The Southern Christian Book Expo was held Jan. 21–22 via Facebook for the second year in a row, along with an in-person ceremony for winners of the annual Southern Christian Notable Book Awards.
TAB Media Group hosted the awards Jan. 22 at its building in Homewood, where conference members, nominees and their families gathered to celebrate.
Out of more than 100 entries, one winner was chosen for each of the six categories.
- Fiction, traditionally published — “My Dear Miss Dupré” by Grace Hitchcock
- Fiction, self-published — “The Bachelorettes of the Bible” by Theresa V. Wilson
- Nonfiction, traditionally published — “Life on Pause: Learning to Wait Well” by Candy Arrington
- Nonfiction, self-published — “Goodnight, Sweetheart: A Story of Faith, Hope, and Love” by Alan Johnston
- Devotional — “Health, Healing, and Wholeness: Devotions of Hope in the Midst of Illness” by Tracy Crump
- Children’s/young adult — “The Stars in April” by Peggy Wirgau.
The Southern Christian Writers Conference was founded in 1991 by David and Joanne Sloan. Four years ago, their daughter Cheryl Wray took the reins and expanded the conference to include the book expo.
“We try to do everything we can to promote books by our members,” Wray said. “It’s an important ministry of the Southern Christian Writers Conference to encourage writers in their craft.”
Future events
The 2022 Southern Christian Writers Conference is scheduled for June 3–4 at Valley View Baptist Church in Leeds, Alabama, which is just minutes from the Birmingham airport.
Seasonal workshops also are planned throughout the Southeast, including a winter workshop in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, on Feb. 5.
For more information on this summer’s conference or the seasonal workshops, email scwritersconference@gmail.com.
Listen to the SCWC podcast, “The Write Inspiration: A Southern Christian Writers Conference Podcast,” hosted by Wray, on Spotify.
A full list of the award finalists can be found here.
