Southern Expressions

Authors Conference 2011

Some testimonials from our 2011 onference...

Mary Lou Brainerd - I really enjoyed the Conference. Every speaker gave meaningful and helpful presentations. The only problem I had was deciding which workshop to attend. They all sounded great. I know it took a tremendous amount of time and work to put it all together and I appreciate it very much. I may still be on the Coast on the 29th and if so, I would love to come to the monthly meeting. Thanks again.

Robert - I hope everyone enjoyed the conference as much as I did. It was very organized, very informative, and I got to meet new persons and contacts. Enjoyed meeting you, although we didn't have much time to talk...I understand you were quite busy. I will say, Jeannie Pantalakis was wonderful in her lectures and impressive in her desire to aid and help everyone, no matter their status in the literary world.

Some testimonials from our 2010 Conference...

Dan Case -- FYI... Charles W. Sasser is his formal pen name, but everyone who knows him just calls him "Chuck." His impressive bio is pretty tame compared with ALL the things he's accomplished in his life. I've been fortunate enough to accompany him on a few of his adventures. i.e. A 4,000 mile trip driving, backpacking, taking photos, interviewing witnesses, college professors, forensic scientists and lawmen, in search of Sasquatch; exploring Anasazi ruins on the Navajo reservation in Arizona, canoeing and camping on the Kiamichi river; Grouse hunting, hiking, mountain biking in the high plains of Northern Colorado; I recorded on the Internet for benefit of several TV stations, Radio stations and Newspapers daily reports on Chuck's progress on his record-breaking flight across the country in a powered parachute; and now we are driving together into the wilds of the Gulf Coast of Mississippi. Sounds like fun.

Carolyn Files -- I found all the authors, editors, "book doctors," very approachable and more than willing to share their knowledge. The evening of Neil White's talk I had time to talk to Anthony Dalton. I had chosen my 15 minutes with him for the following day, so I actually got closer to an hour -- we chatted generally that evening, and more specifically the next day.

          That evening I also scheduled a "free" time with the 'book doctor.' She gave good pointers and plenty of time. Okay, I've learned/know what to do, and now I need to do it! The Vicksburg conference and the Biloxi conference have shown me that Mississippi is active with its writers/writing groups/etc so will probably join up with a group in April.

          An interesting side bar to the conference was that I called a cab to get me to the IP and to the O'Keefe Center just to save my sanity since I don't know the Biloxi/Ocean Springs areas. You understand, I am from Oak Ridge, LA, a village of about 140. The cab driver asked where I was from--I told him. After a moment of silence he said, "About 25 miles northeast of Monroe." My jaw dropped. His daughter married a farmer in Oak Ridge and for ANYONE to know where it is—is amazing. Oak Ridge is often confused with Oak Grove, a larger town a couple of parishes over from us. I can recommend Jack Gasso as a taxi driver who is doing something he loves and is good at—something he picked up after he retired.

Terry Miles -- The Conference was great, enjoyable, interesting and above all, entertaining. Wonderful speakers, great food and an abundance of network and contacts.

Darden North - The Southern Expressions Writers Conference was/is a unique opportunity to mix with writers at all levels: some published, some with only hand written manuscripts on legal pads. As a conference speaker/facilitator I benefitted from the well-structured program, which was at the same time casual. The participants were exposed to a well-thought blend of authors, writing coaches, and agents. As a published author, I benefitted greatly from the networking opportunity. This conference is a fantastic value. www.dardennorth.com

Helen Zimmermann Literary Agent - The Southern Expressions conference provides a warm and welcoming setting to meet writers, talk books, and find out more about publishing. www.ZimmermannLiterary.com

Grace Lebo -- My comments about the 2010 SE Conference include the following:

∙               I really appreciated the facilitators who brought extra handouts of their subject matter so that those of us who were interested but who were unable to attend their particular classes could receive a handout to study later.

∙               Even though it cost extra, the payment was worth it when we could meet one-on-one with a facilitator to discuss his/her topic and ask questions pertinent to our own writing and seek advice pertinent to our own needs on his/her subject.

∙               I sincerely appreciated those facilitators and speakers who roamed the halls when they weren't talking or teaching and didn't mind spending a few moments with attendees who had just a couple of questions or needed/appreciated just a moment of their time.

∙               It was great having a knowledgeable Barnes & Noble rep on the spot with so many and varied books for sale, particularly those written by authors who were present and didn't mind signing their books when we purchased them. The discount was a very nice touch, too! And most appreciated.

∙               Having a very nice box lunch on site was appreciated, eliminating any need to leave the building, seek a nearby fast food place, and then having to watch the time to get back before the next class began. 

Dallas Woodburn -- Southern Expressions was a phenomenal conference. I was impressed with the wide range of workshops offered, across all genres and writing specialties. Southern Expressions has all the resources of a big conference while retaining the intimacy of a small workshop environment. I left feeling inspired and rejuvenated! It was a pleasure to be involved in such a terrific conference. Thanks again for having me.

Linda Eschler -- I was very impressed with the speakers and the one-on-one sessions as well.

          The information I received from Helen Zimmerman's workshop on finding an agent caused me to realize just how important the Query letter is.

          I love John Floyd's workshop on short stories because I never believed I could write a complete story in less than a thousand words; however, afterwards I wrote five short romance stories and three short mysteries in one week. He also gave us a good bit of information on submitting to magazines and because of this information; I felt confident enough to submit to one of the magazines he recommended.

Geri Spieler -- It was an excellent conference with a nice range of topics from which to choose. My only suggestion would be to have fewer tracks, usually four at most and no more than 10 to 15 minutes between sessions. Hope this helps.

Vivian Newkirk -- Never having attended a writing conference, I found Southern Expressions one of the most organized meetings with a good variety of speakers. The required number of attendees allowed a comfortable atmosphere where authors and writers could mingle. I was so enthusiastic for days afterwards.

          Lottie and I are going to the Tallahassee conference in March and I'll find out how the Floridians do conferences.

          Thank you, Philip, for your contacts, also your continual upbeat personality that supports us fledging writers. Visit me at www.cabinwriter.blogspot.com

Nancy Rust -- I think you had a wonderful conference. The sessions and speakers were helpful. I enjoyed your own session on organizing writing a novel very much. The only suggestion for improvement is in scheduling private sessions. I was confused as to when and where mine was. All worked out in the end though.

Lottie - You did an outstanding job with the writer's conference. The format was well planned and I enjoyed all the speakers. They were well prepared. (The food was good, too.)

          The person I got the most feedback from was Helen Zimmerman. She had asked for some of my work beforehand. Helen had read it and she was completely prepared for our one-on-one interview.

          I'm just delighted that you all will be holding the conference again. It's got to have been a lot of work.

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