2017 Festival History

Patricia “Nolia” Biggerstaff, Luke Parker Bowles, Lynn Markovich Bryant, Cassandra King Conroy, Melissa Conroy, Tim Conroy, Debbi Covington, Jessica Crouch, Kate Daniels, William E. Dufford, Nathalie Dupree, Stephanie Austin Edwards, Carl B. Epps III, Margaret Shinn Evans, Bud Ferillo, George Garbade, Scott Graber, Jonathan Haupt, Alexia Helsley, Rockelle Henderson, Sean Hueston, Elijah Heyward Jr., Kim Shealy Jeffcoat, Mike Jones, Matt & Ted Lee (the Lee Bros.), Nina Leipold, Amey Lewis, Cate Lineberry, Michael Livingston, L. K. McCall, Bren McClain, Ray McManus, Susan Madison, Ellen Malphrus, Lauren Rule Maxwell, Florence Minor, Wendell Minor, Michael Boulware Moore, Janis Owens, Sallie Ann Robinson, J. C. Sasser, Valerie Sayers, Bernie Schein, Maggie Schein, Nicole Seitz, Catherine Seltzer, Victoria Smalls, Katie Stagliano, Ann Kidd Taylor, Deno Trakas, Daniel Cross Turner, Adam Vines, John Warley

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?

Workshop: Tapping Your Creative Genius: A Workshop for Fostering Inspiration
October 19, 2017 @ 2:00 pm – 3:00 pm
Workshop leader: Creativity coach, poet, and artist Susan Madison

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.

Workshop: Tell Me a Story… in Verse: The Continuing Appeal of Narrative Poetry
October 20, 2017 @ 10:30 am – 11:30 am
Workshop Leaders: Hard Lines: Rough South Poetry editor Daniel Cross Turner and poets Kate Daniels, Ray McManus, and Adam Vines.

This poetry-writing workshop features three of the best writers—and teachers—of poetry across the contemporary South: Kate Daniels, Ray McManus, and Adam Vines. They will help participants learn how to tell a story… in verse.

Workshop: Writing and Illustrating for the Children’s Book Market
October 20, 2017 @ 2:00 pm – 3:00 pm
Workshop leader: Melissa Conroy

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.

Workshop: Creative Organization for Writers
October 21, 2017 @ 10:30 am – 11:30 am
Workshop leader: Stephanie Austin Edwards

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.

Workshop: Book Publishing & Marketing – An Insider’s Guide
October 21, 2017 @ 2:00 pm – 3:00 pm
Workshop Leader: Editing, marketing, and representation consultant Rockelle Henderson

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.