10 (Warm) Writing Conferences in January 2020

Baby, it's cold outside! Wouldn't you rather be on a beach? Luckily, writing conferences in January tend to be held in warm places - like Key West, Palm Beach, Tampa, and Hawaii. Even if you can't make it to one of these conferences, you can dream!

I can't stress enough that conferences are the best way to find an agent, hobnob with editors and other industry professionals, and meet fellow writers. Whether you write fiction or nonfiction, conferences are career starters.

For a month-by-month list of conferences throughout the year see: Writing Conferences. (You will also find links to resources that can help you find conferences in your area on that page.)

____________________


Key West Literary Seminar. January 9 - 12, 2020 (seminar) and January 13 - 17, 2020 (workshop), Key West, Florida. The seminar offers readings, lectures, and conversations with poets, fiction writers, and nonfiction writers on the topic of "Sports in Literature." The island nations of the Caribbean have produced some of the most powerful and exciting writers of our time. For the 36th annual Key West Literary Seminar, we look across the waves to the vital literature that has emerged from this region. In bringing these writers together in Key West, we seek to both celebrate and transcend geography, in pursuit of the stories that hold us together.

Creative Nonfiction Writers Conference. January 9 - 12, 2020: Southampton, Long Island. "Join award-winning authors, editors, agents and marketing experts for a three day intensive writing conference focused on both the craft and the business of writing essays, biography, memoir, and narrative nonfiction. Develop both your skills and your creative marketing savvy in this focused and small conference, the only one of its kind in the country. The Creative Nonfiction Writers Conference accepts just 16 writers." CLOSED BUT CHECK FOR CANCELLATIONS.

Pacific University Master of Fine Arts in Writing Residency Writers Conference. January 9 - 19, 2020: Forest Grove, Oregon. Writers seeking to deepen their craft and expand their professional community are invited to attend the Residency Writers Conference together with MFA students, faculty and guest speakers. Join us for 10 full days of craft talks, workshops, panels, classes, readings and more featuring some of the best minds of the literary world. This residency is a rare opportunity to engage in sustained and meaningful conversation with others who share your passion for the art of writing.

TMW January Jumpstart XX. Jan 10 - 12, 2020, Oak Ridge, TN. Parallel sessions of workshops on fiction, poetry, nonfiction, writing for young people, editing, storytelling, self publishing, oral history, keeping series books fresh; panel discussions/readings; Saturday banquet. Charles Dodd White will lead Fiction; Bill Brown will lead Poetry.

Winter Poetry & Prose Getaway. January 17 - 20, 2020, Atlantic City, New Jersey. Workshops in poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction, as well as craft talks, one-on-one tutorials, featured readings, and open mics. Tuition, which includes some meals, ranges from $490 to $690, depending on the workshop; lodging is not included.

Eckerd College Writers’ Conference. January 18 - 25, 2020, St. Petersburg, FL. Workshops, roundtables, panel discussions, Q&As, readings book signings, and receptions. The faculty includes poets Billy Collins, Gregory Pardlo; fiction writers Michael Koryta, John Dufresne; creative nonfiction writers Stephanie Elizondo Griest and Dani Shapiro; editor George Gibson (Grove/Atlantic); and agent Ann Rittenberg (Ann Rittenberg Lit Agency) and many more.

Palm Beach Poetry Festival. January 20 - 25, 2020, Delray Beach, Florida. The festival features workshops, readings, craft talks, manuscript consultations, panel discussions, and social events for poets. The faculty includes poets Laure-Anne Bosselaar, Nickole Brown, Reginald Gibbons, Jessica Jacobs, Major Jackson, Ilya Kaminsky, Dana Levin, Adrian Matejka, and Maggie Smith. The special poetry guests are Joy Harjo and Patricia Smith. The cost of tuition is $950 for workshop participants and $550 for auditors. One-on-one manuscript consultations with Lorna Knowles Blake, Sally Bliumis-Dunn, or Angela Narciso Torres are available for an additional $99. Using only the online application system, submit three poems of up to six pages with a $25 application fee by November 10.

Kaua’i Writers’ Retreat. January 26 - February 1, 2020: Kaua'i, Hawaii. Live and write among the plumeria, hibiscus, and beauty of Po’ipū, Kaua’i. Once you arrive on-island, each day is designed to provide inspirational, intensive craft instruction in the morning, followed by afternoons to read, write, explore, and enjoy the island, and evening gatherings to attend as you see fit. All residency events are optional: your time is your own, to read, write, revise, and be.

Breakout Novel Boni Graduate Learning Retreat. January 27 - February 2, 2020: Tampa, Florida. An intensive week of critiques, one-on-one sessions, query clinics, brainstorming and writing. Limited to 16 students. Sold out, but check waiting list.