All over the internet this week are Justin Timberlake and Star Wars memes. A recent phenomenon, memes are those pictures with clever words superimposed on them. In this case, Justin Timberlake is a reference to a lyric in one of his songs, “It’s gonna be me!” but, stylistically, it sounds like he says, “It’s gonna be May.” So now you’re in on the joke.
That’s what memes are – “in” jokes that some people get and some people don’t. It’s their inclusionary nature that makes them so funny. When I get it, I feel included, but if I don’t get it, I usually just scroll past.
As writers, we’re communicating with a variety of readers, listeners and buyers. It’s incumbent upon us to ensure our messaging is as clear and unmistakable as possible so that as many people as possible can be reached and included. That’s not just how we sell more books, but how we connect humans one-to-the-other.
Memes aren’t exactly stories. They’re more like reminders of stories we’ve already heard. On May 4th we see the Star Wars memes everywhere (“May the fourth be with you”). Our family even makes lightsaber Kool-Aid and Death Star pizzas for dinner.
If the May memes already have worn you out, don’t worry. They’re mostly about the first week of the month.
SCWA has bigger plans for the whole month. We’re featuring the Your Paths to Publish series this month that includes author-prenuer Raegen Teller, hybrid publisher Alexa Bigwarfe, and small press Hub City and literary agent Amy Elizabeth Bishop. There’s still time to register, even if you missed the first session on May 2. Register at myscwa.org/virtual-events. Registrants have access to all the event recordings.
While Mother’s Day and Memorial Day bookend May, my favorite part of the month is all the puns it lends itself to. Specifically, those classic Irish blessings: May the road rise up to meet you. May the wind be always at your back. May the sun shine warm upon your face. May you write in health and joy this month. (I might have added that last part myself!)
Cheers and happy writing!
Kasie Whitener
President, SCWA Board of Directors
Events and Education
FALL CONFERENCE
Join us in beautiful Pawleys Island for a weekend of immersive workshops on craft, publishing and the writing life at SCWA's in-person Fall 2022 Conference Oct. 21-23. SCWA is all about building your writing skills and building a cohesive writing community to keep you engaged and motivated in your writing practices. Come write by the beach!
Cost is $255 for members and $330 for non-members; students, $175. Registration prices increase July 1, so register now at myscwa.org/conf_2022.
CONFERENCE FACULTY SPOTLIGHT
ABOUT ASHLEY M. JONES, POETRY
By Paul Davis
SCWA Events & Education Director
Born and raised in Alabama, Ashley M. Jones is a daughter of the South. You can hear it in her poetry: red dirt, cotton, blood, steamy summers, slave codes. Gladys Knight and George Wallace and James Brown. Dusty yards, tow trucks, meteor showers, camellias, love, hate and resurrection.
But her canvas is larger than the Deep South. In her latest collection, Reparations Now!, Jones paints a picture of a fractured nation, the struggles of Black women, and – to borrow from one of her poems – “the whole entire world.”
This “strange puddle of mud we call home,” she says, is an unfinished pot “spinning on the wheel.”
You can hear Jones talk about redemption and the South – and, of course, poetry – at SCWA’s upcoming conference in Pawleys Island.
Jones will deliver a keynote address, teach a poetry class and take questions in a Q&A session with fellow poet Gary Jackson during the three-day event.
Jones made history last year when Alabama named her the state’s youngest ever and first Black poet laureate. She is the founding director of the Magic City Poetry Festival, a creative writing teacher at the Alabama School of Fine Arts and MFA faculty at Converse University. She’s won the silver medal in poetry in the 2017 Independent Publishers Book Awards, the 2018 Lena-Miles Wever Todd Prize for Poetry from Pleiades Press and the 2019 Lucille Clifton Legacy Award from St. Mary’s College of Maryland.
Her mission as a poet laureate is to make poetry accessible to everyone.
“For too long, poetry has been deemed a purely academic pursuit, and it has been kept behind an ivory gate, but where the heartbeat of poetry has always lived is in the souls of poets,” Jones told the Birmingham Times. “I hope to celebrate that soul-work for the next four years and beyond.”
Grab a copy of her timely new book, Reparations Now!, from South Carolina’s Hub City Press.
And take a class with Jones in Pawleys Island. Her work is a mashup of prose and poetry, self-confession, righteous anger and Southern history.
As a fan, I can promise you: She will rock your world.
Stay cozy on your couch and join us for a weekend of immersive workshops on craft, publishing and the writing life in SCWA's Virtual Fall 2022 Conference Oct. 7-9. There's even a special indie track.
SCWA is all about building your writing skills and building a cohesive writing community to keep you engaged and motivated in your writing practices. Come write with us this fall!
Early registration is $125 for SCWA members and $200 for non-members; $100 for students. Early registration ends May 31, 2022, when fees increase. For more details and to register go to myscwa.org/2022_virtualconf.
MAY WRITERS' STUDIO HOSTED BY GREENVILLE CHAPTER
The Greenville Chapter will host the May 2022 Writers' Studio at noon Thursday, May 19, where we’ll introduce a craft concept or a writing prompt, spend some time writing together with an opportunity to share at the end. These sessions are meant to develop member writing practices and help members stay accountable to their goals.
The free session is for SCWA members only. Register at Virtual Events.
The Petigru Review is open for submissions from SCWA members for the 2022 issue until July 31, 2022. Members can submit at a discounted rate and the magazine will pay a $5 honorarium upon publication to each accepted author or artist. We are seeking cover art, book excerpts/chapters, nonfiction, fiction, flash and poetry. Complete guidelines can be found on our website and Submittable. The non-member submission window also is open, so please tell your friends — or get them to join the org!
For those who are impatient or would like to submit again in the same category, we also are offering expedited submissions for an extra fee.
Please feel free to reach out to Managing EditorMaria S. Picone at mspicone@gmail.com with any questions.
TPR IN SEARCH OF VOLUNTEERS
The Petigru Review is looking for volunteer staff for the summer 2022 reading period. This is a great opportunity to learn more about literary magazines and the submission process, improve your editorial lens and get involved with the organization. We especially are seeking readers from marginalized groups. We estimate a commitment of no more than two hours per week during our reading period (May through August), but we are happy to be flexible about the time commitment. Please contact Managing Editor Maria S. Picone to arrange an interview at mspicone@gmail.com.
SHARE YOUR PUBLICATIONS NEWS
SCWA members, have you recently published a book or an essay or poem in an anthology? Did you receive recognition for your works - a great review, an award or selection in a contest?
Whatever your publications news, SCWA has several ways for you to share your accomplishments. Try one or all of these:
Post to the SCWA website: First, keep your personal profile updated with your latest publications or accolades. Log in, go to your profile and edit it; you have free range! Second, post in the SCWA Forum; again, you can post whatever information you want (within the guidelines posted on that page).
The Quill: If you have received an award or special recognition for your work or it has been selected for a competitive publication, contest or journal, email the information to writersassociationsc@gmail.com and we will include it in an upcoming issue of The Quill. (Simply publishing a work does not qualify for this purpose; there are just too many!)
Nothing is more fun than making people happy — and who wouldn’t be happy getting a free SCWA membership for a year? Our two winners were picked in a random drawing May 1 from all members who had paid their memberships by midnight April 30.
Let’s congratulate Caprice Olmsted of Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, and Patricia Laurenzo of Granbury, Texas, for their lucky wins!
Thanks to all our members who have renewed their memberships and our new members. We appreciate you, and we’re glad you are part of our writing community!
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All over the internet this week are Justin Timberlake and Star Wars memes. A recent phenomenon, memes are those pictures with clever words superimposed on them. In this case, Justin Timberlake is a reference to a lyric in one of his songs, “It’s gonna be me!” but, stylistically, it sounds like he says, “It’s gonna be May.” So now you’re in on the joke.
