Upcoming Sessions
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Fri - 2020
Eva Lesko Natiello
1:00pm to 4:30pm
The Business of Writing
Presenter: Eva Lesko NatielloTrack: The Business of Writing
Have you published a book but wish your sales were more robust? Perhaps your book is traditionally published and you're disappointed with the amount of marketing and PR your publisher is doing. Maybe you're self-published and don't know where to start or what to do. The hard truth is no matter which way you publish these days, authors need to market their books. Instead of thinking of that as a negative, get empowered by having a hand in your book’s success, learn to create visibility and buzz for your books and increase your readership and sales. Join Eva Natiello for the Find Your Readers Book Marketing Master Class—an immersive 3-hour workshop designed for all authors, indie or trade, introvert or extrovert, fiction or non-fiction. Eva will debunk the mysteries of book marketing so that you walk away with actionable marketing strategies that will help get your book noticed!
Fri - 2020
Christopher Ernest Vogler
1:00pm to 4:30pm
Writing Fiction
Presenter: Christopher Ernest VoglerTrack: Writing Fiction
Mythic stories touch us deeply with their rich imagery, associations and appeal to the senses. Hollywood story consultant Christopher Vogler will guide you through the labyrinth of mythic and fairy tale structures, and will offer techniques for accessing the hidden power of these ancient and beloved story forms. Writing exercises will show how you can involve the whole array of the senses to stir strong emotions in the bodies and minds of your readers.
Sat - 2020
Billy Collins
9:00am to 10:00am
Writing Poetry
Presenter: Billy CollinsTrack: Writing Poetry
A Conversation with Former US Poet Laureate Billy Collins
Sat - 2020
Daniel José Older
10:10am to 11:40am
Writing Genre Fiction
Presenter: Daniel José OlderTrack: Writing Genre Fiction
How can taking a bird's eye view of the story help us make sense out of the complicated work of structure? In this workshop, we'll engage with turning points and the central heart of what gives a narrative meaning, exploring strategic approaches and discussing our own work and experiences with the process. Students are encouraged to bring a story of their own to diagram out and analyze.
Sat - 2020
Billy Collins
10:10am to 11:40am
Writing Poetry
Presenter: Billy CollinsTrack: Writing Poetry
While the content of a poem, insofar as it has any, is an expression of the poem’s interest in the world—be it love, Nature, injustice etc—the form of the poem, whether apparent in rhyme, cadence, echoing imagery or other patterning, is the poem expressing an interest in itself. This workshop will be largely devoted to making sure both of these interests are visibly at work in the poems we discuss. Really good poems often manage to strike a near balance between the two, the poem looking inward and outward at once.
Sat - 2020
Jeffrey Scott Copeland
10:10am to 11:40am
Writing Creative Non-Fiction
Presenter: Jeffrey Scott CopelandTrack: Writing Creative Non-Fiction
One of the greatest milestones of a writer’s life happens when word comes that a piece long worked on – quite often with blood, sweat, and tears thoroughly mixed together – will be published. The day is a culmination of all the background research, composing, revising, editing, and formatting. The pure joy and overwhelming euphoria, and satisfaction of accomplishment (add drum roll and fireworks here) all come together to make the experience one never to be forgotten. However, this period all too soon gives way as hard reality sets in, most typically in the form of this question: “I’m published! Now what?” The “Now what?” that follows is often the most important consideration of all. The “Now what?” is also, in today’s publishing world, the long road to achieving successful book readings, events, and promotions. For many new and experienced writers this road can be full of potholes and unexpected twists and turns, not to mention a fair amount of mystery and confusion. This session will help writers develop a positive start on this journey by providing tried-and-true practical advice (gathered from conducting over 300 book readings/events worldwide) that will help them achieve successful book readings, events, and promotions – which will all help your book be heard AND, as a result, increase sales.
Sat - 2020
Sarah Weinman
10:10am to 11:40am
Writing Creative Non-Fiction
Presenter: Sarah WeinmanTrack: Writing Creative Non-Fiction
Do you have a true story you are dying to tell? If you’re consumed by research, have done all the reporting, but aren’t sure where your story starts, continues, or ends, join Sarah Weinman, the acclaimed crime journalist, editor, and author of The Real Lolita, in a workshop exploring how the best techniques of fiction — characters, setting, pacing, and more — can be used to craft true narratives.
As part of this workshop we'll discuss some great examples of narrative nonfiction in book and magazine form, and how they hold the readers' interest through structure and the sentence. Works may include Random Family, by Adrian Nicole LeBlanc; Bad Blood by John Carreyrou; Killers of the Flower Moon by David Grann; and Furious Hours by Casey Cep; and "96 Hours" by Pamela Colloff.
The class will include craft discussion; an exercise; and Q&A.
Sat - 2020
The Book Doctors
11:50am to 1:30pm
General Session
Presenter: The Book DoctorsTrack: General Session
Pitchapalooza is American Idol for books (only kinder and gentler). Twenty writers will be selected at random to pitch their book. Each writer gets one minute—and only one minute! Dozens of writers have gone from talented amateurs to professionally-published authors as a result of participating in Pitchapalooza, including Raul the Third, Ylonda Caviness, Stacy McAnulty, Judith Fertig, Gloria Chao, Nura Maznavi and Ayesha Mattu. At the end of Pitchapalooza, the judges will pick a winner. The winner receives an introduction to an agent or publisher appropriate for his/her book.
Sat - 2020
April Eberhardt
1:40pm to 3:10pm
The Business of Writing
Presenter: April EberhardtTrack: The Business of Writing
Fiction authors often assume the only way to write a great novel is to sit by themselves in a room, writing and reworking until the manuscript feels “finished”—all hard work, and difficult to assess when it’s done. Consider an alternative: creating a novel in collaboration with others. How does that work? How many co-authors are enough—or too many? Who makes the rules, who does the drafting, the editing, the knitting together? How do you find co-authors? How do multi-author disagreements get ironed out? And in the end, how do you publish something written by more than one author? Come learn more about this intriguing model from an agent who has worked with authors collaborating on manuscripts, and has seen up close what works, what bumps get in the way, how to resolve them—and how to succeed, and have fun in the process!
Sat - 2020
Meg Fee
1:40pm to 3:10pm
Writing for New Media
Presenter: Meg FeeTrack: Writing for New Media
In 2015, I published a small collection of essays online - on my blog. That digital download led to a direct twitter message from an independent publisher. That direct message than led to an agent and an eventual book deal. The story of how I published my first book is a bit of a Cinderella-story of the Digital Age, but it’s also not singular to me. This workshop will cover how to successfully transition from a blog to a book, and how to do it in a way that feels purposeful. You don’t need to have a massive following to attract attention, you simply need to write in your authentic voice. Writing truthfully online today (whether it’s on a blog or instagram) is harder and more important than ever before - and ultimately it is the thing that will attract followers, engagement, and - yes - book deals.