LANSDALE/LANGHORNE, PA (ANS) -- From August 11-14, 2010, hundreds of writers will gather at the Greater Philadelphia Christian Writers Conference at Philadelphia Biblical University, Langhorne, PA, where many of the most important sessions of the conference will be open to the public free of charge.

Marlene Bagnull

“We live in a time when we need to be both encouraged and challenged,” says author and conference director, Marlene Bagnull. “The sessions, which are open to the public, will address issues of social justice, reaching out to impact the world for the better, and encouraging reports of things going on from urban America to the Middle East and beyond.”

Each day of the conference there will be general sessions.

Here is a rundown:

* Thursday, August 12, Dr. John M. Perkins will deliver the keynote address at 8:30 a.m. entitled “Love is the Final Fight.” Perkins is a lifelong civil rights activist, with over fifty years of hands-on experience in working toward reconciliation and community development based on the message of the Gospel. His extensive foundation has impacted lives from the Deep South to California. His message is one of hope designed to stimulate listeners to take personal action.
 

Dr. John M. Perkins

* At 7:30 p.m. that evening, Dr. Perkins will also take part in a panel on Justice, Compassion and Advocacy with Steven Lawson, Senior Editor at Regal Publishing Group, Geraldine Ryerson-Cruz of World Vision and others. The panel will discuss how we balance passion and objectivity and yet effectively communicate our concerns and suggested solutions. Perkins, Lawson and Ryerson-Cruz are also teaching a 6 1/2-hour continuing session about Justice, Compassion and Advocacy writing that is one of eight continuing sessions open to conferees.

The GPCWC has been known for 27 years for the multicultural and diverse emphasis it brings to encouraging writers throughout the nation. Those who register for the conference have an intensive education packed into a few days. In addition to general sessions and the eight continuing sessions, attendees will select from among 56 workshops on topics ranging from marketing to technique, getting published, issues inherent in the writer’s life, and writing fiction and nonfiction books and articles for adults and children.
 

Conference logo

Face-to-face meetings between writers and those who are in the market for what they produce are invaluable in opening publication doors. GPCWC emphasizes such meetings, with each full-conference attendee having four 15-minute appointments to pitch their work to editors, agents and publisher representatives. Many published writers trace their first big sale back to a meeting at a conference. A roster of 70 faculty members will share their hard-won wisdom.

Other free sessions include:

* Wednesday, August 11, 7:30 p.m. – A concert with Becky Spencer, winner of the KCCM 7th Annual Inspirational Artist of the Year award.

* Friday, August 13, 8:30 a.m. – Rusty Wright of The Amy Foundation, speaking on sensitively communicating Biblical truth. The Amy Foundation is best known for its Amy Writing Awards, one of the most popular journalism contests in the nation that awards $34,000 in prizes annually to authors who present biblical truth reinforced with Scripture in secular, non-religious publications.

* Friday, August 13, 7:30 p.m. – Jeanette Windle, best-selling author of novels that take place in some of the planet’s blackest corners, speaking on Writing to Touch the World. Windle grew up in the rural villages, jungles and mountains of Columbia as the child of missionary parents. She has lived in six countries and traveled in nearly thirty.

* Saturday, August 14, 8:30 a.m. – David LeCompte shares a stirring and sometimes controversial message entitled “God at Work in the Land of Islam.” From Chechnya, Russia, to Tehran, Iran, David’s passion is to go where few others go. He and his family have served with Gospel for Asia, Eastern European Outreach and for nine years they were the directors of In His Fields. He now serves with Mission International assisting believers in the Middle East and Northern Africa.

* Saturday, August 15, 4:15 p.m. – Prolific, award-winning author Jim Watkins shares the states most authors and speakers pass through on their way to becoming effective communicators in “Confessions of an Author and Speaker.”

Full details regarding the conference are available on the website, www.writehisanswer.com/Philadelphia, including information on costs, housing, biographies of all faculty members and their current editorial needs, and descriptions of all sessions. A brochure can be printed from the website, or call 484-991-8581.

Becca Anderson is a freelance writer living in East Texas and has been published nationally and internationally on a variety of topics. She can be reached via her website: www.beccathewriter.com.