UPDATE: 1/21/20
Consider attending a writing conference this year! There are a variety of different kinds, ranging from critique workshops to massive conventions, from one-day sessions focused on a single topic to weeklong intensives with a rich agenda of panels, craft talks, and presentations. Some sessions require you to submit pages in advance in a competitive process, while others take the first people who register.
All the events give you opportunities to get away from your desk and network with other writers. Many of the conferences also attract editors and agents (some will guarantee you a brief session with an agent for a small fee). Attending conferences may give you the chance to pitch your book or writing project, and will definitely provide you with new insights, tips, and food for thought. Open mic readings may give you the chance to showcase a bit of your own talent.
Take a look at this list of upcoming opportunities (most are annual events) to find one that meets your needs. But don’t wait! Many of these events fill up quickly. Once you know where you’re going, be sure to prepare: read works of the participating faculty; bring your business card/bookmark/pitch letter or other materials; practice your “elevator pitch;” and leave your introvert at home so that you can make the most of communing with other writers just like you.
Here are some upcoming writers’ conferences in 2020 for your consideration:
Note that those indicated with ** require you to apply, sending examples of your work
- Feb. 13-16: San Francisco Writers Conference (San Francisco, CA)
- Feb. 14-16: Southern California Writers’ Conference (San Diego, CA)
- March 4-7: Association of Writers & Writing Programs (San Antonio, TX)
- March 6: The Alabama Writers Conference (Birmingham, AL)
- March 7: Atlanta Writing Workshop (Atlanta, GA)
- March 21-22: Let’s Just Write! An Uncommon Writers Conference (Chicago, IL)
- March 25-28: UND Writers Conference (Grand Forks, ND)
- March 28: Kansas City Writing Workshop (Kansas City, MO)
- April 2-4: Las Vegas Writers Conference (Las Vegas, NV)
- April 3-5: The Muse & the Marketplace Writers Conference (Boston, MA)
- April 4: Kentucky Writing Workshop (Louisville, KY)
- April 18: North Carolina Writers Workshop (Charlotte, NC)
- April 25: Seattle Writers Conference (Seattle, WA)
- April 25: Michigan Writers Conference (Livonia, MI)
- April 30-May 2: Northern Colorado Writers Conference (Fort Collins, CO)
- May 1-3: Gold Rush Writers Conference (Mokelumne Hill, CA)
- May 7-9: Storymakers Conference (Provo, UT)
- May 10-11 2019: Washington Writers Conference (North Bethesda, MD)
- May 15-17: PennWriters Conference (Lancaster, PA)
- May 27-30: North Words Writers Symposium (Skagway, AK)
- June 13: Tennessee Writers Workshop (Nashville, TN)
- June 14-19: Santa Barbara Writers Conference (Santa Barbara, CA)
- June 21-27: Kenyon Review Writers Workshops (Gambier, OH) **
- June 21-26: Aspen Words (Aspen, CO) **
- June 27: The Writing Workshop of Chicago (Chicago, IL)
- July 6-13: Community of Writers (Squaw Valley, CA) **
- July 6-20: Fishtrap (Wallowa Lake, OR)
- July 7-11: Thriller Fest (New York City, NY)
- July 11-19: Tin House Summer Workshop (Portland, OR) **
- July 12-18: Kenyon Review Writers Workshops (Gambier,OH) **
- July 21-August 2: Sewanee Writers Conference (Sewanee, TN) **
- July 26-31: Napa Valley Writers Conference (St. Helena, CA) **
- July 29-August 1: Romance Writers of America (San Francisco, CA)
- July 30-August 1: Mendocino Coast Writers Conference (Mendocino, CA)
- August 12-22: Bread Loaf Writers’ Conference (Ripton, VT) **
- August 20-23: Killer Nashville Writers Conference (Franklin, TN)
- August 13-16: Writer’s Digest Conference (New York, NY)
- Sept. 12: San Francisco Writing for Change Conference (San Francisco, CA)
- October 3-4: The Loft’s Wordsmith Conference (Minneapolis, MN)
- October 10-11: James River Writers Conference (Richmond, VA)
- October 11-16: Viable Paradise (SF and Fantasy) (Martha’s Vineyard, MA)
- October 15-18: Boucheron World Mystery Conference (Sacramento, CA)
- October 15-18: Women Writing the West (Colorado Springs, CO)
- October 23-25: La Jolla Writers Conference (San Diego, CA)
- November 9-15, 2020: Kauai Writers Conference (Kauai, HI)
- November 14: Philadelphia Writing Workshop (Philadelphia, PA)
- Various dates: Writing x Writers (Sitka, AK; Boulder, CO; Tomales Bay, CA; Tahoe) **
Anara Guard is a trained librarian who spent years working on public health projects. Now, she focuses her time on the writing life: as a small publisher (New Wind Publishing), author (short stories, children’s picture books, and a forthcoming poetry collection), and spending time volunteering at Capital Books. She can recommend novels and memoirs to you, as well as children’s books. Let’s talk!
