Conference of Writers

Claudia Love Mair, a fiction writer, memoirist, activist, and the coordinator of the Kentucky Black Writers Collaborative, has a sweetness to her that draws you in immediately. She is warm and open and welcoming. She is also very funny. It’s no wonder she was chosen to lead the Carnegie Center for Literacy and Learning’s (Lexington, Ky.) initiative that centers and celebrates Kentucky’s Black writers. Among other services, the Kentucky Black Writers Collaborative offers “classes at no charge to Black students in recognition of systemic racism, including in education and publishing, where Carnegie operates. Our goal is to welcome Black Kentucky residents to Carnegie, nurture their development, and remove financial obstacles for as long as needed.”

Although her family is Appalachian, Claudia Love grew up in Michigan and came to Kentucky in 2009. She is the author of twelve books, including the popular Amanda Bell Brown mystery series, and her 13th book, Mourning Pages: Working Through Grief the Write Way. A graduate of the Naslund-Mann Graduate School of Writing at Spalding University, Claudia Love talked with Still: The Journal about her challenging paths to writing as well as her work with KBWC.

Katerina Stoykova is the author of award-winning poetry books in Bulgarian and English. Senior Editor of Accents Publishing, she is the editor and publisher of over 50 poetry books and several anthologies. Katerina mentors writing and editing poems, as well as collecting them into poetry books.

W. Terry Whalin understands both sides of the editorial desk--as an editor and a writer. He worked as a magazine editor and his magazine work has appeared in more than 50 publications. A former literary agent, Terry is an Acquisitions Editor at Morgan James Publishing. He has written more than 60 books through traditional publishers in a wide range of topics from children’s books to biographies to co-authored books. Several of Terry’s books have sold over 100,000 copies. Terry’s most recent book is Book Proposals that Sell (the revised edition) which has over 150 Five-Star reviews. He has also written 10 Publishing Myths: Insights Every Author Needs to Succeed, Jumpstart Your Publishing Dreams and Billy Graham, a Biography of America's Greatest Evangelist (all from Morgan James Publishing). Also, Terry has an innovative online training course to help authors effectively connect with literary agents and editors called Write A Book Proposal.

Bestselling author Virginia Smith’s first novel was published in 2006. Since then she’s written more than fifty books that have collected a satisfying number of accolades and awards, including two Holt Medallion Awards of Merit and a Library Journal top pic. Murder–writing about it – is one of her many passions. A movie based on her book, Guilty Secrets, was released in January 2025 and is currently streaming on the Lifetime Movie Channel under the title The Lies We Bury. She lives in central Kentucky with her husband, a flock of chickens, a barn kitty, and a barky Maltese named Max. Learn more about Ginny and her books at virginiasmith.org. Ginny will serve as this year's conference emcee.