This will be the sixth year the Mid-Winter Writers Conference will be coming to Pell City. The Pell City writing group, Writers Anonymous, will co-host the conference with the Pell City Library. The conference will take place on Saturday, January 26, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Pell City Municipal Complex located at 1000 Bruce Etheredge Parkway. This is the new location for the Pell City Library.

Presenters for the conference include publishers, editors, published authors and a host of others. David Bennett (Editor, “HomeLife Magazine”), Pulitzer Prize winner Joey Kennedy, Urainah Glidewell (Content Editor, “St. Clair News-Aegis”) and Sue Brannan Walker, one of Alabama’s Poets Laureate. Both Dr. Walker and I (Rita Mortiz) will be the keynote speakers. My keynote title is, “If not you, then who?” And isn’t that a great question? Because no one can tell your story as well as you can. We’d be delighted to help you make that a reality.

Workshop topics will include “Flash Fiction,” “Creative Non-Fiction,” “Self-Publishing,” “Writing Newspaper Articles” and “Writing Magazine Articles.” The excellent workshop on magazine articles is in two parts and will be led by Cheryl Sloan Wray from the Southern Christian Conference. Whether you are a beginner or a seasoned author, you’ll find workshops that are perfect for you.

This year, we are pleased to have Ramona Richards, who is one of the editors for New Hope Publishers in Birmingham. New Hope Publishers is one of the few publishers that accept submissions from authors without an agent. One of the best things this year’s agenda offers is that Richards will be meeting with attendees one-on-one for 15 minutes. She will also be telling attendees how to submit to New Hope Publishers.

The cost for early registration (by January 18) is only $75. That registration fee includes two keynotes, five workshops (with more than a dozen to choose from), a continental breakfast and a catered lunch. If you have a book, we will have author tables available at no extra charge. You’ll want to register early because author tables are limited.

WA and the Pell City Library will also be hosting a “Meet & Greet” from 6 – 8 p.m. the night before the Mid-Winter Writers Conference. The location for this activity is also at the Pell City Municipal Complex. There is no charge for this activity, and you’ll get to meet some of our presenters. Refreshments will be served.

You can read more about the presenters and register online or print out a mail-in registration form by going to https://mwwconference.com, which is a secure website. If you decide to join us, please be sure to introduce yourself to me. I’ll be looking forward to seeing you there.