Faculty subject to change. Check back frequently for updates.
Each market represented at St. Davids is actively looking for new authors! Plus, you will have the opportunity to informally interact with faculty at meals and breaks, as well as make private appointments to present your projects.
(See the Workshop Descriptions page for detailed descriptions of each offering.)
EVA MARIE EVERSON will be teaching a writers intensive course and will provide our keynote.
Eva Marie Everson is the CEO of Word Weavers International, the director of Florida Christian Writers Conference, and the author of over 45 books. Her awards include being a Christy Finalist, an ECPA Gold Medallion winner, a Carol, several Maggie’s, an Inspirational Readers Choice Award, several Golden Scroll awards, and Illumination awards. She is the 2022 AWSA Lifetime Achievement Award recipient, the 2022 Yvonne Lehman Legacy Award recipient, and her book The Third Path won the AWSA Book of the Year in 2023. Eva Marie and her husband make their home in Central Florida where they enjoy their children and grandchildren. They are owned by a cat named Vanessa.
CINDY K. SPROLES will be teaching a variety of classes both fiction and nonfiction related.
Cindy K. Sproles is a novelist, speaker, and conference teacher. She has served as a managing editor for two publishers and is the executive editor for ChristianDevotions.us. Cindy is a writing coach and mentor with Writing Right Author Mentoring Service (WRAMS) and serves as the director of the Asheville Christian Writers Conference. She travels across the country teaching at women’s conferences, retreats, and writers conferences. Cindy’s devotions are published nationwide, and she is a monthly contributor to The Voice Magazine. The author of five novels, Cindy’s next novel will be released in the summer of 2024. Visit Cindy at www.cindysproles.com.
MICHELLE S. LAZUREK will be teaching character development and writing for early readers as well a general session.
Michelle S. Lazurek is a multi-genre award winning author, speaker, pastor’s wife and mother. She is a regular contributor for ibelieve.com and crosswalk.com and is a movie reviewer for Movieguide Magazine. She also is a literary agent for Wordwise Media Services. When not working, she enjoys sipping a Starbucks latte, collecting 80s memorabilia, and spending time with her family and her crazy dog. For more info, please visit her website www.michellelazurek.com.
JILL MARIE THOMAS will be teaching a series on speaking and marketing your book.
Jill Marie Thomas, an author, teacher, speaker, and business owner, has years of experience teaching college mathematics and writing and speaking on behalf of her family’s pretzel manufacturing business.
She’s published five Bible studies, a series of five scripture-writing journals, four non-fiction books, and three fiction books. She loves drinking coffee with friends, adventuring with her grandkids, and traveling to exotic places. See more at jillmariethomas.com.
LORA ZILL will be teaching a creativity/poetry track.
Lora Zill teaches academic writing at Gannon University and creative writing and chess in Allegheny College’s arts programs for gifted public school students. A teaching artist with the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, Lora conducts residencies in public schools and trains teachers in arts-infused curriculum. She publishes a poetry journal, Time Of Singing, and speaks at writing, education, and arts conferences. Her award-winning poetry and nonfiction have been published widely. She is also a stained glass mosaic artist and has received commissions for her work. Lora has two children, one granddaughter, and is owned by one cat. She loves to read, kayak, ride her bike, watch old movies, and drink coffee.
JANYCE BRAWN will be teaching a workshop on creativity.
Janyce Brawn is a retired K-12 English as a Second Language and Spanish Teacher who also has a degree in Art. She has used her art training to illustrate magazines and books for twenty-seven years. With a vivid imagination, Janyce has been writing and drawing since she was a little girl working on handwritten stories and crayoned pictures for books with her twin sister. When she isn’t writing or drawing, she likes to read, go boating on the nearby lake, or visit with family and friends. She is the author and illustrator of the Tales of the Teleporting Topsider juvenile fantasy series, which includes David and the Drainosaurs, David and the Missing Troll, David and the Midnight Unicorn, David and the Foglinian Menace, and David in the Below Lands, A Tales of the Teleporting Topsider Coloring Book.
JANET PIERCE will be teaching a workshop on historical fiction.
Janet L. Pierce, PhD, is a retired ESL teacher. She has written historical nonfiction articles for newspapers, informational articles for Pennwriters, St. Davids’ Christian Writers, and TESOL International as well as newsletters for professional organizations, and murder mystery scripts.
Recent publications include poems, flash fiction, and a creative nonfiction story. Currently, her agent is shopping her debut historical fiction novel to publishers.
LISA BETZ will be teaching several instructional classes.
Lisa Betz is an award-winning mystery writer, an inspirational speaker, and a speech coach. She loves to encourage others to grow in their faith, develop their God-given creativity, and live authentic, purposeful lives.
Website: Quietly Unconventional | lisaebetz.com