Category Archives: Writing Conferences & Getaways

Alabama Writing Workshop 2017

Alabama Workshop

The Alabama Writing Workshop is a wonderful opportunity to get intense instruction over the course of one day, pitch a literary agent or editor (optional), get your questions answered, and more. Note that there are limited seats at the event, so don’t delay.

The event will take place Friday, February 24, 2017 from 9:30am-5pm at Embassy Suites by Hilton Birmingham, 2300 Woodcrest Pl, Birmingham, AL 35209. (205)879-7400.

Learn lots and have fun!

P.D. Pabst
Blogger and writer of MG/YA fiction.

San Miguel Writers’ Conference & Literary Festival

The best thing about writing conferences and literary festivals is the luxury of learning while on vacation! If you have an itch to get away but want to keep your writing skills tuned, escape to San Miguel Writers’ Conference & Literary Festival.

 

San Miguel de Allende, Guanajurato, Mexico

 

 

As the largest and most prestigious co-cultural, bi-lingual literary gathering in the Americas, each February the San Miguel Writers’ Conference & Literary Festival attracts distinguished authors, established and emerging writers, industry experts, teaching professionals, and avid readers from the United States, Canada, Mexico, and Europe.

KEYNOTE SPEAKERS:

And don’t forget, conferences are tax deductible! Get you seat fast because the conference is February 15-19, 2017. Have fun!

P.D. Pabst
Blogger and writer of MG/YA fiction.

@WriteOnCon #Conference Is Coming!

WriteOnCon

WriteOnCon is “A writing conference you don’t even have to wear pants to. (Please wear pants, though.)” This isn’t just an opportunity to attend a writing workshop, but it’ll be the cheapest and closet conference you’ve ever attend (aside of being free, of course). Seriously, you can participate from your home! And while you might have missed the raffles and perks to buy, there is still time to sign up to join. Admission is either $5 (General Admission), $10 (General + Live Events), or $15 (General + Live Events + Extended Access). You can’t wrong with any choice!

WriteOnCon is an online conference for kidlit writers and illustrators. Connect with writers, authors, and agents in this event. There will even be Ninja Agents & Editors and live pitch sessions (check the schedule for all 3 days)! But hurry to get registered because it’ll take place Thursday-Saturday, February 2nd-4th, 2017.

As always, good luck!

P.D. Pabst
Blogger and writer of MG/YA fiction.

Costa Rica Retreat for Writers and Families

 

Finca Luna Nueva

 

You’ll stay on a working farm in the heart of the rainforest, with easy access to both hammocks and hikes. Each morning, you’ll participate in creative writing workshops, and each afternoon, you’ll have time to write or explore.

The week begins and ends with public readings — which your family is welcome to attend!

Cost: $1,345-$1,819 per person (does not include lunch or dinner); $290 per child (if sharing a room with two adults). The retreat will be February 4-11, 2017. Remember, if you’re an author, retreats are tax deductible. Get complete details here.

Have fun!

P.D. Pabst
Blogger and writer of MG/YA fiction.

San Francisco Writers Conference

Image result for san francisco writers conference

The 2017 San Francisco Writers Conference will be held on February 16-19 at the historical Mark Hopkins Hotel. Meet keynoters:  

But the SFWC presenters list also includes many more bestselling authors, literary agents, editors, and publishers from major publishing houses.  There are experts on self-publishing, book promotion, platform building, social media, and author websites.

PRESENTERS:
Jon Agee, children’s book author/illustrator
Nina Amir
, author, speaker, journalist, nonfiction editor/coach/consultant
Kathleen Antrim,
author, Co-President, of International Thriller Writers
Jim Azevedo
, Smashwords Marketing Director
Aya de Leon
, author and poet
Frances Caballo
, SFWC social media director
Zoe FitzGerald Carter
, author of Imperfect Endings: A Daughter’s Story of Love, Loss, and Letting Go
Stephanie Chandler
, author, speaker and CEO
Mark Coker
, Smashwords Founder
Rana DiOrio
, Chief Executive Officer of Little Pickle Press
Julia Drake
, co-founder of Wildbound PR
Selden Edwards
, author of The Lost Prince
Kate Farrell
, author, librarian, storyteller
Steaphen Fick
, founder of the Davenriche Martial Artes School
Elizabeth Fishel
, author of Getting To 30:  A Parent’s Guide to the 20-Something Years (coauthored with Jeffrey Arnett)
Diane Frank
, poet and author of six books of poems
Joel Friedlander
, award-winning book designer and blogger
Tanya Egan Gibson
, author, freelance editor and consultant
Cali Gilbert
, author
Jewelle Gomez
, author, poet, critic and playwright
Constance Hale
, journalist and author
Melissa Hart
, author and contributing editor at The Writer Magazine
K.J. Howe
, author and Executive Director of ThrillerFest
Stuart Horwitz
, founder and principal of Book Architecture
Carla King
, adventure travel author, Founder of Self-Pub Boot Camp and Author Friendly
Michael Larsen
, author, co-founder/co-director of the SFWC
Linda Lee
, web site designer and WordPress expert 
Donna Levin
, author/writing teacher
Richard Loranger
, writer, performer, visual artist
Mary Mackey
, novelist, poet, screenwriter
Susie Meserve
, memoirist, essayist, and poet
Tim McCanna
, author of Bitty Bot and Watersong
Jennie Nash
, author, teacher and CCO of AuthorAccelerator
Louise Nayer, co-authored How To Bury A Goldfish: 113 Rituals for Everyday Life.
Kathryn Otoshi, children’s book author
Douglas Rees
, children’s book author and librarian
Olivia Rivers, children’s book author
Jordan E. Rosenfeld, author, editor and writing coach
Orna Ross, Irish indie author. She writes and publishes novels, poetry and the Go Creative!
Naheed Senzai, children’s book author
Lida Sideris, author of Murder and Other Unnatural Disasters
Justin Sloan
, video game writer, novelist and screenwriter
Steven Spatz
, writer,marketer and President of BookBaby
Elizabeth Stark
, author,mentor and podcaster
Penny Warner, author and Agatha Award winner
Dylan Yates
, author, writer and vocal coach

The lists for attending agents and editors looks topnotch! Some of the agents will even be accepting pitches during the Speed Dating For Agents. You can see a list of those participating here. Their are also editors doing eight minute consultations. More information on the consults is here. But for an idea of the many agents and editors that will be in attendance, here is a list:

AGENTS:
Lisa Abellera, Kimberley Cameron and Associates (CA)
Peter Beren
, Peter Beren Literary Agency (CA)
Jennifer Chen Tran, Fuse Literary (CA)
Amy Cloughley
, Kimberley Cameron & Assoc. (CA)
Sorche Elizabeth Fairbank
, Fairbank Literary Representation (NY)
Mark Gottlieb
, Trident Media Group, LLC (NYC)
Sarah Levitt, Aevitas Creative Management (NY)
Laurie McLean, Fuse Literary (CA)
Mary C. Moore, Kimberley Cameron & Associates (CA)
Dana Newman, Dana Newman Literary (CA)
Kim Perel, Irene Goodman Literary Agency (NY)
Jody Rein, Jody Rein Books (CO)
Andy Ross, Andy Ross Agency (CA)
Rayhané Sanders, Lippincott Massie McQuilkin (NY)
Ken Sherman, Ken Sherman & Associates (CA)
Jennifer March Soloway, Associate Agent at Andrea Brown Literary Agency (CA)
Gordon Warnock, Fuse Literary (CA)
Carlie Webber, CK Webber Associates (CA)
Ted Weinstein, Ted Weinstein Literary (CA)
Anna Worrall, The Gernert Company (NY)
Adriann Ranta Zurhellen, Foundry Literary + Media (NY)

EDITORS:
Chuck Adams
, Executive editor at Algonquin Books
Brenda Copeland
, St. Martins Press
Jason Gardner
, New World Library
Mary Knippel, Independent Editor
Heather Lazare, Editor & Publishing Consultant
Tyler Moss, Managing Editor at Writers Digest
Taylor Norman, Chronicle Books
Jane Ormerod, Founding editor at great weather for MEDIA
Mary Rakow
, Independent Editor
Leila Sales
, author and Associate Publishing Manager at Viking Children’s Books
Lauren Spiegel
, Senior Editor at Touchstone (S&S)
Liz Stein
, Editor at Park Row Books, a division of Harlequin/HarperCollins
Annie Tucker
, independent writing coach, developmental editor, and copy editor 
Monica Wesolowska
, Editor and teacher of fiction and creative non-fiction
Lisa Westmoreland
, Executive Editor at 10 Speed Press

For those attending, this sounds like a great four days of learning and marketing yourself!

P.D. Pabst
Blogger and writer of MG/YA fiction.

2017 Minnesota Writing Workshop

The 2017 Minnesota Writing Workshop is a wonderful opportunity to get intense instruction over the course of one day, pitch a literary agent or editor (optional), get your questions answered, and more. Note that there are limited seats at the event (150 total). This workshop is a full-day “How to Get Published” writing event in St. Paul, MN on February 11, 2017.

Agents and editors confirmed to be in attendance and/or available to pitch are:

For information on how to enroll and where to stay, go here. As always, good luck!

P.D. Pabst
Blogger and writer of MG/YA fiction.

Under The Volcano Writing Retreat

tepoztlan-mexico

Under The Volcano has master classes over a nine day stay in Tepoztlan, Mexico. This retreat is for writers wanting to vacation, learn, and write on their WIP simultaneously. Even greater, these types of trips are tax deductible for writers. (Yes, you heard that right.)

The next session will be January 12-22, 2017 and costs $1795 (US). This fee includes:

  • Tuition for 6 three-hour workshops
  • One individual conference
  • Opening reception, orientation and closing dinners and one other group dinner
  • Daily lunches by Cocinar Mexicano
  • Private faculty reading and dinner
  • Public readings and book signings
  • Village tour and other cultural events
  • Escorted pyramid hike
  • Closing dinner

The fee does NOT include Airfare, accommodation and ground transportation for the workshop. For information or questions, you can go to their website to access their email form. (Disclaimer: I’ve not attended this workshop, so do your own research!)

 

P.D. Pabst
Blogger and writer of MG/YA fiction.

The 2016 Las Vegas Writing Workshop

las-vegas

The one day Las Vegas Writing Workshop is held on November 19, 2016 at the Embassy Suites. 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 questions answered, and more. This year’s faculty so far includes:

workshop-las-vegas

There are limited seats, so you need to hurry if you want to attend. For registration or info on how to pitch one of the agents, go here. Of course, you might want to stay an extra day or two because it’s Las Vegas Baby! For those attending, have fun!

P.D. Pabst
Blogger and writer of MG/YA fiction.

The Iceland Writers Retreat Alumni Award

the-iceland-writers-retreat-alumni-award-scenic-pic

A writer’s retreat in Iceland? Can I get a woot-woot? The Iceland Writers Retreat Alumni Award offers talented writers in need of financial support an opportunity to attend the Iceland Writers Retreat in Reykjavík, Iceland in April, 2017. Per their website, entrants can apply for either full or partial funding. Full funding covers all participation in the Iceland Writers Retreat. The scholarship includes round-trip flights to Iceland and accommodations. Partial funding covers the participant fee only, and neither accommodation nor round trip flights.

Deadline for applications: Monday, 31 October, 2016. Midnight, PST. For complete details on how to submit, go here.

As always, good luck!

P.D. Pabst
Blogger and writer of MG/YA fiction.

The Manuscript Academy Scholarship Giveaway

how-to-throw-a-2

The Pitch Wars community, founded by Brenda Drake, has joined forces with The Manuscript Academy to give away scholarships for upcoming conferences:

Writing Picture Books, Middle Grade, and Young Adult, begins November 5, 2016

How to Get Your Adult Fiction (or Memoir) Published, begins November 26, 2016

THREE writers will be selected based on a brief description of why they want/need this opportunity. Authors should check out The Manuscript Academy and then fill out the form on Brenda’s blog to let the community know why they would like to win. The scholarship giveaway will be open until October 18th!

As always, good luck!

P.D. Pabst
Blogger and writer of MG/YA fiction.