St. Davids Christian Writers' Conference

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2012 Faculty
James Watkins has authored, co-authored, or edited 16 books and thousands of articles--in addition to keeping up his Hope & Humor web site. His books include Writers on Writing and Communicate to Change Lives in Person and Print from Wesleyan Publishing
Melanie Rigney, a past editor of Writer's Digest, has also served as edi- torial director of Writer's Digest Books and as an editor at Advertising Age magazine. Currently a freelance editor, she has edited and evaluated manuscripts for dozens of clients.
MaryAnn Diorio is the author of four books and has had her articles pub- lished in over a hundred national periodicals, including The Saturday Evening Post and Decision. Dr. Diorio's books include student guides to Nath- aniel Hawthorne, Herman Melville, and Mark Twain.
Austin Camacho is the author of the Hannibal Jones mystery series, and has written or contributed to over a dozen books. A former broadcast journalist for the Army, Austin now does public affairs work for a Department of Defense agency.
Zena Dell Lowe, a co-founding partner and producer for Skirt Films, is also a scriptwriter, director, and actress. She works as an adjunct professor at Covenant Christian College and teaches screenwriting and playwriting at various writer’s conferences.
Barbara Crooker has had four poetry books pub- lished, and her poems have appeared in multiple magazines and anthol- ogies. A Grammy Awards finalist and Pushcart Prize nomineee, she has also had her work read by Garrison Keillor on The Writer's Almanac.
Susan Reith Swan has been the editor of Story Friends, and an instructor for the Institute of Chil- dren’s Literature, as well as director of SDCWC and the Western PA SCBWI conference. Her book, LifeSavers:Twenty Quick and Easy-to-Use Bible Lessons for Kids, was published by Judson.

The 55th annual

St. Davids Christian Writers' Conference

June 19-23, 2012

Grove City College, Grove City, PA

Theme: "Writers Under Construction"

conferees in golf cart

For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.

Ephesians 2:10 (NLT)

One of our 2011 faculty members complimented us on our "close-in- heart writing community where conferees find a support base." We believe that, in constructing a writing career as well as in constructing a house, a sound base is essential.

Too many writers feel all alone out there, without rock-solid advice on which to build. So, if your writing career is having a hard time "getting off the ground"--or if it has fallen "out of plumb" somewhere along the way--we can help.

We offer 55 years of experience in educating writers, plus:

new lower rates and a more compact schedule to save you both time and money

three days of workshops on a beautiful small-town campus

nationally known writers and editors as instructors

one-on-one tutorials

a writers' retreat and writers' colony for experienced authors

a wide variety of contests

We also offer the outstanding instructors whose bios appear in the Rainbow Bridge at Grove City College column to your right. You can click on workshops to view the courses they will be teaching. Once on the workshops page, just click on an instructor's name to be taken to his/her page, which will include complete descriptions of his/her courses.

For those of you who want more one-on-one interaction with an instructor, we offer tutorials for an extra fee. We are also introducing a writers' colony, for more experienced authors who simply want to get away from the cares of everyday life to write.

We provide a wide range of contests as well. Please click on information to learn more about the conference. Although we no longer publish a brochure, you can also click on Audrey Stallsmith, registrar to ask that your name be added to our e-mail list.

For those of you who can't come in June--or who just can't get enough of St. Davids--we also sponsor a one-day mini-conference in Stoneboro, PA in April.

We invite you to come and find the support that you need to build your talent--and your career!

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St. Davids originated in the eastern Pennsylvania town of that name, as a ministry of the American Baptist Churches. But the St. Davids Christian Writers' Association is now an independent, nonprofit, interdenominational organization. As such, we welcome believers from all branches of the Christian family, as well as conscientious writers from other walks of life who are interested in making the most of their talents.