34 Outstanding Writing Conferences and Workshops in October 2023

This October there are more than two dozen writing conferences and workshops. Some conferences and workshops will be held online, but many will be in-person or hybrid as pandemic restrictions ease. Virtual events still offer everything a writer might want: intensive workshops, pitch sessions with agents, to how to market yourself and your books, discussions - there is something for everyone.

For a full list of conferences held throughout the year see Writing Conferences. Quite a few offer scholarships, so apply early.  

I've included conferences that have early application dates on my list. So, if you have missed a conference that is ideal for you, put the application deadline on your calendar for next year. (Many conferences are annual events.)

(Image: Martha's Vineyard, Flickr)

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Bookgardan: A Year's Sustenance for Women Writers. October 2023 to October 2024. "Bring your book project and your literary practice to full fruition in Bookgardan, a year-long program of sustained, one-on-one mentorship and advanced craft curriculum created by an acclaimed writer, seasoned editor, and devoted & inspiring literary mentor, shared with an intimate cohort of like-minded literary artists. Hone your work-in-progress, develop your technical expertise, and refine your inimitable artistic process over twelve months bookended by two full retreat weeks as fall writers-in-residence at Craigardan, an interdisciplinary mountainside residency program for artists in the majestic Adirondacks of upstate New York. Now enrolling its fifth cohort, Bookgardan is unlike any other writing program, book incubator, or literary mentorship. Designed for women writers with book-length, literary fiction and creative nonfiction projects, created in partnership with a residential artists’ program that fosters collaboration and cross-fertilization among artists, and intentional in its goal of building a lasting, mutually supportive community of women writers, at Bookgardan’s heart is Kate Moses’ passionate dedication to helping other women writers realize their vision for their work, made manifest in the unstinting one-on-one mentorships she forges with each writer and their book." Applications due September 1, 2023. 

Middle Grade Writers: A Generative Retreat Experience. October 1 - 4, 2023: Boyds Mills, PA. OVERVIEW: In-person 4-Day/3-Night Workshop and Retreat To write for children, we need to reconnect with the clever, imaginative, and curious core of our childhood selves. Join celebrated middle-grade authors Erin Entrada Kelly and Laurel Snyder for a four-day retreat focused on generative writing inspired by the sleepaway camps of our youths. 

Crash Course in Children's Publishing. October 4 - December 6, 2023: Boyds Mills, PA. OVERVIEW: Join lead faculty Harold Underdown and special guests for a Crash Course in Children's Publishing. At the end of the course, you will understand how the children’s book publishing industry works, including submitting, publishing, marketing a book for children, teens, or young adults, and beginning ideas about craft and critique. Multi-Week Online Course 10 weeks.

Write on the Sound Writers' Conference and Pre-Conference. Oct 6- 8, 2023: Edmonds, WA. Founded in 1985, Write on the Sound writers’ conference (WOTS) is a small, affordable conference focused on the craft of writing. A variety of sessions, workshops and panel discussions are available for all levels and interests, including valuable information regarding today’s writing and publishing industry. 

James River Writers Conference. October 6 - 8, 2023: Richmond, Virginia. James River Writers is excited to offer both in-person and online elements for our conference this year. Join us for Master Classes online and in-person, on Friday, October 6. Then, join us at the Greater Richmond Convention Center (in Richmond, Virginia) for a full slate of programs focusing on the craft and business of writing. Look forward to lively panel discussions, live critique sessions with literary agents, fun and engaging plenary sessions, and agent one-on-one meetings (standard with your ticket). In addition, we’ve included opportunities for networking and socializing, because community is at the heart of everything we do.

Picture Book Summit. Oct 7, 2023, Online. A one day live event for picture book writers including author keynotes, interviews, workshops and agent & editor panels. Recordings provided for attendees for four months post-conference.

DFW Writers Conference. October 7 - 8, 2023: Fort Worth TX. Featuring pitch sessions with literary agents, advanced classes, engaging panels, interactive workshops.

Larksong's Bootcamp for Poets with Matt Mason. October 7, 14, 21, 28, 2023: Online. "Are you looking to “level up” on your writing? Maybe you’re looking for a workshop of like-minded writers who want to be the best they can be and you want to join them? Maybe you want just enough instruction and guidance on a particular piece of writing to prepare it for the submittal process. If any of that is true, a Larksong Bootcamp workshop is for you. This limited-enrollment workshop is open to a maximum of 10 writers who are committed to improving their own writing and are willing to read and respond to the work of the other writers in the workshop."

Viable Paradise Science Fiction Writers' Workshop. Oct 8 - 13, 2023: Martha’s Vineyard, MA. Viable Paradise is a unique one-week residential workshop in writing and selling commercial science fiction and fantasy. The workshop is intimate, intense, and features extensive time spent with best-selling and award-winning authors and professional editors currently working in the field. VP concentrates on the art of writing fiction people want to read, and this concentration is reflected in post-workshop professional sales by our alumni. Closed. Applications will re-open in January 2024.

Larksong's Bootcamp for Prose Writers. October 9, 16,  30, & November 6, 2023: Lincoln, NE. This Larksong Bootcamp for Prose Writers will be led by Lucy Adkins. It is a limited-enrollment workshop open to a maximum of 6 writers who are committed to improving their own writing and are willing to read and respond to the work of the other writers in the workshop.

Desert Nights, Rising Stars Writers Conference. October 12 - 14, 2023: Tempe, AZ. "The Desert Nights, Rising Stars Writers Conference creates a unique and intimate creative writing experience where writers of all backgrounds, genres, and skill levels gather together and connect through the celebration and study of literary craft, culture, and community. Featuring over 25 faculty members teaching more than 50 sessions, we seek to create a warm and welcoming environment that meets people wherever they are, where writers can learn from and support each other as they work toward their goals. Beyond regular programming, we also feature advanced pre-conference workshops, an exhibitor fair, scholarships, and fellowships. We also offer opportunities to advertise with or sponsor the conference as well."

Storymakers & Indie Author Hub Writing Conference. October 12 - 14, 2023: Blue Springs, MO. "The SMIAH Writers Conference is a writing event sponsored by both the Storymakers Author Guild and Indie Author Hub Guild. This conference is on it's tenth year of inspiring authors from across the country and around the world, giving them the tools they need to take their writing to the next level. The 2021 will continue to bring a unique spin to the traditional writers conference, offering both in-person and virtual attendance options. With a distinctly Indie flavor and all the traditional building blocks, this is the conference you need to step out of the ruts and see your writing and career clearly." 

Ozark Creative Writers Conference. October 12 - 14, 2023: Eureka Springs, Arkansas. Workshops by published authors, editors and agents; Publishers Row, independent publishers available to hear about your next project.

Women Writing the West 2023 Conference. October 12 – 14, 2023: Online. "This Virtual Conference will feature all the Awards, Workshops, Panels, Book Store, Silent Auction and camaraderie that WWW Members and Guests expect." Will be held virtually.

Georgia Romance Writers: Moonlight and Magnolias. October 12 – 14, 2023: Atlanta, Georgia. Includes keynote speakers, workshops, editor/agent appointments, autographing & bookfair, awards banquet.

New York Comicon. October 12 - 15, 2023. "New York Comic Con is your event. Where you can feel unafraid to geek out. Where you’re accepted and embraced for being yourself. Where you can experience the best in pop culture because no matter what fandom you’re passionate about, we have it waiting here for you. Be inspired by award-winning comic artists and Japanese anime creators. Get star struck over your favorite TV and film idols. Treat yourself to exclusive fandom gear and unique artwork. But most importantly, create all of those memories with the people you care about the most. Because this event is for you. To embrace your inner hero or root for the villain. To geek out as a family. To celebrate a weekend together you’ll never forget."

Mayborn Literary Nonfiction Conference. October 13 - 14, 2023: Dallas, Texas. The Mayborn Literary Nonfiction Conference is a forum for journalists, writers, readers, students, educators and the general public to listen to, be inspired by and practice their craft at the highest possible level. Every year, the Mayborn Conference gathers some of the most talented storytellers in the country to share their stories, life-changing experiences and expertise with aspiring writers through three days of lectures, panels, one-on-one sessions, and student classes. In addition, the conference includes a variety of writing contests for anyone from high school students to Pulitzer prize winning professionals, who receive hand-made trophies, more than $26,000 in cash awards and have their work published in Mayborn's journal, Ten Spurs, or anthology, Best American Newspaper Narratives.

Central Coast Writers' Conference. October 14, 2023: San Luis Obispo, CA. "Unlike other Writers' conferences, this year's conference has been expanded to encompass the wider 'Content Creator Community.' Our goal is to amplify the connection of content creators on the Central Coast and beyond including bloggers, podcasters, YouTubers, influencers, authors, narrators, journalists, artists, screenwriters, musicians, and of course - writers of all genres! As the medium for literary work has expanded beyond the book, content creators from all walks of life are encouraged to attend. There will be 16+ expert panels, featuring 50+ experts & thought leaders." 

Green River Writers Workshops: Memoir Writing Workshop. October 13 - 15, 2023: Santa Fe, New Mexico. Using memory as a starting point, Green River Writers Workshops focus on the craft of storytelling through memoir, fiction, historical writing, and poetry. Both experienced and beginning writers are welcome.

Annual Maryland Writer’s Conference. October 14 - 15, 2023: Baltimore, MD. The Brain to Bookshelf Annual Conference offers over 20 workshops and agent panels. Agent pitches and critiques are available, but agent slots are limited, so register early. New York Times Best Selling Author and Educator Maria V. Snyder will begin with keynote craft workshops each day. Day 1: Emotion is NOT a Dirty Word and Day 2: Writing: The Basics and Not so Basics.

Orion: Creative Nonfiction Online Workshop With Elissa Altman. October 17 - December 5, 2023. The Role of Place in Memoir. "In this class, we will breathe life into Susan Sontag’s incantation: love words, agonize over sentences, and pay attention to the world as being foundational to the role of place in memoir and essay, and how our relationship with and to it directly touches the experiences and narratives we create as a reflection of the world around us everywhere from nature to the table. Writers will spend time generating narratives at the intersection of the external and the internal, and how they directly influence each other. We will read short pieces by writers including Kerri Ni Dochartaigh, Ross Gay, Margaret Renkl, Barry Lopez, Robin Wall Kimmerer, and others. The course will primarily be generative." Apply by September 15.

Writing By Writers Workshop Tomales Bay. October 18 - 22, 2023: Tomales Bay, California. Manuscript and poetry workshops are limited to 12 participants and generative workshops are limited to 15 to ensure an intimate setting. 

Colrain Classic. October 20 - 23, 2023: Arlington, Vermont. "The Colrain Manuscript Classic is a highly focused, 3.5 day conference designed for poets with manuscripts in progress. The Classic features in-depth pre-conference work and candid, realistic evaluation and feedback from nationally-known poets, editors and publishers. In preparation, participants work at home on pre-conference assignments and then, in the workshop, review, arrange, and winnow their work based on the pre-conference work. In addition to the manuscript preparation workshop and editor sessions, there will be an editorial Q&A, and an after-conference strategy session." Will be conducted online.

Craft of Writing Conference. October 21, 2023: Glenpool, Oklahoma. The Craft of Writing Conference is focused on learning the skills needed to be an excellent writer. This includes topics such as plot & story structure, character development, conflict & motivation, point of view, editing—facets of the craft. Keynote Speaker; William Bernhardt. 

Annual Florida Writers Conference. October 20 - 22, 2023: Altamonte Springs, Florida. Over 75 workshops, major speakers, agent interviews, professional manuscript critiques, lively social events, and much more.

Youngstown Fall Literary Festival. October 20 - 21, 2023: Youngstown, Ohio. Nearly 150 presenters from throughout the U.S. will present on a wide array of literary topics of interest to readers, writers, translators, educators, editors and publishers.  Saturday, there will be a special track for K-12 language arts educators. The bookfair will include nearly two dozen small presses, booksellers and programs.

Making Magic: Writing and Refining Fantastical and Otherworldly Stories. October 23 - 26, 2023: Boyds Mills, PA. Deepen the magic in your middle grade or young adult novel with novelists Anna-Marie McLemore and Nova Ren Suma.  In this generative writing workshop, you’ll enjoy in-depth craft lectures from experienced faculty authors, small group workshopping, 1:1 faculty consultations, and ample private time to retreat so that you can write, wander, and connect with fellow magic makers.

Orion Nonfiction Workshop with Kerri Ní Dochartaigh. October 23 - November 27, 2023. The course: Writing Through Emergency. "How do we write of this earth? How do we write of this earth in these times? In this writing course you will seek to find ways to write of the natural world— our kith and our ki and our kin alike— in light of the various crises of our age. We will consider what it means to be a human animal living alongside other humans as well as other-than-humans; and how we might give voice to the in-between-ness of our relationships, one with the other. Together we will explore texts that unravel and challenge our views on how we might write the world around us— of which we are but one part. We will look at technique; examine old and new writings of the natural world; consider authorial voice and discuss themes of responsibility, diversity, and the importance of form when it comes to writing through emergency. We will consider the barriers faced by many in trying to share their essential stories. We will spend time with words crafted by displaced peoples; members of the disabled community; writers from a plethora of minoritized backgrounds and those from the LGBTQIA+ community. In giving voice to the experience of living with imposed otherness, these writers give voice to the aching need to move forward as a race from the myth of separation. We will give ourselves space to mold our own words through weekly writing exercises designed for those who feel drawn toward stewardship, kinship, and community, and we will work together on ways to write heartbrokenness and grief, joy and hope; as a means to bridge the gap between fear and action. We are less separate from the other beings of this earth than we have been led to believe.  This course makes room for a new and healing narrative of kinship." Apply by September 15.

Medical Writing and Communication Conference. October 25 - 28, 2023: Baltimore, MD. Workshops in medical writing, designing materials for patients, analysis, clinical reports, and more.

REVISION BOOTCAMP: All-Genre Intensive with Elmaz Abinader and Faith Adiele. October 27 - 28, 2023: Fish Creek, WI. Let’s put your writing through the workout it needs! Elmaz Abinader and Faith Adiele will coach you through editing and revising work of any genre. As multi-genre authors and master teachers, they will take your work through tried-and-true exercises to sculpt and refine your writing. They will help you understand what style of writer you are and which of the five stages of creative work your draft is in. Then they will show you revision strategies for every mode–developmental, stylistic, and structural. Plan to bring a draft manuscript that needs a workout (limited to 10 pages of poetry or 3,000 words of prose) and a laptop. The process will help you explore perspective and point of view, develop and deepen characters, and create contexts and build worlds. You will identify the work’s central questions and emotions, flush out scenes/forms, and harden the structure of your story or poems. You will pump up beginnings and endings and polish your language and metaphors to make your writing more powerful. The two days will be broken into team-taught craft lectures, writing exercises led by each teaching artist, lively Q&A, in-class writing, small group work and shares.

Ossabaw Weekend Writer’s Retreat. October 27 - 29, 2023: Ossabaw Island, GA. Workshops and seminars led by nationally recognized faculty, and evening readings (special emphasis on ghost stories) by faculty and participants. Application deadline: September 15.

The Rochester Writers Fall Conference. October 28, 2023: Rochester, MI. Lectures, Workshops, and Panel Discussions with a focus on nonfiction. Open to new writers, working journalists, and published authors. Professional development to move writers to the next level. 

Craft & Heart of Writing Poetry for Children. October 23 - 26, 2023: Boyds Mills, PA. OVERVIEW: In-person 5-Day/4-Night Workshop and Retreat If writing poetry for children is your passion, join celebrated poets Georgia Heard and Rebecca Kai Dotlich for this 5-day/4-night retreat to work on your own poetry through guided writing exercises, peer workshopping and sharing, lectures, and a private consultation.

Kentucky State Poetry Society. October 28 - 29, 2023: Online. Readings, workshops, panels, and keynote. "The Kentucky State Poetry Society seeks to inspire, encourage, and develop Kentucky’s poets through a wide variety of workshops, lectures, and publishing opportunities. The Kentucky State Poetry Society publishes the biannual literary journal Pegasus, offers a student and adult poetry contest, and hosts an annual poetry conference." Note: Membership not limited to Kentucky residents. Registration: $15. Will be conducted via Zoom.