Cape Cod: Flickr
This August there are two dozen writing conferences and workshops. Some conferences and workshops will be held online, but most will be held in person or use a hybrid format.
These writing events 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. If you miss an application deadline, put it on your calendar for next year. Quite a few conferences offer scholarships, so apply early. Plan ahead!
Be sure to check out Highlights list of workshops. They offer many throughout the year.
_____________________
Mendocino Coast Writers Conference. August 1 - 3, 2024: Mendocino, California. The conference features workshops for poets, fiction writers, and creative nonfiction writers, as well as craft seminars, panels, one-on-one manuscript consultations, and open mics. The faculty includes poet Douglas Manuel; poet and nonfiction writer Jane Wong; fiction writers Nic Anstett, Francesca Lia Block, Kate Folk, Gene Kwak, and Lio Min; fiction and nonfiction writer Henry Hoke; and nonfiction writers Jessica Ferri and Angela Garbes. Fiction writer Rachel Kushner will deliver the keynote address. Participating publishing professionals include agent Sarah Bowlin (Aevitas Creative Management) and editor Alyssa Ogi (Tin House). The registration fee is $875 and includes morning workshops, all afternoon events, and breakfast and lunch each day. One-on-one manuscript consultations are available for an additional $60. Lodging is available at a wide range of accommodations on the Mendocino Coast, including oceanfront inns, campgrounds, glamping facilities, and motels. The registration deadline is June 30. (If you missed the deadline, put this on your calendar for next year.)
The Writers Studio is sponsored by the UCLA Extension Writers’ Program. August 1 - 4, 2024: Westwood Village, CA. The conference offers workshops in fiction and creative nonfiction, as well as writing for television and film. Offered by the UCLA Extension Writers’ Program, the Writers Studio brings together a community of writing students to workshop with some of Southern California’s most accomplished writers and teachers. From among the 10 offered, participants choose one workshop in which they work closely with a professional writer in classes limited to no more than 15 people.
Cape Cod Writers Center Conference. August 1 - 4, 2024: Hyannis, Massachusetts. Supporting published and aspiring writers. Featuring distinguished authors, editors and agents in workshops on fiction, nonfiction, screenwriting, poetry, mysteries and thrillers, social media, promotion and more!
IWWG Summer Writers Conference. August 1 - 5, 2024: Bristol, RI. Writing Together, IWWG’s 2024 Summer Conference, will take place August 1-5 on the beautiful, seaside campus of Roger Williams University in Bristol, Rhode Island. Join us for this once-a-year immersive weekend; experience Community, Connection, and Creativity in the company of women Writing Together.
First Friday Book Talk & Reading Series. August 2, 2024: Online. "Meet Anna Monardo, author of "After Italy: A Family Memoir of Arranged Marriage." It is the story of two marriages undone by a dowry and the fallout from that rift on three generations of a Southern Italian family. Enlisting Calabrian folklore, epigenetics, and psychology, Anna Monardo charts her grandfathers’ immigration to a Pittsburgh steel town; her father’s wartime as a medical student in Naples; the family’s marriages—including her own—that were tainted by an Old World curse; and an unlikely path to international adoption." Online event.
Florida Authors and Publishers Association Annual Conference. August 2 - 3, 2024: Orlando, Florida. "Six (6) optional small-group workshops are being scheduled, offering attendees options a more intimate setting to learn about specific topics related to the publishing industry. These focused workshops will be offered a la carte and are scheduled so that you may register for up to three (3)."
Into the Springs Writers Workshop. August 2 - 4, 2024: Yellow Springs, OH. Into the Springs is a full weekend of shared sessions, events and lunch, making your interaction with featured guest instructors and writer participants easily accessible. Currently, our featured guest instructors include author, journalist Andrew Welsh-Huggins; author, publisher Jeffrey Marks; and the Ohio Audiobook Narrators.
Society of Children's Book Writers & Illustrators Annual Conference. August 2 - 4, 2024: Via Zoom. More than 100 writers, editors, illustrators, & agents. Workshops, breakout sessions, manuscript and portfolio consultations, panels, discussions. Will be held online.
Vermont College of Fine Arts Postgraduate Writers’ Conference. August 3 - 9, 2024: Montpelier, Vermont. The conference is designed for writers with graduate degrees or equivalent experience. Workshops in poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction, as well as readings, craft classes, and individual consultations with faculty members. "At the heart of the Postgraduate Writers' Conference's unique model is the small workshop size, with groups led by acclaimed faculty limited to five or six writers. The intimate format allows for an extraordinarily in-depth, far-reaching discussion of participants’ work. Beyond the daily group sessions, each member has an individual consultation with the workshop instructor. The schedule also features a rich menu of readings by faculty and participants, craft talks, generative writing sessions and social events that galvanize our vibrant, inclusive community."
Frost Place Poetry Seminar. August 4 - 8, 2024. The Seminar schedule features a daily presentation/discussion exploring aspects of craft and technique, an afternoon workshop of participants’ poems or individual, virtual meetings with faculty, and an evening reading, some by faculty poets and others featuring participants. The application deadline is July 1, 2024. Will be held online. (If you missed the deadline, put this on your calendar for next year)
Neurodiverse Writers and Illustrators: An In-Community Retreat for Storytellers. August 8 - 11, 2024: Boyds Mills, PA. Join us for an in-community retreat tailored for neurodivergent writers and illustrators, where you can fully embrace your perspectives and talents in a welcoming and inclusive environment.
Travel Writers & Photographers Conference. August 8 – 11, 2024: Corte Madera, Calif. Writing and photography workshops in the morning, a full afternoon of panels and discussions, and evening faculty presentations. There are optional, working field trips to explore the resources of the Bay Area. The faculty includes publishers, magazine editors, photographers, travel essayists, food writers, restaurateurs, guidebook writers, and more.
The Language of Smell: A Generative Writing Workshop. August 10, 2024: Lincoln, NE. This generative workshop will focus on the power of smell and sense memory in writing practice. Participants will have a chance to produce their own writing using guided prompts, as well as learn and discuss what makes smell such a sharply evocative and emotional sense memory. We will also briefly explore the world of niche perfumery in order to practice our skills of descriptive scent-based writing using provided fragrance samples.
Elk River Writers Workshop. August 11 - 16, 2024: Chico Hot Springs, MT. The Elk River Writers Workshop embodies the idea that deep, communal experiences with the wild open the door to creativity. We bring together some of the most celebrated nature writers in the United States with students who are serious about fostering a connection with the environment in their writing. It all happens at Chico Hot Springs, a historic retreat just north of Yellowstone National Park.
Murphy Writing of Stockton University: Live Free and Write. August 11 - 16, 2024: Sunapee, NH. "Combine an extended writing retreat with a relaxing summer vacation in the picturesque mountains of New Hampshire. This getaway blends our trademark challenging and supportive workshop experience with plenty of free time for you to write and bask in the refreshing New England summer."
Whole Novel Workshop: An In-Person Retreat for Novelists. August 14 - 19, 2024: Boyds Mills, PA. This intensive, transformative Whole Novel Workshop offers writers the rare opportunity to have the entire draft (up to 80,000 words) of a novel read by faculty, with detailed written feedback and two private consultations provided. Attention in an intimate setting makes this program one that guarantees significant progress in preparation for submission. Apply by May 15. (If you missed the deadline, put this on your calendar for next year)
Bread Loaf Writers' Conference. August 14 - 24, 2024: Ripton, VT. Workshops in fiction, poetry, and nonfiction are at the core of the conference. Each faculty member conducts a workshop that meets for five two-hour sessions over the course of the 10 days. Groups are kept small to facilitate discussion, and all participants meet individually with their faculty leaders to elaborate on workshop comments. Faculty members also offer lectures on issues around literary writing and one-hour classes on specific aspects of the craft. Readings by the faculty, conference participants, and guests take place throughout the day and into the night. Participants meet with visiting editors, literary agents, and publishers who provide information and answer questions, individually or in small groups.
Poetry at the Frost Farm. August 16 - 18, 2024: Derry, New Hampshire. The retreat offers workshops, readings, and one-on-one consultations for formalist poets. "Join a small community of people at the historic Robert Frost Farm learning, reading and writing formal poetry with contemporary award-winning poets. Choose your focus from a series of offerings designed to provide tools for beginning poets as well as perfect the mastery of published poets."
Native Creatives: An In-Community Retreat. August 21 - 25, 2024: Boyds Mills, PA. Immerse yourself in a supportive space that honors the diverse voices and storytelling traditions of Indigenous peoples, fostering an environment that strengthens the bonds of community and heritage through the power of storytelling.
Killer Nashville Writers’ Conference. August 22 - 25, 2024: Nashville, TN. The Killer Nashville International Writers’ Conference was created in 2006 by author/filmmaker Clay Stafford in an effort to bring together forensic experts, writers, and fans of crime and thriller literature. "At the conference, we try diligently to ensure that the weekend has something for every writer and lover of literature, and our sessions are structured to assist writers on multiple career levels. Our learning tracks tackle the craft of writing, business of writing, marketing, and forensics. Killer Nashville features nine breakout sessions for intense smaller group interaction, an authors’ bar (free for hotel guests), a moonshine and wine tasting, free agent/editor roundtable pitch sessions, a mock crime scene designed by special agents and other law enforcement professionals, cocktail receptions, the Guest of Honor Dinner and Awards Banquet, film previews, live music performances and—of course—all the great activities one can enjoy in downtown Nashville."
Bear River Writers’ Conference. August 29 - September 2, 2024: Camp Michigania on Walloon Lake, near Petoskey, Michigan. Workshops in poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction, as well as readings, discussions, nature walks, and time to write.
DragonCon. August 29 - September 2, 2024: Atlanta, Ga. HUGE sci-fi event, with parade, autograph sessions, live performances, readings, wrestling (!), workshops on belly dancing, writing (yes, there's even some writing), art show. (This conference sounds really wild.)
WriterCon. August 30 - September 2, 2024: Waterford, Oklahoma. The annual WriterCon Conference is three days of 60+ speakers providing more than 80 sessions designed to cover all genres and all aspects of the writing experience: skills, industry knowledge, opportunities, networking, pitching, contests, opportunities to meet with writers privately, to obtain manuscript reviews or private consultations, and much more.
The Gathering. August 31 - September 2, 2024. Workshops in poetry as well as readings. 2-hour Workshops & Readings Friday night, Saturday , and Sunday. Participant Open Mics Friday and Saturday night. Will be held on Zoom.
These writing events 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. If you miss an application deadline, put it on your calendar for next year. Quite a few conferences offer scholarships, so apply early. Plan ahead!
Be sure to check out Highlights list of workshops. They offer many throughout the year.
_____________________
Mendocino Coast Writers Conference. August 1 - 3, 2024: Mendocino, California. The conference features workshops for poets, fiction writers, and creative nonfiction writers, as well as craft seminars, panels, one-on-one manuscript consultations, and open mics. The faculty includes poet Douglas Manuel; poet and nonfiction writer Jane Wong; fiction writers Nic Anstett, Francesca Lia Block, Kate Folk, Gene Kwak, and Lio Min; fiction and nonfiction writer Henry Hoke; and nonfiction writers Jessica Ferri and Angela Garbes. Fiction writer Rachel Kushner will deliver the keynote address. Participating publishing professionals include agent Sarah Bowlin (Aevitas Creative Management) and editor Alyssa Ogi (Tin House). The registration fee is $875 and includes morning workshops, all afternoon events, and breakfast and lunch each day. One-on-one manuscript consultations are available for an additional $60. Lodging is available at a wide range of accommodations on the Mendocino Coast, including oceanfront inns, campgrounds, glamping facilities, and motels. The registration deadline is June 30. (If you missed the deadline, put this on your calendar for next year.)
The Writers Studio is sponsored by the UCLA Extension Writers’ Program. August 1 - 4, 2024: Westwood Village, CA. The conference offers workshops in fiction and creative nonfiction, as well as writing for television and film. Offered by the UCLA Extension Writers’ Program, the Writers Studio brings together a community of writing students to workshop with some of Southern California’s most accomplished writers and teachers. From among the 10 offered, participants choose one workshop in which they work closely with a professional writer in classes limited to no more than 15 people.
Cape Cod Writers Center Conference. August 1 - 4, 2024: Hyannis, Massachusetts. Supporting published and aspiring writers. Featuring distinguished authors, editors and agents in workshops on fiction, nonfiction, screenwriting, poetry, mysteries and thrillers, social media, promotion and more!
IWWG Summer Writers Conference. August 1 - 5, 2024: Bristol, RI. Writing Together, IWWG’s 2024 Summer Conference, will take place August 1-5 on the beautiful, seaside campus of Roger Williams University in Bristol, Rhode Island. Join us for this once-a-year immersive weekend; experience Community, Connection, and Creativity in the company of women Writing Together.
First Friday Book Talk & Reading Series. August 2, 2024: Online. "Meet Anna Monardo, author of "After Italy: A Family Memoir of Arranged Marriage." It is the story of two marriages undone by a dowry and the fallout from that rift on three generations of a Southern Italian family. Enlisting Calabrian folklore, epigenetics, and psychology, Anna Monardo charts her grandfathers’ immigration to a Pittsburgh steel town; her father’s wartime as a medical student in Naples; the family’s marriages—including her own—that were tainted by an Old World curse; and an unlikely path to international adoption." Online event.
Florida Authors and Publishers Association Annual Conference. August 2 - 3, 2024: Orlando, Florida. "Six (6) optional small-group workshops are being scheduled, offering attendees options a more intimate setting to learn about specific topics related to the publishing industry. These focused workshops will be offered a la carte and are scheduled so that you may register for up to three (3)."
Into the Springs Writers Workshop. August 2 - 4, 2024: Yellow Springs, OH. Into the Springs is a full weekend of shared sessions, events and lunch, making your interaction with featured guest instructors and writer participants easily accessible. Currently, our featured guest instructors include author, journalist Andrew Welsh-Huggins; author, publisher Jeffrey Marks; and the Ohio Audiobook Narrators.
Society of Children's Book Writers & Illustrators Annual Conference. August 2 - 4, 2024: Via Zoom. More than 100 writers, editors, illustrators, & agents. Workshops, breakout sessions, manuscript and portfolio consultations, panels, discussions. Will be held online.
Vermont College of Fine Arts Postgraduate Writers’ Conference. August 3 - 9, 2024: Montpelier, Vermont. The conference is designed for writers with graduate degrees or equivalent experience. Workshops in poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction, as well as readings, craft classes, and individual consultations with faculty members. "At the heart of the Postgraduate Writers' Conference's unique model is the small workshop size, with groups led by acclaimed faculty limited to five or six writers. The intimate format allows for an extraordinarily in-depth, far-reaching discussion of participants’ work. Beyond the daily group sessions, each member has an individual consultation with the workshop instructor. The schedule also features a rich menu of readings by faculty and participants, craft talks, generative writing sessions and social events that galvanize our vibrant, inclusive community."
Frost Place Poetry Seminar. August 4 - 8, 2024. The Seminar schedule features a daily presentation/discussion exploring aspects of craft and technique, an afternoon workshop of participants’ poems or individual, virtual meetings with faculty, and an evening reading, some by faculty poets and others featuring participants. The application deadline is July 1, 2024. Will be held online. (If you missed the deadline, put this on your calendar for next year)
Neurodiverse Writers and Illustrators: An In-Community Retreat for Storytellers. August 8 - 11, 2024: Boyds Mills, PA. Join us for an in-community retreat tailored for neurodivergent writers and illustrators, where you can fully embrace your perspectives and talents in a welcoming and inclusive environment.
Travel Writers & Photographers Conference. August 8 – 11, 2024: Corte Madera, Calif. Writing and photography workshops in the morning, a full afternoon of panels and discussions, and evening faculty presentations. There are optional, working field trips to explore the resources of the Bay Area. The faculty includes publishers, magazine editors, photographers, travel essayists, food writers, restaurateurs, guidebook writers, and more.
The Language of Smell: A Generative Writing Workshop. August 10, 2024: Lincoln, NE. This generative workshop will focus on the power of smell and sense memory in writing practice. Participants will have a chance to produce their own writing using guided prompts, as well as learn and discuss what makes smell such a sharply evocative and emotional sense memory. We will also briefly explore the world of niche perfumery in order to practice our skills of descriptive scent-based writing using provided fragrance samples.
Elk River Writers Workshop. August 11 - 16, 2024: Chico Hot Springs, MT. The Elk River Writers Workshop embodies the idea that deep, communal experiences with the wild open the door to creativity. We bring together some of the most celebrated nature writers in the United States with students who are serious about fostering a connection with the environment in their writing. It all happens at Chico Hot Springs, a historic retreat just north of Yellowstone National Park.
Murphy Writing of Stockton University: Live Free and Write. August 11 - 16, 2024: Sunapee, NH. "Combine an extended writing retreat with a relaxing summer vacation in the picturesque mountains of New Hampshire. This getaway blends our trademark challenging and supportive workshop experience with plenty of free time for you to write and bask in the refreshing New England summer."
Whole Novel Workshop: An In-Person Retreat for Novelists. August 14 - 19, 2024: Boyds Mills, PA. This intensive, transformative Whole Novel Workshop offers writers the rare opportunity to have the entire draft (up to 80,000 words) of a novel read by faculty, with detailed written feedback and two private consultations provided. Attention in an intimate setting makes this program one that guarantees significant progress in preparation for submission. Apply by May 15. (If you missed the deadline, put this on your calendar for next year)
Bread Loaf Writers' Conference. August 14 - 24, 2024: Ripton, VT. Workshops in fiction, poetry, and nonfiction are at the core of the conference. Each faculty member conducts a workshop that meets for five two-hour sessions over the course of the 10 days. Groups are kept small to facilitate discussion, and all participants meet individually with their faculty leaders to elaborate on workshop comments. Faculty members also offer lectures on issues around literary writing and one-hour classes on specific aspects of the craft. Readings by the faculty, conference participants, and guests take place throughout the day and into the night. Participants meet with visiting editors, literary agents, and publishers who provide information and answer questions, individually or in small groups.
Poetry at the Frost Farm. August 16 - 18, 2024: Derry, New Hampshire. The retreat offers workshops, readings, and one-on-one consultations for formalist poets. "Join a small community of people at the historic Robert Frost Farm learning, reading and writing formal poetry with contemporary award-winning poets. Choose your focus from a series of offerings designed to provide tools for beginning poets as well as perfect the mastery of published poets."
Native Creatives: An In-Community Retreat. August 21 - 25, 2024: Boyds Mills, PA. Immerse yourself in a supportive space that honors the diverse voices and storytelling traditions of Indigenous peoples, fostering an environment that strengthens the bonds of community and heritage through the power of storytelling.
Killer Nashville Writers’ Conference. August 22 - 25, 2024: Nashville, TN. The Killer Nashville International Writers’ Conference was created in 2006 by author/filmmaker Clay Stafford in an effort to bring together forensic experts, writers, and fans of crime and thriller literature. "At the conference, we try diligently to ensure that the weekend has something for every writer and lover of literature, and our sessions are structured to assist writers on multiple career levels. Our learning tracks tackle the craft of writing, business of writing, marketing, and forensics. Killer Nashville features nine breakout sessions for intense smaller group interaction, an authors’ bar (free for hotel guests), a moonshine and wine tasting, free agent/editor roundtable pitch sessions, a mock crime scene designed by special agents and other law enforcement professionals, cocktail receptions, the Guest of Honor Dinner and Awards Banquet, film previews, live music performances and—of course—all the great activities one can enjoy in downtown Nashville."
Bear River Writers’ Conference. August 29 - September 2, 2024: Camp Michigania on Walloon Lake, near Petoskey, Michigan. Workshops in poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction, as well as readings, discussions, nature walks, and time to write.
DragonCon. August 29 - September 2, 2024: Atlanta, Ga. HUGE sci-fi event, with parade, autograph sessions, live performances, readings, wrestling (!), workshops on belly dancing, writing (yes, there's even some writing), art show. (This conference sounds really wild.)
WriterCon. August 30 - September 2, 2024: Waterford, Oklahoma. The annual WriterCon Conference is three days of 60+ speakers providing more than 80 sessions designed to cover all genres and all aspects of the writing experience: skills, industry knowledge, opportunities, networking, pitching, contests, opportunities to meet with writers privately, to obtain manuscript reviews or private consultations, and much more.
The Gathering. August 31 - September 2, 2024. Workshops in poetry as well as readings. 2-hour Workshops & Readings Friday night, Saturday , and Sunday. Participant Open Mics Friday and Saturday night. Will be held on Zoom.
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