See Jane Write Summer Calendar of Events

A peek into my planner

Happy summer solstice!

With the launch of See Jane Write Magazine approaching, some of you may be wondering if this new online publication means there will be less See Jane Write Birmingham events. Well, I’m here to tell you that you can actually expect even more events!

Here’s what’s on the horizon this season:

July 12 — See Jane Write hosts the Alabama Bloggers Luncheon
11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. at Mix, 1820 4th Ave. N.
See Jane Write will play host to the monthly #AlaBlogMeet luncheon.
More details coming soon.

July 18 — See Jane Write Magazine Launch Party
5:30 – 8:30 p.m. at aloft Hotel, 1903 29th Avenue South, Homewood
Help us celebrate the launch of our new online blog-style magazine!
Click here for more details and to RSVP.


July 19 — See Jane Move at Inspire Fitness
5:30 – 6:30 p.m. at Inspire Fitness, 2255 Highland Avenue
Remember you can’t write the next great American masterpiece if you’re dead. So jumpstart your plans to get in shape with an exciting spinning class by Gabe Rios at Inspire Fitness. Only $10.
More details coming soon.

July 21 — Headshot Session with Lynsey Weatherspoon Photography
Beginning at 1 p.m. on Morris Avenue (or Lynsey Weatherspoon Photography studio if it rains)
Local photographer Lynsey Weatherspoon is offering an unbelievable discount on headshot sessions to the women of See Jane Write. These headshots can be used on your blog, author website, social media networks and more.
Click here to reserve your spot today!

Aug. 3 — Sketches & Scribes at Naked Art Gallery
2-4 p.m. at Naked Art Gallery, 3831 Clairmont Avenue
Join us for a mid-afternoon mixer at Naked Art Gallery. We’ll enjoy a few snacks, browse the shop, and get inspired by art. In fact, we’ll be conducting a fun writing challenge at this event, asking attendees to write a poem, a piece of fiction, an essay, or a blog post inspired by a piece of art they saw at Naked Art Gallery. Your work may be featured in See Jane Write Magazine!

Aug. 22 – Meet the Press Media Mixer
5:30 p.m. at The Wine Loft, 2200 1st Ave. North
Mix and mingle with editors from some of the city’s top publications and learn about freelancing opportunities. Publications that will be represented include The Birmingham News, Birmingham Magazine, B-Metro, and Southern Living.
More details coming soon.

Pull out those planners and mark your calendars now!

Win tickets to Girls Night Out: Operation Beach Ready — Updated with Winners!


UPDATE: Congratulations to Laura Tucker Gallitz and Hilary Weston! They won the two pairs of tickets to this event. Have fun, ladies!  

***

Local author Liza Elliott is on a mission to get you ready for your next vacation.

Not only is her novel 30-A Supper Club a great beach read, but next week she’s hosting a beach-

themed fashion show.

Girls Night Out: Operation Beach Ready will feature food and fashions from local vendors and the Birmingham Fashion Truck is set to be on the scene too. The first 100 guests will receive free swag bags that include a copy of Elliott’s novel.

30-A Supper Club (Red Camel Press), follows sociologist Harley McBride on her quest to identify a gold coin she finds on a Florida beach near County Road 30-A. McBride’s search leads her into a murky world where her longtime friends and members of the 30-A Supper Club protect deep family secrets dating back to the Civil War. A complicated pursuit of the true meaning of the coin begins drawing Harley into secrets about illicit affairs, murders, and more.

Girls Night Out: Operation Beach Ready is to be held 6-10 p.m. Thursday, June 13 at The Summit Club, located at 1901 6th Ave. N. in Birmingham. Tickets are $30 and proceeds from the event will benefit Glenwood Autism & Behavioral Health Center.


See Jane Write is giving away two pairs of tickets to this event. You can enter below!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The Power of Digital Storytelling

Wade Kwon
Photo Credit: Sean Kelley

As writers we understand the power and the value of storytelling. However, far too many of us fail to realize that we can and should use these storytelling skills we possess in the digital realm through blogging and social media. 

Whether you’re a small business owner seeking new customers or a writer seeking to grab the attention of readers or editors, you need to blog and you need to use social media. If there’s anyone who can help you do this well, it’s Wade Kwon — who will be the speaker at See Jane Write’s next Bloggers Who Brunch event. 

Kwon is a well-known communications consultant based in Birmingham and the director of the upcoming blogging and social media conference Y’all Connect. Kwon will be speaking at the Bloggers Who Brunch event set for 11:30 a.m. on Friday, June 21 at Nabeel’s (1706 Oxmoor Road, Homewood). He’ll be discussing the upcoming conference and the power of storytelling. 

Kwon believes that all businesses — whether a gigantic corporation or a small mom & pop shop — should be using blogging and social media as these are prime ways to reach consumers. And the same goes for writers, too.

“If you’re trying to get the attention of editors, publishers, or readers, blogging should be a part of what you do on a regular basis,” Kwon said.


Just as social media and blogging can be used to help businesses get the attention of potential customers, these tools can help an author find new fans, a freelance writer snag new gigs, or an aspiring novelist land a book deal. 


“Don’t think that networking opportunities only happen at conferences and workshops,” Kwon said. “They can happen every day around your writing,” that is if you’re blogging and effectively using social media. 


And when it comes to social media, Kwon knows his stuff. The Poynter Institute selected him as one of 35 Influential People in Social Media. Birmingham Magazine readers selected him as Best Tweeter in the Best of B’ham 2010 and 2011 online polls.

But Kwon didn’t organize the Y’all Connect conference to show off his own talent, but to show off his hometown of Birmingham. 

“Birmingham is too talented and too rich of an environment to keep quiet any longer,” Kwon said. 

Y’all Connect, which is taking place July 23 in Birmingham, is designed to help you master the art of digital storytelling and thus boost your business and/or writing career. 


Mack Collier, author of Think Like a Rockstar, will be at the conference speaking on how you can create content that is more relevant and exciting to your customers or readers. 

Peter Shankman, author, entrepreneur, and founder of Help a Reporter Out, will teach you at least six actions you should implement so you can start seeing immediate growth in your company or career. 

Top metereologist and Twitter superstar James Spann will also be speaking, along with several other social media gurus. 

Kwon has created a special discount code for See Jane Write. Our special promo code is: SJW89.

Visit http://yallconnect.com/tickets/ and enter the code above for $30 off your ticket. That makes your ticket just $99 and that includes the full conference, two meals, one snack and two parties. And register soon because the first 100 ticket buyers receive a free copy of  Collier’s book, Think Like a Rock Star.

And if you’re eager to learn more about blogging and social media before Y’all Connect don’t miss June’s Bloggers Who Brunch event. You can sign up at http://bloggerswhobrunch3.eventbrite.comSpace is limited so register today!

Liza Elliott to host mixer for local bloggers, authors, and poets

Birmingham-based author Liza Elliott

If you’re a blogger, author, or poet you need to be at Little Professor Book Center on Sunday at 1:45 p.m. Birmingham-based author Liza Elliott is hosting a B.A.P. (Bloggers Authors and Poets) Mixer for local writers. This event is a great chance to meet other Birmingham-area literary artists. 

Elliott is the author of 30-A Supper Club (Red Camel Press), which follows sociologist Harley McBride on her quest to identify a gold coin she finds on a Florida beach near County Road 30-A. McBride’s search leads her into a murky world where her longtime friends and members of the 30-A Supper Club protect deep family secrets dating back to the Civil War. A complicated pursuit of the true meaning of the coin begins drawing Harley into secrets about illicit affairs, murders, and more.

Read on to get to know Elliott and be sure to come out to Little Professor on Sunday. 






30-A Supper Club seems very different from books you’ve written in the past. What was the inspiration for this novel?


The beach.  On my first trip to Cape Cod when I was a child, I fell in love with the sand and water, the thrill of digging out a partially hidden shell, and the ever-changing sound of the sea, from big waves to gentle slaps on the shore. 

A few years ago, I was strolling along the beach in Seagrove Beach, Fl, and thought, “What if I discovered a gold coin in the sand?  How did it get there?  What if it was old?” Then, I began to imagine the theme of the book. What if identifying the coin led to lost Confederate gold? By the end of my walk, I had the plot.

Tell me about your writing process. Do you write daily? Do you write in a certain place or at a certain time of the day? What do you use to keep yourself inspired?

I write everyday in my home office and prefer the early morning.  In the afternoon, I critique my draft, make notes, and problem solve story dilemmas.  

All my characters have bios, which I hand-write on an index card.  These have details such as hair and eye color, where they went to school or college, their occupations, their hometowns and favorite music, sports teams or movies — in short, a brief back story. I tack them on a bulletin board, which hangs over my desk.

As for what inspires me, it is people, their stories and the contexts of their lives.  How persons individually, in a community, or in a society, interact alone and together under a variety of circumstances presents endless story possibilities.  The true ones are often more fantastic than any made up story. So I listen to or read about people with stories of good times, bad times, heroism, or foolishness.  Mix it all up and voilá — a story.

Why did you decide to publish 30-A Supper Club with a small press?

Small presses take risks.  That is their strength.  They give new writers a chance to showcase works that might be a potential mass audience blockbuster, but more often are smaller niche market books.  In addition to working with the writer to produce the best manuscript possible, a small press will handle the details of the cover, the ISBN, and so forth.
                
What are your thoughts on self-publishing? 
Self-publishing, to me, is no different than a musician setting up his or her own label and producing their own albums, CDs, and singles.  Many A-list actors set up their own production companies to write, star, and direct.  Each succeeds on the basis of the quality of the work and their efforts.  Technology and the Internet has made this possible for writers.  Writers should explore all options and decide what is best for them. 

The B.A.P. Mixer is a great networking opportunity. Why do you think it’s so important for writers to meet and build relationships with other writers?
It is always good to see what is going on in one’s field.  The energy from discussions of all sorts of topics can inspire and motivate those who participate.  Writers can exchange thoughts on new styles of writing, the future of ebooks, and so forth.  Being part of a community of writers reduces the sense of isolation writers sometimes feel.  Writing is solitary work.  Knowing you can call another writer for input, problem solving, or just to vent about something is valuable.
               
Liza Elliott will host a mixer for bloggers, authors, and poets
Sunday at Little Professor Book Centers in Homewood.
Do you think Birmingham is a good city for writers? 

A writer can be anywhere and write about anyone or anything. That said, Birmingham is a good city for writers.  It has a complicated rich history that can be mined for great stories.  

Birmingham still has bookstores, from the big chains to important independent bookstores with loyal customers and supporters. Professional recognition and support between local writers and local bookstores can be a match made in heaven.


Birmingham also has a terrific literary magazine, the Birmingham Arts Journal, edited by author Jim Reed.  He is the godfather of writers around here and is a longtime leader in the Alabama Writers Conclave. 

The Birmingham branch of the National League of American Pen Women, of which I am a member, is a longstanding organization of women writers, artists and musicians where collaboration, exchange and support has existed for many years.  Its national scope and activities helps local writers reach a national audience.

With coffee shops to suit your every mood, universities, sports fields, museums, concert halls, small club venues for music, theatres for plays and dance, there is no shortage of settings, people, and activities, here, that can inspire a writer from non-fiction to fantasy, and everything in between.

Join Liza Elliott for The B.A.P. Mixer Sunday, May 19 from 1:45 to 3 p.m.  at Little Professor Book Center, 2717 18th St. South in Homewood. A light brunch will be served.