Red Clay Writers Conference Program

Red Clay magazine

SEPTEMBER 2008 I $4.99 I

November UNIVERSITY UNIVERSITY November7,7,2009 2009I KENNESAW I KennesawSTATE State University Student Center I ROOMS 12:00 - 5:00

5Georgia Writers Conference WAYSYOUNEVER HADBREAKFAST HOWTOCHOOSE YOURCOFFEE

Georgia Writers

Association

key note speaker

IThe You Tube Sensation: “The William Tell Mom” Many authors find a back door to getting published. Such was the case for Anita Renfroe.

Anita Renfroe

“Funny is What I Do” In 1998, Anita and husband, John, moved to Smyrna. Like many pastors’ wives, she played piano at her husband’s church. Between songs she often provided upbeat, humorous patter, and soon people were saying, “Less song, more humor.” That suited Anita just fine.

Anita kept developing her humor, finding outlets in both speaking and writing.

Fast-forward a few years and you’d find the Renfroe household celebrating a typical Mother’s Day in 2007. Anita says, “My kids pretty much shamed me into posting something on YouTube because they said that every other comedian had clips up there and that I was LAME if I didn’t. So now they think I owe them better Christmas presents because they are responsible for this chunk of my career.”

The talk she called “MomSense” was originally taped at the Dozier Center for Performing Arts in Kennesaw and is now

the world famous, “William Tell Mom.” This 3-minute version of what moms say to their children from sun up [Get up now, Get up now, Get up out of bed, Wash your face, Brush your teeth, Comb your sleepy head...] to sundown [Brush your teeth, Wash your face, Get your PJs on, Get in bed, Get a hug, Say a prayer with Mom, Don’t forget, I love you.**KISS**].

That Mother’s Day the video was watched 500 times.

By Labor Day 2007 it was seen by over 800,000 other mothers, and then it really took off. Only a month later, over 1.5 million people in the world had watched Anita as she compressed all of a mother’s worry, care, and love into three minutes. In February, 2008, Good Morning America was knocking on on Anita’s Acworth, Georgia doorstep.

Now, Anita spends approximately 200 days a year on the road sharing her “estrogen-flavored musical comedy” to over 500,000 people, mostly women. Anita is Erma Bombeck meets Carol Burnett, with a bit of Weird Al Yankovic thrown in. Anita has a different dance going on in her head and she is inviting you to the party.

Anita the Author Anita loves living in Atlanta and finds it a terrifically creative place. “I find almost e-v-e-r-y-t-h-i-n-g is humorous. It’s a matter of perspective. Atlanta has a diverse arts scene; we are metropolitan in some ways and very small town in others. Plus we have a heritage of southern authors being, how shall we say? ‘colorful’?

So that allows us to get away with all sorts of stuff.

Georgia Author of the Year

Nominations are now being accepted www.georgiawriters.org/gaya

Anita has published seven books with titles such as The Purse-Driven Life: It Really is All About Me, If it’s Not One Thing It’s Your Mother, If You Can’t Lose it, Decorate it, And Other Hip Alternatives to Dealing with Reality, and her newest book, Don’t Say I Didn’t Warn You: Kids, Carbs and the Coming Hormonal Apocalypse.

As authors/speakers what can Anita teach us about getting noticed?

“I have no idea. The comedy I was doing five years before the Mom Song went viral on YouTube is no different than the comedy I’m doing now. But since that time I have been given a regular spot on Good Morning America, had a feature profile in the New York Times, shot a sitcom pilot for ABC and had numerous magazine articles.

“I do believe that the internet has given us a more democratic platform for plying our wares. And lots of stupid videos of monkeys sniffing their fingers and falling off limbs. I was a songwriter before I was a comedian or author, but I find the mantra in ALL publishing to be ‘relationships, relationships, relationships.’ Of course you want to be authentic and have compelling content, but if you have no network and have not proven to people that you are consistent in your character and work ethic (and that your Flake Quotient is low), they cannot tell if they are willing to risk a long-term professional relationship with you.”

Interview by Cherie Miller. Cherie is the president of Georgia Writers Association. Her book, Backwords is available on Amazon.com

Red Clay Georgia Writers Conference

KSU Carmichael Student Center Registration begins @ 11:00AM Date:

November 2009 Su M Tu W Th F Sa 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

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11/7/2009

November, 2009 Saturday

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University Rm A Business of Writing WELCOME

I Told You Anita Renfroe

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University Rm B Fiction

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1 :00 Livin’ The Dream! :15

Karen Denovich

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3 :00 Working Naked: :30

Freelancing H.M. Cauley

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4 :00 Operation :15 :30

Media Exposure Stephanie Richards

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Georgia Writers Association

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for Fiction Dianna Love

1 :00 Write Effective :15 :30

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Personal Essays Stephanie Davis

Sell More Books Steve Miller

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Life Writing: Memoir Jackie K. Cooper

Mary Hood

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Bernie Schein

3 :00 Poetry Unleashed :15

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4 :00 More than Sex: :15 :30 :45

Writing Romance Haywood Smith

4 :00 Get Between :15 :30 :45

Chapbooks Panel Ralph Wilson Jenny Sadre-Orafal Breaking In: The Movie Biz Michael Lucker

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3 :00 Blue Hole at Red Clay 3 :00 Writing Powerfully! :15

1 :00 Writing Poetry

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Notes

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Spark Your Creativity Kelly Stone

Leadership Rm Genres

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1 :00 Power Openings

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University Rm C NonͲFiction

the Covers Dr. Neil Shulman

Chad Davidson Gregory Fraser

4 :00 The Young Adult :15 :30

Market Dr. Aaron Levy

:45

Georgia Writers

Association Red Clay Conference Schedule

Thank you RC sponsors!

WRITING BUSINESSS

KAREN DENOVICH Living the Dream

Do you dream of being paid to write? Rather work for yourself than a boss? Got what it takes to go freelance? Livin’ the Dream is for writers who may want to consider freelance copywriting as a career choice. Ms. Denovich will cover some important points to consider and what it takes to get started in the biz.

Karen Denovich is a successful freelance copywriter and president of The Write Stuff, as well as the Marietta Business Association. She has more than 25 years of experience in the writing and communications industries.

KELLY STONE Spark Your Creativity

Discover easy-to-use techniques that help you tap into the unlimited power of your subconscious mind. Learn easy-to-use tools that help you access and program your subconscious mind to help you meet all of your writing goals quickly and easily.

Kelly L. Stone (www.KellyLStone.com) is the author of the novel, Grave Secret, as well as two books about writing: Time To Write and Thinking To Write. Kelly is a licensed professional counselor with a Master of Science degree in Counseling Psychology

H.M. CAULEY Writing Naked: Freelancing

Freelance writing! It sounds like a dream job: making your own hours, picking your projects, working in your PJs. In many ways, being a free agent in the world of writing is the best gig around. But being on your own also comes with a host of responsibilities and challenges most writers would rather not have to deal with, from marketing and self-promotion to sending out invoices (and trying to collect them). Sift through the urban myths about freelancing with a veteran writer and author who has been making a solo living in the Atlanta market for almost 20 years.

Helen M. Cauley earned a journalism degree from Temple University. She relocated to Atlanta in 1990, where she has been a full-time freelance writer. Her work has appeared regularly in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the Sunday Paper, the Atlanta Business Chronicle and other local and national publications.

STEPHANIE RICHARDS Operation Media Exposure Have you seen authors and writers appear in articles, blogs, radio interviews and television segments and wondered, “Why can’t that be me?” It can. But first you have to learn the top-secret PR strategies and tactics for gaining positive media exposure. This is that workshop.

Public relations professional, Stephanie Richards, founder of The Write Way, will share inside industry secrets, as well as dispel common myths about public relations. Join us for this practical, tactical PR boot camp that will equip you with the tools you need to reach your target audiences.

With less than thirty seconds to catch a reader’s interest, your story must open strongly. Don’t forget that editors are readers first…most never read past page one. It’s true. By the end of this workshop with New York Times best-selling author Dianna Love, you will know what belongs in a powerful opening. Find out how to create intriguing characters, compelling prose, and strong hooks on that all important first page.

Bring the first 150 words of your story and come prepared to work on your Power Opening.

DIANNA LOVE is a New York Times best-selling author and national speaker who started writing while working over a hundred feet in the air creating unusual marketing projects for Fortune 500 companies. She sold the first book she wrote which won nine national awards. Her next three books all debuted on the New York Times list. When not plotting out her latest thriller or urban fantasy, she teaches the innovative Break Into Fiction® (www.BreakIntoFiction.com) program to writers and speaks to readers about the joy of storytelling. Dianna and her motorcycle safety instructor husband live near Atlanta, Georgia. Visit www.AuthorDiannaLove.com.

STEVE MILLER Sell More Books!

(Cheap, Unobnoxious Tactics that Actually Work for Shy Authors and Non-Celebrities)

What’s more fun than seeing your book published? Seeing lots of people buy your book and rave about it!

Yet, most books seem to fall stillborn from the press. How can we sell more books without becoming pushy and obnoxious? Topics to be covered include: • Do book signings still work?

• Should every author blog and tweet?

• How can a publicist help?

• How can you get more sales from Amazon.com?

• What are some secrets that are working for other Georgia authors?

J. Steve Miller writes without a high profile. Yet, his first book, The Contemporary Christian Music Debate, published by Tyndale House, has been translated into Dutch, German, Russian, Spanish and Romanian. It still sells steadily 16 years after its first publication. His latest book, Enjoy Your Money! How to Make It, Save It, Invest It and Give It was published in March. He blogs about his writing, publishing and book marketing adventures at http://www.freelancewriterblog.blogspot.com

MARY HOOD Blue Hole at Red Clay: Finding Sleeping Rabbit

This workshop honors the mysteries and grace of detours. Though Mapquest and satellite guidance can guide us and prompt us home, even through the dark and stormy night, the real question is why do we quest? And what do we mean by home? This workshop offers advice for road-weary writers in need of a spa day and practical indulgences for finding the center, keeping it real, and plotting the scenic route.

Mary Hood is a teacher of writing whose short stories, novels and essays have won the Flannery O’Connor Award, Lillian Smith Award, Robert Penn Warren Award and others. She has been published in Best American Short Stories and Best American Essays, and has won the coveted Pushcart Prize.

She lives in Jackson County, Georgia.

HAYWOOD SMITH Show me the Money: The Real Bottom Line for Professional Fiction Writers, and How To Increase It This workshop covers the important topic of producing income from your writing!

Haywood Smith, author of books such as Queen Bee of Mimosa Branch, The Red Hat Club, The Red Hat Club Rides Again, Wedding Belles and Ladies of the Lake.

FICTION WRITING

DIANNA LOVE Break Into Fiction® Power Openings: Hook an Editor on the First Page

NON FICTION WRITING

STEPHANIE DAVIS Effective Personal Essays

Writing a great personal essay is like walking a tight rope, hoping not to fall off on the side of whiny or on the other side of boring and self-serving. Great personal essays serve a purpose for the readers.

They entertain, are relatable and satisfy some sort of voyeurism. Topics include: • How do I write unconventional and unpredictable pieces?

• How do I come up with a great title?

• How do I come up with a compelling opener?

• Where can I sell these essays, anyhow?

• What should I be reading to write better essays?

Stephanie Davis recently got engaged and then two months later ironically accepted the Executive Editor role at Get Married Magazine, a new bridal magazine with a 300,000 circulation. Prior to that she was the Editor-in-Chief of skirt! magazine in Atlanta. She continues to publish her personal essays in skirt! and her musings on her blog at skirt.com. She also writes skirt.com’s “Daily Muse” email that goes out to 7,000 readers daily. A writer and editor who was formerly on staff at GQ and SELF magazines, she has also written for Gourmet, Domino, Details, Allure, Brides, Pink, Vitals Woman, The Atlanta Journal and Constitution and msn.com.

JACKIE K COOPER Memory Keeper: Memoirs

IIn this class I will teach you how to become a “memory keeper.” We will study the triggers for bringing back memories and also for learning the way to sort and sift our way to fun and profit. Every one’s story is different and every one’s story is special. A memoir can be your goal or these memories can provide a jumping off point for delving into the field of fiction. The saying is “You write what you know” and all of us know ourselves. Just think – no writer’s block. So bring a notepad, a pen and your memory as we stroll down memory lane. Come one, come all, for a super study on bringing up the past.

Jackie K Cooper is the author of five books of memoirs/short stories, the latest being The Sunshine Remembers.

Each of his books concerns his life in the South from a childhood in Clinton, South Carolina, to his present life in Georgia. Each book tries to create remembrances that are common to us all, as well as humorous and/or inspirational stories that will touch the head and the heart. Cooper is also a film critic, as well as a book reviewer and after dinner speaker. He and his wife Terry live in Perry, Georgia.

BERNIE SCHEIN Writing Powerfully

Universal themes are inside the hearts and souls of each of us, from sibling rivalry and unrequited love to the death of a loved one to identity crises to friendship and betrayal. The reader wants to hear not what you necessarily want to tell him, but what you NEED to express. The more personal, the more universal.

Author of If Holden Caulfield Were in My Classroom has “gotten personal” with countless students, bucking the conventional wisdom that education must be impersonal, formal, and objective. Schein holds a Master of Education degree from Harvard University, with an emphasis in educational psychology. His stories and essays have been published in Atlanta Magazine, Atlanta Weekly, Creative Loafing, and the Mississippi Educational Advance.

DR. NEIL SCHULMAN Get Between the Covers

This workshop covers some of the essentials of getting your ideas and story into print.

Neil B. Shulman M.D., a.k.a. Doc Neil the Banana Peel, is a medical doctor, author of over 20 books, Associate Professor at Emory University School of Medicine, speaker, comedian, brainstormer, children’s performer, and just a really funny guy. He is also known as the REAL Doc Hollywood, author and Associate Producer of the motion picture Doc Hollywood, starring Michael J. Fox.

This workshop and Q/A will cover the basics of submitting poetry for publication (Old School), as well as new strategies for submitting to the latest digital and media markets.

Ralph Tejeda Wilson, Ph.D. (University of Utah), Associate Professor of English, has published poetry, fiction, and reviews in numerous journals, including The Georgia Review, The New England Review, Puerto del Sol, Prairie Schooner, and others.

Jenny Sadre-Orafai teaches at Kennesaw State University, and is also an accomplished poet and writer. Finishing Line Press has recently published her first poetry chapbook, Weed Over Flower. In addition, her non-fiction essay, “The Art of Making Hot Tea,” has been published in Seal Press’ anthology, Waking Up American. Sadre-Orafai currently serves as Senior Poetry Editor for the online literary journal, JMWW and editorial assistant for the online literary journal Lily.

MICHAEL LUCKER Breaking In..To the Movie Business

Writing a good screenplay is half the battle of breaking into the movie business. Getting it read, sold and made are three more. The barriers to entry can seem overwhelming for any budding writer, let alone those living a world away from Hollywood. Accomplished screenwriter, Michael Lucker, gives you the tips, tricks, and tools you need to navigate your ideas from your computer to the big screen.

Michael Lucker is a writer, director, and producer with twenty years experience developing film, television, animation and digital media. A graduate of Boston University’s College of Communication in Broadcasting & Film, he has written and directed commercials, worked on network television shows, and written or helped developed movies for studios such as Paramount, Disney, DreamWorks, Fox, and Universal.

CHAD DAVIDSON Poetry Unleashed

GREGORY FRASER This presentation will deal with the writing life and the teaching of creative writing. Topics covered will include: • Getting Started • Maintaining Journals • Revising and Editing • Remaining committedly detached • Submitting to scholarly journals

Chad Davidson is the author of Consolation Miracle (Southern Illinois UP, 2003). His poems have appeared or are forthcoming in AGNI, Doubletake, Paris Review, Prairie Schooner, Shenandoah, Virginia Quarterly Review, and others. He teaches literature and creative writing at the University of West Georgia near Atlanta.

Gregory Fraser is the author of two books of poetry, Strange Pietà (Texas Tech, 2003) and Answering the Ruins (Northwestern, 2009), and co-author, with Chad Davidson, of the workshop textbook Writing Poetry: Creative and Critical Approaches (Palgrave-Macmillan, 2008). The recipient of a grant from the NEA, Fraser serves as associate professor of English at the University of West Georgia.

AARON LEVY Getting Published for the First Time in the Young Adult Market

Getting Published For the First Time in the Young Adult Market: What to Expect is a workshop that goes into depth about the harrowing experience of getting that first book deal. From finding an agent to the day a novel comes out, the process is filled with exciting and sometimes challenging twists and turns. The panelist is a published writer in the Young Adult genre. How do you find an agent? How do agents and writers work together? What kind of timetable can a writer expect when it comes to getting a book deal, and once a writer has a contract, what comes next? See examples of query letters, agent and publisher correspondence, and even rejection letters. If you are interested in the YA market, this is a great session to attend.

After five years as a high school English and Drama teacher, Dr. Levy joined the Kennesaw State University English Education and Master of Arts in Professional Writing Program faculty in fall 2004. He is a published playwright and is currently marketing his first young adult novel. His primary research interest is helping young writers reclaim their voices as writers and story tellers.

THE GENRES

Dr. Ralph T. Wilson Jenny Sadre Orafai Getting Your Poetry Published: It’s a New World Out There

WORKSHOPS

2009 December 12 You Got Mail Pamela Adams - Email Marketing

2010

January 9 TBA February 13 Philip DePoy March 13 Ellen Taber April 10 Jeffery Stepakoff May 8 TBA June 19 GAYA July 10 Members August 14 Carmen A. Butcher September 11 TBA October 9 RED CLAY 2 November 13 TBA TBA December 11

TBA Writing Mysteries (Sisters in Crime joining us) Writing Cultural Histories Writing Fiction Writing for New Media AWARDS Read The Best Writing: Rewriting Writing Politically Georgia Writers Conference Writing for the Web Writing Inspirationally

2010 WORKSHOPS