Shirley Stevens is the author of the Academy's home study Poetry Series, and she critiques assignments for the Poetry Series and the Story series. She has been a frequent teacher at Writing Academy seminars and other conferences, including the St. David's Writer's Conference in Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania. Whether attending a literary Victorian Tea or dressing up like Cat-in-the-Hat to lead a Seussabration, she is always doing something that sounds like fun.

Shirley is the author of Pronouncing what We Wish to Keep, a book of poetry, and her work has appeared in such publications as the English Journal, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Poet Lore, Time of Singing, and the Christian Century--to mention only a few. She has won awards from the Westmoreland Arts Festival, The Pensylvania Poetry Society, the Pittsburgh Poetry Society, and the West Virginia Poetry Society. In 1990 she received the Lois Henderson Award, given by the St. David's conference for excellence in writing.

A high school English teacher for forty years, Shirley served as English Coordinator for the Quaker Valley School District. Bittersweet, a literary magazine published by her students, was repeatedly honored by the National Council of Teachers of English as one of the finest student literary magazines in the country.

Evelyn Minshull is much in demand as a reader for Independent Writing Projects. A prolific and diversified writer, Evelyn is the author of three Biblical novels, five mysteries for middle-agers (children 8-12), two picture books (with another coming out next spring), seven collections of devotional materials, three adult mysteries, and a book of poetry. Her devotional poetry has been included in several recent anthologies.

A retired public school teacher of English, Art and Gifted, Evelyn has conducted over fifty week-long elderhostel workshops and many shorter workshops. She has taught at several writers' conferences--including one year at the Writing Academy--and she is the director and driving force of the St. David's mini-conference held every spring in her home town of Mercer, Pennsylvania. Several members of the Academy have received inspiration and encouragement at Evelyn's one-day conference.

At the St. David's Christian Writers' Conference, Evelyn won the very first Lois Henderson Award and the first Shirley Eaby Spirit of St. Davids Award. One of her picture books won a Silver Angel award for excellence. She won an award for Juvenile Writing at a conference in Bloomington, Indiana, and once "long ago," she won a typewriter as a prize in a Writer's Digest writing contest.

Hobbies? Evelyn likes to knit booties to give away—even to strangers. She has eight flower beds (at last count), and she continues the tradition started by her mother of taking flowers to church every Sunday morning during growing season. She complains that she has "too many books I don't have time to read, enough yarn that I couldn't use it up in three lifetimes, and until recently enough fabric to stock a textile mill." She gave away the fabric and sold the sewing machine, but, as she freely confesses, she remains addicted to chocolate!

Judyann Grant, of Mannsville, New York, enjoys working "with all the talented Writing Academy students." An inspirational writer and children's writer, Judyann is the author of and the reader for our Devotional Writing Series. She writes Sunday School curriculum for primaries and middlers, and she does devotional writing for publications like Light from the Word, Pathways to God, and The Quiet Hour.

Judyann says that her work has always been writing-related. She began work at a weekly newspaper office fresh out of high school. She left that job to start a family and to begin a freelance writing career. At present, she has placed two children's books with publishers and is "anxiously awaiting" their release. One is an early reader for preschoolers, by HarperCollins; and the other, a picture book, by All About Kids Publishers.

She and her husband have three daughters. The family enjoys cross-country skiing in winter and canoeing in summer. At her church, Judyann is the Children's World Missions Director, editor of "The Banner" (their church newsletter), and a member of the local board of administration.

Her advice to those taking the Devotions course: "Be real and write from your heart. Several times I've had readers call to tell me how much a particular piece meant to them—and it inevitably turns out to be a piece I shed tears over as I wrote. While, as Christians, we all want to appear as if we 'have it all together,' the truth is we often struggle in our growth to become Christlike. When we write devotions we shouldn't mask our difficulties, but share them honestly."

Bonnie Brechbill, a freelance writer from Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, is a reader for several of our Writing Academy courses: Non-fiction, Essays and Articles, Writing for Children, and Individual Writing Projects. Her 440 bylines have appeared in such magazines and newspapers as Newsweek, Highlights for Children, New York Newsday, Child Life, Farm & Ranch Living, Country Woman, Central Pennsylvania Life, Hoard's Dairyman, Capper's, Pennsylvania Magazine, Grit, Purpose, The War Cry, and On the Line.

Bonnie teaches at writing conferences, including the St. Davids Christian Writer's Conference and the Sandy Cove Christian Communicator's Conference, and she serves as manuscript coordinator for Sandy Cove. The St. Davids conference awarded her the 1999 Lois Henderson Memorial Award, for a body of published work that reflects Christian principles, and the 1994 Fritz Kemper Memorial Award, for perseverance in the field of writing. In 1989, she was inducted into the St. David's Hall of Fame for three consecutive first place awards in the Personal Experience category.

Other awards include Second Place in the 1997 Writer's Digest writing contest, for Children's Non-fiction, a string of Honorable Mentions from Writer's Digest in the Article category, and a Special Honorable Mention for an article in the 1989 Byline writing contest. Bonnie has a degree in English Literature from Franklin and Marshall College in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.

Bonnie's advice to students taking her courses: "Polish your article to the best of your ability. Make sure it says what you want it to say. Then send it to me and together we'll make it even better!"

Michele Huey is a multi-faceted communicator--a conference speaker, teacher, radio personality, writer, and web presence. Michele likes to sift through common everyday experience, in search of nuggets of truth that will inspire her readers and listeners. She currently serves the Writing Academy as a professional reader for our Memoir and Christian Writing courses.

Michele has published two books, compilations of her weekly newspaper column, "Minute Meditations." Her devotional ministry has also expanded into a popular radio program, God, Me and a Cup of Tea. You can listen to sample broadcasts on her website at www.michelehuey.com or order CD's or print versions of collected devotions. Michele's programs are aired on three Pennsylvania stations-in Dubois, Indiana, and her home town of Punxutawney

"I desire to make a difference for eternity," says Michele in her personal mission statement, "by challenging others, through my teaching, writing, and speaking, to seek God and develop a practical faith, a deeper commitment, and a closer walk, thereby fulfilling their God-given purpose in life."

Michele teaches at women's conferences, church gatherings, and writer's groups. One of her popular writing workshops covers the steps of writing from idea to publication: finding ideas, selecting a topic, developing a main idea statement, brainstorming, gathering information, researching, drafting, revising, proofreading, and publishing. Other topics include "How to write non-preachy non-fiction" and "how to establish a devotional column in your local newspaper."

In her writing and speaking, Michele shares her sometimes painful, sometimes humorous experiences as a Christian wife, mother, and grandmother. She has learned how to connect with a wide variety of audiences, and she enjoys helping other writers learn to communicate effectively.

"I like kids," says Connie Bretz, a retired kindergarten teacher from Phoenixville, Pennsylvania. Connie, a reader for our Fiction, Non-fiction, and Writing Basics courses, has taught writing to both kids and adults—at universities, colleges, high schools, writers conferences, and the Y.M.C.A.—and she has worked as a professional storyteller across seven states.

With 2001 published pieces to her credit, Connie writes in a wide variety of forms, including humor, poetry, interviews, children's stories, meditations, and personal writing. She writes a column of local history for The Phoenix, a Phoenixville newspaper. She has also published two limited-edition books.

In 1997, she was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize in the news feature category, for a serialized children's story about an albino deer, based on an actual sighting in a nearby park. She has won nine awards for poetry and a Wall of Fame plaque for writing presented by the high schools where she taught.

Inspired by an article she researched and wrote for Ranger Rick, Connie collects stuffed hedgehogs. Since she doesn't own a car, she does a lot of biking and walking. She also enjoys tap dancing, clowning, attending Bible studies, viewing quality movies, and reading biographies.

Her advice to writers is the same advice she recently gave to students, when honored as alumna of the year at the high school she attended: "Uncork your curiosity!"

Audrey Stallsmith, a former Master Gardener, is the author of the Thyme Will Tell mystery series from WaterBrook Press: Rosemary for Remembrance, Marigolds for Mourning, and Roses for Regret. When she's not gardening or writing about plants, Audrey—who lives in Hadley, Pennsylvania—is a reader for the Writing Academy's Fiction and Metaphor courses. Visit her Thyme Will Tell web site at http://www.thymewilltell.com.

Audrey is a field editor for Birds & Blooms magazine, and her articles and short stories have also appeared in Moody Magazine, Christian Reader, the Lookout, Standard, BackHome, Thema, Backwoods Home, and Pennsylvania Farmer. She writes monthly articles on plant history and folklore for the web site Suite 101, and she has had several short humorous romances published on the internet. Another mystery novel, The Body They May Kill, was published by Thomas Nelson.

At the annual St. David's Christian Writers' Conference in Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania, Audrey serves as both registrar and board member. St. David's has conferred a number of honors on her, including the Hall of Fame award (for placing first in the short fiction category three out of five years), the Lois Henderson award (for "a body of quality work"), and the Alma K. Weber award (for "most promising newcomer").

Audrey graduated cum laude from Houghton College with a major in Creative Writing and a minor in Art. She currently works as a freelance writer and a home health aide. She is particularly interested in the history and folklore of plants. Her hobbies? Herbs and heirloom flowers, mystery novels, oil painting, natural health, cryptic crosswords, old lace, beads, and Border Collies. Her favorite writers include C. S. Lewis, G. K. Chesterton, Dorothy Sayers, T. S. Eliot, Ruth Pitter, Georgette Heyer, and Jane Austin.

"Conflict is the life-blood of all fiction," says Audrey to Writing Academy fiction writers. "A writing professor once told me that for a story to be a story—instead of an observation—somebody or something must change!"