News And Announcements

Congratulations to Claudia Whitsitt

WE HAVE A WINNER: Charles Redner, publisher of The Hummingbird Review, has announced the winner of the SD24 “An Impact of Another” writing contest. Hailing from Saline, MI, Claudia Whitsitt will receive a cash prize and possible publication in the anthology for her short story, “One Last Pearl.” Congratulations, Claudia!

In other news, we’ll be rolling over the site to its new design and begin announcing updates for our next event in September, LA8 (actually, in Newport Beach) on April 2nd.

Finally, be sure to check back and let us know what you think. And if you like to plan way, way ahead, know now that dates for San Diego 25 will be Presidents’ Day Weekend, Feb. 18-21, 2011, so whether it be in Newport Beach or San Diego — or both — we hope to see you there.

Here’s just a smidge of the feedback we’ve received so far about our recent San Diego event, but please keep ’em coming…

“The weekend was one of the most enlightening experiences in my life.”

“Outstanding…inspiring.”

“I learned a lot and enjoyed the conference.”

“I totally enjoyed the conference and took away new knowledge, tips and great advice. The NOVELCRAM workshop was FABULOUS.” 

“A ton of fun.”

“Thanks again for another great conference!”

“This was my first writer’s conference and I had a fabulous time. Exhausted by Monday but so much better informed.”

“The big advantage you have over other conferences is the wonderful feeling of “community” that happens during your events… The atmosphere is relaxed, yet everyone is very serious about learning and growing as a writer.”

“The best I’ve experienced.”

“The input I received from meeting the agents was priceless.” 

“A fabulous experience…I made some new friends, learned so much about the craft, and above all it turns out I don’t suck as much as I thought I did.”

“Excellent…I had a blast.”

“I look forward to the September event in Newport Beach.”

What a fantastic weekend, and what a fantastic conference. So many new voices and so much passion that the final two writers left standing workshopped among themselves beyond the close of Sunday’s late-night sessions, not calling it quits until 6:20 AM on Monday. Now that’s writing! With so much material deserving recognition, every writer in attendance warrants a shout out for their effort, regardless of where they’re at in their journey. Good job all! Now on to the awards…

SCWC*SD 24 Award Recipients:

• OUTSTANDING FICTION >> Barbara Gardner from Clarkdale, MS for Westside Blues
• OUTSTANDING FICTION >> Alyssa Kirk from Lebec, CA for Demonic Intentions
• OUTSTANDING FICTION >> Larry Markworth from Ventura, CA for Loss of Face
• OUTSTANDING TOPIC >> Elizabeth Mondok from Lancaster, CA for Why the Owl Asks Who (read here)
• OUTSTANDING TOPIC >> Melissa Fischer from Venice, CA for Why, Rick? (read here)

We’re getting gobs of great feedback and exceptional suggestions for next time, so please keep ’em coming. The next SCWC is our L.A. event (which actually takes place in Newport Beach), Sept. 24-26, 2010. Pre-registration opens in April, so check back for details. In the meantime, don’t forget to befriend the SCWC on Facebook and visit the SCWC Blog for additional updates and publishing news.