Tag: Writing conferences

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TACW 2025

Madville showed up in force for the Texas Association of Creative Writers. It is a small conference that’s always a “feel-good” experience–even for first-timers. I laughed the whole time, because there is so much storytelling going on. It happens in the panels, of course, where attendees hear prepared work, whether poetry, fiction, or nonfiction, but the stories flow into the oral tradition when we eat and drink together. And I am really touched that so many Madville authors chose to attend the conference and read their work. Six of them showed up! And all but Steven Moore traveled a very long way to be there. The authors were Steven Moore (The Horizon Never Forgets), Dan Mendoza (Drum the Double Sun–Algoems), Earl Braggs (Obama’s Children), Goutham Rao (Electric Dreams), Bruce Overby (The Cyclone Release), and Amit Verma (A Quiver in the Purlieu, and The Ballads of Niam).

Steven is the current President of TACW, and Dan Mendoza is Vice President. They did a great job. (Previous president, Jill Patterson, is a hard act to follow, and our guys made us proud.)

Look for video of the readings on our YouTube Channel

And this is the URL for our YouTube channel where you will find the videos. We are spacing the publication of the videos out just a little bit on social media so that our audience doesn’t become overwhelmed! That means that we will continue adding videos for a little while, so bookmark the playlist and check back!

One large, messy caption…

I will try to do a mass caption here… Starting from the top left (Correct me if I’ve missed a name, please!): The new guy, whose name I forgot!, Cassy Burleson, Terry Dalrymple, Jill Patterson, Jim Sanderson, Laurie Champion, Kim Davis, and Chris Ellery. Moving clockwise, Daniel Mendoza, then Jim Sanderson, then a panel composed of authors with work in The Sowell Collection (I think!) I’m confused about who is who in this group. Below them, we see Amit Verma, Steven Moore, and Joe Haske having tacos for lunch. Then come Terry Dalrymple and Bruce Overby. Below them is the lovely view from our hotel room window of the lake at Grandbury at sunrise. Continuing clockwise, we come to Goutham Rao, then Cassy Burleson and Scott Yarbrough. The three women to the right of Cassy and Scott are Debbie Williams, Tui Snider, and Robin Carstensen. Above them in the parking lot are Earl Braggs, Steven Moore, Kim Davis, Amit Verma, and Daniel Mendoza. Above that is Earl S. Braggs, and last but not least, we have Steven Moore, his lovely and very efficient TA who’s name I have misplaced, and Amit Verma.

TACW 2025 President, Steven T. Moore,
Daniel Manuel Mendoza reading his poems from DRUM THE DOUBLE SUN: ALGOEMS. Dan is of average height, slim build, has dark shoulder-length hair and glasses with a close-trimmed beard and moustache.
Jim Sanderson reading stories at TACW 2025. He is a large man, seated. He has a bald head and glasses. His shirt is bright turquoise.
Madville authors at TACW 2025: Amit Verma and Steven T. Moore laughing with Joe Haske (a Texas Review Press author)
Sunrise in Granbury, Texas
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AWP25 Recap

Michael Gills with students from the University of Utah Honors college at Madville Publishing's booth for AWP25

Once again, we have Luanne Smith to thank for sponsoring our trip to the AWP (Association of Writers and Writing Programs) conference. As always we saw so very many friends–authors and editors with whom we have worked. Authors with whom we hope someday to work. Experts in the field with good advice, and talented new poets and writers. It didn’t seem as crowded as in years past, and there was clearly concern behind the cheery smiles and pats on the back. It’s a tough time to be trying to sell spots in creative programs. And it’s a tough time to try and make a living in publishing. We especially enjoyed connecting with fellow Texas publishers. Here are a bunch of photos. I’ll put them here and try to add the names!!!

And we missed pictures somewhere… Those who took photos with us, please share!

Sign announcing 2025 AWP Conference and Bookfair. It was in the upstairs lobby of the AC Hotel--which shared some features with The Moxy.
Kim Davis, Michael Gills, Gabriel and Jonah, two students from Gills' honors class where students write a novel in a year.
Kim Davis and Michael Gaspeny at AWP25
Bill and Kim Davis in the lobby of the Moxy Hotel
Madville Publishing's booth for AWP25. A colorful backdrop displays the Madville Logo in white over a reproduction of a Bob Boze Bell image used for the cover of Santa Fe Trail: Chasing the Big West.
Los Angeles traffic at night.
The Los Angeles skyline seen from the 27th floor of the Moxy downtown. Lots of tall buildings and glass. Abstract image taken during AWP25.
Michael Gills, Gabe, Jonah, Lee Zacharias, Bill Davis at the Madville booth at AWP25
Kim Davis and Cat Smith complete setup at the booth for AWP25. Honkeytonk Sue, art by Bob Boze Bell stands between them.
Fiew of LA traffic taken from 27th floor of the Moxy downtown LA during AWP25
This is an incomplete photo gallery from Madville Publishing’s AWP25 experience. There were several other authors we know we photographed… We need to connect with a couple of others who took photos. Bruce Overby? Patricia Clark? Lee Zacharias already sent hers…

We had many favorable comments about our new backdrop, and we have to admit that we got it from VistaPrint. They do amazing things quickly and inexpensively. I mention it here because some of our friends asked.

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AWP24 came early

Madville author, Lee Zacharias poses in front of the AWP24 Conference & Bookfair banner in Kansas City.

We had a smaller showing at this year’s AWP conference. Kim didn’t attend, having begun her college career in Missouri, she could only think of the weather and the unpredictability of flights in early February in Kansas City. But of course, Madville has a number of authors who have no such aversion to the cold or fear of driving on icy roads, and they did attend and represented Madville happily.

Michael Simms, Madville author of Bicycles of the Gods, The Green Mage, and Windkeep, also edits the online journal, Vox Populi, and he invited us to share his table in the book fair. Our authors signed books and greeted potential readers all three of the afternoons at that table. In addition, we have friends at Hoot, who also shared Luanne Smith’s three anthologies (Muddy Backroads, Taboos & Transgressions, and Runaway) and Jodi Angel’s Biggest Little Girl.

Madville author, Lee Zacharias poses in front of the AWP24 Conference & Bookfair banner in Kansas City.
Andy Rooney (The Lesser Madonnas, The Autobiography of Francis N. Stein), Lee Zacharias (What a Wonderful World This Could Be), and Susanne Davis (Gravity Hill)
Michael Gills (Before All Who Have Ever Seen This Disappear), and Linda Ravenswood (a poem is a house)
Emily Chiles and Cherise Pollard
Madville board member, Cherise Pollard and ____.
Author Michael Gills with his poetry books on display.
Biggest Little Girl, Taboos & Transgressions, Muddy Backroads, and Runaway were on display and available to buy at the Hoot table.
Author Michael Gills with author Lee Zacharias.
Richard Bausch with Lee Zacharias.
Michael Simms with...
Madville's table cloth for AWP24. It shows as many of the new book covers as we could fit.

Thanks to Lee Zacharias for sharing her wonderful photos! (Also Michael Simms and Cherise Pollard!)

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Other Words Literary Conference in Tampa 2018

Madville\’s First Official Conference

The Other Words Conference was held at the University of Tampa, October 11-13, 2018, which turned out to be unfortunate as Hurricane Michael blew through the Florida Panhandle on October 10. This meant many writers who had planned to attend simply couldn\’t get there. Still, Tampa was unaffected, and the airplanes flew, so Kim and Jacqui attended and represented Madville.

Networking

These events are largely about networking, and we sat prominently with a table at the book fair, where we offered our first two titles, An Englishman in Texas and Gunshot, Peacock, Dog. Rick Campbell, author of Gunshot, Peacock, Dog, was on hand to sign copies. In addition, Kim spoke on the subject of publishing.

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