As a writer, how do you sift through all of the noise to find feedback that resonates? As a reader, how do you provide feedback that matters? Authors and writing partners for fifteen years, Bren McClain (author of One Good Mama Bone) and J.C. Sasser (author of Gradle Bird) will discuss the give and take of a successful critiquing partnership, what makes it work, and what makes it sustainable and helpful over time. They'll share their own story and offer you ways to attract and [...]

We are each born with unique gifts. As a result, we have individual opportunities and responsibilities to share our gifts with others in meaningful ways. Learning to recognize and nurture one’s idiosyncratic talents can lead to a lifetime of inspiration and focused creativity in writing or other arts. Join River Journey Life Guide Susan Madison in this engaging workshop that will explore the inherent connectivity between creativity and purpose to help you tap your inner creative genius and give you the tools you’ve been searching [...]

“Well, if I’m Athena, you’re my Apollo—the god of poetry, truth, and music. Your natural language is poetry. You write sentences that are like an incantation. You observe every nuance of human behavior and dig deep down to the truth, presenting it in all its glorious and stubborn complexity.”—Barbra Streisand, letter to Pat Conroy (2015) According to Pat Conroy, “the most powerful words in English are ‘Tell me a story.’” But to tell a story most powerfully, most memorably, he well understood that we need [...]

Have you ever thought about writing a children’s book? Or illustrating one? How hard can it be to create a successful 32-page picture book? Let’s find out. Join children’s book author and artist (and Pat Conroy’s daughter) Melissa Conroy as she shares instructive stories from her own paths to publication and discusses the children’s book market as she was experienced as both the author and artist of Poppy’s Pants and also the author of Grandma Is an Author. Open to interested creators at any level [...]

Finding time for writing is a challenge for many, so let’s learn to make the most of limited time through being better organized for creativity. This class offers productivity advice and tools on how to get started and keep going for maximum creative flow and minimum technical frustration. Novelist and writing teacher and consultant Stephanie Austin Edwards will guide participants through making and maintaining a writing schedule; organizing documents and files for consistent easy access; formatting work for submission to editors, agents, and publishers; discussing [...]

You’ve written a book! Now what? Rockelle Henderson, a New York publishing insider and founder of the Bluffton Book Festival will outline the steps toward publishing successfully among today’s many options. This workshop will teach writers how to position their books for the appropriate target audience by first understanding and committing to that audience. The class offers insight into what it really means to be published in a market in which publication can take an increasing number of forms, and how marketing and distribution play [...]