11 (Warm) Writing Conferences and Workshops in January 2024

We all dream of sunshine during the cold, dark days of winter. Fortunately for writers, there are eleven delightful conferences this January held in places we would rather be. 

If you miss your ideal conference this year, don't worry. Many of these are annual events, and quite a few offer scholarships. (Apply early!) 

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.)

(Image: Key West, Picryl)

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Pacific University Master of Fine Arts in Writing Residency Writers Conference. January 4 - 14, 2024: Seaside, 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. Application deadline: November 21, 2023.

Key West Literary Seminar. January 11–14, 2024: Key West, Florida. Each year, the Key West Literary Seminar explores a particular literary theme. In January 2024, we’ll turn our attention to this weird, wild, always-going-underwater bellwether of a state that (for better and for worse) we call home — FLORIDA.

Winter Poetry & Prose Getaway. January 12 - 15, 2024, Atlantic City, New Jersey. A participant-focused writers’ conference. Advance your craft and energize your writing at the 30th annual Winter Poetry & Prose Getaway. Enjoy challenging and supportive workshops, insightful feedback and an encouraging community. Choose from workshops in poetry, fiction, nonfiction, memoir, songwriting, playwriting and more.

Colrain Classic. January 12 - 15, 2024: Online. "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.

TMW January Jumpstart. January 13 - 14, 2024: Oak Ridge, TN. “We will have a “Meet and Greet” session Friday from 7 p.m. – 8 p.m. Eastern. On Saturday there will be concurrent Poetry and Fiction morning sessions from 9:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. Eastern, and afternoon sessions from 1:30 – 4:30 Eastern." Registration $150. Application deadline December 29.

Eckerd College Writers in Paradise Conference. January 13 -20, 2024, St. Petersburg, FL. Workshops, roundtables, panel discussions, Q&As, readings book signings, and receptions. Emmy-award winning journalist and NYT best-selling author of the memoir, Between Two Kingdoms, Suleika Jaouad, will kick off the week as our Keynote Speaker.

• Luis Alberto Urrea, Pulitzer-prize finalist and “literary badass” (NPR), joins the Workshop Faculty at Writers in Paradise for the first time.
• Newly minted St. Petersburg Poet Laureate and winner of the Poetry Gold Medal Florida Book Awards, Gloria Muñoz, returns to Eckerd College as this year’s Emerging Artist in Poetry.
•  NYT Editor’s Choice and “Best Books to Read in 2023” by Today, author of the short story collection, When Trying to Return Home, Jennifer Maritza McCauley, will read and lecture at Writers in Paradise as this year’s Emerging Artist in Fiction.
• Writers in Paradise welcomes back Poet, Collaborator, Professor and National Book Critics Circle Award Finalist (Blowout), Denise Duhamel, as Faculty to lead the Poetry Workshop.
• Mitchell Kaplan, Founder and Owner of Books & Books, co-founder of the Miami Book Fair, Podcast host of The Literary Life with Mitchell Kaplan, and Producer (The Mazur Kaplan Company), joins the publishing panel at Writers in Paradise.
• International best-selling debut sensation whose short story collection, If I Survive You, who has garnered countless accolades including the PEN/Faulkner Award and National Book Award short lists, Jonathan Escoffery, will close the 2024 conference.

Digital Book World Conference. January 15 - 17, 2024: NYC. This is the premier event for digital publishers and content providers of all sizes and business models. 

Writing By Writers GET THE LEAD OUT! January 19 - 21, 2024: Online. This workshop brings all levels of writers together for a weekend of inspiration, craft and the generation of new work. Faculty: Pam Houston, Keenan Norris and Lidia Yuknavitch. Tuition: $750 includes one three-day workshop, admittance to all craft talks and readings.

St. George Island Writers’ Retreat for Women. Jan 21 - 28, 2024: St. George, FL. Program Focus: Autobiography/Memoir, Fiction. Contact Perky Granger at PersisGranger@aol.com for further information and/or to have a registration form emailed to you.

Sunshine State Book Festival. January 26 - 27, 2024: Gainesville, Florida. "Authors from around Florida and the nation will gather at the Hilton University of Florida Conference Center on January 27th, from 10 am to 5 pm to sell books and talk about their work. Festivities include guest speakers, giveaways, storytelling, and more." Admission is free.

Northeast Texas Writers Organization. January 27, 2024: Mt Pleasant, TX. Children's Book Writing Workshop,