2027 is going to be a HUGE year as we’ll be celebrating 70 years as a conference. Plans are already under way with some fabulous faculty. Check back in early 2027 for more info!
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.)
Click on each faculty’s headshot to see their bio.
Heather Kreke
If there’s one thing Heather Kreke believes, it’s that hope belongs—even in the most broken worlds. Her stories blend survival and heartache with a sharp wit that keeps readers laughing even when the world’s on fire. An award-winning author, writing coach, and editor, she helps other writers bring their stories to life while continuing to build her own. Heather has over five years of experience self-publishing through KDP, coaching authors through the entire process—from manuscript to launch—and
managing successful Amazon Ads campaigns that get books in front of the right readers. When she’s not writing, she’s likely sipping coffee with cream, cheering on her daughters, or pretending her archery gear is just for “research.”
Check out Heather’s workshops here.
Cindy K. Sproles
Check out Cindy’s workshops here.
Vincent B. Davis II
Vincent is an international best-selling author, Army veteran, and diehard history buff. After graduating East Tennessee State University, he decided it was as good a time as any to pursue a writing career. With a shoestring budget and no platform to speak of, he discovered ways the Amazon algorithms could help sell his books. Since then, he’s published eleven novels, earned over ten thousand Amazon reviews, and sold over one hundred thousand books. He’s passionate about helping authors achieve their dreams, earn more royalties, and spread their message. When he isn’t writing his next novel, researching ancient Rome, or working with authors, he’s spending time with his wife, three children, and too many shelter pets to count. Website: https://vincentbdavisii.com/
Check out Vincent’s workshops here.
Lisa Betz
Lisa E. Betz is an engineer-turned-mystery-writer, entertaining speaker, and speaking coach. She believes stories, whether fictional or true, can change hearts, provide hope, and make this world a better place. Her Livia Aemilia Mysteries, set in first-century Rome, have won several awards, including the Golden Scroll Novel of the Year. She and her husband reside near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, with Scallywag, their rambunctious cat—the inspiration for Nemesis, resident mischief maker in
her novels. Lisa freely admits she forgets to water the plants, eats too much dark chocolate, and checks her phone for new photos of her grandkids twenty times a day. Website: https://lisaebetz.com/
Check out Lisa’s workshops here.
Tracy Gerhardt-Cooper
Tracy Gerhardt-Cooper is a New Jersey native and veteran high school English teacher. She holds a BA in English from Temple University, and MEd in Curriculum and Instruction: Reading from Grand Canyon University. Gerhardt-Cooper writes short-form nonfiction, poetry, and historical fiction. Her hobbies include traveling, hiking, and cozying up with a cup of Earl Grey tea and a good book. She lives just over the Delaware River from Philadelphia with her husband, children, and a black cat named Inky. Visit her publication, The Writer’s Garden, on Substack at https://substack.com/@tracygcooper
Lora Zill
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.
Kim Sponaugle
Kim Sponaugle is a children’s book illustrator with more than 20 years in the industry and 150+ picture books to her name. She officially launched her studio, Picture Kitchen Studio, in 2007, though her collaboration with Pam Halter goes back even further, to a two-book series they published together in 2001 — and later, Pam’s Willoughby and the Terribly Itchy Itch. Through her studio, Kim brings watercolor, pen & ink, and character design to life for authors and publishers, believing illustration is “a story within the story” — inviting young readers to pause, wonder, and discover. She also works as a book illustration consultant, helping authors think through artistic direction and how art can deepen and enrich a story rather than simply decorate it. Kim and Pam will lead the Picture Book Bootcamp together, a three-day, 3-hour intensive open to beginners and writers with completed manuscripts alike. Learn more at picturekitchenstudio.com
Pam Halter
Pam Halter is a former home-schooling mom, has been a children’s book author since 1995, a freelance children’s book editor since 2006, and was the children’s book editor for Fruitbearer Publishing and Halo Publishing International. She’s the award-winning author of Fairyeater, a YA fantasy novel, and Willoughby and Friends, a picture book series about friendship featuring Willoughby, who is a dragon. Kim Sponaugle illustrated all three books which all won Purple Dragonfly awards. The first book, Itchy Itch, won a Realm Award.
Pam lives in Southern New Jersey with her husband, Daryl, special needs adult daughter, Anna, and two cats. When she’s not writing, Pam enjoys spending time with her grands, reading, quilting, gardening, cooking, playing the piano, Bible study, and walking long country roads where she discovers fairy homes, emerging dragons, and trees eating wood gnomes.
Check out Kim & Pam’s Picture Book Boot Camp class here.