Writers Anonymous has grown over the past five years, from two people who have a love of words to a successful group of writers who have won over 150 awards over the past year. Along with their attendance and talent, the Writers Anonymous Mid-Winter Writers Conference has grown also.

This year, the Mid-Winter Writers Conference will be at the Pell City Library on February 24 from 8 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. Early registration is only $70, and that cost includes breakfast, lunch, two keynotes and a choice of five workshops from a long list of those available. Workshops will cover a variety of topics including songwriting, devotional/inspirational writing, fiction, travel, editing, blogging, poetry, writing for a cause and many more. Author tables are available for attendees.

There will also be a “Meet & Greet” the Friday before the conference from 6:30 – 8 p.m. (also at the Pell City Library), and many of the presenters will be there. This activity is free and open to the public, and the community is encouraged to come and meet the gifted authors and presenters, who will be part of this year’s conference.

The presenters are as varied as the subjects covered and include Joey Kennedy, who is a Pulitzer prize winner and Sue Brannan Walker, who is one of Alabama’s Poets Laureate, and many other experts in their field. David Bennett, Editor of HomeLife Magazine, will be doing a keynote, “Coming Up Short,” and Rita Moritz will be doing a keynote, “How Do You Know You Can’t If You Have Never Even Tried?”

The Writers Anonymous group has grown both in number and in skill. In just a little more than a year, WA members have brought home nearly 150 awards for their writing. And the yearly Mid-Winter Writers Conference has become the focus of their efforts.

It started six years ago with two people, who had a passion for words and the people who write them. Harry and I believed we could make something great happen, and for us, it had to happen in Pell City. With the help of Susan Mann, that led to a “Night of Poetry” at the Pell City Library. Expecting a handful of people to come, we were astonished when nearly 100 people showed up at the Pell City Library on a rainy Saturday night. And Writers Anonymous (WA) was born.

Margaret Rush and Sandy Richardson came to that first meeting, so the two became four. But undaunted by our small number, we four began to spread the word and to meet monthly. And people came. At first it was only one or two new people, then it was half a dozen, and then more. As WA grew, we began to invest in the community with more “Night of Poetry” events and by sponsoring contests in the local schools.

With growing numbers, we decided to try having a “Writers Conference” at Pell City’s CEPA, hoping it too would be well received. That first year, we made every mistake possible and did almost everything wrong, but still had about 40 people, who came to the few workshops we offered.

The second year, we changed venues so we could have more rooms for workshops, and the Pell City Library became a co-sponsor and partners with us for that year’s Mid-Winter Writers Conference and future ones. With more space, there were more attendees, and we had about 70 people that second year and about 85 the third year. Last year, we changed venues again to the new Pell City Library, with spectacular results when about 100 people attended the conference.

Someone asked me why we named our group “Writers Anonymous,” and I jokingly replied, “Because most of us are going to stay that way.” But that’s not really the reason for our name. We are called “Writers Anonymous” because it’s not about us. It’s bigger than that. It’s about loving words and the people who write them. It’s about investing and mentoring and encouraging. When everyone is doing that, a win for one of us becomes a win for all.

For a full list of presenters and topics for the 2018 Mid-Winter Writers Conference, you can go to mwwconference.com/agenda. To register, you can go to mwwconference.com/register.