SCWA / The Quill / July 2022

July 2022

Message from the President

I SAW THE SIGN AND IT OPENED UP
MY EYES
 
When we first moved to Columbia in 2012, the city was under a tourism campaign that read, “Famously Hot.” Billboards flanked the city on the inbound interstates, and just about every citywide event adopted the “Famously Hot” moniker, from blues festivals to farmer’s markets to parades. 
 
Although born in Florence in 1977, I was raised in Virginia and returned to my native state in 1995 to attend Clemson, where I married my husband in 2001. We spent the early aughts in Charlotte, where I attended Winthrop University in Rock Hill and worked for a small company in York. We bought our first home in Easley in 2004, and our daughter was born at Greenville Hospital in 2008.
 
Columbia, despite being the nucleus around which the rest of the state reluctantly revolves, has a terrible reputation. I was less than thrilled to move here in 2012. 
 
The billboards changed my mind. What’s better than honesty? Knowing one’s own self and boldly declaring it. In hero terms, it’s the equivalent of “I am what I am.” In corporate terms, “It is what it is.”
 
Columbia is HOT.
 
I tell out-of-state folks that the only thing separating Columbia from Hell is a screen door. There are days in July that make you wonder what sins the people around you are being punished for.
 
Despite the heat, a band of SCWA writers gathered for fellowship, sharing and support on Saturday, June 25. We sat together outside for five hours, under tent-provided shade, sipping water bottles from iced coolers and reading passages from our published and unpublished work.
 
The Inside/Out event was our first face-to-face gathering for the full SCWA community since the Beaufort retreat in 2019. Inside/Out was unstructured, unpretentious and provided a unique opportunity for SCWA members – by longevity, leadership role, writing credentials and chapter experience – to discuss what the future of our writing community should be.
 
We were honest. 
 
We told stories, read pages and shared perspectives on the world at large and the world inside our chapters and our organization. Thank you to those who came. I hope more of you will join us for our October conference at Pawley’s Island. Let’s get face-to-face and share with candor and compassion the truth we know about ourselves.
 
Every journey we’ve ever taken has been flanked by signs, and sometimes the signs change us with their honesty. 
 
What signs have you seen that altered your path? Or changed your mind? Send me your thoughts at kasie@clemsonroad.com.

Kasie Whitener
President, SCWA Board of Directors

Events and Education

WRITING CONVERSATIONS: LISA FORBES

Writing a memoir? Looking for an agent? Join author Lisa Forbes and journalist Paul Davis at noon July 14 via Zoom for Writing Conversations: From Felon to Author, Trauma to Memoir, a free talk on how to write about the past, find an agent and land a publisher.
 
First-time author Forbes sold her story to an independent publisher after spending 14 years in prison for murder. She launched her book last month amid rave reviews.
 
Here are a few:
 
Foreword Reviews: "Lisa Forbes writes with power and insight."
 
Library Journal: "Forbes' memoir reads like a mash-up of episodes of Orange Is the New Black, a Toni Morrison novel, a self-improvement book, and a polemic—in the best possible way."
 
Kirkus Reviews: "An inspiringly courageous memoir."

USC AIKEN HOSTING BOOK FAIR 2022
 
USC Aiken is seeking speakers and exhibitors for Book Fair 2022, set for 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 24.
 
The theme of this year's event is "Writers and Their Muses." As the Greeks had Muses for the arts (music, dance, epic poetry, history, etc.), we all have our guiding inspirations. Whether you write romance, mystery, fantasy, sci-fi, historical fiction or in multiple genres, one question all writers get is, "where do you get your ideas?" You have a chance to communicate with potential customers and bring them into your creative process.
 
A limited number of exhibitor booths are available, providing an opportunity to sell directly to the public, here’s your chance. Spaces are available for $35 for a six-foot table.

 The Book Fair will be held at the Etherredge Center on the USCA campus, an easily accessible venue with plenty of parking.

For information, contact fair coordinator Steve Gordy at authorsteveginaiken@gmail.com.

Publications and Contests

THE PETIGRU REVIEW SUBMISSIONS WINDOW OPEN
 
The submission window for the 2022 issue of The Petigru Review remains open for SCWA members and nonmembers through July 31, 2022. Members can submit at a discounted rate and the magazine will pay a $5 honorarium upon publication to each accepted author or artist. We are seeking cover art, book excerpts/chapters, nonfiction, fiction, flash and poetry. Complete guidelines can be found at The Petigru Review and Submittable.

Contact Managing Editor Maria S. Picone at mspicone@gmail.com with any questions.

Membership

CHAPTERS PROVIDE NETWORKING, FEEDBACK

Among the many benefits of being an SCWA member is the opportunity to belong to a chapter. In fact, there’s no limit to the number of chapters you can join. Whether the chapter meets in-person or virtually, you’ll have a chance to interact with other writers and get valuable feedback on your work.

Because of the Covid situation the past couple of years, some of the chapters that originally met in-person are now meeting virtually or have a hybrid schedule that combines both venues. We encourage you to check the website regularly for changes.

If you’re looking for a chapter to join, go to https://www.myscwa.org/local-and-virtual-chapters and read the “Meeting Information” column, which provides their meeting schedule and venue. You will note that some of the chapters are genre specific. If no genre is shown, the chapter is open to all types of writing. To get additional information, just click on the chapter leader’s name and send an email with your questions.

Also, don’t feel embarrassed if you attend a chapter meeting and discover it’s not a good fit for you. Just try another one. Since each of our 20 chapters is unique, we’re sure you’ll find the perfect fit. If you need assistance on SCWA chapters, just contact us at SCWAMembership@gmail.com.

Questions or suggestions about SCWA membership?
Email SCWAmembership@gmail.com.