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What to Bring

Dress is casual for classes, more formal for the Friday evening awards program.

Since the western Pennsyl- vania climate is wildly unpredictable, you should be prepared for either very hot or cool and rainy weather by packing a jacket, an umbrella, and an electric fan.

The Hall of Arts and Letters, where classes will be held, is air-conditioned. But the Mary Anderson Pew dormi- tory, where conferees will be housed, is not.

The basement lounge contains a refrigerator, microwave, and oven. There are also laundry facilities near that lounge.

The conference provides sheets, towels, and wash- cloths, but please bring your own pillow, clothes hangers, blankets, bath mat, soap, and toiletries. It's also a good idea to include lamps for your desk and bedside, a wastebas- ket, and extension cords with/or a power strip.

There is a restroom, complete with shower, between every two dorm rooms. Please keep in mind that smoking is not per- mitted anywhere on the campus grounds.

Don't forget your note- book, typewriter or computer, and whatever else you need to complete your writing assignments. Make sure you have plenty of paper, and an extra cartridge for your printer. Don't panic if you forget something, however, as there are stores within easy driving distance.

Wired Internet access is available in the dorm and wireless access in the classroom building. You will need to bring an ethernet cable with you if you wish to access the Internet in the dormi- tory. The college also allows conferees to use its computer lab during business hours.

Please also bring copies of works which you have had published since last June for the Published Works table, your published books for the consignment table, manuscripts to show editors, at least six copies of your work-in-progress if you plan to attend a cri- tique group, used books for the used book sale, and an extra tote bag or two to carry home purchases and freebies.

There will be a chance for you to read a short piece of your work aloud as well. We will be extremely grateful if you also remember to pack a quality item or two for the Great St. Davids auction.

Some of the more popular auction items are home- made jellies and applesauce, gift baskets, and unique services. Those offered in the past have included the critiquing of a certain num- ber of manuscript pages, the designing of a web site, a boat trip complete with dinner, a Victorian tea, and a Groundhog Day weekend in Punxsutawney.

Of course, we are also happy to receive garage-sale and flea-market-type items in good shape.

 

Directions

Since it would be impossible for us to provide detailed driving directions for everyone, we suggest you use your GPS system or consult

Mapquest

or a similar online map site.

Click on "get directions" in the upper left corner. Then type your address into the A slot and Grove City Col- lege's address--100 Campus Drive, Grove City, PA 16127--into the B slot.

Click again on "Get Directions" to receive step-by-step driving directions and a "route overview map." Please keep in mind, however, that the Mapquest program is seldom aware of closed roads.

Below are directions to the college from either I-79 or I-80. You can find a PDF campus map of Grove City College at the following link:

Campus Map

Once you reach the college, please park in the lot behind the Mary Anderson Pew dormitory.

From I-79, take Exit 113. Follow Route 208 East into Grove City to the first traffic light. Turn right onto Main Street (Route 58), and go to the second traffic light (Liberty Avenue). Turn left into the campus.

From I-80, take Exit 24. Follow Route 173 South into Grove City. Continue to follow Route 173 as it winds through town. Turn left onto Main Street (Route 58). Go to the second traffic light (Liberty Avenue). Turn left into the campus.

Area Attractions: Grove City has been called a shopper's paradise, being the home of Premium Outlets, a mall featuring over 140 famous-name outlet stores. Other local attractions are Wendell August Forge, widely known for its hand-crafted metalware, and Slovak Folk Crafts.

 

Conference Information--from A to Z!

Appointments--Conferees may sign up for fifteen-minute, one-on-one appointments with editors.

Auction--One of the highlights of the week is the GREAT St. Davids auction. The proceeds go to finance the good work going on at St. Davids, primarily our scholarship program for those writers who need financial help to spend the week with us. If possible, please bring something to contribute. We accept both new and used items.

Banquet--The conference sponsors a banquet just before the awards ceremony on Friday evening. The cost of the banquet is covered for conferees. But there are also a limited number of tickets available--at $20 each--for conferees' family members. They will be available for purchase on the registration form when it is posted in early 2013.

Book Tables--Persons attending St. Davids may purchase books on the craft of writing and books written by conference faculty and conferees. For a 20% consignment fee, we will gladly sell books you have written and tapes you have produced.

Campus--The lovely and historic Grove City College campus--founded in 1876--was designed by Frederick Law Olmstead, who also designed New York's Central Park and is considered the founder of American landscape architecture.

Cancellations--We cannot reimburse conferees for cancellations received after June 9.

Chapel--A morning chapel service with a guest speaker, worship, and prayer, will be held Wednesday through Saturday at 7:30 AM in the Student Union.

Classrooms--Classes will be held in Grove City's Hall of Arts and Letters. The Hall is about a four-minute walk, uphill, from the dorm. Conferees not wanting to make that walk may drive their cars from the dorm parking lot to the lot beside the Hall.

Commuters--We encourage commuters to become as involved as possible. Lunch, supper, and all scheduled activities are included in full-time and daily commuter tuition rates. The full-time rate is $315 and the one-day rate is $100. Breakfasts can be purchased separately in the campus dining room. (Those registering for a single morning class pay only for that class. If they want any meals, they will need to purchase them.)

Contests--All conferees who attend at least one workshop daily all week may enter the writing contests, to compete for cash prizes and certificates.

Critique Groups--Critique groups in a variety of styles--juvenile, poetry, fiction, nonfiction, etc.--will meet for a couple afternoon sessions during the conference. Bring your works-in-progress for review and critique by your peers.

Discounts--Any full-time conferee who pays in full by May 15 may deduct $10. Anyone who brings a new full-time conferee may also deduct $10.

Evening Activities--Evening activities at the conference will include:

• Tuesday--Keynote Address: Eva Marie Everson: "Nehemiah at the Wall"
• Wednesday--Open Mic
• Thursday--The Great St. Davids Auction
• Friday--Awards Ceremony
  

Evening Meditation--Conferees may end their day with a time of worship, praise, and Bible study in one of the dorm lounges.

Freebies--New conferees will receive a free CD that contains writer's guidelines from over 60 publications.

Group Picture--A group picture of conference participants will be taken, weather permitting.

Hotels--Conferees who prefer to stay in a hotel rather than a dormitory must make their own reservations and pay for their own rooms. The conference will consider them commuters and charge according to those rates. You can find a list of Grove City lodging places by clicking on hotels. These are simply listed in alphabetical order, as the conference cannot recommend any establishment in particular.

Late Fee--The conference will charge a $25 late fee for all registrations received after June 1.

Literary Readings--Conferees may bring a short writing sample to share at an "open mike" session. More details will be provided.

Membership--All persons who attend the annual June conference automatically become members of the St. Davids Christian Writers' Association. Those who can not attend may purchase a one-year membership for $15. Click on the following link to be taken to our membership page:

Membership

Newsletter--All persons who attend the conference and members of the St. Davids Christian Writers' Association receive a complimentary subscription to The Upper Case. The newsletter is published three times a year--in spring, fall, and winter.

We have recently converted the newsletter into a free e-mail publication. Those of you former conferees and members who have been receiving the newsletter by snail mail should continue to receive it by e-mail, as long as we have your current e-mail address. To update that or if you wish to be added to the mailing list, you can click on newsletter to e-mail Linda Au. Or click on newsletters to be taken to a page with links to the recent editions.

Physical Disabilities--If you have any physical disabilities, please be sure to mention that fact on your registration form, so we can assign you a room on the ground or first floor. There are no elevators in the dormitory.

Published Works--Conferees may bring copies of works they have had published since last June. A display of those works will be arranged.

Registration--Conference registration begins on Tuesday, June 18, 2013 at 2:00 PM in the Mary Anderson Pew dormitory. Commuters may either register at that time or between 8:30 and 9:00 AM, Wednesday through Friday. Full-time commuters should register on Wednesday morning. Single-day commuters may wait until the morning of the day they plan to attend.

Room & Board--Room and board includes three meals per day at the Student Union (from supper on Tuesday to breakfast on Saturday) and a dormitory room for four nights (Tuesday through Friday). The fee is $215 for a double room and $260 for a single room.

Rooms--Most conferees are housed in the Mary Anderson Pew West Hall or South Hall. There is a restroom between every two dorm rooms. There are no elevators in the dorm, so conferees with physical disabilities should inform the registrar that they will need ground or first floor rooms.

Scholarships--We offer a limited number of complete and partial schoalrships. The partial scholarships generally cover tuition, but the conferee must pay his/her own room and board and do some work for the conference--serving snacks, helping at the book table, etc.--in return.

You can click on scholarship chairperson to e-mail Helen Zanone, if you require further information, or click on scholarship to fill out an application. All requests for scholarships MUST be received by April 30.

If you or your writers' group would like to sponsor a conferee or wish to contribute to the scholarship fund, send inquiries and donations to Susan Lower, SDCWC Treasurer, 1142 High St., Williamsport, PA 17701. Please make checks payable to SDCWC, designating that they are for the scholarship fund.

Snacks--The conference often serves free snacks after the evening programs--usually soft drinks, crackers or cookies, etc. Even if you aren't hungry, this is a good chance to meet and chat with other conferees and staff.

Teens--Although we have sponsored teen days in past years, the college's insurance now requires background checks of all adults involved in programs for minors. Since that isn't economically feasible for us, we regret that we will have to require all conferees to be at least 18 years of age.

Timothy Program--If you are a first-time St. Davids conferee, we welcome you! We have established a mentor program we call the Timothy Program to help make your life during conference week a little easier. If you wish to participate, we will match you with an experienced writer/conferee who shares your writing interests and can answer your questions.

If you are a new conferee who'd like someone to show you the ropes, or a returning conferee who'd like to help someone learn the ropes, please click on Timothy Program to e-mail Janyce Brawn. Let her know how you'd like to partipate.

Tuition--The full-time tuition fee is $225 for resident conferees (those also paying room and board). For commuters, it is $315. (Commuter tuition includes the cost of lunch, supper, and an additional campus use fee charged by the college.) Commuter tuition for a single day (including the above-mentioned fees) is $100 or, for a single continuing class, $100.

Tutorials--A private tutor will work with you for a half hour to critique your manuscript. The charge for a half hour tutorial is $35. If you think you will require longer than a half hour with your tutor, you may purchase additional half-hour slots for the same price. Tutors for 2013 will be:

• Fiction: Eva Marie Everson

• Poetry: Marjorie Maddox

Used Book Sale--We also sponser a used book sale during conference week. Conferees may bring books they no longer want and purchase others at garage-sale prices. The books do not necessarily have to be Christian or about writing, as long as they do not contradict Christian values.

X-tra Information--Do you need more information or have additional questions? Please e-mail your inquiries to Audrey Stallsmith, registrar or Lora Zill, director. Emergency phone numbers, directions to Grove City College, recommendations on what to bring, and other information will be provided with confirmation of registration.