The leaders for the 2022 Southern Christian Writers Conference are professional, prolific, and knowledgeable about a wide variety of writing topics. They will teach you new information, while also encouraging and inspiring you from a faith background.
We can't wait to have them with us on June 3-4 in Birmingham.
(Note: Registration for the 2022 SCWC opens on April 1. Stay tuned for all the details.)
Let's get to know them a little bit better:
Sean Dietrich
Friday night keynote presentation, "A Night with Sean Dietrich"
Sean is a columnist, novelist, and podcast host, known for his commentary on life in the American South. His work has appeared in Newsweek, Southern Living,
Garden and Gun, the Birmingham News, and many other publications. He's authored 13 books, including his most recent Will the Circle Be Unbroken?: A Memoir of Learning to Believe You’re Gonna Be Okay (Zondervan Books). Other books include the novels The Incredible Winston Browne and Stars of Alabama and the essay collections On the Road, Whistling Dixie, Caution: This Vehicle Makes Frequent Stops for Boiled Peanuts, The South's Okayest Writer, and others. You can listen to his podcast HERE, visit his website HERE, and check out his Facebook page HERE.
"A Night with Sean Dietrich" will be part of the SCWC registration, but will also be available as a single event purchase for people who'd like to attend his session only. It will be followed by a light "cookies and punch" reception.
Hallee Bridgeman
Saturday keynote presentation
Workshop: "Building an Author Platform"
With nearly a million book sales, Hallee writes action-packed romantic suspense focusing on realistic characters who face real-world problems. Her work has been described as everything from refreshing to heart-stopping exciting and edgy. She's the author of 43 books and has served as the Director of the Kentucky
Christian Writers Conference and President of the Faith-Hope-Love chapter of the Romance Writers of America. She's known as an inspiring speaker and also an expert on fiction techniques, self publishing, marketing, and more. Visit Hallee's website HERE to learn more about her books and testimony.
Celeste McCauley
Virtual keynote presentation: "The Power of the Inspirational Story: Writing for Guideposts’ Magazines and Books”
Celeste is the senior editor of special projects at Guideposts, the inspirational magazine now in its 76th year. Guideposts’ stable of magazines, books, and digital platforms reach millions of readers across the country and the world.
Celeste is in charge of the magazine’s celebrity cover stories and has interviewed stars including Dolly Parton, Jennifer Hudson, Kristin Chenoweth and Trisha Yearwood. She also works on the inspiring first-person stories of everyday people for which the magazine is known. She loves collaborating with people at all different writing levels to help get their stories to print and especially enjoys finding the small, slice-of-life stories that often go unnoticed.
Gregg Bridgeman
Workshop: "He said/She said: Crafting Super Realistic Dialogue"
Gregg hates bios, and though he understands their necessity, he just had to get that out of the way. He was born at a very young age. For most of his childhood, he was poor, unemployed, and ignorant. He didn’t even have a high school education. After accepting his pity diploma, he discovered he wasn’t suited to be
a tailor. The muffler factory was exhausting. He couldn’t cut it as a barber and didn’t have the patience to be a doctor. He wasn’t a good fit at the shoe factory. He just didn’t put his soul into it. The paper company folded. Pool maintenance was too draining. He got fired from the canon factory. He just couldn’t see a future as a historian. After matriculating at numerous institutions of higher learning—some of them even accredited—one gave him a bachelors so he would leave and stop eating all the hot-pockets. After serving with the strawberry berets—and having grown accustomed to thankless work—Gregg settled on a career field that was wide open because absolutely no one else wanted to do it. He became an editor.
(Gregg's edited more than 100 Christian novels, and is the owner of Olivia Kimbrell Press, Inc. with his wife Hallee Bridgeman.)
Javacia Bowser
Workshop: "Blog your Book"
Javacia is an award-winning freelance journalist and essayist and the founder of See Jane Write, a website and community for women who write and blog. She's the author of the essay collection Find Your Way Back: How to Write Your Way through Anything, which explores how she has used writing to cope with cancer and everything else life has thrown her way. Javacia was included in Southern
Living magazine’s list of Innovators Changing the South, alongside household names like Dolly Parton and Reese Witherspoon and is a recipient of the 2022 Alabama State Council on the Arts Fellowship. With a focus on women’s lifestyle, wealth, and wellness, Javacia has written for a number of local, regional and national media outlets including USA Today, Business Insider, HerMoney.com, Good Grit magazine, and The Birmingham Times. In 2020, her column for Birmingham magazine was awarded Best Magazine Column by the Alabama Press Association. When she's not writing, Javacia enjoys spending time with her husband Edward, eating tacos, and listening to Beyonce.
Shirley Crowder
Workshop: "Writing Devotionals: Capturing and Sharing Glimpses of God"
Shirley is an award-winning author who has published articles for David C. Cook, Student Life, and Woman’s Missionary Union publications and writes regularly for
the Faith section of The Gadsden (Alabama) Times. She is the author, co-author, and contributing author of twelve books. Her devotional books include Glimpses of Prayer: A Devotional, Prayer Warrior Confessions, Advent: Meditations for Addicts, and the award-winning seasonal Glimpses of God devotional book series. Shirley is passionate about disciple-making, which is conducted in and through a myriad of ministry opportunities including biblical counseling, teaching Bible studies, writing, and music. She serves as Vice President of The Addiction Connection. Learn more about Shirley's books HERE at her Amazon author page.
Alexandria Cunningham
Workshop: "Writing Children's Books"
Allie is a kindergarten teacher at the University Charter School in Livingston, Alabama who received her bachelor’s degree in Interdisciplinary Studies from
the University of West Alabama in 2015, and her master’s degree in Early Childhood and Elementary Education in May of 2018. She is also an Alzheimer’s advocate a. She has established her own children’s book publishing company, “Inspiring Honey Publishing, LLC” with an imprint called “Funky Fresh Nerds,” where she writes young adult novellas. She recently spoke to local schools in conjunction with the Monroeville (Ala.) Literary Festival and was a 2020 grant recipient of the Alabama Humanities Foundation. Allie’s most recent books are Honey’s Dance Recital and Hot Tea & Laughter. She lives in West Alabama with her husband Kirstan and their dog Kemper. Her hobbies include reading, movies and all things tea.
McKenna Erwin
Workshop: "Organizational Skills for Writers"
McKenna is a business owner, homeschooler, volunteer extraordinaire, and mother of six children. She owns The Empowered Parent community (which includes social
media activity and a podcast with her husband Jake) and The Monarch Mama (which includes daily writing and encouragement, as well as an online boutique). She writes on parenting topics for a variety of publications and is the author of the "Parenting Plus" ebook series. With her incredibly busy lifestyle, she's learned to develop strong organizational and time management skills. McKenna has a degree in elementary education from the University of West Alabama and also serves as the assistant coordinator for the Southern Christian Writers Conference.
Laurie Stroud Franklin
Workshop: "Writing for Christian Magazines"
Laurie is the founder and President of The Christian Family Publication, Inc. (CFP)
based in Birmingham, Ala. CFP published its first magazine, Birmingham Christian Family, in 2000 and since thenhas started and franchised publications in cities throughout the Southeast (including Anniston, the Gulf Coast, and Nashville). The goal of the publications is to spread positive, Christian information in communities across America. Laurie grew up in Birmingham, the daughter of a Lutheran minister. She attended Vanderbilt University and graduated with honors in English. She worked as a television news anchor and health reporter before pursuing a career in marketing and public relations. Check out Christian Family Publications HERE.
Bryan Gill
Workshop, with Brad Hill: "Creating and Marketing your Podcast"
Bryan is the co-host of The Storied Outdoors podcast, which is described as "somewhere between Lewis and Tolkien and Lewis and Clark, finding clarity in the
stories we tell and the adventures that shape us." He is the Director of University Assessment and Accreditation at Samford University, and has a Masters of Divinity from Beeson Divinity School. He alsoserves as the men’s ministry director for Shades Mountain Baptist Church. He enjoys kayaking, fly fishing, and outdoor photography. Bryan is also a book author; his latest books include the How to Be a Man devotional line with IronHill Press, and his debut novel, The Devils in Alabama. Bryan has been married to Sarah for 15 years and they have two young children.
Brad Hill is the co-host of The Storied Outdoors podcast. He is a songwriter and music, and serves as worship and missions pastor for Mars Hill Church in Mobile, Ala. He is a two-time Ironman finisher and avid outdoorsman. When he's not serving in his church, you can find him outdoors riding his bike, on a run, or with a fly rod in his hand. Brad is married to Paige Hill, and they have two children.
Kelly Kazek
Workshop: "Marketing with Social Media, Parts 1 and 2" w/ Will Elrick
Kelly is the author of 14 books and a weekly humor column, who writes regularly about odd roadside attractions, colorful characters, and quirky characters for AL.com/Alabama Media Group, the state's largest media presence. She's won
more than 180 state and national press awards, and was previously editor of a small town newspaper for 11 years. Her most recent projects are the picture books Y is for Y'all: A Book of Southern ABCs and 10 Baskets of Biscuits: A Southern Counting Book. These latest projects are part of her work with It's a Southern Thing, which has a huge social media platform on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, and more. She lives in Huntsville, Alabama, with husband Will Erick, whom she married after 20 lonnnnng years as a single mom.
Will Elrick is the Marketing and Media Director for Huntsville's Broadway Theatre League; his job involves all parts of the promotional process for the national touring Broadway shows and other major productions sponsored by the League, including work on al social media platforms. He's also previously written for the "We are Huntsville" website and is the author of Covered Bridge of Alabama and Alabama Scoundrels: Outlaws, Pirates, Bandits and Bushwhackers with wife Kelly Kazek. Will is also a Bigfoot enthusiast who will pose for pictures when asked.
Check out Kelly's Amazon page HERE, learn more about It's a Southern Thing HERE.
E.J. Kitchens
Workshops: "Writing Fantasy"
E.J. Kitchens is the author of seven novels and other short works, all adventure-romance stories set in fantasy worlds, with many more begging to be written.
Her books include The Rose and the Wand and To Catch a Magic Thief in the "Of Magic and Mirrors" series; Wrought of Silver and Raven and Wrought of Serpent and Snow in the "Of Magic Made" series; and Midnight for a Curse and Cursed for Keeps in the "Curse Breaker" series. Her novels have been selected as Books of the Month for the Fellowship of Fantasy Indie Book Club and Wrought of Silver and Ravens was the March 2022 featured book in Phoenix Crate's subscription book box. Kitchens is a microbiologist by trade and lives in Alabama.
Anna Nash
Workshop: "How to Collaborate as an Author" w/ Katy Shelton
Anna has a passion for helping people discover God’s design for life and work. As a life coach, she focuses on finding their God-given purpose. Beacon People, a nonprofit organization, was birthed out of this calling. She is the coauthor of Christmas Matters: How the Birth of Jesus Makes a Difference Every
Day and Easter Matters: How the Resurrection of Jesus Changes You. Anna is the author of pathFinder: A Journey Towards Purpose and wayMaker: A Journey Towards Seeing and Experiencing God Like Never Before. Anna is a member of Redeemer Community Church, leads Bible studies, and speaks at women’s conferences and workshops around the southeast. She and her husband, Tyler, have four grown children and own Innova Coffee in Birmingham, Alabama. Visit Anna on her website annanash.net.
Katy Shelton
Katy is the Amazon bestselling co-author with Anna Nash of Easters Matters: -How the Resurrection of Jesus Changes You and Christmas Matters: How the Birth of Jesus Makes a Difference Every Day. She graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree from Auburn University. She is a freelance writer for Lake magazine and has been published on numerous blogs including Rooted Ministry, Beacon People, Grown & Flown, Scary Mommy, and Blunt Moms. A native of Birmingham, AL, she lives on Lake Martin with her husband. You can visit Katy online at katyshelton.
John Phillips
Workshop: "Amazon 101: Tools for Authors"
John is a writer specializing in nature and outdoor topics, with more than 6000 published articles in magazines and thousands more newspaper columns and
more than 25,000 photos in a variety of publications. His work included a weekly syndicated column for 38 Alabama newspapers for more than a decade; he also served as the Outdoor Editor for the Birmingham Post-Herald for 24 years. He’s published more than 100 books, including print books and Kindle ebooks, and is an expert on publishing and marketing on Amazon. John has received numerous prestigious national award for outdoor journalism and is a founding member of the Professional Outdoor Media Association (POMA) and an active member of the Southeastern Outdoors Press Association (SEOPA). He also owns Night Hawk Publications, a marketing and publishing firm.
Jennifer Rash
(Brainstorming session; this will not have a set topic, but will allow attendees to brainstorm writing ideas with an editor/publisher)
Jennifer is editor-in-chief of The Alabama Baptist and The Baptist Paper. She joined The Alabama Baptist as a news writer and worked her way up to
managing editor then executive editor before being named editor-elect in 2015 and then the first female editor of a major Baptist newspaper beginning Jan. 1, 2019. Throughout the years she has helped lead the editorial team to win more than 250 national awards. Jennifer has also served as president of Baptist Communicators Association and vice president of Associated Church Press, two national organizations for professional Christian communicators, and in various positions with Religion Communicators Council, Evangelical Press Association and Alabama Press Association. She is past president of the Association of State Baptist Publications. A native of Phil Campbell, Alabama, Jennifer earned her associate’s degree from Northwest Community College, her bachelor’s degree in communication from the University of Alabama and her master of theological studies from Beeson Divinity School at Samford University in Birmingham. She also received an honorary doctorate from Judson College in Marion, Alabama.
Ramona Richards
Workshops: "Working with a Christian Book Publisher" and
"Deep POV in your Fiction"
Ramona has been a writer since she was a child and an editor since she realized it usually paid better than the writing. She was such a grammar nerd in school all
her friends thought she'd be an English teacher, especially given that one of her hobbies was (and still is) reading the dictionary. Ramona gave her life to Christ at nine and wanted to be a nun until her mother informed her that Methodists did not have nuns.
Ramona has worked for a number of major Christian publishers including Abingdon Press, Thomas Nelson, Rutledge Hill Press, and Ideals magazine, and was most recently associate publisher for Iron Stream Media, the parent company of New Hope® Publishers, New Hope Kidz, Iron Stream Books, Ascender Books, and LPC Books. She loves teaching at writers conferences, but she did eventually add a few other hobbies--she likes to hike, sing, cross-stitch--and she plays the piano and flute with great joy if not a lot of skill. She used to scuba dive but had to give it up because of vertigo. She still likes being in the water and swims whenever she can. A hot tub will do if a pool isn't available. She does watch a little television, with a preference for British murder mysteries, as well as old reruns of Law and Order.
She's the author of eight mystery and suspense books, including Burying Daisy Doe, Murder in the Family, and the upcoming Circle of Vengeance. She'a authored or contributed to another 16 nonfiction books. (See all of her available books HERE.)
Christopher Sloan
Workshop: "Writer as Image of God"
Christopher is is a freelance writer whose publications include magazine articles, columns, short stories, novels, and novellas, both in print and online. He is the
author of the fantasy novel The Forgotten Heroes and the how-to book Ultimate Strength. He has published scores of articles focusing on strength building in national magazines and has been a contributing editor for Planet Muscle and Ironman, two of the most popular strength magazines in the United States. His recent writing has emphasized the role of faith in physical training and martial arts. In 2011 Planet Muscle selected him as one of the top five strength writers in America. He blogs at Blue Jean Theosis, Classical Christianity, and C.S. Sloan’s Integral Strength.
Cheryl Wray
Workshops: "Query Letters and Book Proposals" and
"[Re} Igniting your Passion for Writing"
Cheryl is the coordinator of the Southern Christian Writers Conference (an organization founded in 1991 that sponsors the annual conference, mini
workshops, and an active online community). She's also a freelance writer and book author who has published thousands of articles in a variety of magazines, newspapers, and online publications. She's a prolific author who has published seven books on writing, including the popular Writing For Magazines (McGraw-Hill) which was a Writer's Digest Book Club Featured Selection. Her most recent book is Notes from a Quarantine: Essays. Stories, and Poems (Southern Story). Cheryl has also worked as a sports reporter for AL.com and The Birmingham News and a copy editor for the Woman's Missionary Union publishing house. She's taught classes on writing and journalism as an adjunct professor at the University of Alabama, teaches online courses via SCWC Academy, and is a popular inspirational speaker and instructor. Cheryl lives in the Birmingham, Alabama area where she's the mother of three and grandmother of six. A self-professed nerd, she loves all things science fiction and Marvel; she is also an avid reader and enthusiastic traveler.
Delaney Wray
Workshop: "Using Scripture in your Writing"
Delaney is the pastor of River of Living Water United Methodist Church in Jasper,
Alabama, and a provisional elder in the United Methodist Church. She has a Bachelor's degree in religion from Birmingham-Southern College and a Master's of Divinity degree from Candler School of Theology at Emory University in Atlanta. She's the author of The Sacred Practice of Rest: 21 Days of Sabbath Keeping (SCWC Books, 2021). Delaney's passionate about Bible study and Scripture analysis, and enjoys bringing that passion to her writing, serving, and preaching. She's engaged to be married in October, 2022, and loves all things Disney and Taylor Swift.
~~ More speakers and workshops will continue to be added. Stay tuned also for updates on publishers, coaches, and agents who will be available for one-on-one consultations during the Southern Christian Writers Conference.
The SCWC will be held on June 3-4 at Valley View Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama. Registration will open on April 1. ~~