29 Writing Conferences in April 2017

Conferences are not only the best way to meet agents, get tips from other writers, and learn about the publishing industry, they make you feel like a writer. We all need community, and this is how we, as writers, get the necessary incentive to keep writing.

If you miss your perfect conference this year, you may be able to catch it next year. Many conferences are annual occurrences. Planning ahead may also lower the cost, as quite a few conferences offer scholarships and discounts for early bird registrations.

To see a full list of conferences organized by month, as well as links for finding conferences in your area see: Writing Conferences.
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Rananim online classes Courses run for eight weeks from April through May. "Participants receive personalized feedback on assignments from their instructor, as well as responses from classmates on discussion board forums. All instructors are university professors and/or working professional writers, who have experience teaching at the Taos Summer Writers’ Conference. Classes are limited to 15 students who will engage in conversation with you and your work. Firm deadlines and feedback help keep you writing and improving your work throughout the class." International students accepted. Cost: $400 per class.

Rochester Writers' Spring Conference. Apr 1, 2017, Rochester Hills, Michigan. Writing for Children and Young Adults.

Writers' Day. April 1, 2017, Southern New Hampshire University in Manchester, NH. Workshops and seminars led by professional writers, editors, agents, and publishers. The conference includes the option of face-to-face manuscript critiques and agent/publisher one-on-one pitch sessions.

Tennessee Mountain Writers Annual Conference, Apr 6 - 8, 2016, Oak Ridge, TN. Speakers and session leaders include Carol Aebersold, Jessie van Eerden, Beverly Connor, Debbie Dadey, Marianne Worthington, Susan Gregg Gilmore, Victoria Hubbell, Kory Wells, and more!

Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers Retreat. April 6 - 9, 2017, Colorado Springs, CO. An intensive 3-day writing retreat with Susan Spann, Anita Mumm and Susan Brooks.

IBPA Publishing University. April 7-8, 2017, Portland, OR. The Independent Book Publishers Association offers 30+ educational sessions including experiential learning labs, insightful keynotes, a gala book award ceremony, networking events, and so more!Cost: $195-$475.

William Paterson University Spring Writer’s Conference. Wayne, New Jersey, April 8, 2017. Readings and workshops in poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction. The faculty includes poet Rosa Alcalá.

San Antonio Book Festival. April 8, 2017, San Antonio, TX. The San Antonio Book Festival is a FREE, annual, daylong event that unites readers and writers in a celebration of ideas, books, libraries, and literary culture. Featuring more than 80 nationally and regionally acclaimed authors, the Festival offers programming for all ages.

Rally of Writers Conference. April 8, 2017, Lansing, Michigan. Keynote speaker will be Lori Nelson Spielman, international bestselling author of The Life List and Sweet Forgiveness, and 10 Michigan authors and educators in 15 breakout sessions and workshops on all aspects of writing, including poetry, fiction, nonfiction, screenwriting, the Nuts & Bolts of manuscript submissions, and more.

Duck River Writers’ Conference. April 8, 2017, Columbia, Tennessee. Features workshops, craft talks, manuscript consultations, and a featured reading. Workshops are offered for poetry, fiction, and creative works written by teens. Workshop participants must submit manuscripts by March 20 to be considered. Registration: $15 (free for Columbia State students with a valid I.D.) An additional reading fee of $15 is required to attend a workshop.

New York Writers Workshop Fiction Pitch Conference, April 8 – 9, 2017, Ripley-Grier Studios (NY Spaces) 520 Eighth Ave (36th/37th), 16th Fl. Participants polish their pitches with the help of conference leaders who are members of the New York Writers Workshop faculty, then they present them to three different editors from major New York publishing houses. Editors provide feedback and may request proposals and manuscripts after the conference.

New Worlds, New Voices Workshop for Science Fiction and Fantasy. April 12 - 16, Morro Bay, CA. During the course of the conference, writers will hone and improve their writer voice and style by studying and applying an array of narrative, scene, and structure technique, thus enabling them to begin, enhance, and/or reconstruct their work in more powerful and innovative ways. Writing exercises are derived from analysis of a select group of works by both dramatists and authors. Writers are given assignments focusing on aspects of their writing, character and plot development. On days number two and three, the writers return to the workshop to review and discuss assignments as they pertain to their work-in-progress (novel or short fiction). Writers continue to workshop their novel, and all relevant elements, prior to pitching to agents and editors. Writers will focus on pitching their work and getting reactive feedback from agents and editors in attendance, and that includes their workshop leaders. Pitch sessions will take place in private, and in the group, as deemed appropriate by faculty. Cost: $795.00 for five days.

Norwescon, April 13 - 16, 2017, Sea Tac, WA. Norwescon is one of the largest regional Science Fiction and Fantasy conventions in the United States.

Business Writers Conference. April 19 - 21, 2017, Birmingham, Alabama. A conference for professionals who want to publish their idea, concept, or expertise. Speakers, boot camp. break-out sessions, workshops.

Las Vegas Writer’s Conference sponsored by the Henderson Writers’ Group, Sam’s Town Hotel and Gambling Hall, Las Vegas, Nevada. April 20 – 22, 2017. Join writing professionals, agents publishers and marketing experts for a weekend of workshops and enlightening discussions about the publishing industry. A chance to pitch your manuscript and ideas to agents.

Poetry at Round Top Festival. April 21 - 23, 2017. Round Top, Texas. Features readings, lectures, craft talks, panel discussions, and workshops with poets Featuring Vijay Seshadri, Cornelius Eady, Natalie Diaz, Octavio Quintanilla, Wendy Barker, J. Scott Brownlee, Barbara Crooker, Lisa Olstein, Sheila Fiona Black and more.

North Carolina Writers’ Network Spring Conference. April 22, 2017, University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Greensboro, North Carolina. Features intensive workshops in poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction, as well as publisher exhibits, on-site "lunch with an author" readings, and an open mic. Cost: $150 ($99 for members) until April 17 and $165 ($135 for members) thereafter and on-site.

Sign of the Times: An AfroSurreal EcoArts Festival and Conference. April 22, 2017, Oakland, CA. This free event will focus on creating eco-lit (poetry and prose based on the environment) and eco-art using environmental friendly practices. This year's event will take place at ProArts Gallery in Oakland, CA, on April 22 from 1-4 pm.

Spring Big Apple. April 22, 2017, NYC, NY. Offers a session on queries and pitches, a Meet the Agents panel, an opportunity to pitch your project and a writing workshop with poet Myra Shapiro.

The Cambridge Writers’ Workshop Spring in Portland Writing Retreat. April 22 - 24, 2017, Portland, OR. The retreat offers multi-genre workshops, as well as craft seminars and time to write. The faculty includes award-winning writers Adam Reid Sexton, Kerry Cohen, Rita Banerjee, and Diana Norma Szokolyai. Genres include fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. The cost of the retreat is $750, which includes tuition, lodging, and some meals. Register by March 15, 2017.

Travel & Words: Northwest Travel Writers Conference. Apr 23 - 25, 2017, Salem, OR. Workshops, panels, networking and Writer Matchmaking: Writers attending Travel & Words are looking for story ideas and possibly press trips. These “speed dating” sessions connect destination marketers with freelance writers and bloggers on the “Experienced” track.

Mystery Writers of America (MWA) Edgar Week Symposium. Apr 26, 2017, New York City, NY. Panels, discussions. Cost: $95 members, $125 non-members – with a $10 retroactive discount for those who join Mystery Writers of America within 30 days after Symposium.

Arkansas Literary Festival. Apr 27 - 30, 2017, Little Rock, Arkansas. "Prestigious award-winners, screenwriters, comedians, an expert witness, artists, and a Pulitzer Prize-winning poet are among the diverse roster of presenters who will be providing sessions." Free.

The Pikes Peak Writers Conference, April 28 - 30, 2017. Colorado Springs, Colorado. "The three-day conference is full of topical, in-depth workshops, dynamic keynote speakers, opportunities for one-on-one time with agents and editors, the chance to read your work aloud for constructive critique, plus time to socialize with fellow writers."

Monadnock Pastoral Poetry Retreat. Apr 28 - 30, 2017. Greenfield, NH.  Includes workshops, individual conferences, participant & mentor readings; hiking & kayaking (weather permitting). Each workshop uses dual mentors.

Colrain Poetry Manuscript Conference. April 28 to May 1, 2017. Naples, Maine. Features evaluation and discussion of book-length and chapbook-length manuscripts with poets, editors, and publishers. The faculty includes poet-editor-educators Joan Houlihan, Fred Marchant, Stephen Motika and Martha Rhodes. Cost: $1,375, which includes lodging and meals. 

2017 Writing By Writers Manuscript Boot Camp. April 28 - May 1, 2017. Tahoe City, CA. The Writing By Writers Manuscript Boot Camp is for the writer who has a full book-length manuscript (novel, memoir or short story collection) and would like to engage with a small group for a serious and productive response. The long weekend will include an intimate full manuscript workshop, craft talks, readings, an agent panel and individual agent meetings – the perfect pre-publication boot camp for any manuscript. Classes are limited to 5 participants.Tuition includes one three-day workshop, admittance to all craft talks, panels and readings, a one-on-one with an agent, all meals (dinner on Friday; three meals Saturday and Sunday; breakfast, and lunch on Sunday) and lodging in a single room for three nights. Vegetarian meals are available upon request. FULL.

Write Now! Apr 29, 2017, Raleigh NC. One day writing conference hosted by Triangle Association of Freelancers.Sessions include screenwriting, financial tips for writers, pillars of freelance success, copyediting, trade pubs, column writing, publishing tips and more. Cost: $69; $59 for students with ID and seniors 65+; $80 at the door.

Northeast Texas Writers Organization. Apr 29, 2017, Mt. Pleasant, TX. One-day bootcamp.