SCWA / The Quill / June 2023
June 2023
Message from the President
THE WORK OF WRITERS AND STORYTELLERS
The week before Memorial Day I went on a walking tour of the University of South Carolina’s Columbia campus led by the Office of Veterans Affairs. The tour highlighted fallen Gamecocks – erstwhile students who had joined various war efforts from Gettysburg to Bagram. One of our last stops was at the World War Memorial, dedicated on May 30, 1935, and so named because they didn’t know it would only be the first World War.
Inside the memorial is a sanctuary and a stone inscription hangs on the wall, flanked by flags. It read, in part, “Soldiers of South Carolina this is your peoples’ tribute to the spirit that made you patriots ….” Several other lines espousing the nobility of the fallen finished with “God rest your souls and may He help the living to be worthy to reap in the fields of honor where you have sown.”
The inscription was written by Ambrose Elliot Gonzales, one of two brothers who founded The State newspaper (more info here). I couldn’t find the full inscription anywhere online but if you’d like to read it in its entirety, send me an email (kasie@clemsonroad.com) and I’ll share it with you.
It is often the work of writers, journalists, authors and storytellers, to propel the lessons and hopes of previous generations to those who follow. When we read historic documents and experience the intentions of their authors, we accept the responsibility to fulfill the promise of our collective future. One that will, hopefully, far surpass the past.
I hope you were each able to mark Memorial Day in some meaningful way. And yes, hot dogs with neighbors qualifies. Let our gratitude be a shared grace and our hope for the future a unifying passion.
Kasie Whitener
President, SCWA Board of Directors
2023 Storyfest Update
We’ve assembled an impressive list of speakers and instructors for the 2023 Storyfest, SCWA’s writing conference in Columbia this fall. We have a few more surprises in store, so watch this space. The conference is shaping up to be the region’s biggest gathering of Southern writers in years.
If you haven’t seen the line-up or the schedule for the Nov. 3 through 5 conference, visit 2023 Storyfest.
Wondering where to stay? SpringHill Suites in downtown Columbia is offering discounted room rates for conference-goers.
Each suite includes a coffee maker, mini-fridge, microwave and pull-out trundle bed so you can double up and split room costs. A shuttle bus will take guests to and from the conference.
The SCWA rate – $219/night – is available for Friday, Nov. 3, until Sunday, Nov. 5. Reservations must be booked by Friday, Oct. 30, to receive the conference rate.
To register or get more information visit SpringHill Suites.
CONFERENCE SPOTLIGHT: CHARLIE LOVETT
Few writers are as close to books as North Carolina writer Charlie Lovett. The child of a book-collecting English professor, he started an antiquarian book business in 1984.
He began collecting books and other items relating to Lewis Carroll, the author of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. (Lovett owns Carroll's 1888 typewriter.)
Not surprisingly, he drew on his background for his first novel.
In The Bookman's Tale, a grieving antiquarian bookseller discovers a clue to an age-old question: Did Shakespeare really write his plays?
The 2013 novel became a New York Times bestseller. Kirkus Reviews called The Bookman's Tale a mashup of Agatha Christie, Alfred Hitchcock and Noel Coward.
The Library Journal agreed: "A gripping literary mystery that is compulsively readable until the thrilling end."
Since then, Lovett has written six novels, including a literary mystery about Jane Austen, a sequel to Charles Dickens's A Christmas Carol, a middle-grade book about four children who discover a magical library, and a thriller about a small-town librarian who teams up with a professional assassin to solve a 75-year-old Nazi mystery.
He has published 14 children's plays, including his first, Twinderella, which won the Shubert Fendrich Playwriting Award. His plays have been seen in over 5,000 productions in the U.S. and more than 20 foreign countries.
He also hosts Inside the Writer's Studio, a podcast about writers and their craft. He's interviewed some of the publishing world’s biggest players: John Grisham, Grady Hendrix, Lauren Groff and Scott Turow.
It's an impressive oeuvre.
Lovett will join other 20 other writers for 2023 Storyfest in Columbia. On Saturday, Nov. 4, he'll discuss writing across different genres. Don't miss it!
STORYFEST SPEAKER JULIA FRANKS AT HUB CITY BOOKSTORE
Award-winning writer Julia Franks, the author of the new novel The Say So, will be at the Hub City Bookshop in Spartanburg at 6 p.m. Tuesday, June 13.
Her first novel, Over the Plain Houses, won five prestigious literary prizes, including the Thomas Wolfe Award, Southern Book Prize and Georgia Author of the Year.
The Say So is a sweeping novel about two young women contending with unplanned pregnancies in different eras. "Julia Franks has written a beautiful story of mothers and daughters, old friendships, broken hearts and tough choices. This is a powerful novel, and an important one too," says Wiley Cash, author of When Ghosts Come Home.
On Nov. 5, Franks will talk about novel writing with National Book Award-winner Jason Mott and other authors at SCWA's 2023 Storyfest in Columbia.
Her book tour starts this month. Want to see her in Spartanburg? RSVP (and reserve your copy of The Say So) at Hub City Press.
CALL FOR STORYFEST SPONSORS, PARTNERS, FRIENDS
Interested in being a sponsor at 2023 Storyfest? Friends, partners, breakout title sponsors and donations are welcome! Sponsors receive logo placement on promotional and conference materials; mentions ahead of sessions; tables to sell books; and entry to the events (subject to sponsorship levels).
Know an indie press that would like to attend? Send them the form. Know a bookstore, blogger, influencer or editor that would like to meet our attendees? Send them the form. Thanks for helping SCWA make 2023 Storyfest the best event we've ever hosted.
Paul Davis
VP/Events and Education
Membership
MEMBER SPOTLIGHT: MAUREEN MORRIS
Each month, we spotlight one of our members, selected at random. This month we feature Maureen Morris. She is an artist, illustrator and writer currently residing in South Carolina with her husband. Her background is in graphic design, illustration and copywriting, and she proudly holds a BFA degree from Colorado State University. For more than two decades, she owned a freelance design studio in Colorado, during which time she developed, designed and illustrated a small greeting card line.
Over the past 10 years, a series of opportunities have taken her from Colorado to northern Arizona, and finally to South Carolina. During these transitions, she has attended writing classes, workshops and conferences to sharpen her writing skills. She also joined the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) and the South Carolina Writers Association (SCWA) and started a local children's book writers critique group.
Morris is passionate about reading, writing and storytelling and has combined these with her love of creating playful illustrations. As a result, her latest adventure is writing and illustrating picture books, while also working on her memoir.
Thanks for being an SCWA member, Maureen!
FLORENCE CHAPTER NO LONGER MEETING
Dianne Poston Owens has stepped down as leader of the Florence Chapter. At this time, the chapter is no longer meeting. We are grateful to Dianne for all she's done in service to SCWA over the years. If anyone is interested in leading the Florence area chapter, either locally or virtually, please contact us at SCWAMembership@gmail.com.
NEW MEMBER ORIENTATION
Our next New Member Orientation will be scheduled for August and the date and invitation to attend will be in the July issue of The Quill.
WE INVITE YOU TO COME BACK!
If you've let your SCWA membership lapse, don't despair. You can rejoin at any time so that you don't miss out on chapter participation, the free-for-members Summer Series of meet-ups on Zoom to discuss various writing topics, various workshops throughout the year, the annual conference, and much more. We'd like to have you back in our network of writers.
Raegan Teller
VP/Membership
Questions or suggestions about SCWA membership?
Email SCWAmembership@gmail.com.