Hello, OWFI!
Allow me to introduce myself. I’m Staci Mauney, your new president. I met many of you in person at the last conference, and I’ve had a chance to get to know others through Facebook. I’m an indie author and freelance writer and editor. As an author, I’ve published three devotionals in the Echoes of Joy series. I write a weekly blog for my website, stacimauney.com, which often features my Yorkie, Lilly, and her zany antics. She’s the star of my social media pages. I’ve had short stories published in Chicken Soup for the Shopper’s Soul; Owl Hootings, Vol. II; Oklahoma: The Fountain of the Heartland; and The Report.
By day, I’m the co-owner of Prestige Prose, LLC, where I’m a full-time freelance writer and editor. I write everything from website content about Chinese medicine to grant proposals for education and edit everything from paranormal romance to nonfiction. One thing I can say about my day job – it’s never boring.
As a child, I wanted to be a writer, and I’m amazed every day that I have the chance to live that dream. OWFI has played an integral role in helping me achieve that dream. When I joined OWFI over a decade ago, my only goal was to enter the writing contest and receive constructive feedback on my short stories. As a new writer, I had no idea the realm of possibilities open to me through OWFI. Now, years later, I have received opportunities to improve my writing and network with more experienced writers, many of whom have become good friends.
I’m so excited to lead OWFI into its 51st year. I learned the intricacies of conference planning from the best, Sabrina Fish, our past president. Her shoes can’t be filled, but I know we have an exciting year ahead of us. As we enter a new decade for OWFI, we have new opportunities to introduce OWFI to new writers while continuing to meet the needs of experienced writers.
We’ve heard your overwhelmingly positive response to the 50th anniversary conference, and we’re planning another big adventure for the 51st year! My team and I have already started working on it, and I can’t wait to share the details with you as we finalize them.
We have an opportunity to stay connected throughout the year with OWFI Virtual Workshops. I’m making a few changes to the format of the virtual workshops: the workshops will be offered every other month on the last Thursday of the month, all speakers will be OWFI members, and all sessions will cost $5. Because this is a fundraiser for OWFI, speakers will present their material for speaking credit, with all proceeds going to OWFI. You must to be a member to attend. The next virtual workshop will take place on the Slack platform from 7:00 – 8:00 p.m., Thursday, July 26, and Vickey Kennedy will present on the topic of showing versus telling.
Thank you for giving me the opportunity to lead this great organization. I’m looking forward to spending the next year with you!
