In 2018, I felt the nudging of my spirit to attend She Speaks. I came prepared to learn through workshops, find encouragement from speakers, and to present my non-fiction proposal to publishers.  As a result, I signed the contract for my first book (Women’s Ministry with Purpose) which released in 2019.

 I returned to She Speaks in 2019, with the goal to determine what my best next steps would be.  It was through several chance encounters, and encouragement from a publisher, that I felt led to sign with a literary agent.  I connected with one who had been at She Speaks, and signed with her that year.  By the summer of 2021, I had signed the contract for my second book (Still Struggling, to be released in spring 2023).

 The value of attending She Speaks is hard to quantify.  In addition to the workshops and resources that help me hone my craft, connecting with a literary agent to help me reach further into the publishing world, and the publication of my works; She Speaks has also invited me into a community of writers in different stages of progress who are some of my best sounding boards, prayer partners, cheerleaders, and friends.  

-Gena McCown