Conference Program: Friday Fireside Chats and Hands On Workshops
February 29, 2008

 

1:30 – 5:00 p.m.
Presenters and sequence subject to change without notice.

	Fireside Chats:
	Crime	Romance and Women's Fiction
	Mystery	Children's Picture Books
	Fiction 1	Children's Y/A Chapter Book
	Fiction 2	Publishing 1– Selling Your Book
	Nonfiction	Publishing 2 – Managing the Relationship
	Memoir and Personal Essay	Poetry
	Food Writing	Emerging Writers
	Master Class Workshops:
	Art and Craft of Screenplay	Profiting from Periodicals
	Point of View

Author Fireside Chats and Workshops

Crime
Elizabeth George -- Crime Novel as Literature and How to Make it Thus

Erik Larson

Katherine Ramsland – Writing as a Calling: Matters of Consequence
Your imagination can take you places that you’ve never been, but for best effect, you must lose the illusion that you’re in control and trust something you can’t entirely grasp, a process both daunting and thrilling. I’ll offer exercises for channeling this process for best advantage.

Mystery
Rhonda Pollero (Kelsey Roberts) -- I Love You but I'm Scared: Spicing up Mystery with Romantic Elements

Bob Mayer -- Idea Workshop
Can you say what your novel is about in one sentence? Participants will get the opportunity to write their idea down and have it discussed. We’ll find out what you really meant to write and the level of interest it generates. All will profit, not just the person whose idea is discussed, as this workshop will show you how to focus your creative energies.

Michele Scott -- Writing the Niche Mystery
In niche mysteries, writers take a passion, hobby or other interest and employ it into their mystery. Examples of these are cats, horses, tea, wine, coffee, knitting, scrapbooking, etc. We'll discuss how and why niche mysteries work, the pros and cons of writing niche mysteries, and how to think outside the box for marketing ideas.

Fiction 1
Jack Dalton -- Make 'em feel it.

Randy Sue Coburn -- Mining for Gold in Difficult Relationships
Conflicts with family and significant others -- we've all got 'em. This discussion will explore the difficult dance of transforming their tension into juicy fiction.

Sheila Roberts (Rabe) -- Plotting Your Way to a Great Story

Your great characters need a great adventure. A poorly plotted book will go nowhere, but a great plot will keep your readers turning the page. Learn how to build a strong plot structure for your novel.

Fiction 2
Garth Stein -- Imagination: How to Find and Focus Creative Energy

Stephanie Kallos -- High-ho the (Un)glamorous Life
What twenty years in the theatre taught this novelist about writing.

Christopher Vogler --The Wisdom of the Body
It pays to know where the emotional triggers are in the body and how to set them off. Chris will talk about how the organs of the body, even the skin, are at work in the writing process and in the enjoyment of art.

Nonfiction
Erik Larson -- How to Find the Nonfiction Ideas that Make Rich Novelistic Reading

Susan Zwinger -- The Revolving Door: Creative Access Between Conscious and Unconscious Mind
The difference between significant, lasting literature and a book that has a shelf life of only two years is the author’s free access to the subconscious and collective unconscious memories. Too often when writers are blocked, it means that they seek logical control of the story, pre-assigning meaning, and ignoring the rich layers of symbolism that bubble through. Come learn to work as the artist who embraces the accidental discoveries and believes in the rich treasure house of her subconscious. Writers will be given WD40 to free up the revolving doors in their minds.

William Dietrich -- Author-nomics
Samuel Johnson famously said, "None but a blockhead ever wrote for anything but money." Even for the purer of heart, how do the nuts and bolts of publishing economics, from book advances to publicity campaigns, work from the author's point of view? The author of 11 books and ghost-polisher of one more, both fiction and non, talks about what inquiring minds want to know: money, and the statistics of book publishing.

Memoir and Personal Essay
Deborah Madison -- Discovering Your Life through the Lens of Food
A discussion of food and the hidden dimensions of our lives: foods that join us to community, what we eat when we eat alone, a meal that changed our lives, last meals and grace.

Stephanie Elizondo Griest -- Ethics in Memoir Writing
What does the future hold for memoirists, post James Frey? We'll debate some of the ethical dilemmas inherent in memoirs including emotional truth versus factual truth and discuss strategies for when to use a pen name and when to consult a lawyer.

Maureen Murdock -- What's True in Memoir?

Food Writing
Bharti Kirchner -- Somebody's in the Kitchen: How to Write a Cookbook and Get it Published
You’re a good cook. So, where’s your cookbook? Author of four successful cookbooks, Bharti Kirchner will show you how to select a central theme, create recipes and test them, explain what the recipe writing rules are, and describe how to organize a pile of recipes. She’ll touch on how to write a cookbook proposal, marketing considerations, and even how to entice an agent.

Greg Atkinson -- Taste and Memory
No sense is more closely linked to emotion than the sense of smell, but the sense of taste incorporates the intricacies of smell with the fundamentals of sweet, sour, salty and hot. Direct experience of taste and smell, carefully relayed in clear, truthful prose can summon the past more effectively than visual, tactile or auditory recollections can. What's more, food memories are inextricably linked with those of home, family, country of origin and the deep roots of culture.

Deborah Madison -- Making Recipes Come Alive with Stories and Headnotes

Romance/Women's Fiction
Sheila Rabe (Sheila Roberts) – Character and Dialogue: How They Work Together

Cherry Adair -- Ask Cherry Absolutely Everything!
Get ready for both wit and wisdom as New York Times bestseller Cherry Adair gives you honest and amusing answers to your biggest conundrums about life, publishing and the pursuit of a contract.

Kelsey Roberts (Rhonda Pollero) -- I Love You but I'm Scared: Balancing Romance and Mystery Elements
Having trouble finding the right balance between romance and suspense? Not anymore! Romantic suspense combines two of life’s most compelling emotions – love and danger. Learn how to use these emotions to craft a gripping story. We’ll look at the importance of characterization, motivation, conflicts, red herrings, sexual tension and pitfalls to avoid. We’ll touch on new ways to approach traditionally popular themes.

Children’s Picture Books
Deb Lund -- Piggyback Children's Books
Need an idea? Borrow one! We’ll explore and play with formats, voice, characters, plots, and themes of picture book masters. When every word counts, what do you cut? When should you rhyme? How do you revise? Bring your questions, your favorite picture books, and a manuscript to enter in a “two-minute critique” contest.

Melissa Manlove -- Picture Books: Know Your Competition
A review of valuable research tools in determining what competition exists for your book, including reference books, Internet resources, and awards lists. We’ll look at several of the most popular picture books on the market today and discuss the important things they are doing – and not doing. We’ll finish by build some reading lists based on audience-suggested topics.

Kirby Larson and Mary Nethery -- Not Just the Facts, Ma'am: Literary Nonfiction Picture Books
Forget the dusty tomes you were forced to read as a child. Nonfiction picture books are lively, compelling and hot! This session provides a general overview of the nonfiction picture book genre, practical research tips and a chance to brainstorm about nonfiction topics you might like to tackle. Kirby and  Mary are co-authors of the forthcoming nonfiction picture book, The Tale of Two Bobbies: A True Story of Hurricane Katrina, Friendship and Survival (illustrated by Jean Cassel, Walker Books).

Children’s/YA Chapter Book
Kirby Larson -- You Have What it Takes to Write A Teen Novel
So you don't IM, text message or have a page on MySpace. That does not disqualify you from writing for the young adult audience. You survived your teen years -- that's a great starting place. This interactive session will give you a brief history of the young adult novel; explore the differences between middle grade, tween and YA literature; and examine the key elements of a successful YA book using selected current young adult titles as examples.

Joni Sensel -- Starting with a Bang or an Axe: the Importance of First Sentences
Forget the first chapter – your first sentence may make or break your chance with an editor, agent, or reader. We’ll discuss irresistible openings to reveal techniques and forge new insights into intrigue, point of view, establishing shots, in media res, prologues, and that elusive trait, a distinctive voice.

Ann Whitford Paul -- The Poetry of Prose

From the poet’s toolbox take a hammer of rhythm, a saw of metaphor and simile, plus nails of word and letter sounds to make your prose more lyrical. This workshop includes time to apply these tools to shape your prose to better echo the action of your story. Bring a sample of your prose to revise.

 

Publishing 1 -- Selling Your Book to an Editor or Agent
Seven editors and agents address facets of this critical first step in publication, and more.

Peter Lynch -- An Embarrassment of Riches
Over 150,000 new books are published each year in the US. Even if we did nothing else but read, we could never get through them all. So how does an author make his proposal or book stand out against all this noise? -- positioning, positioning, positioning. In this chat, we'll discuss the importance of platform, delivering the marketplace once the book is published, how to work with your publicist and how not to, what your publisher will expect from you, what you should expect from your publisher and reaching your readership.

Andrea Hurst and Alan Rinzler -- Agent and Editor Reveal the Sales Process

Hurst and Rinzler team up to discuss their recent real life process of an agent selling a book to an editor.

Katharine Sands -- Riveting Writing

Alice Volpe -- Northwest Literary

Doris Booth -- Getting an Agent/Editor

Steven McDermott – Getting out of Literary Journals' Slush Piles
The editor of the literary journal Storyglossia, which was named best online publication by the Million Writers Award, provides tips on how to move your short fiction from the slush pile to publication.

 

Publishing 2 -- Managing the Relationship with Your Editor or Agent. Publicizing your Book
Editors and agents offer their perspectives on this topic and more    

Lindsay Davis

Brook Warner -- The Hybrid
Though much maligned, the hybrid is an increasingly popular genre within book publishing. Many publishers are taking risks on books that aren’t quite narrative enough to qualify as memoir, and yet clearly have a personal thread that informs its subject matter. This chat is all about the hybrid: Is it something publishers want? Why is it so problematic? How can writers work around it or with it?

Lake Boggan -- What First Time Authors Need to Know
You’re getting your book published. You finally made it and it feels so good. “Yay!”
Now what? Is that all there is? When will my publisher’s marketing department turn on the “book buzz” machinery and when will I tour and become famous and pay off all the credit cards I’ve been living on while I was writing this best-seller to be? Not exactly bursting your bubble, more like placing you firmly on solid ground, Lake will take you through the first season of your first book; what you can expect; what your publisher and publicist will expect in regards to marketing; and how to guarantee your book has an afterlife. The goal for any author is to write a book that hits the back list. Lake will share insider tips on how to make that goal a reality.

Pilar Queen

Regina Brooks

Steve Mettee -- The Holy Grail

Agents and publishers are searching for an author with a platform. Learn how to become that author.

Poetry
Lorraine Healy -- Creating a Poetic Reading List
As poets, we should have other poets’ books and essays permanently close at hand. But how do we find the worthwhile authors that can keep feeding and inspiring us for years to come?

Nancy Pagh -- Creating a First Book of Poems
A conversation about the recursive process of creating a first book of poems, entering the world of publishing and book competitions, and maintaining one’s sense of authority, sanity, and hope.

Gloria Burgess -- The Poet's Voice
As poets, our primary responsibility is to transform experience, to transport our audience in some meaningful way. This chat explores the heart and soul of poetry – choosing the right words, putting them in the right order, and using our voices to bring those words to life in a way that is transformational.

Emerging Writers
William Dietrich -- So You Want to be a Writer, or Don't Quit Your Day Job

Eva Shaw -- Tricks of the Trade: Answers, Solutions and Career-Launching Techniques for Emerging Careers
What is a query? What do editors and agents really do? What kind of writing makes the most money? What should be in your writing tool box? What type of ideas sell? What can a collaborator do? What's an MFA program? Do I need a business license? What’s the difference between an essay and an article? All questions and more will be answered. Participants will go away with information to empower, rekindle or launch any writer's successful future.

Bharti Kirchner -- Write a Personal Essay and Market It
How do you get the idea for a personal essay, develop it, and write it? What makes for an enticing beginning and a successful ending? Are there fiction techniques you can use to make your essay more readable? What are the markets? Learn the art and the business end from a novelist who appears in many anthologies.

Master Classes
Three-hour session limited to 10 people in each class. An opportunity for in-depth review and refinement of your writing.

Screenwriting -- 3-hour master class
Lew Carlino – The Art and Craft of Screenplay
A look at  the mechanics of basic dramatic structure and a discussion of the lesser known but critical issues in creating a screenplay.

Fiction -- 3-hour master class
Wayne Ude -- Point of View
This 3 1/2 hour class will explore, with examples, a number of viewpoints including first person, third person, omniscient, second person, objective, and perhaps stream of consciousness. Come prepared to tackle writing exercises that will explore the changes created when viewpoint shifts.

Nonfiction 3-hour master class
Carol Wissmann -- Profiting from Periodicals
Part I: Twenty-four-thousand publications are published annually – and that's exclusive of the Internet. Opportunities abound targeting a consumer, business, academic, or trade niche. Even with no experience, these publications are often easy to break into and interesting to write for. Learn how to locate and contact the editors who are always looking for good writers.
Part II: Writing assignments are only the first step. Often a quagmire of legal issues can come between you and a byline. Informed writers are forearmed. Know what rights to retain, what fees to charge, how to collect payment, what and when to negotiate, and more.

Presenters and program content subject to change without notice.

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