do my part in building a diverse, inclusive and thriving membership. If you have any questions, suggestions or concerns about membership, feel email me at SCWAmembership@gmail.com.
Oh, and one more thing: keep writing!
Wanda Craig writes as Raegan Teller
MEMBER ACCOLADES
We continue to applaud our members for their writing accomplishments and highlight some of those here:
Patricia Brandon's novel, A Rule of Life, has been selected as a 2021 Book of the Year by the UK-based Coffee Pot Book Club
Barbara Evers won the Imadjinn Best Fantasy Novel from the Imaginarium Convention for her debut novel, The Watchers of Moniah.
Miriam Van Scott's Bandun Gate launched recently and has been selected as an enviable Amazon Bestseller and was the #1 new release in its category for the week of Jan. 24, 2022.
Our own SCWA president, Kasie Whitener, again has been recognized for her work The Shower, awarded the Broad River Prize by Fall Lines Literary, part of the Jasper Project
Congratulations to these award winners! You inspire us and make us stronger!
Questions or suggestions about SCWA membership?
Email scwamembership@gmail.com.