I think the Blue Ridge Writers' Conference is one of the best events an author can attend. Carol Crawford and her staff work all year to bring in the best presenters, and they try to have something for everyone.
Visit the website and see who is on the program this year. This is a small conference where the writers have an opportunity to talk with authors, agents, editors and to ask questions.
19 th ANNUAL BLUE RIDGE WRITERS’ CONFERENCE
April 8 & 9,
2016
The Mission of the Blue Ridge Writers' Conference is to educate, inform,
and inspire writers. No matter the level of expertise, the Blue Ridge Writers’
Conference provides a venue for professional writers, editors and agents to
provide honest and accurate feedback to the aspiring writer in how to sell a
magazine article, finish a novel, or do historical research.
Other previous
keynote speakers include a number of well-known writers such as novelist Claire
Cook, Terry Kay, mystery writers Patricia Sprinkle, Joshilyn Jackson and Sharyn
McCrumb, essayists James Kilgo and Steven Harvey, suspense writer Karin
Slaughter, and former Georgia poet laureate, David Bottoms.
Saturday, April 9th
begins with light breakfast fare and our keynote speech. The 2016 keynote
speaker will be Stephanie Fretwell-Hill. Stephanie is an editor at Peachtree
Publishers, an independently owned trade book publisher, specializing in
quality children's books, from picture books to young adult fiction and
nonfiction; consumer references in health, education, and parenting; and
regional guide books about the American South.
Peachtree Publisher's mission is
to create books that captivate and educate young and old readers alike, with well-crafted
words and pictures. The day continues with concurrent workshops on everything
from Children’s Literature to assembling a book of poetry to marketing a
manuscript.
Our 2016 speakers include a wide variety of poets, fiction,
non-fiction writers, and much more. Conference attendees appreciate the chance
to network with other writers and speakers during the day and the opportunity
to submit their work for critique by one of the conference speakers. High
school students from area counties are invited to attend and the Art Center
offers scholarships to make this more affordable.
This year’s Writers’
Conference will also offer a four-hour Workshop Intensive on Friday, April 8th.
For an additional fee, the Workshop Intensive, presented by Jennifer Jabaley
and Kristin Tubb, titled “Show, Don’t Tell: Yes, Yes, But What Does It MEAN?!”,
will discuss show, don’t tell techniques for multiple aspects of your story:
wordbuilding, characterization, narrative, and dialogue.
Writers will leave
with a solid understanding of the importance of show, don’t tell and the tools
to revise their own manuscripts for more showing, less telling. A great
workshop for both fiction and nonfiction writers.
If you are an author and have
registered for the conference, you may sign up with the Art Center to have your
books for sale on Friday evening during the reception and on Saturday afternoon
during the conference until 3:00pm.
Please email the Art Center no later than
March 3rd at blueridgearts@gmail.com to pre-register for a space. Please limit
your book sales to no more than (5) titles with a total of (10) books per
title. All books for sale must be delivered to the Art Center no later than 5 p.m. on Thursday afternoon, April 7th.
The Art Center will sell books in the Mahan
Gallery & Art Supply Station for a 10% commission.
