SCWC Faculty: Workshop Leaders and Topics (Get ready to learn!)

Workshops at the 2023 SCWC will be taught by leaders who are professional, prolific, and successful--and who are fellow Christ followers committed to quality and integrity. We're thrilled to have them all with us this year!

This year's leaders and their workshop titles (if appropriate) are as follows:

Clyde Adams: one-on-one consultations in person

Clyde has more than 40 years of experience as a graphic artist, with work in many areas and with a varied clientele. He began work in book design 15 years ago and has over 100 projects in his portfolio. His goal is to avoid the cookie cutter approach to book design and provide clients with designs worthy of their stories. He offers cover design, full book layout, and design consultation through his company, Clyde Adams Books.

Bruce Barbour: "How to Present your Book to Agent and Editors"

Bruce will also present the Friday night keynote presentation and meet in one-on-one consultations for his literary agency.

Bruce has been active in book publishing for more than 45 years and is a fourth generation of a Christian publishing family that has served authors for more than 150 years. He has worked in Christian publishing in editorial, sales, marketing, operations, and management and has been with such companies as Barbour and Company, Random House, Revell Company, and Thomas Nelson, reaching the positions of Vice President and Publisher. He started Literary Management Group, a full service literary agency, with his wife Karen Moore. He and Karen, who is a bestselling author, live in Florida. Visit Literary Management Group online.

Solomon Crenshaw: "Creating Compelling Feature Stories"

Solomon worked almost four decades for the Birmingham News and its AL.com entity writing primarily sports features; since 2018 he's worked as a freelancer writing features articles on not just sports, but entertainment, politics, and a myriad of other topics. He especially enjoys writing profiles of interesting individuals, and is a regular contributor to The Birmingham Times, Alabama NewsCenter, and other publications. Solomon was recently named the 2022 Communicator of Achievement, the highest annual award given by the Alabama Media Professionals organization and has won numerous national accolades for his writing. Check out some of his stories on his website.

Shirley Crowder: "Unlocking your Thoughts: The Transformative Benefits of Daily Journaling"

Shirley is an award-winning authors who has published articles for David C. Cook, Student Life, and Woman’s Missionary Union publications and in such publications as“Paper Pulpit” in the Faith section of The Gadsden (Alabama) Times. She contributes to several blogs, and is published as an author, co-author, and contributing author of twelve books. Learn more about her books at her author page. 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 at her author page.

Tracy Crump: "Writing for Chicken Soup for the Soul"

Tracy dispenses hope in her multi-award-winning book, Health, Healing, and Wholeness: Devotions of Hope in the Midst of Illness. She is best known for contributing 22 stories to Chicken Soup for the Soul® books, and her course on writing for the series is one of Serious Writer Academy’s top sellers. Tracy has published numerous articles in magazines such as Focus on the Family, Woman’s World, Ideals, ParentLife, and Mature Living as well as more than 100 devotions in Upper Room, Quiet Hour, Guideposts books, and others. As codirector of Write Life Workshops, she conducts workshops that inspire other writers to move forward with their writing and edits The Write Life, a free newsletter that includes story callouts. Tracy and her husband live in north Mississippi and dote on five completely unspoiled grandchildren. Learn more about Tracy's website.

McKenna Erwin & Delaney Holloway: "Social Media for Writers"

McKenna will also offer one-on-one consultations for Vision Press and its imprints. Delaney will also serve as worship leader.

McKenna is Assistant Coordinator of the Southern Christian Writers Conference and publisher of Vision Press publishing company and its imprints. She is also an author of parenting ebooks, homeschool curriculum, and other resources. She coordinates social media for small businesses, authors, and others in writing via Vision Press Marketing, and operates her own online community Monarch Momma. She writes for Birmingham Mom's Blog, and works for the YMCA as an education program coordinator. She and her husband Jake have six children.

Delaney is the SCWC's Worship Leader and Conference Assistant, and currently serves as Senior Pastor at Oxford (Alabama) First United Methodist Church. She has a degree in religion from Birmingham Southern College and a Masters of Divinity degree from Candler School of Theology at Emory University in Atlanta. She loves Scriptural research and writes often on theology topics; she also uses social media regularly in her church and ministry work. She and her husband Dylan (a high school English teacher) live in Oxford with their cat Chloe and dog Ginny.

Carol Evans: "Working with a Magazine Editor"

Carol is publisher/editor/owner of Birmingham Parent magazine, a publication she and her husband David began in 2004. The Birmingham, Alabama-based parenting publication attracts more than 60,000 readers monthly in a four-county area and receives 10,000 hits per month on its website. Evans is an award-winning writer and editor who has also written for other publications as a freelance writer since the late 1980s. A graduate of Auburn University in journalism, Carol is a member of the National Federation of Press Women, Alabama Media Professionals, the Alabama Press Association, a number of city chambers and has served on various boards and as secretary/treasurer and vice president of the National Parenting Media Association. She has been working with freelance writers for more than 23 years. She and her husband are members of Clanton Church of Christ and they have 3 dogs and two cats. Check out Birmingham Parent's website.

Martine Fairbanks: one-on-one consultations via Zoom for SonCoast Publishing

Martine is the President and CEO of SonCoast Publishing, a full-service publishing company and consulting firm for writers that publishes both traditionally and hybrid titles. The company provides a variety of services including editing, formatting, marketing, design, and printing.  She has been a teacher, principal, and central office director for a public Schoo system, and has taught on the collegiate level. She has an Ed.D. jointly awarded by the University of Alabama and UAB. She has written for The Alabama Baptist for more than two decades, with her focus on media reviews in the last ten years. She has served as dissertation adviser for the University of Phoenix since 2004 and is also the co-owner of Seacoast Publishing, which publishes the popular Alabama Roots Biography Series. Learn more about SonCoast Publishing here.

Clay Farrington: "Writing and Publishing Bible Studies and Curriculum"

Clay serves as Senior Pastor at Irondale United Methodist Church in Irondale, Alabama, and has previous experience as a youth pastor and Conference Youth Coordinator for the North Alabama Conference of the United Methodist Church. He's the founder and operator of Armchair Theo, a resource that includes a podcast, Bible study guides, blogs, and more. Clay says he started the podcast in 2012 to provide commentary on the entire Bible in an accessible, entertaining way. He spent his childhood in Chicago, moved to Alabama, graduated from Auburn, and attended Asbury Theological Seminary. He and his wife have three children. Check out the Armchair Theo podcast here.

Dan Goforth: "Storytelling through Screenplays and Scripts"

Dan is a professional screenwriter who has sold to Netflix, including production on "Walk Ride. Rodeo.", and is on multiple lists of most inspiring Christian films to watch.  (Get Uplifted With The Best Christian Movies on Netflix 17 Best Christian Movies on Netflix (2023). 30 Inspiring Christian Movies to Watch on Netflix ).Since 2013, Dan has been a columnist for SCRIPT magazine, the leading source of information on the craft and business of writing for film and television for over 20 years. Its properties, ScriptMag.com and Script Weekly, make up the essential online community and resource portal for over 250,000 scriptwriters. He's one of the magazine's 13 Pro Screenwriter Contributors. Since 2012, he's been the screenwriting instructor for the annual Sidewalk Film Festival Youth Board, as well as its instructor for "Screenwriting 101," a five-week workshop at the Sidewalk Film Center and Cinema. Vote into the Writers Guild of America (WGA) East in 2019, Dan is represented by Entertainment Attorney Stacey A. Davis, whose credits include "I Can Only Imagine," "Minari," and many more films. His works has received multiple screenwriting awards at the LA Screenplay Expo, Nashville Film Festival, and more.

Linda Glaz: one-on-one consultations via Zoom for Linda S. Glaz Literary Agency

Linda spent thirteen years as an agent and author with Hartline Literary Agency, and once they shuttered their doors, she went out on her own at Linda S. Glaz Literary Agency. She's  an agent and understand authors because she is one! Married with three  grown children, she also brags about four grands and two greats ("Aww, they're all great!") and nd needless to say, she LOVES books. Linda's always looking for great suspense/romantic suspense/mysteries and thrillers, both Christian and clean reads. Also, historic/historic romance/mysteries/suspense And always great nonfiction except memoir unless the author has a massive platform NOT looking for spec of any kind or children's of any kind. Learn more about Linda S. Glaz Literary Agency.

Vanessa Griggs: "Crafting Fiction that Feels Real"

Vanessa is an author and motivational speaker who adores the power of words both written and spoken. Her books include Wings of Grace, Blessed Trinity, Stongholds, Destiny Unlimited, The Rose of Jericho, Promises Beyond Jordan, If Memory Serves, Practicing what you Preach, Goodness and Mercy, Redeeming Waters, Forever Soul Ties, The Other Side of Goodness, The Other Side of Dare, The Other Side of Divine, Steely Gray, and Countless Blessings. Her books, which tell the stories of real characters facing real situations, have won numerous awards including Best Multicultural Fiction from Romantic Times. Vanessa follows out Proverbs 18:16, which says: "A man's gift maketh room for him, and bringeth him before great men."  Check out Vanessa's books and more.

John Herring: "Working with a Christian Book Publisher"

John will also offer one-on-one consultations for Iron Stream Media.

John is the CEO/Owner of Iron Stream Media, and started his career serving local churches as an executive pastor, discipleship pastor, and consultant. In 2006 one of his ministry clients invited him to work with them on an aggressive church curriculum project and he has been in the publishing industry ever since. John's work with Iron Stream encompasses other imprints and projects such as Life Bible Study, Student Life Bible Study, New Hope Publishers, Lighthouse Publishing of the Carolinas, and Brookstone Creative Group. John has a Doctor of Educational Ministry degree and a Masters in Christian Education from  Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. He earned a bachelor’s degree from Samford University.  John and his wife, Stacy, live in Birmingham with their dog Bo; they have two children and two grandchildren.

Valerie Luesse: "Fiction Techniques: Setting, Dialogue, and More"

She will also be our Saturday keynote presenter.

Valerie is the author of novels set in the South, including the Christy Award-Winning Missing Isaac (2018); other novels include Almost Home (2019), The Key to Everything (2020) and Under the Bayou Moon (2021), which was recently selected as the Fiction Book of the Year by the Alabama Library Association. Her newest novel is the upcoming Letters from my Sister. Valerie is also an award winning magazine writer, known as her work as Senior Travel Editor for Southern Living. She won the 2009 Travel Writer of the Year for her editorial section on the Gulf Coast after Hurricane Katrina. Valerie attended Auburn University and Baylor University and today lives in Birmingham. 

Karen Moore: "What you Need to Know about Writing Devotional Books"

Karen will also offer one-on-one consultations for Literary Management Agency; she is also the recipient of the 2023 Joanne Sloan National Award for the Encouragement of Writers.

Karen is the author of more than one hundred inspirational and devotional books. Some of her best-selling devotionals include: Prayers to Strengthen Your Soul, It’s Still Possible, Prayers from the Heart, What a Great Word, Strength for Your Soul, Every Day Is Mother’s Day, and The Heart-Shaped Life Daily Devotional. Karen has a master’s degree in education and writes a blog called Turning Up the Light (www.karenmooreauthor.com). She recently launched a campaign called Got 10 Minutes for God? to inspire others to take time to chat with God each morning. She is also an author coach, and a speaker for writing and women’s conferences. Karen is married, has six grown children and ten grandchildren, and currently works and lives in Lady Lake, Florida.

Teena & Rory Meyers: one-on-one author interviews for Christian Mix 106 radio show

Teena has written about the faith, beliefs, and spirituality of New Orleans for the Times Picayune, curriculum for children's ministry, skills produced by her church, and short stories published in gift books. Her most recent publication, Faith's Mystery, is about Abraham's journey to understand faith that pleases God. Teena and her husband offer the following interview opportunity for their "Pursue your Passion" radio segment to SCWC attendees both in person and by phone: "Are you passionate about something? Tell us how you are pursuing your passion on Christian Mix 106. Let us inspire others by sharing how you are turning your dreams into reality. Sign up for a 5-minute radio interview to be aired on Christian Mix, Mondays, 9 p.m. Central Time." 

Jason & Tiffany Norris: one-on-one author interview for their podcast

Jason and Tiffany host the Ms. McBookworm podcast, which primarily features Christian women who write fiction. The podcast's goal, they said, is to "tell God's bigger story through our smaller ones." Their regular podcast seasons cover fiction Christian women have written, and also publish special seasons (such as the one that will be recorded at the SCWC) that share the stories of a variety of Christian writers. Jason is an Instructional Technology Assistant at the University of Alabama and produces and edits podcasts; Tiffany is the Library Director at Birmingham-Southern College.  Listen to the Ms. McBookworm podcast here.

Vernet Nettles: "Poetry and Prayers: Writing from the Heart" and "Getting Started: Business & Promotional Basics"

Vernet is a parent, educator, and poet. She has allowed her life lessons--her hills and valleys--to share her Christian walk and hopes that others will be inspired by her words to trust, believe, and grow in God's grace. She shares daily prayers on her Another Day's Journey website, focusing on spiritual growth and connecting with God. Her books of poetry, prayers, and devotions include Pray, Praise, and Be Encouraged; Why Should I Be Bound?: Prayers for a Friend; Prayers for your Fasting Journey; Moments of Grace, Beautiful Just Like Me, and Unspoken Words: Life's Heartfelt Whispers. She lives in Montgomery and worked for 25 years as an English/Language Arts teacher and administrator.

Jennifer Rash: "Brainstorming with Jennifer"

Jennifer has served in denominational communications her entire career, starting with a two-year stint with the International Mission Board and Caribbean Christian Publications out of college. In January 1996, she joined The Alabama Baptist as a news writer and worked her way up to managing editor then executive editor before being named the first female editor of a major Baptist newspaper beginning Jan. 1, 2019. She has also served as president of Baptist Communicators Association and Vice President of Associated Church Press, and in various positions with Evangelical Present Association and Alabama Press Association. Jennifer earned her bachelor's degree from the University of Alabama and master of theological studies from Beeson Divinity School at Samford University; she also has an honorary doctorate from Judson College. Her work today encompasses all of the entities of TAB Media, including The Baptist Paper. View TAB Media here.

Stephanie Rodda: "Get your (Writing) Game On" and "SCWC 101: Tips for First Timers"

Stephanie is an SCWC Assistant and is passionate about faith, family, and helping people pursue their passions. She and her husband fostered for fifteen years, cared for 45 children, and adopted seven of their own children; she lives in Helena, Alabama, where she works, writes, and spends time with her grandsons. She writes on her blog, hosts a podcast, posts daily devotionals on Facebook, and writes regularly for parenting publications including Focus on the Family. Her books include the novel How Then Shall We Live? and her most recent, a children's picture book called Backyard Betsy Joins the Flock (based on her own experiences). 

Catherine Segars: "Canva Basics: Design for Writers"

Catherine is an award-winning actress and playwright turned stay-at-home-mom turned author, speaker, podcaster, and blogger. She's a homeschooling mother of five with a master's degree in communications. She hosts Christian ParentCrazy World, which was named the 2022 "Best Kids and Family Podcast" by Spark Media. She's also a regular contributor to Crosswalk and iBelieve, where her articles reach tens of thousands of readers every month and she has also been published by Focus on the Family, Christian Headlines, inCourage, and Arise Daily. Her work can be found on her podcast, blog, and other writing outlets at her website www.catherinesegars.com. She uses Canva as a design tool for Facebook, Instagram, other social media channels, website, and promotional material. 

Christopher Sloan: "Spiritual Disciplines"

Christopher is a freelance writer who has authors magazine articles, columns, short stories, novels, and novellas both in print and online. He is particularly knowledgeable and prolific in the areas of fitness and faith. His articles on strength building have appeared in numerous magazines and he's been a contributing editor for Planet Muscle and Ironman magazines. In 2011, Planet Muscle selected him as one of the top five strength writers in America, and he's the author of the popular book Ultimate Strength. His stories on faith have appeared on the Blue Jean Theosis and Classical Christianity blogs. Christopher also serves as a SCWC assistant and lives in Northport, Alabama where he writes full time.

Jan White: "How to Write for your Local Newspaper"

Jan has written a weekly religion column for 30 years in the Andalusia Star-News, Enterprise Southeast Sun and other newspapers. Her book, Everyday Faith for Daily Life, is a collection of many of her newspaper columns. She's also published articles and devotionals in such magazines as Focus on the Family and Charisma. Jan won the prestigious Amy Writing Award, given to writers who present bible truth reinforced with Scripture in secular non-religious publications. Jan graduated from Evangel University (Springfield, MO) with a degree in history and English/journalism; she and her husband Greg live in Andalusia, Alabama.

Julie Williams: "Research Tips and Tools for Authors"

Julie is a media historian and author of several popular history books, including ones on the Wright Brothers, the Titanic disaster, three editors who accidentally started Southern literature, and Carrie Ingalls' career as a frontier newswoman. She's also written academic books, including ones co-written and edited with her mentor and SCWC founder David Sloan. Julie is the past president of the American Journalism Historians Association, and in 2021 she won the organizations' Sidney Kobre Award for Lifetime Achievement in Journalism History She's also worked as a newspaper reporter, and has taught at Samford University. She believes in the importance of research--historical and otherwise--in writing quality work. She and her husband Evan live in Birmingham and have two grown sons.

Cheryl Wray: "How to Sell your Idea: Queries & Book Proposals"

Cheryl is the coordinator of the Southern Christian Writers Conference and an accomplished freelance writer and book author. She's published more than 1500 articles in a variety of magazines and newspapers over the years, and is currently the cover article writer for Christian Family Publications. She is the author of multiple books on the craft of writing and the publishing process (including Writing for Magazines, published by McGraw-Hill, which was a Writer's Digest Book of the Month Club Selection; Writing Feature Articles; Masterpieces of Reporting; The Secret to Successful Query Letters; and others). Her most recent book is Notes from a Quarantine: Essays, Stories, and Poems. Cheryl has also worked in book publishing as a copy editor for Woman's Missionary Union's publishing arm and as a sports reporter for the Birmingham News. She lives outside Birmingham and is married with three daughters and six grandchildren.