Bobby Nash - New Comics Anthology

Real Magicalism is a new black and white comics anthology filled withboth graphic and prose stories that capture that certain state betweenwaking and sleeping, that nexus between the real and unreal, wherethings aren't always what they seem. Think of them as O'Henry stories,but with "snark." You can find out more by visiting
http://jamesburnsdesign.com/comics/realmagicalism/.

Compiled and edited by James Burns, comics creator of "Detached" and"Daemon Process" and featuring the considerable talents of: JamesBurns, Mark Campos, Egg Embry, Jason Flowers, Ron Fortier, ChrisHamer, Jesse Jarnow, Gonzalo Martinez, Bobby Nash, Jessi Nelson, Jaymes Reed, Terry Staats, Damion Suomi, Matthew Warlick. You can order it on-line at
http://catawbapublishing.com/bookstore/view_details?book=113.

Donny Bailey Seagraves' - First Book!

Donny Bailey Seagraves' first book, GONE FROM THESE WOODS, a children's middle grade novel set in Georgia, is forthcoming from Delacorte Press, an imprint of Random House Children's Books, Fall 2009. Seagraves was a student of Harriette Austin's Creative Writing Class at the Georgia Center in the early 1980s and has written for the Athens Daily News, Athens Magazine, the Chicago Tribune and many other regional and national publications for over 20 years. As a result of the 2008 Harriette Austin Writers Conference, Seagraves signed with agent Andrea Brown.

HAWC 2009: July 17-18, 2009

Thank you to everyone who attended the 2008 Harriette Austin Writers Conference! I hope that everyone had a great time and I appreciate you for being with us. We are already working on a program for next year, so I hope you will continue to check this website for information as the 2009 HAWC progresses.

A special thank you to all of our presenters, dinner speaker Ralph McInerny and keynote speaker Sharyn McCrumb who made this a wonderful event! And to all the many volunteers who make this conference possible each year. Your dedication is the heart of this conference.

And finally, thank you Harriette, for sharing your vision of helping writers get published. We are grateful that you continue to inspire writers on their journey to success. Thank you for allowing me to be a part of your dream.

Sincerely,

Kelly Capers
Director, HAWC 2008

Congratulations to the 2008 HAWC Writing Award winners!

This year 154 manuscripts packets were submitted for evaluation. Over a dozen were nominated for special recognition. Out of those nominees the following awards were chosen:

Mark Austin Segura Award for Fiction
Betsy Kalman, Studio on Straight Street

Mark Austin Segura Award for Non-fiction
Diedre Sayer, Unreformed

Dixie Lee Connor Award for Exceptional Children’s Writing
Deborah Mantella, Pieces of Abigale: From the Journals of Abigale Nightengale

Harriette Austin Award for Poetry
Han Vance, Poetry Collection: ATL Fire

Manuscript evaluation schedule posted!

Is your manuscript being evaluated at HAWC 2008? The manuscript evaluation schedule has been posted on the HAWC website (it will also be included in your conference packet).

See you at the conference!

Manuscript submissions have closed

Submissions for manuscript evaluations closed on June 5, 2008. Appointment times for meetings with editors and agents at the conference will be included in conference packets.

Manuscript Evaluation Deadline Extended!

Manuscripts for evaluation will be accepted until June 5, 2008. Up to 15 pages can be submitted for evaluation by professional agents and editors. Please see our web site for complete information.

Are you a published author?

Spaces are available at the 2008 HAWC Booksigning for published authors who are attending the conference. See our Booksigning page for more information.

Online registration now available!

Click here to register online through the Georgia Center.

Remember our 10% off Early Bird Special runs through May 1--10% off conference registration (does not include meals or lodging).

Schedule change!

Unfortunately, Robert Vaughan has had to withdraw from HAWC 2008 for a family wedding--we'll miss him at the conference, but if he can't be with us, we're glad it's for a happy occasion. Best wishes to the bride and groom!

Handsome Young and Talented: Dac Crossley

Friend of the HAWC and published author Dac Crossley is profiled in the Athens Banner-Herald.

Read his blog here.

Buy his book here--you'll be glad you did!

Early Bird Special!

Register for HAWC 2008 by May 1, 2008 and get 10% off!

Discount applies to conference tuition only, not meals or lodging. Contact the Georgia Center for Continuing Education at 800-884-1381 or 706-542-6596 to register by phone, or see our brochure to register by mail. Online registration will be available by April 18.

An invitation from Jackie Miles!

Hi y'all! I'll be at Barnes & Noble at the Avenue Shopping Ctr., at Webb Gin, 1350 Scenic Hwy., Snellville, 770 979-0138, this Friday, April 11, at 7 p.m. to launch Divorcing Dwayne. Won't you please come?
All best,
Jackie Miles


Jackie Miles will have two Saturday workshops and will review manuscripts at HAWC 2008.

Atlanta Creativity Exchange

We're happy to share information about conferences and other events of interest to writers. If you're organizing an event you'd like to see here, and would be willing to link back to us or have HAWC 2008 flyers at your event, please contact hawcwebmaster@gmail.com

Alan Black, a presenter at HAWC 2008, is one of the organizers of the Atlanta Creativity Exchange. For more information, see www.atlantacreativity.org

Come learn how to expand your skills and knowledge creatively to reach higher levels of innovation in your corporate and private life. The Atlanta Creativity Exchange is a three-day experiential series of programs for professional, educational and personal creativity — a collection of 90-minute concurrent sessions presented by the best creativity leaders from North America and around the world.

The Atlanta Creativity Exchange exposes you to a wide range of perspectives on the research and practice of deliberate creativity. You will learn how to build value through innovation in your business or your school. And on top of our scheduled programs, there are evening discussions, dialog sessions, music, dancing, and just plain fun.

The Atlanta Creativity Exchange is focused on 3 tracks:
Creativity in the workplace
Creativity in the classroom
Creativity in your life

HAWC 2008 Brochures are (almost) in the Mail

Our 2008 brochures have been sent to the printer and should be in your mailbox by mid-April. We have an exciting group of agents, editors, experts, and authors to share with you! Conference registration is available by phone, fax, mail, and through the web.

A Writer's Vision Quest

We're happy to post information other writers conferences here. If you have a writers conference you'd like to see here, and would be willing to link back to us or have HAWC 2008 flyers at your event, please contact hawcwebmaster@gmail.com

For more information about A Writer's Quest, including the weekly writing workshops held at the same location, click here.

April 25 - 27, THE VILLAGE AT INDIAN SPRINGS & GENERATIONS GALLERY OFFER "A WRITER'S QUEST: TAPPING INTO YOUR NATIVE SPIRIT". Drawing on the Native-American history of Indian Springs, the conference enables beginning writers and professional to interact with successful authors and publishing representatives in a fun non-threatening setting through seminars and activities. The conference is designed to serve up to 50 participants (plus authors). Programs represent a variety of genres, including mystery, memoir, novel, and magazine writing. Among the presenters are authors Rosemary Danniell, Ed Grisamore, 1960 NASCAR Champion Rex White, Walter Sorrells, Dr. Catherine Meeks and Indigo Publishing. The cost for the 3 day conference is $150.00 which includes a Continental breaksfast on Saturday and Sunday, a Mix and Mingle Cash Bar and Casual Banquet at the Historic Ante Bellum Hanes Mansion Saturday evening and lunch Saturday in the Historical Botanical Rose Garden. For additional information or reservations call: 770-227-4002 or 1-800-352-7212 Visa, MasterCard and Checks accepted. To have informtion (schedule of events, etc.) emailed or mailed to contact Andi Kulp andi@phaseonedesign.com

Cherry Weiner returns to HAWC 2008

Cherry Weiner has been agenting since 1977. She started out by handling science fiction, fantasy, and horror. She now handles all genres. Among the "all genres" she handles a good number of fairly well-known authors in the field of Romance, Westerns and Native American Works. Some nonfiction has even crept into the mix but no poetry. Her experience being more tentative she tries not to handle children's and young adult manuscripts, but a few of her authors are writing for young adults so she is making a tentative run at that genre.

Andrea Brown speaking at HAWC 2008

Andrea Brown is the President of the Andrea Brown Literary Agency, Inc. Founded in New York City in 1981, it was the first literary agency to represent both children's book authors and illustrators. Prior to opening her own firm, Andrea was an editor at Alfred A. Knopf, and worked in the editorial departments of Random House and Dell. In 1990, she moved her literary agency to Northern California. Her literary agency has sold approximately 1,500 books to publishers, from toddler board books to serious, award-winning young adult and adult fiction. Andrea has published articles and published a chapter about the children's book field in THE PORTABLE WRITER'S CONFERENCE, published by Quill Driver Books. She has been quoted in the NEW YORK POST, CNN.com, Yahoo News, FORBES, GOOD HOUSEKEEPING and REUTERS NEWS SERVICE.

Andrea Brown Literary Agency website: http://www.andreabrownlit.com/

See the complete list of presenters for HAWC 2008 here.

Southern Scribes Signing

Southern Scribes Paige Cummings and Dac Crossley will be signing Under the Liberty Oak and Guns Across the Rio at the Borders bookstore in Athens on April 8, 6:30 - 7:30. Their string band, Fresh Water Mussels, will be on stage at Borders from 7:30 on.

Barbara Casey joins 2008 presenters

Barbara Casey is president of her own literary agency, a manuscript consultant, and the author of numerous articles, poems, and short stories. She has written five award-winning novels for both children and adults which have received national recognition, including the Independent Publishers Book Award. Her most recent novel, The House of Kane, is being considered for a Pulitzer nomination.

See Barbara's web site here.

Every day's a holiday

Lots of people write a page every day, but a whole short story every day? Listen to the NPR story about Bob Powers and his story blog, based on holidays you wouldn't think to celebrate, here. Go to the blog here.

Evelyn Coleman presenting at HAWC 2008

Evelyn Coleman is an award winning writer for children, young adults, and adults. See her full bio on our 2008 Presenters page.

HAWC Authors Booksigning

Southern Scribes Paige Cummings, author of Under the Liberty Oak, and Dac Crossley, author of Guns Across the Rio will be signing books at BookExpo America, Los Angeles, May 30 - June 1, 2008, courtesy of their publisher, BookSurge (an Amazon Company).

See more about BookExpo America here.

See more about the Southern Scribes here.

What kind of writer should you be?

Click on the title of this post to take the quiz from blogthings.

Bobby Nash interviewed @ Jazma On-Line

Richard Vasseur over at Jazma On-Line interviewed Bobby Nash recently, talking about everything from the upcoming Domino Lady anthology to the upcoming YinYang graphic novel. Click on the title of this post to see the interview.

From the Writer's Almanac

From the Writer's Almanac - 19 February 2008

It's the anniversary of the first state literature censorship board in the country. On this day, 55 years ago (1953), the Georgia Assembly unanimously voted to create the Georgia Literature Commission, a censorship board that would keep "obscene" literature out of the state. The commission defined obscenity as "literature offensive to chastity or modesty."

Three men made up the commission; one of them, a Baptist minister. If these three men decided something was obscene, they had the power to prevent its sale and could also recommend criminal prosecution.The commission took offense to J.D. Salinger's The Catcher in the Rye and Norman Mailer's The Naked and the Dead, among others, but the commission found its match when it ruled Alan Marshall's Sin Whisper obscene. Its war against the book marked the beginning of the end for the commission, as its decision was reversed by the U.S. Supreme Court. The board faded out of existence after 1973, a victim of budget cuts.

Bobby Nash at the Atlanta Comics Expo

Bobby Nash, a presenter for 2007 and 2008, was a guest at the Atlanta Comics Expo on Feb. 8-10. A recap and photos from the show are at www.comicspace.com/bobbynash (galleries are on the right of the page) and/or www.myspace.com/bobbynash (under PICS).

John Grisham has no illusions about writing

Click the title to go to the article. The key quote: "He got 15 rejections before his first book, "A Time to Kill," was published. He made $9 million last year."