Waccamaw Library to host writing workshop series in 2026

The Waccamaw Library will kick off a new yearlong writing workshop series on Thursday, Jan. 22 with a free session on the publishing process. The workshop is designed for writers working to publish their first book and will be led by Linda Ketron, founder and director of CLASS Publishing. Ketron has published more than 75 books across multiple genres during the past 13 years.

The January session is the first of eight monthly workshops scheduled from January through August. Each gathering will focus on a different aspect of writing — from getting started to getting published — and will be led by a published author. Sessions begin at 10 a.m. and last about an hour and a half.

The series will cover a variety of genres, including memoir, fiction, creative nonfiction, magazine writing and several forms of poetry. All workshops are free and open to the public, thanks to support from the Friends of the Waccamaw Library. Space is limited. To register, contact Daniel Cross Turner at [email protected].

2026 Workshop Schedule
• Jan. 22 — The Publishing Process, led by Linda Ketron, founder and director of CLASS Publishing. Ketron also created the CLASS programs and the Moveable Feast literary luncheons, which have connected more than 100,000 readers since 1998. She received the 2025 Mims-Talmadge Literary Advocacy Award from the South Carolina Academy of Authors.

• Feb. 27 — Memoir Writing. Emily Dunlap Carter, author of “A Spork in the Road: Reflections on the Journey,” will discuss crafting memoir rooted in family, resilience and storytelling. On Thursday, Feb. 26 at 6 p.m., Carter and her husband, musician John Carter, will perform at the library as Chick ’N’ Biscuit for the Friends of the Waccamaw Library Musicians Series.

• March 26 — Haiku. Sylvia Kelly, author of “Haiku from the Heart: Extra Love Inside” and “The Upward Climb: Into the Light of Day,” will lead a session on writing in the traditional haiku form.

• April 16 — Poetry. Hastings Hensel, poet and Coastal Carolina University instructor, is the author of “Ballyhoo” and “Winter Inlet.” His magazine work frequently appears in South Carolina Living, covering topics from shrimping and crabbing to fossil hunting, rodeos and local folklore. He
is currently editing “The Winyah Bay Watershed: A Literary Field Guide.”

• May 21 — Creative Nonfiction. Daniel Cross Turner, author of five books including “Riding Light” and “Coast Lines,” will lead a workshop on creative nonfiction. His work has appeared in Birmingham Poetry Review, Hub City, Five Points and other publications. Turner earned his Ph.D. at
Vanderbilt University and taught writing and literature for two decades.

• June 18 — Poetry. Marlanda Dekine, a native of Plantersville and the first Poet Laureate of the Georgetown County Library System, will teach a session on crafting poetry that weaves memory, ancestry and the present moment. Dekine is the author of “Thresh & Hold” and has been published in Poetry Magazine, Orion and multiple anthologies. She will lead a second session July 23.

• Aug. 20 — Poetic Forms. Led by Daniel Cross Turner.