Dena Reynolds shares:
Online registration is open for the annual James River Writers Conference, scheduled for Oct. 13 – 14, at the Greater Richmond Convention Center.
Now in its 16th year, the conference is one of Virginia’s largest writing conferences. It connects Central Virginia’s growing literary community with nationally recognized authors, editors, agents, bloggers, and others in the publishing world.
More than 300 people attend this multi-day event, known for its inspiring, collegial atmosphere and Southern hospitality.
Since 2003, the James River Writers Conference has attracted New York Times best-selling authors and highly regarded editors and agents from around the country to share their wisdom about writing and publishing. More than 30 national and local authors will speak to attendees this year, including Melissa Febos, prize-winning author of the memoirs Abandon Me and Whip Smart. Poet-entrepreneur Pavana Reddy and award-winning author of progressive middle grade fiction, Alex Gino, will also offer their insight and advice.
“The conference is our signature event and the networking is invaluable,” said Katharine Herndon, Executive Director of James River Writers. “Writers at every stage can benefit. Authors have met their agents, and attendees have found the inspiration to finish their books or pursue other projects. I see exciting connections made each year.”
Richmond author Lana Krumwiede credits the conference with connecting her to an editor at a publishing house that later published four of her books.
“I come away from the conference energized, excited and eager to try new things,” said Krumwiede, who has attended eight conferences. “It’s important as a writer to have support from other writers and James River Writers provides that.”
The two-day conference offers 24 breakout sessions to select from, as well as a character consultation with a real therapist. Session topics include: The Self-Publishing Journey, Bouncing Back from Rejection, From the Page to the Screen, Memorable Memoir, Essay-writing Essentials, Replenishing Your Creativity Took Kit, and more.
A new element of this year’s conference is intensive, hands-on workshops with experts who will provide attendees with new skills, inspiration and concrete takeaways.
“This conference is unique because there are multiple opportunities to get feedback on your project, whether it’s from agents, published authors or experts,” said Herndon. “We’re one of the few conferences in the country that offers agent appointments at no additional charge.”
Conference tickets start at $195 with discount tickets available for students and options for one-day or two-day tickets. Two-hour workshops are also available on Friday, Oct. 12, the day before the conference, for $65 each. Registration is online at jamesriverwriters.org.
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