Kate Thomas, right, with author Debbie Green
Kate Thomas held a dream in her heart a long time. That dream moved toward reality in 1996 and came true the following year. As the Kentucky Christian Writers Conference approaches its 21st year, Thomas’ dream continues to draw writers and those who want to write from several states. A planning committee of volunteers has been instrumental in keeping the conference going … and growing.
First Steps
Thomas grew up near Burkesville in south-central Kentucky. She fondly recalls “within this small area in the bend of the Cumberland River was a one-room school, a grocery store, a mill for grinding corn and a little white church.” She attended that school through eighth grade. During Thomas’ final year, she was allowed to teach occasionally. From that experience grew her desire to teach young children, which she did later.
Thomas’ interest in writing began in high school. “I had a wonderful teacher who encouraged me and gave me good grades on my attempts at writing,” she says.
She met and married Wallace “Wally” Thomas while a student at Western Kentucky University. They remained partners in life and ministry until his death in 2009. She completed her degree in early childhood education at Spalding University in Louisville.
Teaching, juggling the responsibilities of two children, and assisting a pastor husband would be more than enough for most people. Thomas is not most people. “I couldn’t shake what seemed to be a call on my life to write and also to start a writers conference,” she says. She believed the conference needed to be held in the central part of the state, specifically Elizabethtown, since three major highways lead there.
However, first things first: She and friend Joyce Joines traveled to Taylor University in Upland, Indiana for “the first writers conference either of us had ever attended.” Thomas also wanted to attend the American Christian Writers Conference in Nashville. A back injury left her barely able to move. Nevertheless, her friend once again accompanied her, this time to help her walk. After enduring the trip, Thomas had to sit in the auditorium while everyone else attended workshops.
Writer Donna Goodrich approached Thomas to ask why she sat alone rather than in a workshop. Thomas explained her injury as well as her “heart’s desire to see a writers conference established in the heart of Kentucky.” Goodrich said, “Well, why don’t you start one?” When Thomas said she didn’t know how, Goodrich volunteered to help.
That promise “clinched it” for Thomas. In October 1996, she, Goodrich, and three or four other friends began piecing together the first Kentucky Christian Writers Seminar (now Conference). Thomas addressed 500 invitations by hand, adding a personal note to each. That required working until the wee hours of the morning a few days. However, welcoming 60-plus people from several states for the first conference in 1997 made all her hard work worthwhile.
Growing Gains and Pains
Through the years, Thomas and the planning committees have continued to tweak the conference. People have told them the Kentucky Christian Writers Conference is one of the best in the area. Attendance fell only once. A few times, the conference’s finances hit “the bottom of the bucket,” according to Thomas, but donations always brought them up again. She hopes a recent 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status will lead to improved finances, further growth and overall improvement.
The planning committee tried holding the conference at a state park one year. Although the park provided a beautiful setting for a successful conference, it lacked sufficient space for workshops. So the committee members returned the event to Elizabethtown.
Headaches, both moderate and intense, come with the territory in planning such large events. During the meet-and-greet session one year, conference leaders learned their keynote speaker could not attend due to a family health crisis. The group quickly huddled and prayed. Barbara Wells, that year’s conference coordinator, suggested asking a workshop presenter to also serve as keynote speaker. She accepted the challenge and “did a super job.”
Although Thomas admits to moments in which she wanted to throw in the towel, those never lasted long. She reminded herself that the conference began as a “God event.” That gave her the inspiration she needed to continue. She says Goodrich and many others were “always willing to give me guidance and encouragement.”
Building Confidence and Credits
While working on the annual conferences, Thomas has found time to write four books and co-author another. She also has written for magazines and compilation books. Her first book, New Every Morning: A Daily Touch of God’s Faithfulness, contains 365 daily devotionals. She based many of them on her experiences through the years. It is now in its second printing.
Thomas loves the letters, emails and calls from people who share how her work has touched their lives. In addition, she finds joy in the writing success of hundreds of others who either began or expanded their writing careers by attending the conferences.
For people who want to write but don’t know where to start, Thomas says, “I’ve been there!”
“Attend writers conferences,” she continues. “Get acquainted with writers in attendance. Attend workshops that meet your writing needs. Read good books on writing. Inquire … for suggestions and helpful materials. Keep a list of your own ideas and experiences that you might use. Once you start writing, set aside a time and a place to write. Consider … a writers group in your area. Don’t give up … persevere!”
Naturally, Thomas encourages attendance at the Kentucky Christian Writers Conference. She describes it as a “safe place” where “we can encourage, inform and inspire those who are hesitant to step out in faith.”
Southeast Kentucky Community & Technical College communications professor Carlton Hughes offers a workshop, “So, You’re a Newbie: A Primer for First-time Attendees.” The number of newcomers continues to grow, and his 2016 workshop attracted an overflow crowd. By the time a conference ends, those newbies take with them the knowledge and encouragement they need to “go forth boldly and write.”
Wells vividly recalls her first conference in 2002. “I arrived with a rough draft manuscript, a brochure with a bio, picture and workshop title,” she says. “I remember feeling so alone and more than a little scared.” Sally Stuart, the keynote speaker that year, mentioned the need for a book for pastors’ wives. Wells says, “That was exactly what my manuscript was about.” With that encouragement, Wells published her book. She also has served in numerous positions with the conference and remains on the advisory board.
Each year, the writing credits grow. Many participants recognize a need and choose workshops geared toward that need. Pam Harlow, a member of the KCWC planning committee, began a blog for teachers and also completed an e-book assignment.
Since Sue Davis Potts began attending the KCWC in 2007, she has published several articles, poems and children’s stories in regional and national magazines and anthologies. She also has published a children’s book and a motivational book for those experiencing disability or life struggles.
Attendee Joyce Cordell published her second historical novel based on the Bible as a result of the KCWC. The conference also gave her the tools and confidence to begin a blog, and she recently began using social media to promote her work.
Whatever a writer’s genre, KCWC offers relevant workshops. Many attendees write for both the Christian and secular markets. Several have years of experience and a portfolio stuffed with writing credits, yet they keep returning.
Conference faculty offer widespread experience and opportunities. Well-known authors and writers, marketing and social media pros, teachers, editors, agents and others deliver keynote addresses and lead workshops. They serve on panels, mingle with participants, and hold one-on-one sessions for critiques, suggestions, edits and possible contracts. The annual faculty list at kychristianwriters.com includes Kentucky’s Liz Curtis Higgs, Stephen M. Vest and Ann H. Gabhart. You also may find Kentucky natives Sandra Aldrich and Virginia Smith, plus such out-of-state authorities as Dr. Dennis Hensley, Michelle Medlock Adams, James Watkins and Cecil Murphey.
An Ongoing Labor of Love
“Kate has a very soft, gracious and kind voice—but don’t let that fool you,” Wells says of Thomas. “She has ... strength to ‘finish the course.’ Kate’s vision and faithful steps to achieve her goals [have] brought joy to many grassroots writers in Kentucky. Kate has a listening heart. One of her favorite sayings is: ‘Well, just go forward unafraid. God will guide you, and all of us are here to help you.’ ”
Through Thomas’ efforts, potential writers have penned books, articles, poetry, drama, devotions and more. Conference participants have grown into conference leaders and presenters. Thomas envisions that transformation growing as KCWC continues to reach out to budding writers. She sees people of all ages encouraged to “pick up the pen or go to the computer and begin to write.”
Quoting Mother Teresa, Thomas says, “We are all pencils in the hand of a writing God who is sending love letters to the world!” For many, that began in the heart of Kentucky, thanks to the love and labor of Kate Thomas.
Kentucky Christian Writers Conference 2017
June 22-24
Keynote Speaker: Twila Belk
Location: Grace Heartland Church, Elizabethtown
For further details: kychristianwriters.com