Georgia Magazine - October 2016 - 20

Janisse Ray, janisseray.weebly.com Born in Baxley. Writes from Altamaha. Janisse Ray's father tossed the television out of the house when she was a toddler. "So I was raised surrounded by the stories of real people-my relatives and the townspeople around me," she says. "... My father believed that poets belonged up in some exalted place alongside the saints, so I was encouraged to write, and I knew from a young age that I wanted to be a writer." She studied creative writing during her undergraduate years at North Georgia College and Florida State University and graduate school at the University of Montana. She published her first book, "Ecology of a Cracker Childhood," in 1999 when she was 37. The book was showered with awards and accolades and was featured in The New York Times. In 2015, Ray was inducted into the Georgia Writers Hall of From left, Dorinda Dallmeyer, University of Georgia (UGA) professor, author Janisse Ray and P. Toby Graham, UGA Fame. She's working librarian and associate provost, at Ray's 2015 induction into on her seventh book. the Georgia Writers Hall of Fame in Athens. "I write to help alleviate suffering-human and otherwise," she says. "To you their stories, and this is the save those things worth saving. To biggest gift they can give you. educate. To awaken people to the power of love." Tips from Ray * Be nice and learn to fall in love with people. * Listen to people. They will tell Writing groups Community writing groups, clubs and critique meetings help both seasoned and aspiring writers hone their craft and network with other writers in their area. From the Rome Area Writers to the Macon Writers Group to the Savannah Writers Group, there's probably a writing group that meets near you. "Belonging to a tribe of writers provides a great sense of kinship," says Karli Land, founder and president of Calhoun Area Writers in Northwest Georgia. "Fellow writers can provide understanding, encouragement, motivation and guidance that those who don't share the passion simply cannot oﬀer." Though meeting formats diﬀer, most writing group meetings have similar elements. "We open with announcements, which gives members an opportunity to share about upcoming events and also brag about recent successes," Land says. "We then listen and learn about writing, publishing and promoting from a guest speaker. We end our meetings giving each member an opportunity to read some of his or her work to the group and receive constructive feedback and encouragement." To ﬁnd a writing group in your area, consult Google or Facebook, or ask your local bookseller or librarian for suggestions. 20 More online at www.georgiamagazine.org Karin Gillespie, karingillespie.net Born in Minnesota. Writes from Augusta. Karin Gillespie finished her first novel when she was 38 but erased her manuscript from her hard drive after attending a writers conference. However, she had attended a session titled "Southern Fiction is a Hot-Seller" and was so inspired that she went back to her hotel room and COURTESY KARIN GILLESPIE * Sit down, write and get your story on paper. * Write the truest thing you know. * Make writing the ﬁrst thing you do every day. DOROTHY KOZLOWSKI Tips from Atkins Karin Gillespie GEORGIA MAGAZINE http://janisseray.weebly.com http://www.karingillespie.net http://www.georgiamagazine.org

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Georgia Magazine - October 2016