GREENUP – The annual Dogwood Writing Conference returns to Greenup County this year with two fantastic featured speakers. The conference will be at the Greenup County Public Library on Saturday, April 27, with registration beginning at 9 a.m.
Madden is one of those speakers. She writes compelling romances between ‘combat modified’ military men and the women who love them. J.M. Madden loves any and all good love stories, most particularly her own. She has two beautiful children and a husband who always keeps her on her toes.
Madden was a deputy sheriff in Ohio for nine years, until her husband moved the crew to Kentucky. When not chasing the family around, she’s at the computer, reading and writing, perfecting her craft. She occasionally takes breaks to feed her animal horde and is trying to control her office-supply addiction, but both tasks are uphill battles. An eternal optimist, she believes there is a soulmate for everyone, no matter what the situation or physical challenge.
Also speaking will be Stephen Vest, author and editor/publisher of Kentucky Monthly magazine, which won the Governor’s Award in the Arts (Media) in 2005. Founded in 1998, Kentucky Monthly has more than 100,000 readers. He is the author Unexpected Inheritance, a memoir about being raised by older parents and a hard-to-please grandmother (Butler Books, 2014), two collections of his columns, and the publisher of the 2012 anthology Kentucky’s Twelve Days of Christmas. Vest holds degrees from the University of Louisville (1986) and Murray State University (MFA, 2011). His work has appeared in the Journal of Kentucky Studies. A frequent speaker, Vest is also an adjunct professor of communications at Campbellsville University, Eastern Kentucky University, and Midway University. He and his wife, Kay, reside in Frankfort. They have four grown children.
Also on the day’s agenda are speaker Dave Lucas and a critique panel. Anyone attending may bring three pages of their work, fiction or non-fiction, to be read aloud and critiqued by the panel. The conference also is a great time to meet other authors to make new friends and network.
The cost is $50, which includes lunch, if registering in advance. The cost is $55 at the door. The sign-up form is available on the Dogwood Writing Conference Facebook page. More information is available by e-mailing mizcathie@yahoo.com
