I know, I know. You've been hearing about this conference forever. But if you've been putting off actually doing something about it, the time has come to act!

Registration is open, and if you sign up by September 1, you can save up to $70. Even though we already have well over a hundred registrants, extended critiques are still available on a first come first served basis. If you are interested in one of the limited number of conference scholarships, applications must be postmarked by August 1, so get that in the mail today.

As a reminder, the conference will be held from October 26 through 28, 2007 at the Hilton Myrtle Beach Resort. More information can be found at www.myscww.org/2007_conference.htm

Congratulations to all those Greenville chapter members whose work was accepted for publication in the premiere issue of The Petigru Review, SCWW's new literary journal. Don't forget to mail back your acceptance form ASAP!

Nan Lundeen's poem, "falling into night" was published this summer in the College of Charleston's international literary journal, Illuminations. Nan is a Greenville chapter member and attends Sarah Cureton's novel critique group.

Twelve writers have been named winners of the 2007 SC Fiction Project, sponsored by the SC Arts Commission in partnership with the Charleston Post and Courier. Greenville chapter member Wilma Reitz is one of those winners. Wilma's story will be published in the Post and Courier on September 23, and will be published electronically on the newspaper's website after that date. The deadline for submissions to the 2008 SC Fiction Project is January 15, 2008. See www.SouthCarolinaArts.com/fictionproject/2007/2007winners.shtml.

Elysabeth Eldering has kindly volunteered to put together the Greenville chapter's contribution to the SCWW Conference Silent Auction this year. Each basket is supposed to have a theme, and Elysabeth has decided to go for either a short story or historical novel theme. Anyone who would like to donate a relevant item or some cash should get in touch with Elysabeth ( eeldering@gmail.com.) If you have ideas about which local businesses might donate a book or item, let Elysabeth know and she will contact them. Thanks!

Submit your novel to the First Novel Competition by January 2, 2008, and you may see it in print. The winning author will receive a book contract with Hub City Writers Project and a $1000 advance against royalties. Hub City will publish at least 1,200 hardback copies of the book, including a book for every public library branch in the state. Visit www.SouthCarolinaArts.com/firstnovel for guidelines.

USC's South Carolina Poetry Initiative Chapbook Contest will be accepting manuscripts until September 30, 2007 from South Carolina natives or residents. At least ten poets will be selected for web-publication on the Poetry Initiative website. The series editor is Kwame Dawes, Disginguished Poet in Residence, USC. For more information, contact Charlene Monahan Spearen at USC (Tel: (803) 777- 5492 Email: cmspeare@gwm.sc.edu) or check out their website at www.cas.sc.edu/engl/poetry/chapbook.htm.

James C. Raff challenged us with several one-page poems. This is not akin to casting pearls before swine — as some who know our group may think — but more like making couch potatoes exercise. We are simply out of practice. However, we've never met a bunch of words we couldn't improve.

In a longer work, whether a novel or "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner," the author has time to develop a new world and invite the reader to share it. In a one-page poem, the poet must tap into the reader's pre-existing experiences. "Dog (In Memory of Spot)" was easy because we all recognized the pet as the best and most humane member of a dysfunctional family.

In "Old Graveyard, Carlisle, Pennsylvania," we misinterpreted the line "A playground, the ball field out back where we boys lined up at noon — opposing armies — and ran, headlong, fist to fist to bloody nose." Our experience at teacher-monitored school recess includes an occasional bloody nose in dodge ball or football but not gang warfare in the manner of West Side Story. Like naOve seventh-graders trying to enumerate "How do I love thee? Let me count the ways?" we lacked the author's experience.

"To a Widow (for Lorraine)" is a deeper, subtler, more philosophical work. I traveled the wrong path from the beginning, thinking the "dark-clothed pilgrims" were old widows relegated to insignificance on the outskirts of society rather than their deceased husbands. One of the many instructions to a novelist is to quickly establish who, where, and when in the first few lines of a scene. Doesn't a poet have a similar responsibility?

OK, James. Throw us couch potatoes some more strikes. We need the practice.

Elysabeth Eldering's story of a paid private tour of a French chateau by three women turns into a discovery of lives lived "several hundreds of years" before, questions answered for two of them, and eventual redemption for one.

For Maria, haunting unfinished business with her murdered lover Emile, she remains scarred until she can resolve suppressed thoughts of guilt, and come to terms with the ghosts of her past.

For Eileen, with ghosts of her own, the tour will bring closure to her own conviction that she and Maria played out a bonding from the past and her role as a servant girl who rescued Maria from a locked wine cellar.

Janice appears to be a friend along for the ride, but like the other two, had also written about the chateau. A past life experience with Maria and Eileen however, is not apparent.

The group had questions to clarify some details in the shooting of Emile's being "in the line of fire" but not shot by hunters for hiding a fox. The correct use of the French, "ma cherie" or "mon cherie" (masc. vs. fem.) and Eileen's "word war?" in the preface were discussed.

Interesting, yet intriguing storyline, "The Cellar" provides something new and challenging for the reader interested in reincarnation, an old French wine cellar, and dark mystery needing to be solved and buried.

"Brack had never seen a dead body before. Outside of a funeral home, that is." This is the opening line of David Burnsworth's story and it shows his genre and also the pace that he maintains throughout the excerpt.

David's writing is easy to take — a smooth, conversational style that does what it is supposed to do — not intrude.

The group had some suggestions:

• How did the wallet get taken?
• More description of Brack — height, perhaps, and other details. More smells and description.
• Brack succumbed to authority after an initial insult to the police officer, but a little more emotional texture is needed to "sell" that change.
• Wouldn't Brack own a gun if he had been PI?
• Brack's wife reacts questionably when he calls her.
• "IOP" is too much "insider" for the average reader. (Isle of Palms).
• Likewise "Mt. P" for Mt. Pleasant.

This looks like a lot of critique, but there was a lot more appreciation than noted.

• The two shields coming at him "like two sand crabs after a dead fish that washed up on shore, water glistening off the pinchers like drool," was applauded and looked at with envy for its hard-boiled vividness. Someone mentioned the Mike Hammer stories.
• The dialog was also faultless. The curtness of the shields, the professionalism, their noting Brack was in the papers, but back to the business at hand. David has an ear, we all agreed.

This looks like the beginning of an interesting story. Could be a novel. Could be short. I hope David is encouraged by the comments. The negative stuff is what we need when we are getting good at the craft — the positives feed us, no doubt, but we get that stuff from Mom along with the biscuits and gravy.

John Migacz uses soldiers or "grunts" from different sides fighting for freedom to define who true patriots are in the aptly titled short story, "Patriots." The Writer's Group liked the comparison of the different armies but would not be doing its job if it didn't express its thoughts.

In the first paragraph which was centered on men fighting for America during the Revolutionary War, the suggestion was made to use tri-cornered hats instead of or in addition to the blue uniforms to date the scene. John, in a self-professed last minute change, added "...buttoned the collar button" in the second scene, which was set in a jungle in Vietnam using soldiers from the North Vietnamese Army. One too many buttons, thought the group. The line: "Our desire for freedom is greater than their desire to oppress," also in the second scene, drew some criticism around the word oppress.

Over the four paragraphs, the group thought that "grunts of agreement" were used too many times, but I liked them. Also, some thought initially that it was either one war or four. Maybe some more specific details would help. A member commented that he liked the mood contrast. In the end, John was disappointed that no one got the Ho Chi Min Trail hints. Perhaps our ability to pick up subtleties was lacking. In any event, thanks for the timely "patriotic" theme, John!

Jim McFarlane's Penelope story continues. We catch up to the Stouts as they are preparing for Sunday gathering at Lady Moody's house. Due to the "laws of the land," an actual church service may not be held without a preacher and Lady Moody can't be ordained either. So instead of having church services, it is now a gathering of the townsfolk for sharing from the Bible. Lady Moody is the rich widow of the town and is the only female allowed to vote (you would know that the woman with the most money, who is widowed would control the town) and so offers her humble home for the gatherings on Sundays.

During this particular service, Katrina, Penelope's slave girl, speaks up at the end of the service saying she wants to be baptized. This starts a debate among the folk attending the meeting. Penelope and Katrina slip out so as to not be part of the arguments.

This reviewer not being a big history fan has learned quit a bit from Jim's readings from these fictional genealogical sagas. Definitely makes her wonder what kind of saga lies beyond the graves in her family tree.

Russ Haddad's rewrite of his time on the Texas Towers was a hit. By taking all the technical jargon out and making it more personal, Russ brought his essay full circle.

The picture on the first part of his essay showed what one of these towers actually looked like. They are daunting to say the least. Russ did an excellent job on the rewrite showing how, even though these towers were massive air combat defense units, there was something beyond all the steal and raycons and machinery.

Some repetitiveness in several paragraphs was commented on by the group, such as the use of black in the section describing an oil line that had burst and covered the helicopter window. The next to the last page had a paragraph out of chronological order and really didn't fit the story, other than to show where Russ was when Kennedy was assassinated, but it didn't have much to do with the towers themselves, so it was suggested that the paragraph be condensed and placed in chronological order or taken out completely.

Overall, this was a big improvement over the first reading of this essay in that Russ really did show us his life during the "Tower Years." Great job on rewriting, Russ.

Newcomer Lance Curtis read the first section of his short story "From the Bottom of My Heart." The Sci/Fi love story involves selling body parts and replacing them with mechanical appendages to better mine an asteroid field. Ah... you gotta love science fiction.

The group thought that Lance set a good scene, and they loved the mechanical vs. human aspect of the tale. On the other hand (speaking of body parts,) the first scene revealed too much of the ending and the whole tale suffered from POV shifts and passive writing. Most felt that the story could be improved by telling the tale from the POV of the mostly mechanical man "John" rather than the captain. The image of a "visibly shaken" mechanical man left the group with images of the tin man's encounter with the Wizard of Oz.

All things said, it wasn't a bad start out the gate for Lance. It's good that there is another Sci/Fi writer at the table — and that's from the bottom of Parrothead's heart.

Bob Strother kicked off the meeting with more from his novel Burning Time. A few days after Thanksgiving, William has a severe stroke. The doctor says he won't be able to work for a good while, and Mary Alice vows to "do whatever [is] necessary to make certain it [is] all there waiting for him to come back [to] — whenever he [is] ready." She asks Laurence to run the market until William can return, while See-Boy continues to take care of the rental properties. At Christmas, Louise and Henry have a great time opening gifts while William and Mary Alice watch. After they leave, Mary Alice finds William with "tears streaming down his twisted face." With difficulty, he says, "I want...my son...again. I want...Will." After tossing and turning all night, in the morning Mary Alice goes to the telephone, thinking, "Everyone deserves a second chance."

Kevin Coyle read more from The Saga of Snorri the Priest. The skraelings accept Illugi's suggestion to settle ownership of the island containing their burial grounds via a duel, and there is much negotiation to iron out the rules they will follow. Pequawus' grandson Mishquashim will be the one to fight Illugi, using a bow and arrows. Pequawus tells Mishquashim later that "what's important is that the other elders see [him] defeat this Chauquaquock. If they're to accept [him] as sachem after [she's] gone, they must know that [he] can stand up to these newcomers." When the time comes for the duel, thirty of the Icelanders and thirty of the skraelings gather near the combatants. Mishquashim chooses the tree he will fire from, then Illugi does the same. "When Illugi took his place behind his tree, he squinted into the rising sun. 'Clever,' he muttered in Norse. 'But I'm clever, too, as you shal! l soon see.'"

The poets were out in full force on Tuesday. Russ Haddad was the first, reading three of his poems. "On Writing" tells us that "Writing itself may hasten the mirth And can lighten the heaviest heart." The next poem, "The Promise,"conveyed the importance of making sure "that your words are honest and true." Russ' third poem, "As We Go," took us through the journey of life and pointed out issues "as we go."

Elysabeth Eldering brought in the first part of her story "Exes." The narrator's ex-sister-in-law and her ex-husband have been found dead in a Las Vegas hotel room. Her reaction: "My ex-husband and my ex-sister-in-law dead in the same hotel room, how odd." The narrator hated both of her exes, and is surprised when the Las Vegas police show up at her house in South Carolina explaining that both victims listed her as their emergency contacts. She tells the police that she is the famous mystery writer Elsie Davenport, and that she can prove her whereabouts on the day of the murders. The cops tell her to stay in town, or let them know where she'll be.

David Burnsworth's novel Palmetto Heat is still in the process of getting a face-lift. The main character, Trent, has been replaced by Brack, who is just starting a new career as a Private Investigator. After Brack's friend, Reggie, is shot and killed in Charleston, Brack goes to Reggie's house and removes $20,000 in cash plus a packet of papers (Reggie had asked him to take care of those things if anything were to happen to him.) The next morning, Brack's pastor and longtime friend comes to Brack's house to ask for help with some threatening calls and notes the church has been getting warning them to stop doing missions in the projects. Brack promises to help, but wonders what he can do alone in a dangerous neighborhood like that.

Jim McFarlane's novel Long Island continued. The Stouts' slave Katrina asks to be baptized, and the men of the congregation debate whether or not to allow her to. The outcome is that if Katrina becomes a free woman, she can apply for membership in the congregation. Stout wonders "who was he to judge her or to deny her a chance for salvation?"

Steve Stewart read the beginning of Chapter 2 of his novel Unto the Least of These. Stephen goes to his sister's new home looking for his father and Reverend Gilman so they can plan the memorial service for the men lost on the Caroline. He tells his mother, "It's a waste of time to make plans without Father involved. If it's not his ideas, it will be all wrong." She reminds him to show respect to his father, and he replies, "A son deserves respect from his father as well." When he does get to discuss memorial plans with his father, he is disgusted by Samuel's attitude towards the families of the lost slaves — "What more could they ask? Without me they would starve."

Phil Arnold read an elvisblog article called "Hanging Out With Boots Randolph." The article was triggered by the recent death of Boots Randolph, and Phil reminisced about his "one occasion to get close and personal with Mr. Yackety Sax. It was back in 2004 during Elvis Week in Memphis... [Phil] worked backstage doing any kind of 'gofer' duties that came up." Having agreed to perform a second time (after his first concert of the night,) Boots arrived backstage and took a seat on a folding chair near Phil, who jumped at the chance to sit down next to him. Boots "was very friendly to [him,] and [they] chatted softly about a few things between songs." Phil was pleased to discover that Boots had the same opinion as Phil about which sound they liked better: the keyboard sound in the first concert or the piano sound happening as they spoke. Phil ends the article by saying, "His d! eath will leave a huge void on stage and in the hearts of many people."

Lance Curtis read two poems, "Coconut Me (Said the Cream Filling)" and "Blessing's Bane." In the first, the narrator begs the baker to "coconut me" and "shred those shavings right over my head." "Blessing's Bane" speaks of "Words that must have birth And I will not know peace Until I set them all Free."

John Migacz read an excerpt from Earth, the third book in The Dieya Chronicles series. Gamor, head of Kulora's astronomy branch, and his friend and subordinate, Moko, are discussing Moko's alledged observation of Triangles and Disks in the night sky. Gamor maintains that without photographic evidence it's just hearsay, while Moko says, "This could be the prelude to an alien invation, or a new weapon those bastard Rutuskas are experimenting with." Later, alone with last night's negatives from the telescope, Gamor finds his own photographic evidence of the Disks, secretly makes copies of the negatives, and shreds the originals. Deciding that he can't ignore the Disks and Triangles any more, he makes sure he's alone, then slips into a maintenance closet, down some hidden stairs, through a security scanner, and into a small, secret room.

Sarah Methvin ended the night with a short poem, called "Shower." It described "the smells of sand and sea being washed away" in the shower.

The next meetings of the Greenville Chapter of SCWW are as follows:

• Thursday, August 2 - First Thursday Meeting, 6:00 p.m. at The Open Book
• Tuesday, August 21 - Third Tuesday Meeting, 6:00 p.m. at The Open Book

All genres welcome at both meetings. Suggested limit for reading selections is five double-spaced, typed pages, although longer selections may be possible if time permits. Bring 10-15 printed copies for review and comments.

The Open Book, 110 S Pleasantburg Drive, Greenville, SC

Printed Matters is the newsletter of the Greenville Chapter of South Carolina Writers Workshop.

Thanks to our contributing writers and news reporters:
Jim McFarlane, Russ Haddad, James Raff, David Burnsworth,
Elysabeth Eldering, and John Migacz.

Copyright 2007 by Marcia Migacz, Editor. Contributing writers retain all rights to their work.

To unsuscribe, send an e-mail to Unsubscribe.