| Mississippi Writers Guild ("MWG" or "The Guild") is a 501 (c)(3) non-profit Mississippi Corporation. Incorporated November 2005, MWG has steadily worked towards building its membership and community involvement in the arts and education within Mississippi. One of MWG's goals is forming chapters throughout Mississippi with a chapter head spearheading each group according to the needs of the writers in that area. Chapters meet regularly to network with other writers, share writing experiences, tips, ideas, readings, open mic sessions, and critique groups. Chapters also discuss and plan special programs and workshops for their area. Smaller events can usually be handled by the chapter, but if larger events are sought for an area, such as a book festival or writer retreat with a well-known author, the MWG board helps to implement the program or event and assists in the advertising, funding, etc., to insure a successful event. Annual membership dues allow MWG Members to link from the MWG website to their personal website. Dues also allow membership discounts on all MWG events in addition to the above stated benefits. MWG contributes a portion of the membership funds to individual chapters to promote MWG and to implement programs, events, and workshops all over the state. MWG members may also email questions related to writing to MWG contact people, as well as email news and updates on their writing successes to be announced to the MWG list and in the quarterly newsletter. More importantly, member dues help finance MWG programs and events, as well provided scholarships to students pursuing a career in a literary field. |
| Updated January 12, 2012 MWG Webmaster Richelle Putnam |
| PARTNERSHIPS WORK |
| GRANTS AND SPONSORSHIPS |
| MWG SCHOLARSHIPS |
| Other scholarships |
| Mississippi Writers Guild has been awarded sponsorships/grants from the following institutions: Mississippi Arts Commission (MAC). Greater Jackson Council for the Arts Community Foundation of East Mississippi Citizens National Bank Regions Bank Lynn Welding SAM's |
| Mississippi Writers Guild (MWG) prepares for its sixth annual conference to be held in Jackson, Mississippi on August 3-4, 2012 Here's a taste of what to expect!!! More Speakers to Come |
Evan Guilford-Blake writes plays, fiction, creative non-fiction and poetry for adults and children. He is the
author of about 40 plays which have been produced internationally; 20 are published by Playscripts, Eldridge,
YouthPLAYs, Next Stage and others. He has won 36 playwriting competitions, including, twice, the New
Orleans Literary Festival/Tennessee Williams and the Tallahatchie RiverFest contests (the only playwright to
have done so), Ireland’s Eamon Keane Award, the Richmond (VA) Firehouse Festival of New Plays, the Saints
and Sinners Competition and the Aurand Harris/NETC award. A Pushcart Prize nominee, Evan’s stories and
poems have appeared in numerous print and online journals, as well as in several anthologies. Among his
dozen short fiction awards are Soundings Review’s Founder’s Award, Wayne State University’s Judith Siegal
Pearson Award and the Porter Fleming prize. Evan is a member of the Dramatists Guild and the Alliance of
Los Angeles Playwrights, and is a “Distinguished Resident Playwright Emeritus” at Chicago Dramatists. He
has presented playwriting workshops at numerous venues including the American College Theatre Festival
and the Georgia Theatre Conference. He and his wife (and inspiration), freelance writer and jewelry designer
Roxanna Guilford-Blake, live in the Atlanta area with their two lovable, dumb-as-dirt doves, Quill and
Gabriella and their equally lovable, smart-as-a-whip spitz/terrier mix Winnie Words.. More information is
available at www.guilford-blake.com/evan.
author of about 40 plays which have been produced internationally; 20 are published by Playscripts, Eldridge,
YouthPLAYs, Next Stage and others. He has won 36 playwriting competitions, including, twice, the New
Orleans Literary Festival/Tennessee Williams and the Tallahatchie RiverFest contests (the only playwright to
have done so), Ireland’s Eamon Keane Award, the Richmond (VA) Firehouse Festival of New Plays, the Saints
and Sinners Competition and the Aurand Harris/NETC award. A Pushcart Prize nominee, Evan’s stories and
poems have appeared in numerous print and online journals, as well as in several anthologies. Among his
dozen short fiction awards are Soundings Review’s Founder’s Award, Wayne State University’s Judith Siegal
Pearson Award and the Porter Fleming prize. Evan is a member of the Dramatists Guild and the Alliance of
Los Angeles Playwrights, and is a “Distinguished Resident Playwright Emeritus” at Chicago Dramatists. He
has presented playwriting workshops at numerous venues including the American College Theatre Festival
and the Georgia Theatre Conference. He and his wife (and inspiration), freelance writer and jewelry designer
Roxanna Guilford-Blake, live in the Atlanta area with their two lovable, dumb-as-dirt doves, Quill and
Gabriella and their equally lovable, smart-as-a-whip spitz/terrier mix Winnie Words.. More information is
available at www.guilford-blake.com/evan.
C. Hope Clark is author of A Lowcountry Bribe, the first of the new Palmetto State Mystery Series published
by Bell Bridge Books out of Memphis. Hope lives on the bank of Lake Murray near Chapin, SC, where she
not only pens mysteries, but she also manages FundsforWriters.com . The website has received the honor of
being selected for 101 Best Websites for Writers, an annual selection by Writer's Digest Magazine, for the
past 12 years running. Her newsletters aid writers in finding grants, contests, markets and publishers for
their work, and Hope's newsletters reach 42,000 readers each week. She's also published in Writer's Digest,
The Writer Magazine, TURF Magazine, Landscape Management, Voices of Youth Advocates (VOYA),
numerous Chicken Soup and many more online and print publications. She speaks at writers conferences
throughout the United States and is recognized as an expert in the freelance writing business. Read more
about Hope in her blog, on Twitter, in Facebook as well as the newsletters available at
www.fundsforwriters.com. Website - www.chopeclark.com; Blog - www.hopeclark.blogspot.com;
Twitter - www.twitter.com/hopeclark; Facebook - www.facebook.com/chopeclark
About.me - http://about.me/hopeclark
by Bell Bridge Books out of Memphis. Hope lives on the bank of Lake Murray near Chapin, SC, where she
not only pens mysteries, but she also manages FundsforWriters.com . The website has received the honor of
being selected for 101 Best Websites for Writers, an annual selection by Writer's Digest Magazine, for the
past 12 years running. Her newsletters aid writers in finding grants, contests, markets and publishers for
their work, and Hope's newsletters reach 42,000 readers each week. She's also published in Writer's Digest,
The Writer Magazine, TURF Magazine, Landscape Management, Voices of Youth Advocates (VOYA),
numerous Chicken Soup and many more online and print publications. She speaks at writers conferences
throughout the United States and is recognized as an expert in the freelance writing business. Read more
about Hope in her blog, on Twitter, in Facebook as well as the newsletters available at
www.fundsforwriters.com. Website - www.chopeclark.com; Blog - www.hopeclark.blogspot.com;
Twitter - www.twitter.com/hopeclark; Facebook - www.facebook.com/chopeclark
About.me - http://about.me/hopeclark
Kathryn Lay is the author of 20 books for children including CROWN ME!, middle grade novel,
winner of Texas State Reading Association Golden Spur Award and Oklahoma Writer’s Trophy
Award for Best Children’s Novel, republished in paperback with Scholastic Book Clubs; JOSH’S
HALLOWEEN PUMPKIN, picture book; WENDY’S WEATHER WARRIOR series, 6 book chapter
books for educational publisher, 4 Classic Adaptations (WIZARD OF OZ, LITTLE WOMEN,
WAR OF THE WORLDS, JOURNEY TO THE CENTER OF THE EARTH). 6 book nonfiction
picture book series coming out September 2012, SENSING THEIR PREY. Book for writers, THE
ORGANIZED WRITER IS A SELLING WRITER in paperback, e-book and kindle. Kathryn has
had over 2000 articles, essays, and stories published in magazines and anthologies for children
and adults including: 8 Chicken Soup books, 12 Guideposts anthologies, Woman’s World, Family
Circle, Kiwanis, Highlights for Children, Cricket, Spider, Pockets, and many more. She teaches
3 writing courses at Coffeehouseforwriters.com and is the new Magazine Expert Guide for
Children’s Book Insider magazine and website. She has judged many contests including the
SCBWI Magazine Merit Award and Oklahoma Writer’s Federation annual contests. Her website
is www.kathrynlay.com
winner of Texas State Reading Association Golden Spur Award and Oklahoma Writer’s Trophy
Award for Best Children’s Novel, republished in paperback with Scholastic Book Clubs; JOSH’S
HALLOWEEN PUMPKIN, picture book; WENDY’S WEATHER WARRIOR series, 6 book chapter
books for educational publisher, 4 Classic Adaptations (WIZARD OF OZ, LITTLE WOMEN,
WAR OF THE WORLDS, JOURNEY TO THE CENTER OF THE EARTH). 6 book nonfiction
picture book series coming out September 2012, SENSING THEIR PREY. Book for writers, THE
ORGANIZED WRITER IS A SELLING WRITER in paperback, e-book and kindle. Kathryn has
had over 2000 articles, essays, and stories published in magazines and anthologies for children
and adults including: 8 Chicken Soup books, 12 Guideposts anthologies, Woman’s World, Family
Circle, Kiwanis, Highlights for Children, Cricket, Spider, Pockets, and many more. She teaches
3 writing courses at Coffeehouseforwriters.com and is the new Magazine Expert Guide for
Children’s Book Insider magazine and website. She has judged many contests including the
SCBWI Magazine Merit Award and Oklahoma Writer’s Federation annual contests. Her website
is www.kathrynlay.com
| Mississippi Writers Guild (MWG) is a proud sponsor this 2nd annual event. For more information, please contact Laura Weeks, Lorelei Books, Vicksburg, MS |
Mississippi Writers Guild
has a partnered with:
has a partnered with:
| Donald Brown |
Thanks to a partnership with Meridian Community College |
college scholarship
$1,000.00
MFWC Annual Writing Competition Five-County Student Writing Competition: Shea Thrash Denise Talley Brittany Boyd Melanie Nelson Clemmie Little Ashlee Onyia Anne C. Prince Daniel May Leland Brazier Ibrahim Elnaham Tori Bruno Natalie Patchin Abbey Rigdon Kolt Hagon Katlyn Skinner Justin Williams Brianna Foy Thomas Kornegay Sarah McNair Kasie Truhett From Delta Blues Writing Competition Donald Brown Everett Baxley Sky Lynn Irby Rachel Brooks |
| Johanna Masterson Kaleb Mitchell Emily Clark Margaux Huff |
Landon Draughn
Madison Hall
Lydia Moore
Lauren Ladnier
| CEUs available through MWG programs. |
With more than 16 years of experience on the seminar circuit, Certified Speaking Professional Mandi Stanley
works primarily with business leaders who want to boost their professional image and with people who want to be
better speakers and writers. She has traveled throughout North America entertaining and educating more than
34,000 seminar participants, totaling 3800 platform hours. Some of her repeat clients include: Campbell’s Soup
Company, the United States Air Force, Kimberly-Clark’s World Headquarters, Mississippi Bankers Association,
McDonald’s Corporation, Godiva Chocolate, The Rockefeller University and the National Football League (that’s
right—the NFL!) In 2003, she was designated a Certified Speaking Professional by the National Speakers
Association. Fewer than 9 percent of all worldwide speakers have earned this designation, and Mandi is the first
Mississippian to receive this honor. She’s a summa cum laude graduate with concentrations in English,
communications, and management, and the author of The No-Panic Plan for Presenters: An A-to-Z Checklist for
Speaking Confidently and Compellingly Anywhere, Anytime released by Pecan Row Press in February, 2011. Mandi
has served on the faculty of the American Management Association, where she received the coveted Quality Award
and first-place ranking in market share. Audiences appreciate her platform enthusiasm, interactive style, and
content-rich messages. She designs every presentation to help her audiences get their messages across with the
results they want. You’ll laugh! You’ll learn! You’ll leave with your “Hair-On-Fire!”
works primarily with business leaders who want to boost their professional image and with people who want to be
better speakers and writers. She has traveled throughout North America entertaining and educating more than
34,000 seminar participants, totaling 3800 platform hours. Some of her repeat clients include: Campbell’s Soup
Company, the United States Air Force, Kimberly-Clark’s World Headquarters, Mississippi Bankers Association,
McDonald’s Corporation, Godiva Chocolate, The Rockefeller University and the National Football League (that’s
right—the NFL!) In 2003, she was designated a Certified Speaking Professional by the National Speakers
Association. Fewer than 9 percent of all worldwide speakers have earned this designation, and Mandi is the first
Mississippian to receive this honor. She’s a summa cum laude graduate with concentrations in English,
communications, and management, and the author of The No-Panic Plan for Presenters: An A-to-Z Checklist for
Speaking Confidently and Compellingly Anywhere, Anytime released by Pecan Row Press in February, 2011. Mandi
has served on the faculty of the American Management Association, where she received the coveted Quality Award
and first-place ranking in market share. Audiences appreciate her platform enthusiasm, interactive style, and
content-rich messages. She designs every presentation to help her audiences get their messages across with the
results they want. You’ll laugh! You’ll learn! You’ll leave with your “Hair-On-Fire!”
| BOOKS FOR VETERANS |
| MWG delivered over 11,500 books to Veterans Homes in Mississippi and Tennessee. See details and photographs here |
| "No Writer Without a Voice" |
Rochelle Melander is an author, speaker, and professional coach with more than 20 years of publishing
experience. She is the bestselling author of ten commercially published books, hundreds of articles, and
many educational resources including the new book to help fiction and nonfiction writers to write fast:
Write-A-Thon: Write Your Book in 26 Days (And Live to Tell About It,) (Writer's Digest Books, October 2011).
Melander teaches professionals how to get published, establish credibility, and navigate the new world of
social media. http://www.writenowcoach.com; http://www.writenowmastermind.com
experience. She is the bestselling author of ten commercially published books, hundreds of articles, and
many educational resources including the new book to help fiction and nonfiction writers to write fast:
Write-A-Thon: Write Your Book in 26 Days (And Live to Tell About It,) (Writer's Digest Books, October 2011).
Melander teaches professionals how to get published, establish credibility, and navigate the new world of
social media. http://www.writenowcoach.com; http://www.writenowmastermind.com
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| April 28, 2012 reading and discussion with Poets: Angela Ball Sandra Beasley and Genaro Smith More info to come |