Events

Jane About Town: 3 Things You Should Do This Week

Image by Andreanna Maya Photography via Flickr/Creative Commons
Image by Andreanna Maya Photography via Flickr/Creative Commons

 

Women writers of Birmingham, break out your planners. Here are three events coming up this week you don’t want to miss.

How to Make Money From Your Website

On Thursday, Sept. 18, digital strategist and start-up marketing expert Andrea Walker will lead a free workshop on how to make money from your website. The session will be held from 9:30 to 11 a.m. at the Birmingham Public Library, 2100 Park Place. It’s free but registration is required. Reserve your spot via Eventbrite. For more information check out this interview with Walker by See Jane Write member Chanda Temple.

Cupcakes and Conversation

This night of empowerment is hosted by motivational speakers Marla and Marcia Pruitte, better known as The Pruitte Twins. The last Cupcakes and Conversation event was held in June and I was fortunate enough to attend. As I mentioned in my blog post about the event, I left Cupcakes and Conversation feeling inspired to be bold and to dream bigger dreams. The next Cupcakes and Conversation event is set for 7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 19 at the Gracie Grove Venue, 1286 Oak Grove Road. You can order tickets here.

Toland Travels Live

Toland Travel Live is a night of storytelling organized by Brad Toland of the blog Toland Travels. Hear Birmingham storytellers share tales of their travels starting at 7 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 20 at Urban Standard, 2320 2nd Avenue North. I know this is the same night that Beyonce and Jay-Z’s On the Run Paris show will premiere on HBO, but just set your DVR and go hear some great stories. Admission is free. Learn more here.

 

If you have an event you’d like to be considered for Jane About Town, email information to javacia@seejanewritebham.com. 

5 Reasons You Should Attend WordCamp Birmingham

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Jane needs a makeover.

In the next month or so SeeJaneWriteBham.com is getting a major redesign. Part of this website overhaul will include changing platforms: I’ll be moving See Jane Write from Blogger to WordPress.

For years I was fiercely loyal to Blogger. And even though last year I launched See Jane Write Magazine using WordPress.org and my portfolio website, Javacia.com, using WordPress.com, I still had a soft spot for Blogger. I couldn’t help it. It’s so easy to use and it’s the platform with which I started my very first blog.

Then I attended WordCamp.

WordCamps are casual, locally-organized conferences that cover various topics related to WordPress, the free and open source publishing software that powers over 75 million websites.

At last year’s WordCamp Birmingham, Sara Cannon — one of the event’s organizers and speakers — said something that was music to my ears: “You can do anything with WordPress.”

I was sold.

I have big plans for See Jane Write and most of those plans will rely on having an amazing website. And so I’m making the move.

This year’s WordCamp Birmingham is set for Saturday, August 16. I’ll be there, of course, and I would love to see some See Jane Write readers there too.

So I’m here to convince you to join me. This isn’t a sponsored post — WordCamp is paying me to sway you. I just really believe that whether you run your blog on WordPress or not, you could learn a lot from this event. (And you’ll get a cool t-shirt.)

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Every Bloganista Needs a Game Changer

On July 19, See Jane Write hosted its first mini-conference.  Seventy five people showed up for our  Bloganista Mini-Con. I count it as a major success and not simply because of a packed house.

I believe the Bloganista Mini-Con was a success because so many people left the event feeling inspired.

I was so inspired by #bloganista that I am, as of RIGHT NOW, starting my new blog on @Squarespace! #sjwbhm @seejanewritebhm More to come!
— Mandy Shunnarah (@fixedbaroque) July 20, 2014

Tweets like the one above made my day. And days after the conference I ran into other attendees who told me they left the conference so motivated that they’ve been on Cloud 9 ever since.
And I left the conference feeling just as inspired as they did.

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We Love Our Sponsors

Next week’s Bloganista Mini-Conference wouldn’t be possible without the support of several sponsors, who will be contributing food, drinks, and awesome door prizes to the event.

 
With a focus on families and businesses, Hamer Law Group is a Birmingham-based law firm seeking to provide candid advice, creative solutions, aggressive representation and results to clients across Alabama. Hamer Law Group is committed to helping small businesses, including See Jane Write LLC. Hamer Law Group sponsored last month’s Bloganista Mixer, which served as a preview party for the Bloganista Mini-Conference. If you had a blast at that event, you definitely don’t want to miss this month’s conference. 
 
 
Sol’s Sandwich Shop & Deli, located in downtown Birmingham just off 20th Street North, is all about fresh and local. All of their burgers, hoagies, wraps and sandwiches are made to order with great ingredients and generous portions. At the Bloganista Mini-Con, Sol’s will be providing breakfast snacks for the Morning Mingle.
 
 
 
Church Street Coffee & Books is located in Crestline Village in Birmingham, Alabama. Church Street sells books, coffee, pastries and tea and hosts book clubs and a number of other community events. The staff at Church Street also publishes a book blog called PostScript. Church Street will provide coffee for the Morning Mingle.
 
 
 
 
Urban Cookhouse  is a vibrant, bustling restaurant that consistently serves excellent tasting food with exceptional customer service. The folks at UC use the freshest ingredients available with an emphasis on supporting the local farmer. In fact, they not only buy local produce for use in their kitchen, they also sponsor and manage the Homewood and Summit Farmer’s Markets. Conference attendees who register by July 10 will receive an Urban Cookhouse gift card. 
 
 
 
 
For more than 20 years, Collage Designer Consignment has outfitted some of the best dressed women in Alabama.  With locations ‘On the Curve’ in Downtown Homewood and at the Vestavia City Center, Collage has been voted ‘Best Women’s Boutique’ by readers of Birmingham Magazine and ‘Best Consignment Shop’ by many publications and ‘Best of Birmingham’ year after year. A representative from Collage will be present at the Bloganista Mini-Con selling clothing and accessories so the fashionistas who attend can do some shopping while they’re learning more about blogging. Collage is also giving away a jewelry set to one lucky winner. 

 
 
Public Radio WBHM 90.3 FM, a listener-supported service of the University of Alabama at Birmingham, is “Your NPR News Station” and home to the Alabama Radio Reading Service for the blind and print-impaired. WBHM programming and award-winning regional journalism also can be heard in North Central Alabama on WSGN 91.5 FM through a partnership with Gadsden State Community College. Listen and give online at wbhm.org and follow the station on Twitter @WBHM and on Facebook. WBHM is our media sponsor for the Bloganista Mini-Conference. Be sure to tune in to hear announcements about the conference. Also, at the conference you could win a WBHM lunch bag filled with goodies like a WBHM French press travel mug, a Radio Lab t-shirt and an Eric Essix CD. 
 
 
 
Inspire Fitness is a locally-owned fitness studio that offers Spinning, yoga, and strength conditioning classes as well at personal training. The coaches at Inspire Fitness are passionate about helping their clients meet their personal fitness goals and give them personalized attention to help them do so.  At the Bloganista Mini-Conference, one lucky attendee will win a free functional strength screening ($60 value), plus a 3-class package ($30 value) from Inspire Fitness. 
 
 
In the area of skincare for the face and body, Sisley‘s expertise is well known.  Sisley Paris, available in Birmingham at Saks Fifth Avenue, offers a complete line of products to meet the needs of different skin types and various issues including makeup removal, hydration, anti-aging, sun protection and hair care. One lucky conference attendee will win a Sisley Paris spa experience. 
 
 
 
 

Meet the Bloganistas


The mini-conference will be held 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Saturday, July 19 at the Homewood Public Library, 1721 Oxmoor Road. You can find a complete conference schedule and order tickets at thebloganistaconference.eventbrite.com. 

Now get to know our speakers and panelists. 



Alexis E. Barton is a style blogger and digital influencer whose commentary and fashion advice appears weekly on the popular blog SameChicDifferentDay.com, which she launched in September 2011. Her personal style tips have been featured in The Birmingham News, Skirt.com, Life and Style PR and on WBHJ 95.7 JAMZ. Alexis has appeared on ABC 33/30’s Talk of Alabama and on CBS 42’s Wake Up Alabama. She has worked with the Council of Fashion Designers of America, H&M, Girls Inc., Macy’s, Belk, and a number of other non-profits, businesses and brands to help make the world a more stylish place. Alexis has been named a 2013 Role Model by the Girls Scouts of North-Central Alabama and this year was named a Birmingham Trailblazer by The Birmingham Times. 


Heather Brown is the lifestyle blogger and social media and blogging consultant behind MyLifeWellLoved.com. She is a Birmingham native, has been married for 5 years and has been blogging for 4 years. She would love for you to connect with her on Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter or Instagram @MyLifeWellLoved.





Megan LaRussa Chenoweth is the fashion stylist, image consultant and personal shopper behind Southern Femme, which is both a blog and a style consulting service. A Birmingham native, Megan moved to New York City to work for a famed trend forecaster and pursue a Master’s degree from Parsons School of Design. But the South wooed her back with its slower pace and picturesque landscape. Megan created Southern Femme because of her desire to educate her favorite women in the world, Southern ladies, on both high fashion and their everyday wardrobe. Megan has styled and produced fashion shoots for several magazines including Birmingham magazine, Alabama magazine, and Seventeen. 



Vanessa Culpepper of the blog BuddingFashionista.com is ready to step out in style no matter the time of day or occasion. As a producer of a morning news program, she doesn’t let her overnight shift keep her from putting a stylish spin on work-appropriate looks. She carries the same attitude toward her weekend wardrobe when she is off the clock and running around with two kids in tow! Vanessa does all this while stretching her budget to the max! She doesn’t claim to be the hottest fashionista around…she is just budding.


Williesha Morris has been hustling gigs of the freelance variety since she graduated from the University of South Carolina with a journalism degree in 2001. Since 2012 she has been pursuing the dual title of administrative consultant/virtual assistant and writer. Having this title allows her to never get bored, along with helping small business owners and entrepreneurs get more done and show freelancers how to truly live a “free” freelance life. You can find her on Twitter – @willieshamorris. She created her blog MyFreelanceLife.com in 2013 and also blogs at nerdythirtysomething.wordpress.com. 


Tanya Sylvan of the blog All In Stride is a Jersey girl living in Birmingham who loves to run far and eat lots. Her real life and blog life collided recently when a long-time blog reader offered her a job doing marketing and public relations for an outdoor publications company. Now she can say that she really does eat, sleep, and breathe all things outdoors! You can find her blogging about running, recipes, and random life events at tanyasylvan.com.


Carla Jean Whitley is a writer, editor and teacher based in Birmingham, Alabama, where she is managing editor of Birmingham magazine. Her first book, Muscle Shoals Sound Studio, is set for publication by The History Press on July 22. Carla Jean founded the music blog Birmingham Box Set, and has also written for BookPage, Paste, The Birmingham News, Sky and a variety of other magazines and newspapers. Carla Jean volunteers with literacy organizations and teaches journalism at the University of Alabama and Samford University. Her favorite yoga pose is bakasana and her favorite cats are orange. Connect with her at carlajeanwhitley.com.