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Top Writers Conferences to Attend in 2022

on Nov 29, 2021
in Writing Tips
Last update: January 3rd, 2024

Note: Be sure to check out the 2024 writing conferences list !

Being masters of words, writers tend to always be on the lookout for new tips and tricks to improve their skill. In writing, there’s always room to grow and bloom. That’s why we’ve compiled a huge list of writing conferences happening this year where writers of all stages get to meet and attend writing workshops, editor meetings, Q&A sessions and many other activities that can only be described as inspiring.

Writing and Well-Being

Pacific University Master of Fine Arts in Writing Residency Writers Conference

Key West Literary Seminar

Under the Volcano

The Palm Beach Poetry Festival

Key West Literary Seminar Writers’ Workshop Program

Blackbird Studio for Writers

Arisia 2022

Winter Poetry & Prose Getaway

Colrain Classic

Writers in Paradise Conference

Tupelo’s Online Manuscript Conference

Tupelo Truchas Poetry Conference

The Writer’s Hotel Virtual Pitching & Marketing Weekend

GET THE LEAD OUT!

National Cowboy Poetry Gathering

Todos Santos Writers Workshop

Sierra Writers Conference

Reading, Writing and Applied Linguistics In barcelona

West Coast Christian Writers Online Conference

San Francisco Writers Conference

Southern California Writers’ Conference

Asheville Christian Writers Conference

Southern California Writers Conference – San Diego

Coastal Magic Convention

California Creative Writers Conference

Dahlonega Literary Festival

NAWE Virtual Conference

New York Pitch Conference

Tucson Festival of Books

Scottish Association of Writers Conference

Writing By Writers

Authors’ Salon at Clockwork Alchemy

Let’s Just Write! An Uncommon Writers Conference

The AWP 2022 Conference & Bookfair

UND Writers Conference

The Write Stuff Writer’s Conference

Teen Author Boot Camp IN PERSON Conference

Teen Author Boot Camp VIRTUAL Conference

Kentucky Writers Conference

National Undergraduate Literature Conference

Tuscon Poetry and Imagination Conference

Chanticleer Authors Conference

The Las Vegas Writers Conference

Austin International Poetry Festival

Blue Ridge Writers’ Conference

A rally of writers conference, rally of writers conference.

Norwescon 43

Self Publishing Advice Conference

Independent Publishers Book Association University

Nebraska Writers Guild Conference

NWG Annual Conference and Writing Retreat

Malice Domestic Convention

Paris Cafe Writing

The Muse & the Marketplace

Northern Colorado Writers Conference

Pikes Peak Writers Conference

Word on the Lake Writers’ Festival

The Annual Gold Rush Writers Conference

American Society of Journalists and Authors Annual Conference

Nonfiction Writers Conference

The Lakefly Writers Conference

Atlanta Writers Conference

Bay Area Book Festival

A Weekend With The Authors

Storymakers Conference

Fiction Readers Summit

Pennwriters Annual Conference

Biographers International Organization Conference

Longleaf Writers Conference

Kachemak Bay Writers’ Conference

Alderworks Alaska Writers

Looking Glass Rock Writers’ Conference

Bear River Writers’ Conference

Clarksville Writers Conference

Big Sur Children’s Writers Workshops

San Antonio Book Festival

Poetry by the Sea: A Global Poetry Conference

North Words Writers Symposium

Balticon 56

Blue Ridge Mountain Christian Writers Conference

Thrillerfest XIV

Writing the Midwest: A Symposium of Scholars and Writers

Walker Percy Weekend

Yale Writers’ Conference

Bucknell Seminar for Undergraduate Poets

The Writer’s Hotel

Reader & Author Get Together

Bread Loaf Translators’ Conference

Bread Loaf Environmental Writers’ Conference

Write-to-Publish Conference

Pacific University Residency Writers Conference

The New York Pitch Conference

Colgate Writers Conference

Juniper Summer Writing Institute

Colgate Writers’ Conference

Stonecoast Writers’ Conference

Minnesota Northwoods Writers Conference

Information, Medium & Society: Eighteenth International Conference on Publishing Studies

Western Writers of America Convention

Chautauqua Writers’ Festival

Oregon Christian Writers Virtual Summer

ALA Midwinter Meeting & Exhibits

Jackson Hole Writers Conference

Bookstock Literary Festival

Chesapeake Writers’ Conference

Disquiet International Literary Program

Annual Philadelphia Writers’ Conference

The Creativity Workshop In Prague

Ledbury Poetry Festival

Southampton Writers Conference

Writing in Place conference

Book Bonanza 2022

Florida Writing Workshop

Imaginarium Convention

International Creative Writing Conference

The Creativity Workshop in Florence

Tin House Summer Writers’ Workshop

Canterbury Arts Conference

Sun Valley Writers’ Conference

The Creativity Workshop In Barcelona

Catamaran Writing Conference

The Leopardi Writing Conference

Napa Valley Writers Conference

Sitka Writing Adventure

Writer’s Digest Conference

Taos Writers Conference

Florida Authors and Publishers Association Annual Conference

Taylor University’s Professional Writers’ Conference

FAPA Conference

Mendocino Coast Writers’ Conference

The Creativity Workshop in New York

AWP Nonfiction Intensive

Book Lovers Con 2022

When Words Collide

Swanwick Writers’ Summer School

Fernie Writers’ Conference

Reading, Writing and Applied Linguistics In Dubai

Bread Loaf Environmental Writers’ Conference

Nashville’s 16th Annual Writers’ Conference

Melbourne Writers Festival

Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers

Milford Writer’s Workshop

Becoming a Master Writer

Creatures, Crimes & Creativity Con

Flathead River Writers Conference

The Black Authors & Readers Rock Conference (BARR)

Next Chapter Con

Bookgardan: A Year’s Sustenance for Women Writers

Write on the Sound Writers’ Conference

Omega Writers Conference

The DFW Writers Conference

The Heartland Fall Forum

Writing Sisters Summit in the Hills

Ozark Creative Writers Conference

Rocky Mountain Literary Festival

The Vancouver Writers Festival

Western Literature Association Conference

Moonlight & Magnolias Conference

Geraldine R. Dodge Poetry Festival

Women Writing the West Annual Conference

Erma Bombeck Writers’ Workshop

Writer’s Digest Novel Writing Conference

Emerald City Writers’ Conference

Surrey International Writers Conference

Florida Writers Conference

Indie Romance Convention

Medical Writing & Communication Conference

Sanibel Island Writers Conference

La Jolla Writers Conference

Kauai Writers Conference

International Conference on Reading, Writing and Applied Linguistics

The Belize Writers’ Conference

In your journey of becoming the next best selling author, engaging in writing conferences can be of great reward. Don’t miss out and sign up now!

19 Writing Conferences For Emerging and Established Writers

Reading Lists

Build connections, generate new work, and learn from the leading writers of today.

Writing conferences serve many purposes. They’re places to meet other writers and build community. They’re places to help polish up existing writing or generate new work. They’re places to reset and get inspired. They’re places to meet agent, editors, and other members of the publishing literati. They’re even places to party. Still, they can feel difficult to get into, mind-boggling to research, and like an insular club that only established writers seem to know about. Grown out of this short Twitter thread , here is a list of 19 writing conferences to consider applying to.

Two caveats:

1) Things are in flux because of the COVID-19 pandemic, which means many of these conferences could switch to an online format or choose to temporarily pause applications to because of a backlog of accepted attendees from 2020/21. Keep an eye on the application deadlines and updates.

2) Because many of these conferences, especially the older ones, come from a long tradition of upholding the supremacy of white, and often male writers, many writers from marginalized backgrounds, including myself, have faced discrimination and microaggressions at them over the years. However, like most institutions confronted with the ways they have failed people on the margins, these conferences are working to make changes.

The Historic

These conferences have been nurturing writers for many years, and typically attract a significant number of applicants.

Sewanee Writers Conference

Held on the campus of the University of the South, 90 minutes from Nashville, the Sewanee Writers Conference is a twelve-day conference that provides workshops across fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and playwriting. The conference fee for “contributors” is $1,800, which covers food and lodging for twelve days. Financial aid is available for “Scholars” ($700 tuition, applicants should have a number of genre-specific publications) and “Fellows” (full scholarship, applicants should have a book published by an academic or commercial publisher). Past notable agents and editors who have attended and taken meetings with writers at Sewanee include Michelle Brower, Renee Zuckerbrot, Margaret Riley King, Sally Kim.

Bread Loaf Writers Conference

Held on the campus of Middlebury College in Vermont, Bread Loaf is an eleven-day conference with workshops for fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. The conference fee for “contributors” is $3,810 and includes tuition, room, and board. Substantial scholarships are available at three different levels—the contributor (earlier stage writers), scholar (has publications in journals, prizes, or other wards), and fellow (must have published their first or second book within the last four years) level. Bread Loaf in 2019 eliminated a controversial program called the “Wait Scholar” program where recipients of financial aid were expected to provide service at the conference as waiters to other attendees. Writer Alexander Chee is a known friend of Bread Loaf, as are the literary agents PJ Mark and Miriam Altshuler, among others.

Tin House Workshops

Held twice a year, the Tin House workshops include both summer and winter sessions, for short fiction, novel, nonfiction, and poetry. The larger summer conference is normally held over a week on the Reed College campus, while the smaller winter conference is held over four days at the Sylvia Beach Hotel on the Oregon coast. Anecdotally, the Tin House conferences are known for prioritizing diversity—both among attendees and among faculty and guests. Attendees meet one agent and one editor during the conference and are usually required to write a query letter and/or synopsis ahead of these meetings, which can be a helpful way to codify one’s writing project. The cost for the summer conference is about $1,600 which includes tuition, accommodation, and all meals; the cost for the winter conference is approximately $1,300 for tuition, accommodation, and some meals. Full scholarships are available, though an additional essay of up to 1,500 words is required in order to apply.

Kenyon Review Writers Workshop

Held on the campus of Kenyon College in Gambier, Ohio, about 90 minutes from Columbus, the Kenyon conference distinguishes itself by being focused entirely on generating new work. For seven days, writers are expected to produce new work (fiction, nonfiction, poetry) daily to be shared in workshop. The environment is warm and welcoming, which makes the prospect of sharing new, raw work much less daunting. Scholarships are only available up to 50%, total fees are $2,295 for tuition, lodging, and food.

Juniper Institute

Held for a week at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, Juniper offers fiction, poetry, and nonfiction workshops designed for sharing works-in-progress for feedback and for generating new work. Tuition is $2,000 and includes some meals. Accommodation on the campus is a separate cost. Five full scholarships are available and include tuition and accommodation.

The Genre-Inflected

Writers of speculative fiction, sci-fi, and fantasy should consider applying to workshops built to support genre fiction.

Clarion Writers’ Workshop

Held on the University of San Diego California’s campus, Clarion is a six-week intensive focused on fundamentals particular to the writing of science fiction and fantasy short stories. Tuition is typically $5,150 for the six weeks, including accommodation and meals. Partial scholarships are available and range between $150 and $4,000. Typically, 18 writers are accepted.

Odyssey Writing Workshop

Held on the campus of Saint Anselm College in Manchester, New Hampshire, Odyssey is a six-week intensive curriculum designed for both workshopping existing work and generating new work in the genres of science fiction, fantasy, and horror. Tuition is $2,450 and includes a textbook and dinner; housing on campus apartments is an additional cost, as is additional meals. A handful of scholarships are available.

The Community-Driven

Founded in response to the challenges of white supremacy and cisheteropatriarchy in literature and publishing, these prestigious writers’ conferences help marginalized writers build community.

Lambda Literary Writers Retreat

For LGBTQ writers across genres (fiction, nonfiction, poetry, young adult fiction, playwriting, screenwriting, and speculative fiction), the week-long conference is typically held at Otis College of Art and Design in Los Angeles, though the 2022 session will be held virtually. Tuition for the 2022 session is $950 and both full and partial scholarships are available.

For Asian American poets and fiction writers, the highly selective retreat is held at Fordham University’s campus in the Bronx, NYC. The conference fee, which is $375, covers tuition, room, and board for five days. Additional scholarships are sometimes provided to applicants after acceptance.

For Black poets, the week-long Cave Canem retreat is held at the University of Pittsburgh’s Greenburg, Pennsylvania campus.

For Black fiction writers, the week-long retreat is held at Southern Methodist University in Taos, New Mexico. Tuition is covered by Kimbilio, but room and board fees vary depending on the accommodation chosen.

For Latinx poets, the retreat accepts 25-30 poets a year and is currently held at University of Arizona Poetry Center in Tucson, Arizona (venue changes based on ongoing partnerships). Workshops are designed to be generative.

Founded in 1995 by Sandra Cisneros, the weeklong Macondo workshops, held in San Antonio, Texas, are open to Latinx writers across poetry, fiction, and nonfiction. Participants pick between reading/response workshops and generative workshops held for three hours daily. Partial scholarships are available.

The Locales

At higher price points with limited financial aid, these conferences are more expensive than the others, but make up for it by providing beautiful surroundings or new cities to accompany your week of writing.

Disquiet International

Held in Lisbon, Portugal over two weeks, the conference brings writers from North America into conversation with Portuguese writers and features workshops in fiction, memoir, nonfiction, poetry, and writing the Luso experience. Tuition is $1,950 and does not include accommodation, food, or airfare. Disquiet holds an annual writing contest which provides conference scholarships to the winners of the contest.

Held at the luxury Le Sireneuse Hotel in Positano, Italy, the conference is six days, typically in April. Fees are $5,000 and cover accommodation and food. Workshops are mixed genre across fiction and memoir, and are taught by authors Jennifer Finney Boylan, Hannah Tinti, Dani Shapiro, and Jim Shepard.

Community of Writers

Held at Olympic Valley at the foot of the ski slopes at Lake Tahoe, California over six days, the conference is open to fiction, nonfiction, and poetry writers. Several scholarships are available across the genres.

Mendocino Coast Writers’ Conference

Located in California’s Mendocino Coast, the conference is three days long and features workshops across fiction (novel and short fiction), nonfiction, poetry, and more, as well as agent pitching events. Financial aid is available to emerging writers in various categories.

Aspen Summer Words

Held in Aspen, Colorado, workshops are available for fiction, memoir, narrative nonfiction, middle grade, and book editing. Partial scholarships are offered on need and merit basis. The conference also provides a cohort of “Emerging Writer Fellows” with full scholarships to attend the conference. Fellows are nominated by writers, agents, editors, and other members of the Aspen Words community.

Napa Valley Writers Conference

Held at Napa Valley College over six days in the heart of California’s wine country, this conference holds fiction, poetry, and translation workshops. Tuition is approximately $1,000 and does not include accommodations, food, or travel. A small number of full and partial scholarships are available.

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The Top 25 Writers’ Conferences in 2022

January 11, 2022 6 min read Education Workshops

By Author Phoebe A. Lee

Another year means another year of writers conferences! Below is a list of 2022's best in-person and virtual writers conferences, workshops and retreats in North America to help you along your writing journey.

*Note: Please check COVID-19 rules and restrictions before booking any in-person tickets.

1. Pacific Oregon University Residency Writers Conference

Writers looking to improve their craft will be in residency with MFA students, faculty and guest speakers. Presentations and events include craft talks, workshops, classes and readings.

The residency includes lunches and lodging at Best Western Ocean View Resort in Seaside. Students and faculty will have their own private rooms.

When: January 6-16, 2022; June 16-26, 2022

Where: January – on the northern Oregon Coast in the small, resort town of Seaside June – on Pacific University’s campus in Forest Grove

2. 2022 North Island Writers Conference

Throughout the month of January, notable Canadian writers of all genres will host a writing workshop . Options to register for individual sessions.

Check for prices – some sessions are free and others are not. Open to the public.

When: January 7-23, 2022

Where: Virtual

3. 2022 Moravian Writers’ Conference

A free conference for writers, activists, medical practitioners and narrative medicine specialists on writing about health, healthcare and justice.

When: March 18-19, 2022

Where: Online and in-person ( Moravian University, 1200 Main Street, Bethlehem, PA)

4. Let’s Just Write! An Uncommon Writers Conference

Presented by the Chicago Writers Association, the conference features two-days of in-person conference in Chicago with over 20 presenters, workshops, sessions, and panels on storytelling, publicity, and all other things that a writer needs to know, even a panel on what writers can learn from sports psychology .

When: March 19-20, 2022

Where: The Warwick Allerton Hotel, 701 North Michigan Avenue, Chicago, IL

5. Association of Writers and Writing Programs Conference

For writers, teachers, students, editors and publishers. One of the biggest and prestigious writing conferences in North America, attracting thousands of attendees.

Events include panels, discussion rooms, pedagogy events and readings. There are in-person and virtual events, or a virtual-only registration option.

When: March 23-26, 2022

Where: Virtual and in-person ( Pennsylvania Convention Centre, 1101 Arch Street, Philadelphia, PA)

6. University of North Dakota Writers Conference

A three-day conference featuring six to eight authors, who will be discussing their work and engaging with the community. Past authors include Gwendolyn Brooks, Tommy Orange and Colson Whitehead. All events are free and open to the public.

When: March 24-26, 2022

Where: In-person and online

7. Breakout Novel Intensive 2.0

Taught by literary agent and author, Donald Maass of the Donald Maass Literary Agency. Ideal for new writers or writers starting a new project, the breakout fundamentals will cover strong characters , inner conflict, personal stakes , plot layers, powerful scenes and more. In-person and virtual options.

When: April 18-24, 2022

Where: Hood River, Oregon

When: June 13-19, 2022

8. Nebraska Writers Guild Annual Conference

A three-day event with a writers retreat and breakout classes. Experts in the industry teach and share their insights on the writing business and craft. More details to be announced.

When: April 21-23, 2022

Where: Comfort Inn and Suites, 7007 Grover Street, Omaha, NE

9. Nonfiction Writers Conference

Taking the traditional writers conference model and redesigning it specifically for nonfiction authors, the Nonfiction Writers Conference helps nonfiction writers find the best publishing path, marketing methods, uncover business and revenue opportunities, and build a powerful platform. Held entirely online.

When: May 4-6, 2022

10. Atlanta Writers Conference

The Atlanta Writers Club is presenting the 26 th Atlanta Writers Conference in-person with virtual options. Writers will be given a chance to access 18 top publishing acquisitions editors and literary agents who are actively seeking new clients. There will be Q&A panels and help with getting your work ready.

When: May 6-7, 2022

Where: Westin Atlanta Airport Hotel, 4736 Best Road, Atlanta, GA

11. 2022 Washington Writers Conference

Attendees get to pitch to three literary agents , as well as network with industry professionals and fellow writers and attend expert sessions.

When: May 13-14, 2022

Where: Bethesda North Marriott Hotel and Conference Centre, 5701 Marinelli Road, Rockville, MD

Want to learn how to become a freelance writer? Book a 1-on-1 consultation with Freelance Writer Mike Pietrzak.

12. Annual BIO Conference

Hosted by the Biographers International Organization, seasoned biographers will be present to help guide, mentor and advise attendees on various topics related to the craft of biography writing.

When: May 13-15, 2022

Where: CUNY Graduate Centre (Tentative), 365 5 th Avenue, New York, NY

13. The Writer’s Hotel New York City Writers Conference

The programming has two components: two editor pre-conference team readings and the in-person conference in New York City. The team readings are a comprehensive consultation on each writer’s full-length manuscript, followed by a phone call to discuss strategy on the next steps.

The conference itself features workshops, lectures and one-on-one pitch sessions with literary agents. There is also an industry session for poets. Applications are on a first-come first-serve basis and will close once it’s full.

When: June 8-14, 2022

Where: Various hotels

14. Yale Writers’ Workshop

A seven-day workshop taught by seasoned instructors with strong publication credits. Featuring craft talks, readings and individual meetings with workshop leaders, workshops are done in small groups of 10-12 people.

Participants with book-length manuscripts will be invited to join in pitch sessions. Open to applicants over 18 years old. Admissions are based solely on the writing sample. See website for more details on application process. There is also a workshop for high school students.

When: June 4-11, 2022

Where: 55 Whitney Avenue, Fourth Floor, New Haven, CT

When: June 12-18, 2022

15. Bread Loaf Environmental Writers’ Conference

A week-long conference for anyone interested in writing about the environment and the natural world. Featuring small, focused workshops and specialized classes, participants receive individualized attention from workshop leaders.

Established editors , literary agents and publishers will also be present to give advice on how to place work in magazines and the publishing world.

Where: Bread Loaf Campus of Middlebury College, 75 Franklin Street, Middlebury, VT

16. SleuthFest

For writers and fans of mystery, suspense and thriller fiction. Featuring workshops, craft talks, panels, forensic classes and a cocktail party. Agents and editors will also be accepting pitches.

When: July 7-10, 2022

17. Imaginarium Convention

Imaginarium is part film festival, part writing conference, part cosplay — an expo for all creatives, including writers and creators of all genres. Panelists include authors, editors, publishers, filmmakers, screenwriters, game designers, comic creators, artists, actors, and all other creatives.

When: July 8-10, 2022

Where: Holiday Inn Louisville East, 1325 South Hurstbourne Parkway, Louisville, KY

18. The Greater Los Angeles Writers Conference

A conference for writers of all genres, including screenwriters and graphic novel writers. Open to writers in all stages of their career, from aspiring first-time writers to already established writers.

Workshops include one-on-one with agents and publishers to prepare writers for pitch meetings, which are also included in the conference.

When: August 5-7, 2022

Where: Hilton Los Angeles Westside, 6161 West Centinela Avenue, Culver City, CA

19. When Worlds Collide

A festival to connect readers, writers, artists and publishers of commercial and literary fiction of all genres, with public readings, master classes and other workshops on the business of writing.

When: August 12-14, 2022

Where: Delta Hotels by Marriott Calgary South, 135 Southland Drive SE, Calgary, AB

20. Fernie Writers’ Conference

A week-long intensive writing workshops, panel discussions and performances in the Rocky Mountains. There will also be opportunities to mix and mingle with editors, literary agents and notable writers who will also be workshop leaders.

When: August 15-21, 2022

Where: Lizard Creek Lodge, Fernie Alpine Resort, 5346 Highline Drive, Fernie, BC

21. Pacific Northwest In-Person Conference

Featuring writing contests in all genres for a chance to win a free critique. There are master classes and pitching sessions. There are also membership options for conference pricing discount.

When: September 23-25, 2022

22. GayRomLit Retreat

For writers, readers and publishers of LGBT literature. More details coming soon.

When: October 19-23, 2022

Where: Renaissance Portsmouth Norfolk Waterfront Hotel, 425 Water Street, Portsmouth, VA

23. Surrey International Writers’ Conference

A professional development event for writers of all genres, featuring master classes, workshops and pitch sessions.

When: October 21-23, 2022; Master classes – October 20, 2022

24. Indie Romance Convention

A smaller setting that provides attendees a chance to get to know each other. Three days of learning, workshops, panels, and fun events at night.

When: November 2-5, 2022

25. The Sarah Lawrence College Publish and Promote Your Book Virtual Conference

Featuring interactive panel discussions with prominent New York City literary agents, major publishing house editors and public relations professionals, author talks, Q&A’s and pitch sessions.

26. WriteOnCon

A favourite for kidlit, middle grade, and YA writers. Perfect if you want to learn everything from how to land an agent, to how to market your book, to how to improve your craft.

When: July 15-17, 2022

Comments will be approved before showing up.

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Conferences & Residencies Contact Form

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Help Keep This Database Current

Looking to meet up with agents and editors? To join a supportive writing community? Or to find the perfect environment to fuel your writing practice? The Conferences & Residencies database includes details about over two hundred writing conferences, writers residencies, and literary festivals.

A Rally of Writers

The 37th annual A Rally of Writers conference was held on April 13 at the West Campus of Lansing Community College in Lansing, Michigan. The conference featured workshops, panel discussions, and readings in poetry, fiction, and creative...

A.I.R. Studio Paducah

A.I.R. Studio Paducah offers residencies of two weeks to three months year-round to poets, fiction writers, and creative nonfiction writers in the Lower Town Arts District of Paducah, Kentucky. Residents are provided with a private apartment and...

Agents & Editors Conference

The Writers’ League of Texas (WLT) 2024 Agents & Editors Conference will be held from June 21 to June 23 at the Hyatt Regency on Lady Bird Lake in Austin, Texas. The conference features presentations, panels, authors in conversation, and a...

All Write Creative Nonfiction Conference

The 2022 All Write Creative Nonfiction Conference was held from October 19 to October 23 at the Spencertown Academy in Columbia County, New York. The conference featured one-hour workshops to discuss 15 to 20 pages of each writer’s work, an...

All Write Fiction Conference

The 2023 All Write Fiction Conference will be held from November 9 to November 12 at the Spencertown Academy in Columbia County, New York. The conference features workshops to discuss 15 to 20 pages of each writer’s work, an opening night...

American Literary Translators Association Conference

The 46th annual American Literary Translators Association Conference was held from November 8 to November 11 at the Tucson Marriott University Park Hotel in Tucson. Programming included panels, roundtables, bilingual readings, a bookfair, a...

American University of Paris Summer Creative Writing Institute

The American University of Paris Summer Creative Writing Institute offers workshops to poets, fiction writers, and creative nonfiction writers from July 1 to July 23 on the university’s campus in the seventh arrondissement of Paris. The faculty...

Anderson Center Artist Residencies

The 2024 AWP Conference and Bookfair was held from February 7 to February 10 at the Kansas City Convention Center in Kansas City, Missouri, and included a virtual component comprised of prerecorded and livestreamed events. The conference features...

Atlanta Writers Conference

The spring 2024 Atlanta Writers Conference, sponsored by the Atlanta Writers Club, will be held from May 3 to May 4 at the Westin Atlanta Airport Hotel. The conference includes a book fair featuring attendees’ books; presentations on the craft...

Biographers International Organization Conference

The 2024 Biographers International Organization (BIO) Conference will be held on May 16 and May 17 at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York in New York City; select events will also be streamed online. The conference features...

Bogliasco Foundation

The Bogliasco Foundation offers month-long residencies from January to May and from September to December to poets, fiction writers, and creative nonfiction writers in the coastal fishing village of Bogliasco, Italy, located seven miles southeast...

Brattleboro Literary Festival

Welcome to our community!

The Nonfiction Writers Conference

Join us May 8-10, 2024 for our 14th annual event – delivered virtually.

Since the Nonfiction Writers Conference began in 2010, our mission has always been to take the traditional writers’ conference experience and deliver it online. This allows more people to attend from around the world, saving valuable time and travel expenses. It also delivers powerful access to speakers during LIVE learning sessions with interactive Q&A, all delivered entirely online.

Thousands of attendees have joined us over the years and we have celebrated alongside many who have gone on to publish and promote their books with greater success as a result of participating in NFWC.

PAST SPEAKERS NONFICTION WRITERS CONFERENCE

The Nonfiction Writers Conference can help you navigate the overwhelming world of publishing and empower you to create your path to success!

Did you know?

The nonfiction writers conference has been held entirely online since 2010.

Yes, we were ahead of the times. And we were the first to deliver an online conference exclusively for nonfiction writers. Because we’ve been hosting NFWC for over a decade, you can be assured we know how to deliver an effective online event.

Find out why NFWC attendees return year after year!

Attending the Nonfiction Writers Conference will help you:

Sort through the noise and find the best publishing path for YOU.
Identify book marketing methods that help you sell more copies.
Uncover business and revenue opportunities.
Learn what it takes to build a powerful platform and keeps readers coming back for more.
Establish yourself as a thought leader in your field.
Craft a plan to reach your goals.

What to Expect When You Attend the 14th Annual Nonfiction Writers Conference

Interactive Webinar-Based Presentations

The Nonfiction Writers Conference ( NFWC ) is a multi-day event featuring live presentations by top speakers and industry experts, Q&A with speakers, and plenty of downloadable materials. You can attend the live webcast by computer, mobile device or phone.

Can’t make the live events? Recordings and transcripts are available depending on the registration level you choose.

Complimentary Ask-a-Pro Consultations

These popular one-on-one consultations are delivered by publishing industry experts including literary agents, book coaches, marketing experts, and more. Consultations are 15-minutes each and delivered by phone or video during the week of NFWC. Gold, Platinum, VIP, and Thought Leader attendees can register FREE for up to three consults with the pros you choose. (Live Access attendees are not eligible.) Registration for Ask-a-Pro is announced about four weeks prior to the conference. Register for NFWC early for first access since these sessions fill up fast. Many of our attendees feel these consultations are worth the price of admission alone!

Community Support with Peers and Publishing Pros

NFWC attendees can participate in a live networking session where attendees are placed in small groups inside Zoom to share introductions and brainstorm challenges. Attendees are also invited to join a private Facebook group so you can connect with fellow writers. Also note that NFWC is hosted by the Nonfiction Authors Association , a supportive community for writers. NFAA has a wide variety of benefits including weekly media leads, fresh content each week, access to weekly event recordings, partner discounts with sponsors like Lulu.com , and much more. Not yet a member? You can join when you register for NFWC and receive special NFAA member pricing!

Opportunity to Pitch Literary Agents!!!

Many in-person writers’ conferences hold agent pitch sessions, and NFWC is no exception. The biggest difference is that pitches are delivered LIVE on Zoom with fellow attendees watching and learning.

NFWC attendees can apply to give a pitch, and 20 participants are selected at random and notified a few days prior to the event. Plan to deliver a succinct and compelling pitch since each participant gets just five minutes and you want to allot time for feedback from the agents.

Whether you’re in the spotlight sharing your pitch and getting agent feedback or you’re watching from the sidelines, this popular session is loaded with value and chances to learn from your peers and industry experts.

On average, agents request proposals from about 30% of participants and several participants have received offers for agent representation.

pitch the literary agents nonfiction writers conference

The Nonfiction Writers Conference has a long history of welcoming top-quality speakers who deliver content-rich presentations. NFWC is low on hype and high on value , which means our speakers are carefully chosen based on a proven track record for delivering compelling, authentic, value-packed presentations.

NFWC 2024 Speakers

JANE FRIEDMAN

Opening Keynote: Writing for Love and Money

STEPHANIE CHANDLER

Build a Content Marketing Plan to Sell More Books

Panel: Self-Publishing Options, Opportunities, and Strategies

RITA ROSENKRANZ

Pitch the Literary Agents, LIVE!

JIM AZEVEDO

DEON MCADOO

KIRSTEN HOLMBERG

So You Want to Give a TEDx Talk

Leverage Book Awards to Sell More Books

DONNA MARIA

Panel: Social Media and Email Marketing

DR. SAUNDRA DALTON-SMITH

JOANNE MCCALL

Publicity Strategies that Get Results

CRYSTAL DAYE

Panel: How to Get Your Manuscript Across the Finish Line

CHELSEA BENNETT

MELINDA EMERSON

Panel: Revenue for Writers: Consulting, Speaking, Sponsors, Courses, and Bulk Book Sales

MARY CATHERINE JONES

Audiobook Roadmap – Don’t Get Lost on the Way!

ROSEANNE CHENG

The Next Author Gold Rush: How Indie Authors can Sell Foreign Book Rights to the Global Market

DAVID NEWMAN

JASON GARDNER

NAJLA MAMOU

CINDY TSCHOSIK

Panel: Get Your Manuscript Across the Finish Line

ALICIA DALE

Max Sinsheimer

Karl Palachuk

JOEY GARCIA

Writing for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI)

DONNA TALARICO

NFWC is packed with value to help you reach your goals.

Content-rich presentations by publishing industry professionals focused on delivering value, NOT pitching their services.
Zoom-based sessions and live Q&A with speakers.
Popular Ask-a-Pro sessions , complimentary one-on-one consultations with publishing industry experts. Available for Gold, Platinum, VIP, and Thought Leader attendees.
LIVE Pitch-the-Agent session where Gold, Platinum, VIP, and Thought Leader attendees can apply. Twenty applicants are chosen and receive five minutes to deliver a live pitch and get agent feedback. On average, about 30 percent of participants receive proposal requests and several participants have received offers for agent representation.
Private, attendees-only Facebook group, open to all attendees.
Attendee networking and brainstorming event held with private breakout rooms. Even introverts enjoy this event!
Downloadable bonus material , available as soon as you register. Handouts from speakers, available during the event.
Optional event replays (recordings) and typed transcripts, depending on the registration level you choose.
Optional membership in the Nonfiction Authors Association , available with conference registration.

About the Nonfiction Authors Association

The Nonfiction Writers Conference is hosted by the Nonfiction Authors Association , a vibrant community for writers to connect, exchange ideas, and learn about writing, publishing, and promoting nonfiction books. With members around the globe, NFAA helps writers de-mystify the publishing process, connect with fellow writers for community and accountability, and learn how to sell more books.

Get immediate access to membership benefits when you add Nonfiction Authors Association membership to your conference registration below.

If you’ve never attended an event like this, we think you will appreciate the convenience and affordability combined with the powerful content delivered by carefully chosen speakers. Plus, we offer a full money-back guarantee, so you have nothing to lose!

Nonfiction Writers Conference Attendee Badge

Reserve Your Virtual Seat Today!

You will get immediate access to the following bonus reports:

=> 100 Ways to Grow Your Email List with Lead Magnets => How to Become a Recognized Thought Leader in Your Field => How to Sell Your Books to Libraries => How to Optimize Your Book on Amazon to Boost Sales

JOIN US MAY 8-10, 2024

=> Sessions are held LIVE beginning each day at 9am PT / 12pm ET. => There is a 10-minute break between each session and a one-hour break at 12pm PT / 3pm ET. => We conclude each day by 3pm PT / 6pm ET. => Live attendance is optional. Recordings are shared within hours following each live event. => Access to recordings, Ask-a-Pro sessions, and the Pitch-the-Agents panel requires Gold, Platinum, VIP, or Thought Leader registration.

This could be one of the best investments you make in your author career!

Authority members of the Nonfiction Authors Association save 33% off registration. Visit your member dashboard for discount code. VIP and Thought Leader members attend for free.

Not a Member Yet? Join with registration and get special member event pricing!

Nonfiction Authors Association Member Badge

Hurry! Time is Running Out to Join Us!

Register for the 2024 nonfiction writers conference, scroll down to add nonfiction authors association membership with conference registration and receive member pricing..

Access to all live sessions via Zoom webinar, invitation to private Facebook group, access to virtual networking event. NO ACCESS to Pitch-the-Agents or Ask-a-Pro.
$197 OR $79 x 3 PAY
All Live Access benefits plus ACCESS TO ASK-A-PRO and PITCH-THE-AGENTS (first come basis), VIRTUAL NETWORKING AND ALL EVENT RECORDINGS.
$297 OR $115 x 3 PAY
All Gold Access benefits plus ALL EVENT RECORDINGS AND TYPED TRANSCRIPTS.
$397 OR $155 x 3 PAY

Add Membership with Registration

(discounted member pricing included).

ALL NFWC PLATINUM ACCESS BENEFITS (recordings, transcripts, Ask-a-Pro, etc.) PLUS 1-YEAR AUTHORITY MEMBERSHIP in the Nonfiction Authors Association. See benefits above. Price includes 33% member discount off NFWC admission.
$650 OR $229 x 3 PAY
ALL NFWC PLATINUM ACCESS BENEFITS PLUS 1-YEAR *VIP* MEMBERSHIP in the Nonfiction Authors Association. See benefits above. VIP membership includes complimentary NFWC admission, featured book listing on NonfictionBookClub .com, and more.
$790 OR $285 x 3 PAY
ALL NFWC PLATINUM ACCESS BENEFITS PLUS 1-YEAR *THOUGHT LEADER* MEMBERSHIP in the Nonfiction Authors Association. See benefits above. TL membership includes all-access course pass, NFWC admission, and more.
$2,490 OR $655 x 4 PAY

Questions? Prefer not to register online? Need a payment plan? Contact us for assistance .

We look forward to having you join us!

Authors A.I.

Write Books Readers Love

Author conferences & events in 2022

By J.D. Lasica , Authors A.I. Jan. 24, 2022

As the world slowly returns to some sense of normalcy, many of us are venturing out to attend writers conferences again, while others remain content to attend events virtually through our new friend Zoom.

Whether attending an indie event like 20Books Vegas or a more traditional publishing event like ThrillerFest, many of us are eager to mingle with fellow authors as a way to collaborate and improve our craft — but also to socialize .

Here is Authors A.I.’s annual SuperGuide to author conferences and events in 2022 , including both in-person and virtual events. (Some conference organizers are still deciding which way to go.) Have others that we missed? Let us know in the comments!

SuperGuide to author conferences in 2022

Events for independent and traditionally published authors.

* Indicates highly recommended conferences for self-published authors.

Image at top by marc thiele (CC BY NC ND)

J.D. Lasica-Admin

J.D. Lasica is co-founder of Authors A.I., the new software as a service for authors.

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Home » 2022 Conference

7th Annual Creative Writing Studies Conference Online

Innovations in creative writing teaching, research, and service #cwsc22, saturday, november 12, 2022.

Thank you for your interest in our 2022 conference. Attendance is free for all members — no need to register! Simply join the CWSO here . All current members will receive the conference Zoom links (Rooms A and B) a few days before the conference. Below, you’ll find the schedule for our sessions.

Innovation involves new ideas, methods, outcomes or actions. The CWSC theme this year asks us to consider ways in which innovation is (or can be) part of creative writing teaching, research, or service to the world at large. Presentations might explore innovation from a cultural point of view, in terms of pedagogies, or in relation to topics that can be investigated through Creative Writing Studies. Presentations could also explore innovation in relation to the dynamics of identity, place or persons, or any number of other interpretations of what it means to present or explore new thoughts, activities, or results.

Presenters with an asterisk beside their name will serve as session moderators.

Saturday, November 12

Morning sessions.

8:15-8:25 am EST (Room A): WELCOME with Graeme Harper

8:30-9:30 am EST, Session 1A: Theories of Narrative

The Species-Centric, Biocultural Lens—an Innovative Way Of Looking at the Importance Of Narrative in Fiction Writing, Mitchell R. James*

Narrative might be the most important human invention. Without it, language loses its primary function, fiction doesn’t exist, and a person becomes merely physical, their socio-cultural being relegated to a tabula rasa. This interdisciplinary project employs a species-centric, biocultural approach to explore narrative’s role in the development of humanity within four categories: inclusive fitness, socialization, natural and cultural environments, and human cooperation. Though the research in this project is from several fields other than creative writing studies, this project argues future work must also be conducted by the stewards of narrative itself—the creative writers of the world.

Challenging Power: Breaking the Rules of Fiction, Elizabeth Hall Magill

The act of reading fiction is facilitated by grounding the reader in time, place, perspective, plot, and language. Some authors break these grounding “rules” to shift our perspective and bring us gifts of truth, discovery, and beauty. Their objectives shape their narrative choices, which in turn shape our experience of their novels. Some authors also break rules to question power structures. Alice Walker, in Meridian, and Ocean Vuong, in On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous, challenge racism, colonialism, sexism, classism, and homophobia. By studying these novels, we can learn how to break the literary rules—and challenge power—ourselves.

Narrative Design Methods for a Prochange Culture, Christy Dena

With the need for more environmental and social actions, many are turning to storytelling as a transformative device. Irrespective of whether they’re fiction or nonfiction, with environmentally and socially conscious storylines or not, what is common is the default use of dramatic norms. But these norms are about forcing and fighting change: an inciting incident forces the protagonist to change, rather than the protagonist deciding to make a change; a protagonist refuses the call to change, rather than stepping up. Come for narrative design interventions to facilitate prochange structures, as developed in creative works, research, consultations, classroom and industry workshops.

8:30-9:30 am EST, Session 1B: The State of the Field

What we talk about when we talk about… just kidding: New directions in CWS Research, Jon Udelson*

This presentation argues that CWS must more consciously shape its disciplinary identity within the larger discipline of Writing Studies.

Beyond the Iowa Precedent: The Evolving Landscape of the Creative Writing MFA Program, James Morris

The MFA in Creative Writing (MFA-CW) is a program closely tied to its landmark example, drawing the connection between the structure itself and one of its most prominent forebears: The Iowa Writers Workshop. This presentation explores the current landscape of MFA-CW programs, exploring the three distinct modalities: Full-Residency, Low-Residency, and Fully Online (or “No-Residency”). Comparing these modalities to one another and to the original landmark example of an MFA-CW program, this presentation will look at the features of each type of program and how they exist within the still-expanding landscape of the Creative Writing Master of Fine Arts program.

Five Frontier Issues in Changing Creative Writing Studies in China (2020-2022), Weidong Liu

Chinese creative writing studies has experienced a decade of rapid development since 2009. This article will introduce the latest trends and issues of creative writing studies in China from five aspects: Zen, general education, writing healing, workshop pedagogy, and community writing.

Break 9:30 – 9:45 am EST

9:45-10:45 am EST Session 2A: Experiments in Restorative Work

“The wholeness of holes”: Archival experiments in Craig Santos Perez’s from unincorporated territory, Carlina Duan

This paper explores a poet’s relationship to non-linearity and opacity when working with historical records. What kinds of readerly demands might poets be resisting or responding to by lingering in the non-linear? What might be the possibilities or affordances of poems designed to disrupt traditional Westernized hierarchies of reading? How might the non-linear and opaque work as decolonial methods for engaging with source texts? This paper will examine such questions through discussing the place-based archival practices of contemporary indigenous poet Craig Santos Perez, and his poetic series from unincorporated territory. What kinds of pedagogical possibilities might be found within reading poets such as Perez, who are engaging intentionally with the non-linear, using archival documents, and writing explicitly about historical moments?

Re-Writing the Prison Environment, Angela Sorby

American prisons are steel-and-concrete industrial spaces that work to deprive incarcerated people of what Joshua Bennett calls “entire life-worlds, entire communities and landscapes and alternative forms of knowledge.” In this presentation, I will discuss my evolving approach to teaching creative writing in criminal justice contexts, focusing on how eco-conscious pedagogies can help student poets re-negotiate their kinship bonds with the natural (human and more-than-human) environment.

Teaching against impostor feelings in creative writers: A case study of an enactive online learning ecosystem, Cael Cohen*

This case study-based presentation argues that it is possible to teach creative writing in a manner that diminishes impostor feelings in authors. Three conditions that make possible creative writing learning environments that reduce impostor feelings are discussed. First, a viable understanding of impostor feelings as enacted and emergent, not personal, interpersonal, or environmental. Second, enactive, dynamic, creative writing pedagogy ecosystems that are neither exclusively self-active, nor inter-active. Third, teaching and learning against the inherited problem space of higher education in North America characterized by aggressive competitiveness, isolation, lack of mentoring, valuing product over process, and the banking model of education.

9:45-10:45 am EST, Session 2B: Pedagogical Innovation

Toward a Project-Based Creative Writing Classroom (and Program), Joseph Rein

Writing instruction at all levels has been dominated in recent decades by a process-based instruction (PBI) approach. However, I argue that our discipline should consider a project-based learning (PBL) model, which may be better suited for our students, especially those in upper-division courses. Much has been written about PBL in English language learning and acquisition; creative writing studies scholarship, though, has rarely addressed it. This model contains potential to simultaneously hone writing skill while also enriching the classroom experience for students, strengthening their understanding of key creative concepts, and giving them a tangible product with which to showcase their learning and skill. Implementing these concepts at the classroom and programmatic level can lead to fruitful interdisciplinary opportunities as well.

Ungagging the Creative Writing Classroom: Love, Generosity, and Wonder in the Portrait of the Artist Workshop, Florence Gonsalvez

Rather than critically dissecting a single piece of writing while the student remains silent, the “Portrait of the Artist” (POTA) workshop creates an opportunity to look at the writer holistically, identifying patterns and obsessions, while expanding the radius of self-understanding that is crucial to a writer’s growth. In this inventive, imaginative, alternative workshop style, students are experts of their work, obsessions, and influences, presenting a more comprehensive picture of the complex identities of the artist being workshopped. POTA is an act of caring for one’s writerly self and those present in the workshop, while promoting love, generosity, curiosity, and wonder.

What do undergraduate creative-writing students perceive to be “good” workshop feedback, and why? A stimulated-recall study, C. Connor Syrewicz*

Despite its popularity, few studies have attempted to study the workshop, and it stands to reason that improvements can be made. To this end, I conducted an interview-based, stimulated-recall study with six undergraduate creative-writing students in order to explore what they perceived to be “good” feedback and why. Results indicate that participants liked feedback that they perceived to be “optimally innovative”: they liked feedback that contained recommendations that could be used to improve their work, but didn’t like when these recommendations strayed too far from their existing story and/or their existing plans and intentions for it. Pedagogical implications are explored.

10:45 – 11:00 am EST Break

11:00 am – 12:00 pm EST, Session 3A: Genre Studies

The Genre Factor: Situating Genres in Historical Context in the Creative Writing Classroom, Hayli Cox

As Octavia Butler once said, “Good stories are good stories, no matter how they’re categorized.” This session considers pedagogical strategies which situate genres in their historical context—as well as within the contemporary creative writing community—in order to help students deconstruct commonly-held cultural valuations of fiction subgenres. We will consider assignments and exercises which help students understand the possibilities and constraints that exist within the fiction genre, as well as the importance of students’ agency over their own writing goals, all with an eye toward practical implementation in the fiction writing classroom.

Genre Theory as a Tool for Social Justice Pedagogy in the Fiction Writing Classroom, Amanda Bales [Cancelled]

Bales presents a process by which fiction writing instructors can use the areas of Genre Theory which focus on mapping the systems that create and perpetuate genre conventions in order to motivate students to think more critically of the harmful genre tropes they wish to perpetuate.

11:00 am – 12:00 pm EST, Session 3B: Creative Writing & Care

Some Lessons from Playing in Class, Rachel Haley Himmelheber

This paper will discuss how I conceptualized a writing-intensive course I am currently teaching called “Practicing Playfulness.” The research on playful pedagogies in higher education is limited but clear: students enjoy increased levels of community, joy, motivation, and wellness in these courses. I was curious about whether the teacher also enjoys these benefits, and this paper will include some of my thinking on that question as well.

Beyond the Trigger Warning: Applying Best Practices from Trauma-Informed Journalism to the Creative Writing Classroom, Kelly K. Ferguson*

Journalism as a discipline studies the ethics and effects of trauma—trauma involving the subjects, readership, and reporters. Creative writing, however, tends to operate on the assumption that problems can be solved through language. Can they, though?

This presentation will examine how best practices from the field of journalism and trauma can be applied to the creative writing nonfiction classroom. Topics addressed will include retraumatization, contagion, aftermath, and post-traumatic stress, as well as how these factors affect writers, interview subjects, and instructors.

How to Heal a Fragmented Culture: The Role of Creative Writing Workshops in an Era of Trauma and Change, Jennifer Case

This presentation will build off of the most recent trauma-informed work in psychology (citing Gabor Maté’s just-published book, The Myth of Normal: Trauma, Illness & Healing in a Toxic Culture ) to explore how creative writing workshops, when handled with care, are already contributing to the kind of community-building that many mental health experts and social justice activists are saying is necessary to creating a healthier culture. In doing so, this presentation offers listeners an innovative opportunity to broaden their lens and reflect on why we do this work—and why it matters to our students and their communities.

12:00 – 1:00 pm EST: Optional Social Lunch (Room B)

1:15-2:00 pm EST Conference Plenary Session: Innovation in Creative Writing Teaching, Service and Research Workshop with open discussion following

2:00-2:15 pm EST Break

2:15-3:15 pm EST, Session 4A: Creative Collaborations

Using constraint to worldbuild effectively, Beatrix Livesey-Stephens

This session examines how constraining possibility within a (critical) worldbuilding framework can allow for the creative process to flourish under the scope of micro-worldbuilding. Often, creating a fictional world can feel daunting because the blank slate and abundance of possibility is simply overwhelming. Safety tool concepts such as lines and veils, (used in role-playing games to veto a concept from a game, or ‘veil’ it in play) can be repurposed to eliminate an aspect of a world or creative piece, however small the aspect is, and help to hone how the world works.

Transforming Creative Writing into the Digital Story, Mary Leoson*

In Women and Words: Creative Writing and Digital Stories, a free creative writing course for college students, writer-artists transformed their creative writing pieces into 3-5-minute digital stories. Over the course of eight weeks, students learned to combine narrative, images, video clips, and sound to create powerful films that are a testament to their experiences as creative women. This session will provide an overview of the course, lessons learned from the experience, as well as sample student work.

2:15-3:15 pm EST, Session 4B: Rethinking the Creative Writing Curriculum

Toward a Postcolonial Creative Writing Workshop: Mbari as a Case Study in Finding Diverse Models for Arts Education, James Ryan*

How do we find decolonial models for the creative writing workshop and how can we make use of these models respectfully? To answer these questions, this presentation turns to the history of a sacred indigenous arts ritual that was later appropriated for a workshop pedagogy. This presentation will examine the successes and failures of Georgina and Ulli Beier’s attempt to adopt the Owerri Igbo practice of mbari into their visual arts workshop. In the process, we will tease out cautionary lessons for instructors seeking new models for creative writing education.

She Would’ve Been a Good Woman: Flannery O’Connor in an Antiracist Classroom?, Brent House

This presentation will explore my introduction of Flannery O’Connor to a rising generation of creative writers. After reflecting on interviews of student who either critiqued or advocated for a continued examination of O’Connor’s writing, I’ll consider innovations in antiracist pedagogies that might inform future practices, broadly in the works of Ibram X. Kendi and Koritha Mitchell, then specifically in Matthew Salesses’s Craft in the Real World and Felicia Rose Chavez’s The Anti-Racist Writing Workshop . As I conclude, I’ll examine my position in this conversation through the lens provided by George Lipsitz’s The Possessive Investment in Whiteness .

When Scientists and Astronauts Dare to Write Poetry: A Reflection on Teaching Creativity at a STEM University, Danita Berg

At STEM and career colleges, the emphasis is often on vocation. So how does creativity fit in? The advisor for a literary magazine at a top-tier STEM institute, who also teaches composition and creative writing, reflects on the challenges and triumphs of supporting students who want to balance their education with liberal studies. We will talk about ways of tying creativity to the paths of career-focused students so that they have a strong background and balance in the liberal arts.

3:15-3:30 pm EST Break

3:30-4:30 pm EST, Session 5A: Embodied Writing Practices

Cultivating Sustainable Creative Writing Practice, Audrey T. Heffers*

Instructors have an opportunity to incorporate rest into the classroom, framing rest as 1) a requirement of the body, and 2) a necessary element of creating art. If the creative writing classroom has the potential to model creative habit, then, in order to foster sustainable writing practice outside of academic settings, it becomes important to model not only product-centered phases of creation, but also phases of rest. This pedagogical approach innovates toward recognizing the human reality (and needs) of the writer. This paper will enumerate practical possibilities for incorporating rest into the design of creative writing classrooms.

Looking at the teaching of Maria Irene Fornes as a model for teaching writing, Daniela Thome

As writers we often live in our heads, while working in isolation. By learning from the playwrights who directly studied with Maria Irene Fornes, we can learn new ways of creating work that incorporate our own bodies energy and the energy in the room.

Social Action Innovation in Creative Writing: How Volunteering Leads to Opportunities in Nature Writing, Jen Hirt

Innovative creative writing can double as service to the larger world when writers opt to become active volunteers in the recent trend “citizen scientists” meets “literary citizens.” This paper will look at Jen Hirt’s experience volunteering with a forest advocacy group and how it lead to her re-thinking her social action approaches to writing and teaching nature writing.

3:30-4:30 pm EST, Session 5B: Work with me: Cultivating Connections in Creative Writing and Writing Center Pedagogy, Erika Luckert*, Emma Catherine Perry, Jessica Poli

In this panel, three creative writer-teachers with experience as both workshop leaders and writing center practitioners will share strategies for partnering with university writing centers to foster a student-centered ecology of writing instruction. This ecological approach not only ensures students receive ample opportunities for feedback on their writing, it also seeks to counteract traditionally oppressive creative writing pedagogies. By working with writing centers, college instructors can ensure that students will be supported as they learn to integrate that feedback into their writing process and as they learn to talk about their work as confident, agential authors.

4:35-5:00 pm EST Closing Remarks & Discussion (Room A)

23 Awesome Writing Conferences in April 2022

Erica Verrillo

Curiosity Never Killed the Writer

T his April there are nearly two dozen writing conferences and workshops. Some conferences and workshops will be held online, but some will be held in person as pandemic restrictions ease. Virtual events still offer everything a writer might want: intensive workshops, pitch sessions with agents, to how to market yourself and your books, discussions — there is something for everyone.

For a full list of conferences held throughout the year see Writing Conferences . Quite a few offer scholarships, so apply early.

_________________________

WonderCon . April 1–3, 2022 Anaheim, CA. HUGE comic book convention.

West Chester University Poetry Conference . April 6–10, 2022: West Chester, PA. The conference offers poetry workshops and features a keynote speaker, critical seminars, panel discussions, faculty readings, and an opportunity for participants to have conferences with workshop leaders and resident poets. Will be held online and in person.

Las Vegas Writer’s Conference April 7–9, 2022: Las Vegas, Nevada. Join writing professionals, agents publishers and marketing experts for a weekend of workshops and enlightening discussions about the publishing industry. A chance to pitch your manuscript and ideas to agents. Will be held online and in person.

Tennessee Mountain Writers Annual Conference . April 7–9, 2022: Oak Ridge, TN. Speakers and session leaders include Lisa Coffman, Pamela Duncan, Shawna Kay Rodenberg, and more!

Chanticleer Authors Conference . April 7–10, 2022: Bellingham, Wash. Sessions with a special focus on the business of being a working writer on topics such as marketing, publicity, platform, sales tools & strategies, publishing, production, distribution, organization, storycraft, editing, and more. Will be held online and in person.

Colrain Poetry Manuscript Conference . April 8–11, 2022. The Colrain Manuscript Classic is a highly focused, 3-day conference designed for poets with manuscripts in progress–book-length or chapbook-length. The Classic features in-depth pre-conference work and candid, realistic evaluation and feedback from nationally-known poets, editors and publishers. In preparation, participants work at home on the pre-conference assignments and then, in the workshop, review, arrange, and winnow their work based on the pre-conference work. In addition to the manuscript preparation workshop and editor sessions, there will be an editorial Q&A, and an after-conference strategy session. Will be held virtually .

Rally of Writers Conference . April 9, 2022: Lansing, Michigan. Michigan authors and educators in 15 breakout sessions and workshops on all aspects of writing, including poetry, fiction, nonfiction, screenwriting, the Nuts & Bolts of manuscript submissions, and more.

Norwescon . April 14–17, 2022: Sea Tac, WA. Norwescon is one of the largest regional Science Fiction and Fantasy conventions in the United States.

The Monterey Writer Retreat in California . April 14–18, 2022: Monterey, CA. Participants in the Monterey Writer Retreat will work one-on-one with two of the best literary “closers” in the business: Gina Panettieri and Michael Neff combine 38 years of working with aspiring authors and ushering them to publication. They will be available for multiple private consultations from 9 AM to noon and 2:00 PM to 5:00 PM each day of the retreat. Choice of sessions and focus will be up to each individual writer. Additionally, as circumstances permit, Gina and Michael will also join retreaters in their quest for superb dining and festivity opportunities in the Monterey and Carmel area.

Breakout Novel Intensive 2.0 . April 18–24, 2022: Hood River, Oregon. “Writers of commercial fiction who wish to soar out of category, as well as literary novelists who want to learn how to make powerful story principles work for them, will find the Breakout Novel Intensive 2.0 an idea-packed and career enriching experience. This workshop is as ideal for those just beginning a new project as it is for those embarking on a revision of a completed work. Breakout fundamentals are also covered: strong characters, inner conflict, personal stakes, plot layers, powerful scenes, micro-tension, practical theme techniques and much more.”

Grub Street Muse and the Marketplace Conference . April 22 — May 1, 2022, Boston, Massachusetts. The Muse and the Marketplace is a three-day literary conference designed to give aspiring writers a better understanding about the craft of writing fiction and non-fiction, to prepare them for the changing world of publishing and promotion, and to create opportunities for meaningful networking. On all three days, prominent and nationally-recognized established and emerging authors lead sessions on the craft of writing — the “muse” side of things — while editors, literary agents, publicists and other industry professionals lead sessions on the business side — the “marketplace.” Will be held virtually and in person .

Writeaway in New Mexico . April 23–30, 2022: Casa Bellisima, New Mexico. $2,100 for private room; $1,650 each for friends or couple sharing a room Includes writing consultations and daily writing workshops, all meals, wine and cocktails, plus a cooking class and excursion.

IBPA Publishing University . April 20–21, 2022 online , April 29- 30, 2022, Orlando, Florida. The Independent Book Publishers Association offers 30+ educational sessions including experiential learning labs, insightful keynotes, a gala book award ceremony, networking events, and more! Cost: $195-$475.

Nebraska Writers Guild Annual Conference and Writing Retreat . April 21–23, 2022: Omaha, NE. Workshops, pitch sessions with an agent and writing sessions followed by evening keynote speakers.

Ozarks Writers League Conference . April 22–23, 2022: Branson, MO. The Ozarks Writers League is a group of like-minded individuals dedicated to promoting writing, literacy, photography, and art. Since 1983, OWL has welcomed individuals at all stages of their development.

North Carolina Writers’ Network Spring Conference . April 23, 2022: University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Greensboro, North Carolina. Features intensive workshops in poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction, as well as publisher exhibits, on-site “lunch with an author” readings, and an open mic. Will be held online.

Poetry at Round Top Festival . April 23–24, 2022: Round Top, Texas. Past faculty includes Mark Doty, Allison Joseph, Alicia Ostriker, ire’ne lara silva, Mary Szybist, Edward Vidaurre, and Jenny Xie. The cost of the conference is $150 ($50 for students) or $75 for Saturday only. Workshops are an additional $40. Private manuscript consultations are available for an additional $70.

Writing on the Door: “Memoir,” with Paul Lisicky . April 25–29, 2022: Fish Creek, WI. “What does it mean to write creative nonfiction and memoir in 2022? How to write out of our personal urgency while also asking questions about community, survival, isolation, and power — all that is wrong with the world and all we’d like to make better? How does it feel to be alive right now? We’ll think about those questions, and more. alongside all the matters of craft: voice, structure, focus, aboutness, sonics, description, polarity, openings, closings. We’ll look at some excerpts of outside work, but your writing will be our primary text. There will be time for exercises. Along the way we’ll work hard, take care of each other, and make sure that joy and seriousness share the same space.” Deadline: February 15 .

Northern Colorado Writers Conference . April 28 — April 30, 2022: Fort Collins, CO. Workshops, seminars, speakers, entertainment, agent roundtables, pitch sessions, networking with authors and industry professionals. Will be held online and in person.

Chicago-North RWA’s Spring Fling . April 28–30, 2022: Oak Brook, IL. Three day Biennial writer’s conference geared towards both aspiring and established writers of any genre but focused on romantic fiction. Bookseller/Blogger/Librarian event, Masterclass in Craft and Marketing, Closing Gala.

The Pikes Peak Writers Conference . April 29 — May 3, 2022: Colorado Springs, Colorado. “The three-day conference is full of topical, in-depth workshops, dynamic keynote speakers, opportunities for one-on-one time with agents and editors, the chance to read your work aloud for constructive critique, plus time to socialize with fellow writers. Will be held online and in person.

Write Now! April 30, 2022, Raleigh, NC. One day writing conference hosted by Triangle Association of Freelancers. Sessions include screenwriting, financial tips for writers, pillars of freelance success, copyediting, trade pubs, column writing, publishing tips and more. Cost: $89; $75 for students with ID, seniors 65+ and retired/active duty military; $109 at the door.

Northeast Texas Writers Organization . April 30, 2022, Jefferson, TX. One-day bootcamp.

Like this article? For more articles about the publishing world, useful tips on how to get an agent, agents who are looking for clients, how to market and promote your work, building your online platform, how to get reviews, self-publishing, as well as publishers accepting manuscripts directly from writers (no agent required) visit Publishing and Other Forms of Insanity .

Written by Erica Verrillo

Helping writers get published and bolstering their flagging spirits at http://publishedtodeath.blogspot.com/

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HippoCamp: Conference for Creative Nonfiction Writers

Founded in 2010, Hippocampus Magazine is an online publication set out to entertain, educate and engage writers and readers of creative nonfiction. HippoCamp: A Conference for Creative Nonfiction Writers is an in-the-flesh extension of that three-fold mission.

banner that says conference with hipopcamp 2015 crowd in background

HippoCamp, produced by Hippocampus Magazine and Books, is a warm and welcoming conference geared toward creative nonfiction writers of all skill levels and backgrounds, and it offers plenty of opportunities for you to hone your craft, explore publishing options, and find ways to balance your writing and “real” life, as well as chances to meet, learn from, and share with writers like you.

This three-day creative writing conference in PA typically features 40+ notable speakers, engaging sessions in four tracks, interactive panels, readings, social activities, networking opps, and optional, intimate pre-conference workshops. All of this, plus meals and snacks, bundled into a great, comprehensive conference rate. Our host city is Lancaster, Pa., a bustling mid-size metropolis rich in history, arts and culture.

Past keynote and featured speakers at the HippoCamp conference have included Carmen Maria Machado, Nick Flynn, Jacki Lyden, Tobias Wolff, Mary Karr, Abigail Thomas, Beverly Donofrio, Lee Gutkind, Dinty W. Moore, Ashley C. Ford, Marion Winik, and Jane Friedman. We can’t wait to tell you more about our next conference — and perhaps welcome you to Lancaster, Pa., a city rich in history, arts and culture.

Our volunteer-run CNF conference is largely a for-attendee, by-attendee event, which means we’re on the open proposal system. Each year we open a call for session proposals from speakers of all skill-levels and backgrounds. Our programming committee reviews each submission to build out the conference schedule. (Learn more about speaking at HippoCamp – link coming soon.)

UPCOMING HIPPOCAMP CONFERENCE DETAILS

HippoCamp aims to return in 2025… [ see announcement from Jan. 12, 2023 ]. In the meantime, we’ve launched a series of online events for writers, a trio of offerings that include How-To Tuesdays and Stories on Sunday.

PAST CNF CONFERENCES: RECAPS & MORE

crowd of full conference room at Marriott for HippoCamp 2017

Our 2017 conference featured Tobias Wolff as the headlining keynote.

View our past conference websites (each its own standalone site) to get an idea of speakers, sessions, and a typical weekend schedule:

HippoCamp 2022
HippoCamp 2021
HippoCamp 2020 was canceled due the COVID-19 pandemic. We’re sad.
HippoCamp 2019
HippoCamp 2018
HippoCamp 2017
HippoCamp 2016 [note: this site is currently experiencing server issues]
HippoCamp 2015

Additionally, our magazine website features a series of HippoCamp preview and recap posts from each year. You can scroll through them from the main Conference blog post category page . (They are listed in order by date.)

HippoCamp: Conference Questions

Each year’s conference has its own standalone website built on our event platform; we’ve used EqualMade since 2020. And, each year, our call for HippoCamp session proposals is open for a limited time through Submittable. To gather some of this disparate HippoCamp conference-related content into one easy place to find during “non-peak” season, we’ve assembled some evergreen HippoCamp information here that we hope you will find helpful.

As a reminder, this FAQ is meant to provide overarching details; please refer to the most recent call for submissions (during open periods) or to the current year’s conference website for the most up-to-date specifics.

HippoCamp: It may sound silly at first glance, so if you’re new to us, we should explain why we call it HippoCamp: First, our magazine name comes from the seahorse-shaped portion of the brain related to forming memories: the hippocampus. So, then, our conference name is a playful take on our magazine title mixed with that summer-camp feeling you get when spending lots of time learning and bonding with new friends over a short period of time!

Voila! HippoCamp! (And this means we can call our attendees HippoCamp’ers!)

HippoCamp is formatted in the style of a professional development, industry conference more so than that of a typical writing or academic conference. It’s more like a TEDx than an AWP in that it’s focused on solo presenters passionate about a topic rather than panel after panel. Expect to learn a lot and return home with a notebook and brain full of ideas!

A few distinctions:

Our vocabulary is a bit different than other writing conferences: rather than faculty and classes and students, we have presenters and sessions and attendees.
We offer many sessions outside the traditional literary world, many of which draw inspiration from business, technology, media, education, and creativity — we expect that attendees will use critical thinking to see how these ideas can translate to their own writing life. In short, everything here is not literally literary.

HippoCamp is funded solely by registration and sponsor-vendors, and the conference operates on a super thin margin. (In other words, this conference isn’t about generating revenue; it’s about generating community and ideas. Any extra funds go toward funding the magazine, such as contributor payments and operating expenses.)

Investing in professional development is a big deal, so you should always make sure the event you’re registering for is the right fit for your goals at this stage in your writing life or project.

For this reason, we want to reiterate that HippoCamp is not a retreat or writing workshop, and it’s main goal is not generative work or to revise a work-in-progress; rather, it’s rooted in sharing information through engaging lecture-style presentations on a wide range of topics, including, but not limited to the craft of writing.

If you are looking to workshop a specific work-in-progress or want to attend an event focused on “doing the writing” HippoCamp is not that — but it can be a great supplement to it! However, if are only planning to go to one writing conference a year, be sure to choose the one the best fits your goals.

Additional Distinctions

We also include these in our call for HippoCamp proposals, but it might be useful to attendees, too:

We’re not an academic conference, and we’re not a retreat or workshop. Rather, we’re formatted in the style of a professional development conference, modeled after those in the marketing and tech fields.

Yes. HippoCamp offers several full and partial scholarships, including ones sponsored by other attendees. You can find information on the current year’s opportunities on the conference website. In 2022, we offered the following awards:

Friends of HippoCamp Scholarship – full registration and $200 travel stipend (two awards)
Writers of Color HippoCamp Scholarship – – full registration and $200 travel stipend (three awards)
Jean Snow Memorial Scholarship (gifted by Athena Dixon) – for an unpublished writer of color – full registration
Work Hard Not, Not Smart Neurodiversity Scholarship – for a neurodivergent writer – full registration
The Memoir Your Way Legacy Scholarship – for a late-blooming memoirist – full registration
The Brief Encounters Scholarship for Flash Writers – for a flash CNF writer – full registration

Writing conference scholarships may change from year to year; the above information is an example of what was offered in 2022.

HippoCamp is a for-attendee, by-attendee conference. With the exception of keynotes, workshops and a few panels, our conference is built from the proposals YOU submit!

We operate on an open proposal system; our call for proposals typically opens in the early fall and lasts for a few months. Our volunteer programming committee reviews and selects sessions, and we announce the line-up before registration goes on sale.

Conference attendees who are also interested in being part of the speaker line-up are welcome to submit an idea during each year’s call for session proposals.

Selected speakers receive a special presenter rate (about 60% off conference registration).

Please note: We are most interested in speakers who truly want to be part of the entire conference experience and community; if you want to come in only for your 60-minute presentation and then leave, this may not be the right conference for you.

While our specific call for HippoCamp speaker proposals changes a tad each year, we’ll provide an excerpt of our 2022 call to give you an idea of what to expect, should you decide to submit an idea to present at a future HippoCamp conference.

An Abbreviated Version of or 2022 Call for Proposals

CREATE – craft topics related specifically to CNF, but which may apply to other genres (all levels or advanced)
SHARE – sessions related to publishing and promotion – getting your work out there
LIVE – sessions dedicated to living the writer’s life: how to balance writing with family and/or a job, how to make ends meet, etc.
SPECIAL TOPICS – sessions devoted to either a niche writing area, or bigger-picture topics related to writers today.
Submission period is [typically each fall and lasts through early winter]
Sessions are reviewed and selected by the conference programming committee.
We’ll announce the initial line-up before tickets go on sale in March.
tentative title
abstract (100 words; this is what would appear in the attendee-facing conference program)
short bio (75 words)
any applicable links or past conference highlights
suggested skill level
why you’re a fit for HippoCamp (100 words)
why your topic is relevant to CNF writers of all backgrounds (100 words)
Speakers of all backgrounds and levels of experience are welcome – we love giving people a chance to make their professional conference debut! Your passion for and knowledge of your topic is often more important to us than your years of experience or publication credits or professional affiliations. (In fact, we find budding speakers to be more committed to the following bullet!)
We look for well-prepared, rehearsed speakers who can deliver an informative, inspiring presentation with energy, confidence and poise. We’re not looking for people who “just wing-it.” We love speakers who take speaker preparation seriously and respect our requests/suggestions for maximum audience engagement.
We love speakers who aren’t afraid to get out from behind the podium and engage with the audience; it’s why we provide lavaliere mics rather than tie you to a podium. Even better when that engagement continues throughout the conference.
We look for sincere speakers who care about the audience and are here to share knowledge and help writers – not just to add a bullet point on a resume or CV (but that IS a perk, too!)
We’re also looking for speakers from outside the literary world! Some of our highest-rated or most-Tweetable speakers were from other industries who were able to tie their expertise to the writing world.
We’re looking for professional, cordial speakers who are committed to their involvement in this conference – this means communicating with us before the conference and helping us plan by providing technical needs, reading/replying to speaker correspondence and providing requested information in a timely manner.
We love fresh ideas! Topics we haven’t seen before at conferences.
We love variety! While memoir is a big part of the CNF genre, our offerings should include more types of writing and other publication goals.
We love practical sessions: presentations that leave attendees with a list of notes and to-dos.
But not every session has to be a writing lesson per se – we also look for inspirational, this-is-my-story-type or this-is-how-I-did-it presentations. Sessions of the latter nature should still have key takeaways.
We love sessions that share lots of examples/case studies – seeing the theory in action makes a presentation more memorable
We’re not typically looking for breakout sessions that rely on writing activities or group work; it’s not manageable given the allotted time and large group. Small prompts and some interaction are OK and, in fact, encouraged and well-received. But our breakout sessions are not intended to be a work-shopping scenario. Keep in mind 80+ people could be in your room.
We’re not looking for ultra-specific topics, such as exploring the works of one particular writer.
We’re not looking for sessions led by more than two people.
We’re not looking for paper presentations. (However, use that paper and research to build an awesome presentation!)
Presenters MUST be registered attendees of the conference (at your special discounted rate) and must officially register before the conference program goes to print; speakers are responsible for their own travel and lodging.
Presenters MUST agree to read and respond in a timely manner to speaker communication emails/requests for information to help with day-of logistics/meet deadlines for technology requests, etc. Day-of/last-minute requests will NOT be honored or tolerated; we give speakers more than six months to prepare and think about your presentation needs. We will take past experiences/interactions into consideration when reviewing proposals this year.
Presenters must agree to have their session photographed for future use and for marketing and archival purposes.
Presenters are encouraged to share slides and/or presentation materials (if applicable) for use for post-conference promotion; this is not required.
Should we decide to record sessions, presenters are encouraged to allow us to record (audio) presentation for archival purposes/attendee access.
Presenters are responsible for bringing their own handouts (if applicable).
Presenters must respect time limits (no doing so adversely affects their peer presenters); this means you’ll take your presentation preparation seriously and practice.
There is a maximum of two presenters for break-out sessions and one presenter for flash sessions.
Presenters must agree to adhere to our conference code of conduct.

The HippoCamp registration covers access to all official conference events and materials, which include:

Printed conference program
Attendee arrival guide
Conference tote bag (often with goodies inside)
Breakout sessions Saturday and Sunday (choose from 4-5 options in each 60-minute time slot)
Flash Talks - 4-5 fast-paced, 10-minute talks (all-conference general session)
Topical panel du jour - (all-conference general session)
Several meals and snacks (see below)
Bonus "unofficial" events such as a story slam, morning yoga, and live podcasts
Online attendee directory
Content & private conference Facebook group (this is also available to non-registered attendees)

The following meals/snacks are including with your registration:

Opening reception (heavy appetizers and cash bar; one drink on us w/ a ticket)
Saturday morning hot breakfast
Saturday lunch buffet
Sunday morning hot breakfast
Sunday morning snack break
Sunday lunch buffet
Sunday afternoon refreshment break

HippoCamp is part of Hippocampus Magazine and Books, and it’s an independent, self-funded conference, supported by registration fees and table rentals alone. In full transparency, this conference is not intended/expected to be a revenue-generator; its main goal is to break even: that is, for registrations to cover expenses each year and for any additional fund to support contributor payments and other magazine expenses. Your attendance helps our magazine continue to do what we do.

HippoCamp is held in a professional convention/conference venue, and along with this comes a contractual obligation for AV services and an attendance-based food and beverage minimum, which makes up the bulk of the conference budget.

The short answer is no.

Due to our size and format it would be cost-prohibitive (in an extreme way) for a volunteer-run literary organization like ours to provide accessible live-streaming AND audio/video recordings (and transcriptions) of five concurrent sessions over the course of three days. Equipment aside, the AV staffing needs for that alone (~80 hours) would significantly increase our conference budget, and we simply could not remain at the size (under 300 attendees) and price-point (under $500) while still managing to offer an accessible, smooth online conference experience.

Aside from budget and staffing constraints, HippoCamp grew from the idea of an exclusively online literary magazine offering a way to connect way to connect writers in real life.

We DO plan on hosting a few webinars each year, either on our own or with a partner service/organization, as a way to offer unique, valuable CNF-related programming to a wider audience.

We hope to see you at a future HippoCamp!

Contributor Updates

contributor update banner with image of two writers in back

Alumni & Contributor Updates: Early 2024

Contributor Updates: Fall 2023

Contributor & Alumni Updates: Spring 2023

Contributor Updates: Spring 2022

Great Writing

The international creative writing conference (uk).

The UK's Great Writing international Creative Writing conference is a place to share creative and critical work, to explore Creative Writing, and to discuss those explorations with Creative Writing colleagues from around the world. Launched nearly 27 years ago, each year the conference welcomes creative writers from all over the world -- many of whom work in universities and colleges, or are undertaking graduate degrees in Creative Writing.

Each year the conference is the home to some truly magnificent presentations - some by creative writers who have given many presentations, some by creative writers who are giving their very first presentations! Great Writing is always a friendly, open conference where the focus is entirely Creative Writing and the many ways we can undertake it and understand it. If you think you might enjoy exploring and discussing Creative Writing with others, over a lively two days in the British summer, then why not come along? The cost of attending is always very reasonable, the people you'll meet could well be fabulous (the folks at Great Writing often are!), and the creative and critical work you'll encounter is likely to stimulate your own ideas, your own Creative Writing.

Great Writing has also built distinctively on the growing worldwide interest in Creative Writing research, with conference presenters exchanging new findings and new ideas about the undertaking and understanding of Creative Writing - particularly in the area of practice-led Creative Writing research. Some of the results of this research (both creative results and critical results) you will find published in New Writing: the International Journal for the Practice and Theory of Creative Writing (Routledge/Taylor and Francis), an independent Creative Writing journal. The Great Writing conference hosts the annual New Writing International Creative Writing Lecture, a celebration of Creative Writing and our keen human interest in it. I very much look forward to seeing you at the Great Writing conference - where you will be warmly welcomed!

Professor Graeme Harper Founder/Director, Great Writing: the International Creative Writing Conference (UK)

Call for Proposals

Presenter cfp now closed for this year - if places open up a further call will be sent out.

Audience/participation places are available - contact [email protected]

all best wishes

Great Writing International Creative Writing Conference Saturday July 13 – Sunday July 14, 2024 University College London This is the 27th Annual Great Writing International Creative Writing Conference . Great Writing includes research, teaching and creative writing practice topics. And more! The conference takes place right in the heart of Bloomsbury , close to the British Library, in London’s fabulous ‘Knowledge Quarter’ – https://www.knowledgequarter.london/ - with a great many wonderful accommodation and restaurant options. The conference will be held in person . (there will be an additional [free and virtual] “2024 International Creative Writing Forum: The Future For Creative Writing” hosted by the conference attendees/presenters via Zoom on Sunday afternoon.)

Proposal format: 1. Single presentations: 15 minutes, 5 minutes questions. 2. 3 person (themed) presentation/panels: 60 minutes (inclusive). ( Proposals : send a title and a 150 word abstract [as will be published in the conference programme] and a 100 word biographical note [for quotes use single inverted commas, italicize book titles]). Many thanks!) Send proposals to: [email protected] Closing Date for Submissions: Sunday January 14, 2024* Proposals are peer-reviewed. * Earlier submission is encouraged , because presenter places are limited. For queries contact: [email protected] We look forward to welcoming you to Great Writing 2024!

For more details and updates on the conference can be found here up until conference date.

Great Writing began in the late 1990s with a small number of keynote presentations, and a single panel made up of those keynote presenters. The participants at that first conference were involved in discussions with the presenters, and amongst themselves, they expressed ideas, talked about things that might be further explored - but the event was otherwise somewhat singular in direction! That is: a few people talked, most people listened.

By the second year of the conference things had changed: now there would be multiple panels, made up of three individual presenters per panel - each person would have 30 minutes in total to offer something, with the suggested format being 20 minutes for a presentation, 10 minutes for questions. (Writers could propose a single 20/10 presentation, or three presenters could get together to offer a full 90 minute panel proposal). This was later changed to 20 minutes in total (15/5) to allow for even more productive discussion over the conference weekend.

This format proved extremely popular. As did the change of date - where as the January date of the inaugural conference meant cold (and not to put too fine a point on it) wet weather, the summer dates of the second conference promised not only a lively gathering but a warm one as well!

That proved to be the case: and the conference is now always in June or July of each year. The audience too began to widen, from its second year - more international presenters traveled to the UK to be at the second conference. This has become a Great Writing tradition. It seems the idea of meeting each year, in summer, in the UK, to explore Creative Writing - and to consider how it is being taught and researched - was always going to be popular. But there was still one more development to make the Great Writing conference programme really work!

Up until the fifth year of the conference, Great Writing only had critical presentations - that is, up until its fifth year the conference was home to presentations concerned primarily with critical approaches to written works, with the pedagogies of Creative Writing teaching, and with ideas about Creative Writing and other Humanities subjects. The only creative presentations up until then were those that happened as keynote readings or in an impromptu fashion in the evenings of the conference. In the fifth year, that all changed:

From year five, Great Writing became an international platform for both critical and creative presentations!

The logic of doing this hadn't gone unnoticed - after all, Creative Writing is about creative work, and study (and research) in Creative Writing always has creative work at its core. It made no sense not to be offering the opportunity for creative writers to present their creative works - sometimes presentations at Great Writing now incorporate both creative and critical work!

Today Great Writing: the International Creative Writing Conference (UK) offers the opportunity to present either critical or creative work, to socialise with fellow creative writers from around the world, to discuss, debate and explore topics and findings in Creative Writing research (whether faculty or student research), to establish new collaborations and renew established ones, to discuss the teaching and learning of Creative Writing in universities and colleges (or, indeed, in the wider community), and to celebrate the considerable human interest in Creative Writing as an art form, a form of communication, an exchange between people, and as a site of human endeavour.

The Timetable for the Year:

A Call for Papers traditionally went out in August, following the preceding conference. (in 2020 for 2021 this occurred in October, due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, and in 2022 we will trial a new shorter call for proposals period, and a new combined conferenceformat [primarily 'in person" with some opportunities for virtual participation])
Calls for Papers remain open until there are no spaces left at the conference. We have "rolling calls", but once all presenter spaces are full these stop. (non-presenter/audience spaces remain open, however)
Accepted presenters are asked to register on their acceptance, to secure their presenter place, and to assist with logistics [technology resources, coffee ordering, and volunteer hours devoted to running each year's conference].
The Final Programme is constructed around early June, in the year of conference (ie. between 3-4 weeks before the conference).
Great Writing occurs in the UK each year in either June or July.
The New Writing: International Journal for the Practice and Theory of Creative Writing welcomes submissions developed into publishable pieces from presentations given at the Great Writing conference - papers accepted are usually published within 12 months.

Great Writing International Creative Writing Conference - July 2024: Graeme – as Great Writing Conference Director, you can indeed contact me (as below) on any and all of the various aspects of the conference, prior or during conference, or via [email protected] That said, there is usually someone other than me who knows more about specific elements (eg. catering, directions, the final schedule) . A full list of contacts is published here, well in advance of the conference dates.

2024 - Great Writing 27 - The Conference Team :

Graeme - [email protected]

Others : Louise, Millicent and Neb . The conference general email is: [email protected] and this always provides a secure contact point.

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30 Writers Conferences for 2022

These 30 writing conferences across the United States offer countless opportunities to hone your craft, network with industry professionals, and have a blast with fellow writers!

Conferences can even become an integral part of the pitching process as they offer face to face time with agents. That’s just about impossible to replicate unless you live in New York and have impeccable sleuthing skills.

However, this does not mean that you need to spend thousands of dollars traveling to a super expensive conference.

This article lists the top 30 conferences in the United States divided up by regions:

South (#1 – 8)
Northeast (#9 – 14)
Midwest (#15 – 20)
West (#21 – 27)
On The Move (#28 – 30)

Take advantage of the opportunities near you to make writing conferences a part of your writing life.

And if you want some advice NOW, rather than waiting for a conference, I’d recommend you read my post on how to write a novel: “12 Steps to Writing a Bestseller.”

Make sure to read to the bottom of the article to learn about the best roaming conference opportunities that change locations frequently, including the famous AWP Conference !

Writing Conferences in the South

1. atlanta writers conference.

In the heart of Georgia, writers are getting excited about this biannual conference. This two-day event features more than a dozen agents and editors, as well as workshops offered by bestseller authors like Steven James and publishers from the big 5.

This is also one of the cheapest conferences on the list because it’s free for members! Membership is $50. With two conferences a year, that’s $25 each if you attend both!

$50 membership fee
Atlanta, GA
May 8-9th & Fall dates pending

2. Blue Ridge Writers Conference

The Blue Ridge Writers Conference is a hidden gem tucked away at the tip of the blue ridge mountains.

This year’s keynote speaker, Melissa Fay Green, is an award-winning nonfiction author. Green will be one of many professional authors taking part in discussions and panels at the event.

For an additional $35, you can choose to have a one on one manuscript consultation or attend Sheila Athens’ four-hour masterclass. Or do both!

$75 after that date. Discounts are available for students.
Blue Ridge, GA
April 3-4th

3. Imaginarium

Join bestselling fantasy authors, Michael Williams and Tim Waggoner, at Imaginarium 2022! More than 130 panels will be taking place during this three-day celebration of storytelling.

This event is more than your typical conference. It’s also a film festival, gaming tournament, Comicon convention, and a book fair! Imaginarium prides itself on being family-friendly with something for everyone. Kids 12 and under can attend for free!

A crowd favorite is the Saturday evening masquerade ball. Don’t be surprised if you see your favorite literary characters come to life on the dancefloor!

Louisville, KY
July 10-12th

4. North Carolina Writers Network

The North Carolina Writers Network jumps around the state to make conferences accessible to as many writers as possible.

Spring conferences provide unique, intimate one-day networking opportunities with workshops and panels made of local authors, agents, and editors. They provide a wealth of great opportunities for writers of all levels.

Fall conferences follow the same format as spring conferences, but they attract hundreds of writers from around the country, including more big-name agents and editors. Previous speakers include Kaitlyn Johnson, Joanna Volpe, and Besty Thorpe.

$275 for members.
Location Rotates Within the State
April 18th & November 13-14th

5. Carolina Christian Writers Conference

Based out of Spartanburg Baptist Church, each year hundreds of writers gather for a weekend of workshops, networking, and worship.

This conference is highly customizable with options to suit every sort of writer. While workshops of every genre are in full swing, publishers and agents are open for appointments.

This year, EABooks Publishing will be in attendance. They are looking for up to 25 authors to include in their inspirational anthology, “Whispers of Grace.”

$145 after that date.
Spartanburg, SC
March 27-28th

6. “The Future of Writing” Conference

“The Future of Writing” conference, hosted by Woodhall Press, features authors such as Alena Dillon, Kathryn Lasky, Baron Wormser, and Gina Barreca.

The faculty which will teach at the conference include Darien Gee, Tom Hazuka, Eugenia Kim, Allison Williams, Charles Rafferty, Shelley Evans, and Alena Dillon.

Networking and publishing opportunities include an open pitch with editors and agents in the afternoon.

$195 Workshops, Keynotes, Panels, and swag bag!
$95 Keynotes and Panels
FREE Book Pitch Panel
100% online

7. North Carolina Christian Writers Conference

Not to be confused with the Carolina Christian Writers Conference in South Carolina, the North Carolina conference focuses much more on the business side of writing.

It provides constant opportunities to rub elbows with Bestselling authors like Michelle Medlock Adams, Eva Marie Everson, and Del Duduit as well as pitch to top agents.

If you’re looking to build your network or meet other people who understand your love-hate relationship with red pens, this three-day adventure is a perfect fit!

$299 ( $149 for students )
Liberty, NC
March 5-7th

8. Killer Nashville

Founded by author/filmmaker Clay Stafford in 2006, Killer Nashville is known as the premier destination for crime, suspense, and thriller authors around the country.

This four-day event lets authors get their hands dirty and learn the nitty-gritty secrets of their craft.

There is something for every mystery lover here with more than 60 panels, multiple small group sessions, and a mock crime set created by real FBI agents. Your memories from this event will follow you to the grave.

$419 after said date.
Franklin, TN
August 20-23rd

9. Agents and Editors Conference

Everything is bigger in Texas, including the conferences!

This three-day event combines craft talk with common industry knowledge to create an unforgettable experience.

More than 20 agents and editors have already been enlisted and the number is still climbing. These publishing experts are available for one on one consultations that are included in your admission price. Spots are limited though. Sign up asap to reserve yours!

Members pay $429 and day passes sell for $150.
June 26-28th

Writing Conferences in the Northeast

10. bay to ocean writers conference.

Voted the best writing conference in Maryland by Writer Magazine , the Bay to Ocean Writers Conference boasts more than 25 speakers, including John DeDakis, Gail Priest, and Ariele Sieling.

Over the past 22 years, the conference has become recognized far and wide for its popular poetry panels, as well as its stellar fiction and nonfiction workshops.

This one-day event typically sells out fast so check it out sooner rather than later!

Discounts available for members and students.
Wye Mills, MD

11. BookCon

Big city, big books, big names! Let me begin by announcing that New York Times Bestselling author, Ransom Riggs is one of BookCon’s featured speakers this year!

BookCon is especially talented at bringing big authors to their annual conferences. Don’t be surprised to find editors and publishers from the big five at this event as well as numerous agents hoping to find a bestseller.

Another awesome thing about this event? It’s in New York and it’s under a hundred dollars. You can buy a day pass for only $32!

Manhattan, NY
May 30-31st

12. The Muse and the Marketplace

More than 800 writers flock to Boston each year to take part in this mega-conference. It includes more than 130 discussions and interactive sessions that cater to writers of every skill level.

If you’re able to attend, I highly recommend taking part in the Manuscript Mart. This is a space for writers to pair up with hungry agents and editors to talk pitches.

If you want to socialize with industry experts, but you haven’t perfected your pitch, head over to the Shop Talk Happy Hour for consults and casual conversation.

Both the Manuscript Mart and the Shop Talk Happy Hour are an additional charge.

Daily rates differ. Membership discounts do apply.
April 3-5th

13. American Society of Journalists and Authors (ASJA) Conference

This gathering of minds is a freelancer’s dream come true. The ASJA Conference focuses on keeping you updated with industry standards and hidden opportunities.

More than 25 agents and editors are signed up to offer their tips and tricks. All of them are on the hunt for captivating manuscripts making this a worthwhile for authors of all types.

I highly recommend getting a membership with ASJA. Membership gives you access to exclusive opportunities in the freelance community and steep discounts for conference tickets with priority seating.

$609 after that date. Discounts are available for members and students. Daily rates vary.
April 19-20th

14. Writer’s Digest

Writer’s Digest is known for hosting one of the largest conferences in the country, hands down.

It attracts top-level publishers, editors, and agents, all of whom are eager to meet up-and-coming writers (that’s you!).

You can’t talk about the Writer’s Digest Conference without talking about the 60-minute pitching frenzy, Pitch Slam . For an additional $149, you have an hour of unlimited access to countless agents and book promoters.

The average pitch lasts 3 minutes, do the math, then decide if Pitch Slam is right for you.

$449 after that date .
August 13-16th

15. Middlebury Bread Loaf

Founded by Robert Frost in 1926, the Middlebury Bread Loaf Writers Conference wins the title of oldest writing conference in the states.

This 10-day conference tucked among the ripe, green mountains of Vermont is full of experienced editors, publishers, and authors; their goal is to inspire today’s writers and give them a leg up.

To attend this event, writers must submit a manuscript and be invited to join.

For ecologically inclined authors, check out the Environmental Writers Conference held at Middlebury in June.

August 12-22nd

Writing Conferences in the Midwest

16. northwoods writers conference.

Get ready for six full days of writing by the water at the Northwoods Writers Conference.

Each morning begins with craft talks with authors at the top of their game like Scott Russell Sanders, Alison Hawthorne Deming, and Elizabeth Bradfield.

Then, throughout the day, there are small group workshops and consultations. Consultations cost an extra $60.

In the evenings, activities range from open mics on pontoon boats to lakeside picnics with reading series. Whatever your preference, this conference offers plenty of time to rub elbows with agents, editors, and fellow authors too!

$795 after that date. Scholarship applications are due by Feb 20th.
Bemidji, MN
June 22-28th

17. Kansas Authors Club Convention

The Kansas Authors Club Convention prides itself on having something for writers of all ages and skill levels.

Each year, the conference chooses a theme to hone in on; the previous theme was “mystery and suspense” with more than a dozen popular thriller authors, publishers, and experts in attendance.

This year’s theme is newly released as “a sense of place” and will focus on creating living, breathing settings, and setting as a character.

$185 after that date. Discounts are available for members and students.
October 2-4th

18. Penned Con

Penned Con is an incredibly popular event. VIP tickets have already sold out for this year’s event and weekend tickets are going fast!

The event aims to bring together writers of all styles and genres in a relaxed atmosphere. Their most popular activities are the extended masterclasses offered on the first day of the conference. If you click with the masterclass instructor, you can sign up for a private consultation with them.

Another perk of Penned Con? They donate all proceeds to Actions for Autism .

St. Louis, MO
September 17-19th

19. Nebraska Writers Guild Conference

The Nebraska Writers Guild offers three days of consultations, critique boot camps, and shop talk seminars.

Appointments with literary agents like Kristina Slater are first-come, first-served, and have no extra cost.

This conference is perfect for writers who would rather focus on intimate group or pair discussions rather than large panels. Workshops are capped to allow for in-depth discussion and a focus on networking without small talk.

$279 after that date. Member discounts and daily rates are available.
April 16-18th

20. University of North Dakota Writers Conference

The 51st North Dakota Writers Conference will be held at the State Museum of Art, and it’s completely free! Writers of all ages and skill levels are encouraged to attend.

This event includes community workshops, a film fest, and featured speakers like Jessica Fishoff, Matt Young, Jenny Zhang, Reginald Dwayne Betts.

Then to top it all off, the event wraps up with a performance from the Flatt Mountain Bluegrass Boys.

Grand Forks, ND
March 25-27th

21. Writers’ Institute

This three-day event focuses on turning writers into professional authors. Held at the University of Wisconsin, Writers’ Institute wants to give you the tools to pitch agents and publishers with confidence.

More than 30 industry leaders will be in attendance to offer practice pitch sessions and business advice to writers.

Once you have your manuscript in hand and you’ve perfected your pitch, you’re free to approach any of the agents that will be attending to sell them your next bestseller.

$395 after that date.
Madison, WI
March 26-29th

Writing Conferences in the West

22. san francisco writers conference.

One of the first conferences of the year is the San Franciso Writers Conference. This four-day event includes masterclasses, Q&A panels, and agent speed dating (for an additional cost).

More than 100 writing professionals, including 20 available agents, will partake in the conference. Keynote speakers include Brooke Warner, Jonathan Maberry, and Walter Mosley.

Make sure to apply early if you’re interested in applying for a scholarship!

Scholarships are available.
San Francisco, CA
February 13-16th

23. Santa Barbara Writers Conference

The Santa Barbara Writers Conference expertly combines craft and career talk. With almost 50 years of heritage, this conference consistently ranks as one of the best in the country.

For five days, writers try to soak up all the wealth of knowledge and experience that the event attracts.

It’s known for attracting top-notch keynote speakers like Ray Bradbury, T.C. Boyle, and Pico Iyer. Stay tuned to see who will be speaking for this year’s event!

$699 or $150 per day
Santa Barbara, CA
June 16-21st

24. Greater Los Angeles Writers Conference

This is a bucket-list conference for writers of all genres, especially screenwriters.

Year after year, authors return to attend screenwriting masterclasses taught by Hollywood writers and many other features of this popular event.

One on one pitching sessions, practice pitches, and manuscript reviews (up to 25 pages) are available for an additional cost.

The conference ends on a high note with Ken Sherman, president of Beverly Hills Literary Agency, leading a luncheon discussion.

Price increases monthly after that date.
Culver City, CA

25. Pacific Northwest Writers Conference

Seattle, the birthplace of Starbucks, has another gift for the writing community, the Pacific Northwest Writers Organization.

Each year the organization hosts a variety of events. It offers great membership perks like steep discounts on their annual conference.

The conference offers master classes and one free pitching session with more than 26 agents from around the country looking for their next bestseller. Additional pitch sessions can be bought (with membership!).

Membership discounts are available.
Seattle, WA
September 24-27th

26. LIT Masterclass

Brought to you by the West Coast Christian Writers, LIT Masterclass is perfect for writers who want to build their networks and hone their craft.

Rick Acker, Shelly Adina, Lisa Bogart, and many other award-winning authors will be there to share their stories and offer advice. Literary agents like Janet Grant and Bob Hostetler will also be attending, and they’re ready to hear some fantastic pitches!

This winter conference fills up quickly. Get your tickets, asap!

Prices vary based on the type of admission and membership, Scholarships are available.
Livermore, CA
February 28-29th

27. Northern Colorado Writers Conference

This two and a half-day conference has all the works and it moves fast. Grab a coffee and buckle in!

You can choose to attend any of the 30 plus hands-on sessions, agent/editor panels, and workshops. There is also a genre cocktail hour and a banquet dinner with the international bestsellers, Sophie Hannah and Teresa Funke.

For an additional fee, you can join in a four-hour masterclass or attend an agent roundtable for consults.

Membership discounts apply.
Fort Collins, CO
April 30-May 2nd

28. Desert Nights, Rising Stars

Desert Nights, Rising Stars is two jam-packed days of delving into craft and meeting new faces. The Piper Writer’s Studio organizes the annual event and attracts more than 300 writers a year.

Between seminars and star-studded panels, check out the literary fair or sign up for one of the three-hour masterclasses to dive deeper into your preferred genre. Topics include character therapy with Tracey Baptise and cultivating chaos with Cristina Garcia.

Daily rates vary and discounts are available .
Tempe, Arizona
February 21-22nd

Roaming Conferences

29. awp conference.

It offers unrivaled access to big-name publishers and agencies, making it an experience that is impossible to replicate. More than 2,000 presenters are scheduled to lead discussions about every aspect of writing. It’s almost guaranteed that you can find your people here and have a great time doing it!

Make sure to sign up early to get the best deal. Students can attend for only $70!

Membership and student discounts apply.
San Antonio, TX, Kansas City, MO
March 4-7th

30. Writing Day Workshops

Writing Day Workshops takes writing conferences on the road and brings them to a city near you! They host year-round one-day conferences that attract national attention.

At these events, you can attend interactive sessions, pitch agents, and meet other writers in your area. This action-packed events typically attract 10-20 agents, and at least as many professional authors, teachers, and publishing pros.

Price varies by location.
Locations vary
See this year’s schedule

31. Nonfiction NOW

Nonfiction Now is the only international conference on the list. It’s traveled from Iowa City (where it was founded) to Iceland.

The last conference was held in Phoenix, Arizona and the next conference is scheduled to take place in Wellington, New Zealand.

It will feature award-winning authors and literary figures like Mary Cappello and Ngahuia Te Awekotuku. As the number one nonfiction conference in the world, it covers a wide variety of topics, from literary works to political essays to reality TV.

The location for the next conference is currently pending.

Wellington, New Zealand
December 3-5th

What conferences have you attended? Were they worth it?

And if you went to one not listed here, tell us about it in the comments.

About the Author:

Hello! I’m down here!

My name is Grace Giska. I am an undergraduate student studying Creative Writing and the author of three novels, one of which I like a lot. I enjoy long walks through enchanted forests and travel blogging on my site, Pack a Pen !

17 comments

The 2020 Kauai Writers Conference is coming up November 9-15 at the Marriott Resort on Kalapaki Beach in Kauai, Hawai’i.

The conference features master classes in fiction and creative nonfiction (November 9-12) as well as agent pitch sessions, manuscript critiques, publishing consultations, workshops, and panels (November 13-15).

Conference registration, which includes all lectures, craft workshops, and some meals, is $795. Individual master classes cost $695. Agent pitch sessions, manuscript critiques, and publishing consultations are available for an additional fee.

Learn more at kauaiwritersconference.com.

The 30th Anniversary Flathead River Writers Conference is September 18-20 in Kalispell, Montana, near Glacier National Park. Master story structure class on Friday by Larry Brooks, author of Story Engineering. Multi-genre authors and top agents. Limited to 100 attendees to preserve the friendly, intimate atmosphere. authorsoftheflathead.org

Are any of these conferences still on?

I haven’t checked, but I doubt it. If they are, they’re probably online versions.

American Night Writers Conference is happening online Sept 10-12, 2020. The web address is https://www.americannightwriters.org/conf

Attending the Greater Los Angeles Writers Conference was very low quality. Writers didn’t show up, meetings canceled constantly, low quality events that did occur. A local laugh.

Writing and Illustrating for Young Readers (WIFYR) is a kidlit writing conference for anyone writing picture books, chapter books, middle grade, or YA fiction and nonfiction. It offers a week of hands-on workshops where experienced authors, editors, and agents workshop your manuscripts in small groups in the morning, and teach classes in the afternoons. It turns more writers into authors than any other conference of its kind. Location: Provo, UT. Every June. For more info go to https://www.WIFYR.com

This is a great list all the links I tried lead me to the current information for these conferences which was a lot of help! Thank you

Check out my page of writer’s links! There are lots of conferences in the OK/AR/TX/MO/KS area! Wikipedia has a huge list of writers conferences, too! https://www.reneelaviness.com/links.html

We’re holding an in-person and virtual (your choice) Writer’s conference in Blue Springs, Missouri, August 26-28, 2021 to help reconnect writers after the loss of most of our conferences last year. We’re looking forward to meeting other writers again! Our conference site is https://www.smiahwritersconference.com/ , we’d love to see you all!

Brian Eastman

Looking for a writers conference in late summer, fall 2021, preferably in So Cal or West Coast but could be coaxed into travel elsewhere.

I”m looking for a fantasy writers conference in 2021

Super helpful and accurate! I’ve spent the last few days researching these conferences on a variety of other websites, and this is by far the best and most comprehensive amalgamation. You ROCK. Thank you so much BookFox!

Please add these four great conferences from Arkansas and Oklahoma —

Arkansas Writers Conference in Little Rock, AR at https://www.arkansaswritersconference.com

White County Creative Writers Conference in Searcy, AR at https://www.whitecountycreativewriters.org

Oklahoma Writers Federation, Inc. (OWFI) at https://www.owfi.org

Ozark Creative Writers Conference in Eureka Springs, AR at https://www.ozarkcreativewriters.com

Great list, thanks! When I revise this page I’ll consider them.

How come you don’t include conferences like Sewanee, Kenyon, and Tin House?

Would love to add the RMFW Colorado Gold Conference to this list! https://rmfw.org/conference-2022/ Sept 9-11 2022 in Denver, Colorado!

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Two panelists speaking speaking at a #AWP24 Featured Event with Kansas City graphics in the background.

2025 AWP Conference Schedule

The documents below detail a tentative list of accepted events for the 2020 AWP Conference & Bookfair, as well as presenter demographic information and information on the extent to which various communities participate. The conference provides the most inclusive literary event in North America, and AWP remains committed to programming that reflects the interests of the many communities of literature.

Visit the page on How Events Are Selected for details about how the 2020 San Antonio Subcommittee made their selections. AWP is grateful to the subcommittee for their hard work in providing a balanced an inclusive schedule for 2020. We look forward to seeing you at the conference in San Antonio, TX.

Tentative List of Accepted Events for #AWP20 (pdf)
Tentative List of Accepted Events for #AWP20 (docx)
Community Participation in the 2020 AWP Conference & Bookfair
List of Community Events for #AWP20 (pdf)
List of Community Events for #AWP20 (docx)

Accessibility Services

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#AWP24 Anti-Harassment Policy

Refund Policy

March 26–29, 2025 Los Angeles, California

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Ashleigh F. Streiff

B. 2000, Maryland, USA.

“Juried Undergraduate Exhibition,” Ridenbaugh Gallery, University of Idaho, Moscow, ID

At Invitation, University of Idaho’s President’s House, University of Idaho, Moscow, ID

“In Medias Res,” Ridenbaugh Gallery, University of Idaho, Moscow, ID

At Invitation, “Painting Show,” Ridenbaugh Gallery, University of Idaho, Moscow, ID

“VAC is Back!”, Reflections Gallery, University of Idaho, Moscow, ID

“Pens, Pencils & Paint,” Ridenbaugh Gallery, University of Idaho, Moscow, ID

At Invitation, University of Idaho’s President’s House, University of Idaho, Moscow, ID. 2023-2024

“Palouse Plein Air,” Moscow City Council, Moscow, ID. (Winner: City Purchase Award)

“Mirage,” Reflections Gallery, University of Idaho, Moscow, ID.

At Invitation, “Painting Show,” Moscow City Council, Moscow, ID. Fall 2023-Spring 24

“Figures”, Downtown Arts Center, Honolulu, HI

“Palouse Plein Air”, Moscow City Council, Moscow, ID. (Winner: Best Watercolor)

At Invitation, “Student Painters,” Moscow City Council, Moscow, ID.

At Invitation, “Student Printmakers,” Ridenbaugh Gallery, University of Idaho, Moscow, ID.

“Clay?!”, Ridenbaugh Gallery, University of Idaho, Moscow, ID.

At Invitation, “Student Show”, Iolan’i Gallery, Windward Community College, Kaneohe, HI.

“Foundations Juried Exhibition”, The Looking Glass Gallery, Appalachian State University, Boone, NC.

“Student Show”, The Arts Center, Carrboro, NC.

Bachelor of Fine Arts with an emphasis in Painting and Ceramics, University of Idaho, Moscow, ID. (Forthcoming)

Extracurriculars and Honors

President of Visual Arts Community (VAC), University of Idaho

President of Vandal Print Guild (VPG), University of Idaho

Volunteer Artist, Vandaljacks, University of Idaho

Dean’s List, University of Idaho

Alumni Award for Excellence, University of Idaho

Resident Artist, Cannon Hall, Appalachian State University, Boone, NC.

Work Experience/Training

Gallery Attendant, Iolan’i Gallery, Windward Community College, Kaneohe, HI.

Studied Under:

Kelly Oakes, Durham, NC. 2019-2020.

William Zwick, Honolulu, HI. 2020.

Mark Brown, Honolulu, HI, 2020-2022.

Daunna Yanoviak, Kailua, HI. 2021- 2022.

Mark Norseth, Honolulu, HI. 2021-2023.

“Introduction to Figure Drawing,” Stacey Leanza, Class, The Arts Center, Carrboro, NC. 2018.

“Printmaking; Mono-prints,” Stacey Leanza, Class, The Arts Center, Carrboro, NC. 2018.

“Mixed Media,” Stacey Leanza, Class, The Arts Center, Carrboro, NC. 2018.

“Introduction to Portrait Drawing,” Kelly Oakes, Class, The Arts Center, Carrboro, NC. 2019.

“Painting Portraits in Alla Prima,” Kelly Oakes, Workshop, The Arts Center, Carrboro, NC. 2019.

“Demystifying the Modern Portrait,” Marie Rossettie, Class, The Arts Center, Carrboro, NC. 2019.

“Intuitive Painting,” Heather Gerni, Workshop, The Arts Center, Carrboro, NC. 2019.

“Oil Painting Crash Course,” Vanessa Murray, Workshop, The Arts Center, Carrboro, NC. 2019.

“Live Portrait Sessions,” Alla Parsons, Downtown Arts Center, Honolulu, HI. 2023.

“Introduction to Watercolor,” Dwayne Adams, Class, Downtown Arts Center, Honolulu, HI. 2023.

“Writing the Killer Mystery,” C1121, Central Carolina Community College, 2019.

“Flash Fiction Made Easy,” C1058, Central Carolina Community College, 2019.

“Charting Your Path To Publication,” C1060, Central Carolina Community College, 2019.

Newspapers and Articles

Long, Maryanne, “Windward Artists Turn Impression Into Expression,” Windward O’ahu Voice, February 9th, 2022.

IMAGES

30 Writers Conferences for 2022
There’s still room for you at MTSU’s Fall Creative Writing Conference
National Writers' Conference 2022: programme by Writing West Midlands
Spring 2022 Writing Conference
2022-2023 Creative Writing Competition
Aesthetica Creative Writing Award 2022

VIDEO

Online Workshop on AI-Enhanced Scientific Writing
NPC 2024 Opening Ceremonies
Episode 17: Things to know about traditional publishing
Writing reset
Tips for Writing Conference Abstracts
Writing conference

COMMENTS

Top Writers Conferences to Attend in 2022
Apr 7-9, 2022. $99-$149. This year, and every year, the Las Vegas Writers Conference is dedicated to helping writers of all genres improve their craft, sharpen their business skills, and network with publishing professionals. Held each spring, this year's conference will draw virtual attendees from around the world.
AWP: Conference
The AWP Conference & Bookfair is the annual destination for writers, teachers, students, editors, and publishers of contemporary creative writing. It includes thousands of attendees, hundreds of events and bookfair exhibitors, and four days of essential literary conversation and celebration. The AWP Conference & Bookfair has always been a place ...
19 Writing Conferences For Emerging and Established Writers
Sewanee Writers Conference. Held on the campus of the University of the South, 90 minutes from Nashville, the Sewanee Writers Conference is a twelve-day conference that provides workshops across fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and playwriting. The conference fee for "contributors" is $1,800, which covers food and lodging for twelve days.
The Top 25 Writers' Conferences in 2022
8. Nebraska Writers Guild Annual Conference. A three-day event with a writers retreat and breakout classes. Experts in the industry teach and share their insights on the writing business and craft. More details to be announced. When: April 21-23, 2022. Where: Comfort Inn and Suites, 7007 Grover Street, Omaha, NE.
Conferences and Residencies Database
Over 170 writing conferences, writers residencies, retreats, and workshops for poets, fiction, and creative nonfiction writers. Application deadlines, financial aid, and ... The 2022 All Write Creative Nonfiction Conference was held from October 19 to October 23 at the Spencertown Academy in Columbia County, New York. The conference featured ...
41 Glorious Writing Conferences in June 2022
Stonecoast Writers' Conference. June 20-25, 2022, Portland, ME. Workshops in poetry, short fiction, novel, and nonfiction/memoir, and a mixed-genre Creative Writing Bootcamp. The Stonecoast Writers' Conference is open to students of all experience levels. However, admission is selective. Writing sample and deposit required.
26 Awesome Writing Conferences in August 2022
HippoCamp Creative Nonfiction Conference. August 12-14, 2022: Lancaster, Pennsylvania. This three-day creative writing conference in PA features 50+ notable speakers, engaging sessions in four tracks, interactive panels, readings, social activities, networking opps and optional, intimate pre-conference workshops. The Whole Novel Workshop ...
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About the Nonfiction Authors Association. The Nonfiction Writers Conference is hosted by the Nonfiction Authors Association, a vibrant community for writers to connect, exchange ideas, and learn about writing, publishing, and promoting nonfiction books. With members around the globe, NFAA helps writers de-mystify the publishing process, connect ...
Author conferences & events in 2022
Pacific University Master of Fine Arts in Writing Residency Writers Conference. January 6 - 16, January 16 - 26. Seaside, Ore., Forest Grove, Ore. $50-$75. Residency Writers Conference participants and MFA students are commingled and assigned to a workshop specific to their genre (fiction, creative nonfiction or poetry).
Online Writers' Conferences and Virtual Workshops Scheduled for 2022
Participants will gather virtually in groups of 6-8 writers to workshop 10-20 pages of a piece of creative nonfiction or memoir writing. Sessions also include discussions on the business of being a writer, including the basics of publishing, legal issues, agents, and self promotion. When: April 2022. Price: $350.
2022 Conference
7th Annual Creative Writing Studies Conference Online Innovations in Creative Writing Teaching, Research, and Service #CWSC22 Saturday, November 12, 2022 Thank you for your interest in our 2022 conference. Attendance is free for all members — no need to register! Simply join the CWSO here. All current members will receive the conference Zoom links (Rooms […]
Writers Conferences 2024: 60 Events Worth Attending
Writers Conferences to Consider for 2024 and Beyond General Interest San Francisco Writers Conference. When: Annually in February Where: San Francisco, CA Held annually in February, the San Francisco Writers Conference is a "celebration of craft, commerce and community." Connect with industry experts, bestselling authors, agents, editors and leaders in both self-publishing and traditional ...
23 Awesome Writing Conferences in April 2022
Will be held virtually and in person. Writeaway in New Mexico. April 23-30, 2022: Casa Bellisima, New Mexico. $2,100 for private room; $1,650 each for friends or couple sharing a room Includes writing consultations and daily writing workshops, all meals, wine and cocktails, plus a cooking class and excursion.
37 Outstanding Writing Conferences and Workshops in October 2022
October 7-8, 2022: St. Paul, MN. This writing event is a wonderful opportunity to get intense instruction over the course of one day, pitch a literary agent or editor (optional), get your ...
HippoCamp: Conference for CNF Writers
This three-day creative writing conference in PA typically features 40+ notable speakers, engaging sessions in four tracks, interactive panels, readings, social activities, networking opps, and optional, intimate pre-conference workshops. ... 2022 call to give you an idea of what to expect, should you decide to submit an idea to present at a ...
List of Writer's Conferences and Workshops in North America: Updated
Writer's conferences give new insights about writing craft, give you encouragement and support, and gives you real actionable advice about the journey of becoming a successful writer. 3. Improve Professional Effectiveness
Great Writing Conference
This is the 27th Annual Great Writing International Creative Writing Conference. Great Writing includes research, teaching and creative writing practice topics. And more! ... (in 2020 for 2021 this occurred in October, due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, and in 2022 we will trial a new shorter call for proposals period, and a new ...
Directory of Conferences & Centers
Writing Conference/Center Name Location Event Date ... The Braided Narrative: Weaving Creative Nonfiction. New Jersey. May 13, 2024. Get Unstuck: Defying Writer's Block in Your Poetry. New Jersey. May 15, 2024. Becoming Your Own Best Editor: A Faculty Reading.
30 Writers Conferences for 2022
Join bestselling fantasy authors, Michael Williams and Tim Waggoner, at Imaginarium 2022! More than 130 panels will be taking place during this three-day celebration of storytelling. This event is more than your typical conference. It's also a film festival, gaming tournament, Comicon convention, and a book fair!
AWP: Conference Schedule
2025 AWP Conference Schedule. Accepted events for the 2025 AWP Conference & Bookfair will be announced in August 2024. Search the AWP Conference schedule by day, time, title, description, participants, type of event, and various category tags.
CV
2022-2024. President of Visual Arts Community (VAC), University of Idaho. ... Creative Writing: "Writing the Killer Mystery," C1121, Central Carolina Community College, 2019. "Flash Fiction Made Easy," C1058, Central Carolina Community College, 2019. ...
Music, cinema and more: how the city helps creative industries
The Moscow Government has allocated 100 million rubles for grants. The city supports creative industries not only financially, but also in promoting their products and services across the country and the world, providing market analytics, education, creating infrastructure for successful work, conditions for the formation of a creative community.
Creative Moscow: meet the people, places and projects reshaping Russia
Creative Moscow: meet the people, places and projects reshaping Russia's capital ... conferences and free lectures. Garage is likely to become an internationally-acclaimed project in the very near future. ... Finally, a little further into the future in 2022, Moscow's old ZIL factory will be turned into a five-storey Moscow branch of the ...