Speakers (A-F)
Dwan Abrams
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Dwan Abrams is a full-time novelist, freelance editor, and publisher. She’s the best-selling author of MY MOTHER’S CHILD (the highly anticipated sequel to DIVORCING THE DEVIL), MARRIED STRANGERS, DIVORCING THE DEVIL (nominated for the 2008 African American Literary Awards Show), ONLY TRUE LOVE WAITS (winner of the 2007 POWER Award), THE SCREAM WITHIN, and “Favor” (a short story appearing in THE MIDNIGHT CLEAR anthology). She’s also the founder, publisher, and editorial director of Nevaeh Publishing, a small press/independent publishing house. Dwan’s website is www.dwanabrams.com. | |
Stacy Hawkins Adams |
Stacy Hawkins Adams is a nationally-published, award-winning author and speaker. Her contemporary women’s fiction novels are filled with social themes and spiritual quests that take readers on journeys into their own souls.
She holds a degree in journalism and served as a newspaper reporter for more than a decade before turning her full attention to penning books, speaking professionally and writing freelance articles. Her longest stint was at the Richmond Times-Dispatch in Virginia, where she extensively covered social issues and wrote a weekly faith-based column. Themes from her journalistic work often find their way into her fiction, through characters who grapple with domestic violence, infertility, spirituality, low self-esteem and other true-to-life issues. Her novels have been featured reading selections in high school and college courses, including at James Madison University. Stacy’s freelance articles have appeared in Heart & Soul and Gospel Today magazines, AARP’s Bulletin, USA Today and on Crosswalk.com. She currently writes a semimonthly parenting column for the Richmond Times-Dispatch and has penned an online parenting column for Smart Beginnings, an early childhood inititiative sponsored by Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine. She has served as an occasional broadcast reporter and has been a featured guest on national TV. She speaks regularly to corporate, collegiate, civic, faith-based and women’s groups and at writing conferences across the nation. She is a member of the Virginia chapter of the National Speakers Association and the Advanced Writers & Speakers Association. She is the founding president of the Richmond affiliate of the American Christian Fiction Writers. Stacy also serves as a nonprofit marketing consultant, which gives her the opportunity to use her marketing savvy and deep knowledge of the nonprofit arena to support youth-oriented charities such as Prevent Child Abuse Virginia and Reach Out and Read Virginia. She is currently writing her sixth novel and her first nonfiction book, an inspirational title that will encourage women in their faith. She lives in a suburb of Richmond, Virginia with her husband and two young children. Her website is www.stacyhawkinsadams.com. |
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Dr. Linda Beed
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Dr. Linda Beed is an educator, freelance columnist, book reviewer and children’s minister. She is the author of BUSINESS UNUSUAL, NOT YOUR OWN (Summer 2010), and THE WRITER’S PLAN (Summer 2010). As a workshop coordinator and facilitator she has shared in the success of the Seattle African American Book Festival, Faith Based Arts Conference, the Seattle Rainbow Book Festival, The Seattle Bookfest, the African American Writer’s workshops for the Romantic Times Convention and the Romance Slam Jam. As a workshop presenter/speaker her most requested topics are The Writer’s Plan, Writing Against the Grain, Rahab’s Rules of Success and Who Told You Who You Couldn’t Be? Her debut novel won the Pacific Northwest’s Festival Sundiata Author’s Award. Her online blog BWChristianLit (renamed Let Us Bear Fruit) was the recipient of the 2008 EDC Top 20 Blog Award. Linda resides with her family in Washington State. Her website is www.lindabeed.com. | |
Dr. Angela Benson
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Though Angela Benson began writing fiction in Miss Milizo’s fifth grade English class, her first book was not published until 1994, more than thirty years later! Since then, Angela has published eleven novels, one novella, and a nonfiction writing book. Her books have appeared on national, regional and local bestseller lists, and she has won several writing awards, including Best Multicultural Romance from Romantic Times magazine, and Best Contemporary Ethnic Romance from Affaire de Coeur magazine. She was a finalist for the 2000 Romantic Times Lifetime Achievement Award in Multicultural Romance.
Angela made a faith move to Christian fiction in 2000 with the publication of AWAKENING MERCY, the first book in her Genesis House series from Tyndale House Publishers. AWAKENING MERCY was a finalist for both the RITA Award given by Romance Writers of America (RWA) and the Christy Award for Excellence in Christian Fiction. The second book in the Genesis House series, ABIDING HOPE, was published in September 2001 and was awarded the Emma Award for Best Inspirational Romance presented by the Romance Slam Jam. The third book and final book of the series, ENDURING LOVE, is not yet scheduled. BET Books, now Harlequin’s Kimani Press, purchased the mass market rights to AWAKENING MERCY and ABIDING HOPE in 2000 and released mass market editions of the titles in June 2002 and June 2003, respectively. Angela’s first hardcover title, THE AMEN SISTERS, was released in September 2005 by Walk Worthy Press. The Essence bestselling title won the Emma Award for Best Inspirational Romance. The trade paperback edition was released in November 2007. UP POPS THE DEVIL, published by HarperCollins (Avon A) in August 2008, was Angela’s eleventh novel. It was selected the November 2008 African-American Book Club Pick at Books-A-Million and was featured in the September-October 2008 issue of Upscale Magazine. Angela’s twelfth novel, SINS OF THE FATHER (Avon A), hit bookstores in September 2009. March 2010 will see the publication of her second novella, SHOWERS OF BLESSINGS, in the A Million Blessings (Dafina) anthology. Angela has a diverse education and work history. She majored in mathematics at Spelman College and Industrial Engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech), and worked for fifteen years as an engineer in the telecommunications industry. She holds masters degrees in operations research and human resources development. Her most recent degree is a doctorate in instructional technology from the University of Georgia. Dr. Benson is now an associate professor of educational technology at The University of Alabama. Her website is www.angelabenson.com. |
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Dr. Venise Berry
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Venise Berry is an Associate Professor of Journalism and Mass Communication and African American Studies at the University of Iowa. She has had three non-fiction books published; THE HISTORICAL DICTIONARY OF AFRICAN AMERICAN CINEMA (Scarecrow Press 2007). The 50 MOST INFLUENTIAL BLACK FILMS (Citadal 2001) and MEDIATED MESSAGES: Issues in African American Culture (Sage 1996). She is also the author of three national bestselling novels; SO GOOD, An African American Love Story (Dutton 1996), ALL OF ME, A Voluptuous Tale (Dutton 2000) and COLORED SUGAR WATER (Dutton 2002). Her fourth novel, POCKETS OF SANITY, is with her agent in search of a publisher. In 2003, Berry received the “Creative Contribution to Literature” award from the Zora Neale Hurston Society. ALL OF ME received a 2001 Honor Book Award from the Black Caucus of the American Library Association. Each summer, Berry teaches a one-week workshop on novel writing and a weekend workshop on writing book proposals, at the University of Iowa Summer Writers Festival. She has also taught at the Hurston/Wright Summer Writers Workshop and conducts seminars on a variety of topics: Weight and Wellness: Challenging Myths, Racialism and the Media, Words That Set You Free, I Used to be a Rap Music Fan, and Success in the 21st Century. Her website is www.veniseberry.com. | |
Chiquita Board
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Chiquita Board is a motivational speaker, educator, grant writer and consultant providing technical assistance to small business and non-profit organizations. She is the owner of Board Consulting LLC, a financial education service provider that works closely with financial institutions, community based organizations and academic and non-profit organizations on a number of national initiatives. She currently serves as a member on the Get Checking National Advisory Committee, Georgia Consortium for Personal Financial Literacy, Atlanta Prosperity Campaign and Georgia First Accounts Collaborative. In 2005, she was recognized as Educator of the Year.
Ms. Board has presented on a number of prestigious financial literacy panels and appeared on radio and public television broadcasts to share with the general public available financial education programming and financial empowerment workshops in their communities. She has worked in non-profit administration for sixteen years and devoted her efforts to cultivating collaborative community initiatives. Her love for writing and inspiring others prompted her to recently join the literary community through her book, It Ain’t Cute, But It’s Real. She was responsible for directing, managing and coordinating all efforts of this collaborative work. Ms. Board resides in Stone Mountain, Georgia, and is married to Michael and the loving mother of two adult children Alisha and Preston. |
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Michelle Chester
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Michelle Chester is the owner of EBM Professional Services, a full-service firm specializing in copy editing, content editing, and proofreading. She has more than 10 years experience as a technical writer/editor in the corporate world. Michelle has provided freelance editing for several publishers, and numerous published authors. She has facilitated workshops for BWRC (2008), and was the Chairperson for The Writer’s Block, Inc. 4th Annual On The Cusp Writer’s Conference (2007). Her website is www.ebm-services.com. | |
Kathleen Cross
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Kathleen Cross is an author, educator and speaker who has been a guest on Oprah, The Montel Williams Show and Dr. Phil to discuss the complexities of race, institutionalized racism, ethnic identity and cross-cultural communication.
Ms. Cross is the author of SKIN DEEP (Avon, 1999), a critically acclaimed novel exploring issues of race, racism and ethnic identity which received the Black Writers 2000 Gold Pen Award for Best Contemporary Fiction. Her subsequent novel, SCHOOLING CARMEN (Avon, 2004), set against a backdrop of Black/Hispanic tension in East Los Angeles, is the story of a gorgeous bigot whose survival depends on her ability to embrace change. Named an expert by California Superior Courts on issues of race and cultural sensitivity, Kathleen was featured in EBONY magazine in an article she wrote about the social complexities of multi-ethnic identity, and is included in Bruce Caine’s book, OUR COMMON GROUND: Portraits of Blacks Changing the Face of America, for which she wrote the forward. Ms. Cross has taught at the elementary, secondary and university levels, and, after over a decade of work as an education consultant working to improve teaching and learning for urban students of color, she now divides her time between writing, speaking and community service. Kathleen resides in the Los Angeles area. Her website is www.kathleencross.com. |
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Tonya M. Evans, Esq. |
Tonya M. Evans is an Assistant Professor of Law at the Harrisburg Campus of Widener University School of Law with expertise in the areas of intellectual property, entertainment law (literary and music), municipal finance and trusts & estates. Professor Evans has also served as Adjunct Professor of copyright, publishing and licensing at York College of Pennsylvania.
She is a published author of an award-winning series of legal reference guides for writers and publishing industry professionals that is distributed internationally and was selected by Writer’s Digest Book Club as a club selection for its members. Her latest book, Contracts Companion for Writers, received an award for ForeWord Magazine’s Best Book of 2008 at BookExpo America in 2008. Professor Evans is a nationally recognized speaker who presents to various audiences regularly on publishing law and intellectual property law. She is also an accomplished poet and spoken word artist who has written two books of poetry and recorded a CD titled SHINE! Her website is www.legalwritepublications.com. |
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Renee Daniel Flagler
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Renee Daniel Flagler is an author and an award winning freelance writer who has served in marketing, promotions and events for more than a decade. Under the divisions of Aspicomm Media, Flagler has been able to marry the things she enjoys the most; marketing, events and writing, into one fulfilling personal career. Flagler has treasured the art of writing since she was a young girl and in 2004 she took her love of creative writing seriously and self-published her first novel, MOUNTAIN HIGH, VALLEY LOW. She later released her sophomore novel, MISS-GUIDED, in the spring of 2006. Flagler’s third novel, IN HER MIND, was released in 2008. She is currently working on her first nonfiction title, PUTTING YOUR PASSION TO WORK, set for release in 2009. Flagler is also the founder of The Self-Publishing Symposium, a business conference for self and independent publishers, The S’Indie Awards, which honors the works and accomplishments of self and independent publishers and the Divas of Literature Tour, a multi-city book tour in malls across America. Flagler is one of the resident “Literary Leaders” for WBAI Radio’s talk show, ‘Off the Page.’ Flagler was awarded for Excellence in Journalism by the New York Association of Black Journalists, honored by Black Star News for her accomplishments in business for starting the Self-Publishing Symposium and honored at the Unlock Your Dreams conference. She received the Entrepreneur of the Year in 2005 award by C&B Books Distribution. Additionally, Flagler has been profiled in Literary Divas, The Top 100+ Most Admired African American Women in Literature, among literary greats such as Tony Morrison, Terry McMillan and Oprah Winfrey. Flagler is a graduate of New School University with a Masters in Media Arts, as well as a graduate of St. John’s University with a Bachelor of Science in Communications. She is a member of the New York Association of Black Journalists, the National Black MBA Association, National Association of Female Executives, and Publishers Marketing Association. Her website is www.reneedanielflagler.com. |
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Sharon Ewell Foster
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Sharon Ewell (rhymes with jewel) Foster remains the only African American to win the coveted Christy Award, the highest honor given for Christian fiction. She is also the only author to have simultaneously earned spots on both the Essence Bestsellers list and the Christian Booksellers Association Bestsellers List.
Sharon blazed onto the publishing scene ten years ago with one of the first successful works of Christian fiction penned by an African American author—the critically acclaimed and Christy Award-winning PASSING BY SAMARIA. This double-RITA Award finalist and Daily Guidepost contributing writer weaves multicultural tales that span racial, religious, age and gender boundaries to share the best of the human heart. Hailing from a Department of Defense background—including two Pentagon tours—the author and speaker uses wise and poetic words to dramatically inspire, humorously uplift, and masterfully entertain—seamlessly weaving faith and scripture into unique stories that enthrall readers of all ages. She writes with a style that has crossover appeal suited to broad audiences.
Born in Texas and raised in Illinois, Sharon holds a B.A. in Radio-TV-Film from the University of Maryland and is a graduate of the Act One Screenwriting Program. Sharon’s writing has earned multiple awards including the Christy Award (she is a three-time finalist and the only African American Christy Award winner), Gold Pen Award (Black Writers Alliance), NAACP 2000 Book of the Year, and the Romantic Times Reviewers Choice Award. Passing into Light, her fourth novel, was recently translated into Russian. She has contributed to anthologies like Tavis Smiley’s KEEPING THE FAITH, PROVERBS FOR THE PEOPLE, the WOMEN OF COLOR DEVOTIONAL BIBLE. Her work has been featured in magazines like Ebony, Charisma, and Christianity Today. Sharon currently lives North Carolina, where she is a Creative Arts in Public and Private Schools (CAPS) artist. She has published seven novels, with an eighth, THE RESURRECTION OF NAT TURNER, due to be published by Howard/Simon & Schuster in 2010.
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Gwynne Forster |
Gwynne Forster is a national best selling author of thirty-three works of fiction, including her latest mainstream novels, GETTING SOME OF HER OWN (August 2007) and WHEN YOU DANCE WITH THE DEVIL. She has won numerous awards for fiction writing, including the Romantic Times 2007 Lifetime Achievement Award, the Romance In Color Author of the Year award, the Gold Pen Award and has been inducted in the Affaire de Coeur Hall of Fame. A demographer by profession, she is formerly a senior United Nations Officer, Population Division, United Nations, New York, where she was chief officer in charge of Research in Fertility and Family Planning studies. Gwynne is author of twenty-seven publications in demography. She holds bachelors and masters degrees in sociology and a master’s degree in economics/demography. As an officer, first for United Nations and later for the International Planned Parenthood Federation, London, England, Gwynne traveled and/or worked in sixty-three countries. Gwynne loves to read and listen to music, especially jazz, classical music, opera and blues. She loves to dance and enjoys entertaining at small dinner parties. She lives in New York with her husband, who is her true soul mate. Her website is www.gwynneforster.com. |
