Authors leave a mark on the people who read their work.
Of those writers attending the recent Southern Christian Writers Conference in Birmingham, many left with new friends and ideas as well as helpful tips to continue their writing journeys.
Stay updated on stories like this — Get news delivered to your inbox
“I came expecting opportunities to meet authors, editors, publishers, agents and other writers,” said Carolyn Donaldson, an author and Realtor from Tennessee. “What surprised me was finding community — a tribe.
“The Southern Christian Writers Conference felt less like a networking event and more like a family of believers using their gifts in different ways for the same purpose,” Donaldson said. “Whether writing fiction, devotionals, articles or digital content, each person was seeking to honor Christ through their work. I left with valuable feedback on my manuscript, but even more importantly, I left encouraged and reminded that I am not walking this journey alone.”
Around 200 writers attended SCWC June 19–20 at The Church at Brook Hills in Birmingham. The annual event also featured a book room, a prayer room and keynote speakers Charles Ghigna, also known as Father Goose, and Cindy Sproles, a devotional and fiction writer.
Keynote speakers
“My books, like yours, have taken me many places,” said Ghigna, who has written more than 5,000 poems and written over 100 books. “Every time I have a new (book), it’s my favorite.”
Ghigna lives in Homewood, Alabama, and credits his wife with his inspiration. He urged the participants to write not for children but as a child.
“I pop out of bed, and I clap my hands and say, “What great thing will this day bring?” Ghigna said. He read poems from “A Poem is a Firefly” and “The Very Hungry Caterpillar’s first poems,” which he created with Eric Carle, author and illustrator of “The Hungry Caterpillar.”
Cindy Sproles, a Tennessee native who writes devotions and books set in the Appalachian Mountains, said “Word of mouth is your best friend,” when it comes to publicizing your work.
Sproles remembers having average grades in high school and aspiring to write. The counselor told her she wasn’t good enough. And as she grew older and started a family, being a mom took precedence. But, she said, “You make time for the things that you want to do. When you make the time, that’s practice, that’s work. It’s work that produces, that produces success.”
She urged the writers to submit their work to competitions. “Put yourself out there,” she said.
Inspiring content
Each year, SCWC celebrates outstanding writing with a few awards in different genres and mediums.
- Magazine Article — first place: Marla Price for “More than Meets the Eye” in Tailgate Magazine; second place: Doug Smith for “Kids and Chatbots: How dissenting views got me disinvited” in Mind Matters; third place: Deborah Malone, “Red Dirt People” in Georgia Backroads; honorable mention: Laura Lee Leathers, “A checkup from the neck up” in Mississippi Christian Living; and Vanessa Jones, “Role Reversal” in Home Life
- Short Fiction — first place: Carole Lehr Johnson, “Heritage of Faith” in Semiquincentennial: A Collection off Diverse Short Stories; second place: Susan Poole, “Here Comes the Sun: Laurel’s Story” in Songs of the Heart; third place: Cindy Pye, “On a Skate and a Prayer” in Love for Keeps
- Poetry — first place: Kelly Mize, “A Guest Unseen,” Anchored Magazine; second place: Bill King, “His Name is Jesus” in This Little Line of Mine: Lyrics, Lines, and Rhymes; third place: Eddie Burchfield, “To Be Kind is the Right Kind” in Chelsea Magazine; honorable mention: Rebecca Lusk, “The Stations of the Cross” in A Collection (East Side Writer’s Group)
- Newspaper Article — first place: Solomon Crenshaw Jr., “From Selma to Montgomery: Alabama marches for civil rights once again” in The Handbasket; second place: Tracy Riggs Frontz, “Ady’s BIG army helping those with disabilities make ‘beautiful things,” in The Alabama Baptist; third place: April McCay, “Dad and me at the Vietnam Veteran Ceremony” in The Blount Countian
- Blog Post — first place: Billy Ready, “Listening Well, Loving Well”; second place: Susan Poole, “Splashing”; third place: Cyndy Pye, “Beauty and Difficulty”; honorable mention: Shea Pirtle, “His Signs”
- Devotion — first place: Kelly Mize, “A Whisper of Peace” in Arise Daily Devotions; second place: Mark Wainright, “He is Risen” in Go! Magazine; third place: Carissa Lovvorn, “Name in the Sky” in Coffee with God, vol. 6; honorable mention: Alice Murray, “New Chapter, New Perspective” in All Things New
This year’s Joanne Sloan Award for the Encouragement of Writers was given to Cheryl Wray, coordinator of the Southern Christian Writers Conference.
Upside to journaling
Javacia Bowser, founder of See Jane Write and current editor of The Birmingham Times, said she journals to keep her organized, to get ideas down on paper, to make plans for the future, to speak to her past self.
“I journaled my way through cancer,” she said in her breakout session. “You can literally save people’s lives … by sharing your story. Your journal is that safe space.”
While she wouldn’t share the rants and raves fully, the entries can be used to help others.
“How can my story help somebody?” she asks. Look through your writing and see what you can share.
Bowser advises being intentional about journaling. Make time for it.
“It’s also good to have an any time, any place attitude,” she said. “Evening pages, lunch break pages, hiding in the bathroom pages” … all of these can be useful for your writing.
She also led the group in a journaling exercise, asking a question and giving them time to write.
Share with others: