On Wednesday, February 13, 2019, the Johnston Community College (JCC) #WOW World of Words Writing Initiative kicked of its Spring Writer’s Series with Dr. Tammy Bird, author of Sandman, a psychological suspense novel set in the Outer Banks of North Carolina. At the event, Bird spoke with attendees about the writing process and embracing the narratives that we all carry within us. She read several passages from the novel and shared her own process with character development.
The #WOW series continued with a presentation this afternoon. On Thursday, February 21, 2019, Hope Toler Dougherty, read from her romance novel, Irish Encounter. Her additional published novels include Mars…With Venus Rising, and Rescued Hearts. She is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers, Romance Writers of America, Sisters in Crimes and writes for SeriousWriter.com.
Upcoming authors in the series will include:
Marina Delvecchio, author of the young adult novel Dear Jane on Wednesday, February 27, 2019, 12:30-1:30pm.
Tammy Bird with a full reading from Sandman on Thursday, March 21, 2019, 12:30-1:30pm.
Carrie Knowles, author of Black Tie Optional: 17 Stories on Thursday, April 4, 2019, 12:30-1:30pm.
Travis Mulhauser, author of Sweet Girl on Wednesday, April 24, 2019, 12:30-1:30pm.
These author events are held in the Frank Creech Art Gallery, located in the STEAM Building at Johnston Community College, 245 College Road, Smithfield, NC.
In addition to the Writer’s Series, #WOW has partnered with the JCC History Club to sponsor two events. The first was held on February 19, 2019, with Dr. Katherine Mellon Charron, author of Freedom’s Teacher: The Life of Septima Clark, who led an insightful discussion about Clark and her historical contributions to the Civil Rights Movement. “The Power of the Ballot: Septima Clark and the Civil Rights Movement” event was well received with members of the community, JCC’s Black History Committee, students, faculty, and staff in attendance.
The second event is coming up on Monday, April 15, 2019, when historians from Plimouth Plantation, a living history site in Plymouth Massachusetts, will lead a discussion via Skype with JCC students. This session will feature discussions about preserving our personal histories through journaling and writing personal narratives in relation to the personal histories written by colonists through diaries, letters, and narratives.
The goals for this initiative include a campus-wide writing initiative to promote proper writing for industry as well as creative writing events and workshops. During the fall semester, #WOW collaborated with the JCC Career Center to offer a workshop on social media to show students how to present themselves appropriately online in social media platforms.
The Objective for the #WOW World of Words Writing Initiative is to improve JCC student’s business and personal writing as well as promote creative writing to encourage students to embrace skills in the arts. Learning how writers create and developing methods for their own writing will help students reflect and explore their own creative projects.
Source: Susan E. Austin, MA, JCC University Studies and Educational Technologies
