cj Sez: I spent all yesterday
at the Ben May … the main branch of the Mobile Public Library system … at the inaugural
Mobile Literary Festival. A free event co-sponsored by the Library and the
Mobile Writers Guild for authors and readers, and it came complete with well-known
authors, dignitaries, and small publishers as well as offering author workshops
and panels.
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| Photo by Linda Busby Parker |
Did I mention it was free? Now these are the kind of
conference/literary events that should appeal to all authors wanting to build a
fan base AND do some skill building at the same time. It was a one-day event that was
close to home and free. (Love that sentence.)
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| T.K. Thorne Photo by Jodie Cain Smith |
The first workshop of the morning was led by T.K. Thorne, an
award-winning author who is both traditionally published and
self-published. (Spotted in her audience, way back in the left far corner, is City of Mobile Mayor William “Sandy” Stimpson. Hmm, a memoir, perhaps?)
A workshop led by Carrie Dalby, our local Society of
Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators liaison and the author of two YA novels, covered the things that
differentiate books in all age levels—from baby books and picture books to
young adult novels.
Angela Quarles, the 2016 RITA Award winner for Must Love Chainmail, led a “plotting
101” workshop, exploring the importance of plot in genre fiction and the
three-act structure.
Prolific author Joyce Scarbrough took her workshop audience
though “the nuances of creating characters in high definition 3D, no special glasses
required” (ergo, no more cardboard characters).
Former Alabama Poet Laureate Dr. Sue Brannan Walker, herself
a small-press publisher (Negative Capability Press), presented a brown bag
lunch session called, “What’s new on the local scene.”
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| Thom Gossom, Jr. Photo by Jodie Cain Smith |
Thom Gossom, Jr., professional actor (Fight Club, Jeepers Creepers2 and Miss Ever’s Boys), writer, and history-making Auburn athlete (a
football walk-on who defied the odds by earning a scholarship, becoming a
three-year starter, and the first Black athlete to graduate from Auburn
University), gave the keynote address.
Conference coordinator and all-around whirlwind Jodie Cain
Smith moderated the publishing industry discussion panel that included Mr.
Gossom, Watt Key (author of Alabama Moon,
Dirt Road Home, and coming in 2017, Hideout),
Angela Quarles and local small press publishers Deer Hawk Publications and
Excalibur Press.
Did I mention that all this was free? I know I did, but I wanted to say it again.
The idea behind this post is to remind authors that you don’t
have to search far and wide for networking conferences and skill-building
workshops that are offered at minimal or no cost. Take advantage of all the
events offered at your local library and/or local writing group. Networking with
other writers, whether in person or on-line, is as much a skill-building
activity as a workshop might be.
Okay, you-all guys keep on keeping on, and I’ll try to do
the same.
Be sure to stop by Wednesday for a guest post from author R. V.
Reyes, discussing readers’ increasingly loud calls for more diverse characters
in fiction writing.
cj
PS: It’s getting
awfully close to some important gift-giving holidays. May I suggest, for 99
cents, a gift of six novels that will give hours of entertainment to your favorite romance
reader: “More Than Friends,” available now until February 2017 for less than a
buck. A great deal…and one that includes my novel, Choosing Carter! http://amzn.to/2dnqnLJ
cjpetterson@gmail.com
I had a great time and look forward to seeing this event get bigger and bigger over the coming years. And "whirlwind" is definitely the right term to describe Jodie! :-)
ReplyDelete~Joyce Scarbrough
cj Sez" It was a marvelous event, and I think Jodie did everything but wash the dishes (and since I wasn't in the kitchen, she might have done that, too). It was an important event for Mobile, the Mobile Writers Guild, and the Mobile Public Library. I was happy to have been there. ...and thanks for stopping by.
ReplyDeleteWhat a nice thing for your library to do! Sounds like a wonderful event.
ReplyDeletecj Sez: The library has been super supportive of local authors and the Mobile Writers Guild for many years. They are a great organization for writers and readers. Thanks for stopping by, Kaye.
ReplyDelete