AWC Annual Conference
September 11-13, 2026
Birmingham, Alabama
faculty
Faculty bios
Salaam Green serves as the first Poet Laureate of the City of Birmingham (2024–2026). She is the award-winning author of The Other Revival: Poems and Reckonings, recipient of the 2025 Southern Christian Women’s Writing Conference Notable Book Award, and a 2025 Academy of American Poets Poet Laureate Fellow. A Kellogg Foundation Racial Healing Facilitator and Alabama Humanities Alliance Road Scholar, Salaam is a sought-after speaker, storyteller, and community facilitator whose work bridges poetry, healing, and civic engagement. Her creative practice includes leading community placemaking initiatives through For Freedoms Truth Booths in rural communities across America.
Salaam has held residencies with the Threshold Center at St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church, UAB Arts in Medicine, the Jule Collins Smith Museum of Fine Art at Auburn University, and the Wallace Center for Arts in Harpersville, Alabama. Through her organization, Literary Healing Arts, and in partnership with the Alabama Writers’ Forum, she has facilitated creative writing workshops for diverse and often underserved populations of all ages.
Her poetry and essays have appeared in Alabama Arts Journal, Southern Women’s Review, Glass House Journal, Black Joy Anthology, and numerous online publications including The Black Youth Project and Scalawag. Salaam has served as an editor for several youth and adult anthologies and with more than 16 years of experience, she creates transformative spaces for reflection, connection, and belonging rooted in Southern history, cultural memory, and resilience. Salaam is currently pursuing an MFA in Creative Writing at Mississippi University for Women. Follow Salaam’s writings at her https://substack.com/@salaamgreen and salaamgreen.com.
Audrey McDonald Atkins is an award-winning writer whose work celebrates the people, places, and peculiarities of the American South. Her essays and features have appeared in The Washington Post, The Bitter Southerner, This is Alabama, It’s a Southern Thing, and Mobile Bay Magazine, among others. She is also the author of the essay collection They Call Me Orange Juice, a witty and heartfelt look at growing up in a small South Alabama town.
Beyond the page, Audrey brings words to life by teaching creative writing and hosting People Reading Prose in Bars, a recurring literary event. She also produces Arts Fell on Alabama, the Alabama State Council on the Arts' podcast and public radio series that highlights the state’s cultural history.
When she’s not writing or recording, Audrey paints in oil and watercolor and enjoys walks with her husband in their historic Birmingham neighborhood.
Miriam Calleja is an award-winning poet, multidisciplinary artist, translator, and workshop leader. She is the author of two poetry collections and several chapbooks, including her latest, Come Closer, I Don’t Mind the Silence (BottleCap Press, 2023). Her work has appeared in Modern Poetry in Translation, The Arkansas International, Plume, ONE ART, and elsewhere. Her translation from Maltese is Variations on Silence (PoetryWala, 2025). She has been a special guest at conferences in Malta, Germany, and the US. She grew up in Malta, speaks 3 languages, and currently lives in Birmingham, AL. When she is not teaching, she writes, edits, and makes art.
Hallie Christensen is a children's author who loves to write books full of adventure and hope. She grew up in a small town in Alabama surrounded by professional storytellers - her family. She graduated with a degree in English from the University of Alabama (where she marched in the Million Dollar Band), and received her Master's in English from Faulkner University. Her middle grade fantasy, Enchanted Misadventures with Great-Aunt Poppy, was published by Sweetwater Books.
When she isn’t writing, she enjoys hiking, attending rock concerts by musicians her parents’ age, and of course, reading. She’s an active member and Local Liaison of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI), and loves connecting with other readers and writers on social media. She currently resides in northern Alabama with her husband and a couple of cats. Hallie is represented by Bethany Hendrix at Spencerhill Associates.
Mary Dansak is a writer, an equestrian, and a naturalist. Her connection to horses and the natural world informs not only her writing her but outlook on life.
Mary grew up in Alabama, surrounded by the beauty and mystery of the lush forests, cool rock caves, roiling Gulf waters, and endless creeks and rivers here. After a demanding 30-year career in science education, she enjoys semi-retirement and the opportunity to be outside, exploring and enjoying all the wonders underfoot and overhead. Mary writes a weekly column for The Auburn Villager. These essays can be found in her books, Box Turtles, Hooligans, and Love, Sweet Love, and Behold: Essays Into Wonder. She has co-authored several books with her writers’ group, The Mystic Order of East Alabama Fiction Writers. Other works appear in print and online magazines and journals.
Additionally, Mary works as a legacy writer at a horse and cattle ranch and has happily traded her office chair for a buttercream palomino named Jasper. She maintains an active presence on Substack through her publication, Look Homeward, Horse, and enjoys speaking about the necessity of nurturing awe and creativity. For links and updates, visit marydansak.com.
Charlotte Donlon is a writer, spiritual director, and gatherer whose work centers on helping people explore themes of belonging, artful encounters, and spiritual growth - even when life is full, busy, or chaotic. Her work has woven together themes of belonging, art, and soul exploration for more than 25 years. With a Master of Fine Arts in creative writing (2015-2018) and a certificate in spiritual direction (2018-2020), Charlotte guides writers and other creative souls in developing sanctuaries of acceptance and connection. In 2020, Broadleaf Books published Charlotte's first book, The Great Belonging: How Loneliness Leads Us to Each Other. Spiritual Direction for Writers: Everyday Rituals for Your Writing Life is slated for release by Here Below Books in September 2026. Three volumes of Charlotte's "Guidebooks for the Soul" - Take More Retreats, The Great Belonging Project, and Belonging Through Art - will also be published in 2026. Her essays have been featured in publications such as The Washington Post, The Christian Century, Christianity Today, Catapult, and The Millions, among others. A new essay about art conservation, Joan Mitchell, and mystery is forthcoming with Image journal.
Catherine Hamrick started her career in print, working at Southern Living, Cooking Light, Southern Accents, Better Homes and Gardens, and Meredith Books. She taught writing and communication arts before jumping into digital marketing as the copywriter/content strategist at Berry College in Rome, Georgia. Hamrick's poetry and prose have appeared in The Blue Mountain Review, Appalachian Review, Appalachian Places, Pine Mountain Sand & Gravel, storySouth, The Citron Review, and elsewhere. Madville Publishing released her collection, The Tears of Things: Poems, in 2025. Find her online at catherinehamrick.com.
Javacia Harris Bowser is the editor-in-chief of The Birmingham Times and the founder of See Jane Write, a website and community for women who write. She’s the author of the award-winning essay collection Find Your Way Back: How to Write Your Way Through Anything and is a recipient of the 2022 Alabama State Council on the Arts Fellowship. She has written for several media outlets including ELLE magazine, Good Housekeeping, Good Grit, and Shondaland.com.
Kwoya Fagin Maples is the author of Long Eye (Hub City Press, 2026), Mend (University Press of Kentucky, 2018), and co-editor of the anthology I Witness: Documentary, Witness, and Research-based Poetics (Wesleyan University Press, Spring 2027). Her poetry explores family, memory, spirituality, the body, and the ways inherited histories continue to shape contemporary life. Her debut collection Mend was a finalist for the AWP Prize for Poetry and the Hurston/Wright Legacy Finalist Award for Poetry. Maples is a Cave Canem Fellow.
In addition to her literary work, Maples designs and builds imaginative bookshelves that blend craftsmanship and visual art. Whether creating poems, sculptural bookshelves, or teaching, she is drawn to the ways stories shape communities and help us imagine more expansive ways of being. Charleston, S.C. remains a touchstone in both her life and creative work, while Birmingham serves as her present home and creative base.
Bob McGough is an author, podcaster, and rpg designer from the deep south. A mix of traditionally and self published, he is best known as the author of the Jubal County Saga, a southern gothic fantasy series set in Alabama. Beyond that he has published works across a wide variety of genres, from horror to steampunk.
As a podcaster Bob is the man behind the Tales by Bob Podcast Network. His first show, Books, Beards, Booze, is a conversational style podcast that has run for over 170 episodes. He has also been a guest on over a score of other podcasts, and is a frequent collaborator on the GoIndieNow channel.
A long-time freelance writer, he has worked on a number of published tabletop and video games. As a huge fan of one sheet and simple rpgs, he has released over 30 games in that space across a number of platforms.
Tanisia “Tee” Moore is a revered voice in African American storytelling, affectionately known as “your family’s favorite author.” She writes for young people under her own name and in adult contemporary romance as Nisia Roye. The common thread in all her books is her deep love of sharing life lessons embedded in Black culture.
For young people, Tee is the author of:
I Am My Ancestors’ Wildest Dreams (picture book with illustrator Robert Paul Jr, Scholastic Press)
When Black Girls Dream Big (picture book with illustrator Robert Paul Jr, Scholastic Press)
Wash Day Love (picture book with illustrator Raissa Figueroa, Scholastic Press)
The Micah Hudson chapter book series (Book 1, Micah Hudson: Football Fumble with illustrator Aaron Cargill, Reycraft Books),
Film Makers: 15 Groundbreaking Women Directors (YA nonfiction with Lyn Miller-Lachmann, Chicago Review Press)
In adult contemporary romance, Tee is the author of After the Storm (writing as Nisia Skyy, Dynamic Image Publications). She has new novels in the works.
Originally from Southern California, Tee is a proud alumna of Clark Atlanta University - where she majored in Mass Media Arts with a concentration in radio—and Florida A&M University College of Law. She is a former attorney now writing and momming full-time in Alabama. For more on the many flavors of Tee, visit www.tanisiamoore.com.
Carrie Rollwagen is the author of The Localist book and host of The Localist podcast. She spent over a decade as a freelance writer for clients like Penguin Random House, and she’s worked as book reviewer for Southern Living and BookPage. She is co-founder of Church Street Coffee & Books, former manager of Jonathan Benton, Bookseller, and has worked in marketing for the American Booksellers Association. Carrie currently works as Senior Vice President of Strategic Planning at Infomedia, a digital strategy company based in Birmingham, Alabama. Find her at carrierollwagen.com or on Instagram and TikTok @crollwagen.
Born in Louisville, Mississippi, Jermaine Thompson learned language from big-armed women who greased their skillets with gossip and from full-bellied men who cursed and prayed with the same fervor. He’s been writing poetry since he was 13 - inspired by having to memorize Langston Hughes’ “Harlem” for a Black History Program at his Presbyterian church home. Jermaine loves language for what it creates & what it destroys; what it binds in heaven & for what it looses on Earth. Jermaine has over two decades of teaching experience and currently lives and teaches in Birmingham, AL. He has publications in Southern Indiana Review, New Letters, Salvation South, Gravy and other literary and academic journals. In his spare time, he enjoys word games, live music, theater, and buying statement t-shirts and hoodies. His debut collection of poems–Sepulchre–is forthcoming from Texas Review Press in 2027.
T.K. Thorne builds character-driven suspense across genres, pulling readers into the conflicts and choices that drive her stories. A retired Birmingham police captain, she authored the award-winning historical novels Noah’s Wife and Angels at the Gate, reimagining the unnamed wives of Noah and Lot. Her fascination with untold stories led her to write about a pivotal civil-rights bombing case in Last Chance for Justice, followed by the “Magic City Stories” trilogy - House of Rose, House of Stone, and House of Iron - where murder, mayhem, and magic collide. Her most recent nonfiction, Behind the Magic Curtain: Secrets, Spies, and Unsung Allies of Birmingham’s Civil Rights Days, continues her exploration of hidden history. Visit her at TKThorne.com.
workshop descriptions
Keynote: The Courage to Write Now – Salaam Green, Birmingham Poet Laureate
In times of uncertainty, division, and rapid change, writers are called to do more than tell stories; they are called to bear witness, preserve truth, inspire hope, and imagine new possibilities. The Courage to Write Now affirms the enduring capacity of words to illuminate, connect, and inspire change and the power of the written word in tumultuous times. Join us as we celebrate the transformative role of writers in shaping meaning and reimagining the narrative when it matters most.
Panel Discussion: How to Write Stories People Can't Stop Reading – Audrey Atkins, Mary Dansak, TK Thorne; Moderated by Javacia Harris Bowser
Whether you're crafting a novel, writing a memoir, publishing a newsletter essay, or reporting for a newspaper, the ability to tell a compelling story is what keeps readers hooked. Join writers from fiction, creative nonfiction, and journalism as they reveal the storytelling techniques that transcend genres. We’ll discuss character development, scene and suspense building and much more. No matter what you write, you'll leave with practical tools to make your work more engaging, more memorable, and impossible to put down.
Using Dream Imagery in Writing – Miriam Calleja
Dreams are portals—surreal, symbolic spaces where the conscious and subconscious blend into a conversation about our deepest desires, fears, and unspoken truths. How can we tap into this nightly resource to inform our writing and our self-knowledge? In Using Dream Imagery in Writing, you will learn different ways to access your unique dreamscapes through group reading and discussion, reflective writing, and guided exercises. You don’t need to remember your dreams in detail to attend this workshop. Bring ideas, images, and thoughts to use as starting material.
Creating Poetry Collections Readers Will Love – Kwoya Fagin Maples
A poetry collection is more than a gathering of poems—it's a reading experience. In this presentation, we'll examine how to select and strengthen poems for your manuscript, develop the themes that give your collection cohesion, and create corollaries. We'll conclude by discussing ways to create a collection that invites engagement, connects with a wider audience, and is ready for submission to presses and contests.
What Authors Should Know about AI – Carrie Rollwagen
This session explores the ethical questions writers are already grappling with: Is it okay to use AI tools in your process? What do you owe your readers, your publisher, and yourself when it comes to disclosure? What does AI mean for the future of books and the writers who create them? We'll also look at practical ways writers can use AI without using it as a substitute for the creative process. Drawing on her background as a writer, bookseller and book critic, Carrie Rollwagen brings several different perspectives to a conversation the industry is still figuring out.
The Business of Writing – Bob McGough
Writing the book is only half the battle. In 'The Business of Writing' workshop author Bob McGough offers advice for writers looking to master the art of making money from their creativity. Learn about diversification, the role of social media, the importance of marketing and branding, and a host of other related topics.
What Comes After: Responsible Practices for the "After" Poem – Jermaine Thompson
Art is a conversation between the medium, the artist, and the audience. Often in the life of a poet, we are moved by the artistic expressions of others and feel led to join the conversation through our writing. This practice is commonly known as the "after" poem. In this workshop, Jermaine Thompson will invite participants to observe the conversations that poems can have with other poems, discuss the ethics of the "after" poem, provide examples, and lead participants into writing and sharing their own.
Getting started as a writer? How to get published - Catherine Hamrick
If you want to build your professional bio as an author, pitching short pieces is a great way to begin. You’ll learn the ins and outs of submitting, from choosing literary journals to tracking your progress. You’ll also get an overview of how to pitch consumer and trade publications.
Presenter Catherine Hamrick worked as an editor and freelance writer in magazine and book publishing before pivoting to digital marketing.
A Soulful Approach to the Creative Process – Charlotte Donlon
You don't need perfect conditions to be a writer. You need permission to bring your whole, imperfect self to your creativity—along with a framework and practices that actually nourish you along the way. Alabama artists and writers have created not despite their complexity, but because of it. We'll draw on that tradition—through poems rooted in Alabama landscapes, prose that captures the texture of our places, and art born from this region's communities—as we explore what it means to live a sustainable, soulful creative life. Writer and spiritual director Charlotte Donlon will guide participants through four essential movements of the creative life: Belong, Become, Behold, and Bestow. Through contemplative practices, honest storytelling, and wisdom from artists and writers across traditions, this workshop treats all of life, not just the "good" or "easy" parts, as sacred ground for creative flourishing. This session is for all writers. People of deep faith and profound doubt are equally welcome here. No religious prescription is required—only a willingness to show up as you are. You won't leave with a productivity plan. You'll leave with something better: a deeper sense of yourself as a writer and an approach to creativity rooted in soul care and the place you inhabit.
Changing the world through children’s literature – Tanisa Moore
“If children can live it, they can read it.” Ebony Lynn Mudd
Using picture books or other genres in children’s literature is a great way to tackle hard topics such as race, sexuality, and other tough subjects. When done right, these types of books can help children develop empathy and open the door to meaningful dialogue.
Steps to Traditional Publishing: The manuscript is completed, now what? - Hallie Christensen
You've typed "The End," celebrated, and told friends your book is finished. Now what?
This workshop will guide you through the next steps on the road to traditional publication. Learn how to write a query letter that grabs attention, create a one-page synopsis that won't put agents to sleep, find your book's literary cousin (also known as comp titles), and choose and craft a one-sentence pitch that clearly communicates your story. We'll also cover how to find literary agents and some key differences between traditional publishing and self-publishing, so you can decide which path is right for you. Whether you're preparing to query your first manuscript or simply wondering how the publishing world works, you'll leave with a clearer roadmap—and hopefully a little less confusion about what comes after "The End."