Conference Registration Now Open!
What's New at the Willamette Writers Conference
This year, we are Celebrating Diverse Voices with thee full days of classes, workshops, keynotes, and events. We invite you to join us for a weekend of community as you develop your craft and expand your career on August 3rd-5th in Portland, Oregon at the Airport Sheraton Hotel. This year, we are even offering a very special, limited offering of Master Classes with industry professionals. Find out what is in store at this year's Willamette Writers Conference. We can't wait to see you in August.
Kay Snow Contest Open
Our Kay Snow Writing Contest Is Open for Submissions Through May 31!
Winning entries in category of fiction, nonfiction, YA/MG, poetry, screenplay, college students, and grade divisions 1-5, 6-8, and 9-12 are awarded:
First prize: $100 and one day admission to the Willamette Writers Conference.
Second prize: $25 and one day admission to the Willamette Writers Conference.
Third prize: $50 award and certificate.
Submit to Kay Snow today!
2018 Award Winners
Congratulations Willamette Writers 2018 Annual Award Winners!
We are pleased to congratulate our esteemed Willamette Writers 2018 Award winners:
Chelsea Cain: Distinguished Northwest Writer
Gayle Brandeis: Multi-Genre Maverick
Ellen Urbani: New and Notable
Congratulations, Chelsea Cain, Gayle Brandeis, and Ellen Urbani! Please join us at the 2018 Willamette Writers Conference to celebrate these amazing writers -- for their work, their wisdom, and their contributions to the craft.
Member News
Member News: Paul Fattig Published MADSTONE
“Madstone,” a true tale about two World War I and conscientious objectors who retreated to the southwest Oregon mountains to avoid the military draft, has just been published by Hellgate Press of Ashland. Written by Paul Fattig, a retired journalist, the book captures the trials and tribulations faced by the two men and brings to…
Member News: Cynthia Pappas Published homespun
Cynthia Pappas has published “homespun”, a collection of essays about the simple fabric of life, including gardening, parenting, sewing, empty-nesting, friendship and learning to farm. “Pappas’ stories will warm your heart… make you laugh and cry, and leave you wondering how one person can have the zest and courage to delve so deeply into so…
Member News: Sharleen Nelson Published THE TIME TOURISTS
The Time Tourists, a new novel by Sharleen Nelson, is a rollicking adventure featuring a strong female heroine with a very special ability–she can travel into photos from the past! Follow her as she bops around time solving hippie-era mysteries, flirts in the button-up turn-of-the-century (not the recent one), and juggles a boyfriend, cat, and…
Member News: Crooked Grow the Trees by Carmel Hanes
Carmel Hanes announces the release of Crooked Grow the Trees. Congratulations, Carmel! Here is the announcement: • Mass shootings • Prisons and detention centers at capacity • Students expelled in elementary school • Adults polarized in contentious ideological debates How did we get here? As a school psychologist I worked for over thirty years in…
Member News: DEBRIEFING THE DEAD by Kerry Blaisdell Released
DEBRIEFING THE DEAD by Kerry Blaisdell Available May 7, 2018 from The Wild Rose Press (bit.ly/DebriefingTheDead)! “Hyacinth Finch has got one foot in the grave, the other kicking ass.” The Dead Series Book 1 The only thing Hyacinth wants is her life back. Literally. She and her sister were murdered by Demons, leaving her young…
Member News: Philip Kenney releases new book
Portland Psychotherapist and Author Philip Kenney announces the release of The Writer’s Crucible: Meditations on: Emotion, Being and Creativity Congratulations to Philip Kenney on the release of his new book. Here is his announcement: Flannery O’Connor once said, “Writing a novel is a terrible experience, during which the hair often falls out and the teeth…
Member News: Leonide Martin reading at Another Read Through
Another Read Through Hosts Leonide Martin Leonide Martin trained with Mayan elders and did field work to write historical fiction about powerful Mayan women. Visiting the Red Queen’s tomb inspired this remarkable woman’s story. “The Mayan Red Queen” publishes on March 1, 2018. Leonide will be at Another Read Through, 3932 N. Mississippi Ave.…
Member News: Michael Niemann New Book Released
UN fraud investigator Valentin Vermeulen is on assignment in Maputo, Mozambique. His ho-hum task is to see if Global Alternatives is spending UN money the way they promised. The nonprofit was set up by hedge fund mogul Vincent Portallis to revolutionize development aid. The only upside for Vermeulen is the prospect of seeing his lover…
Member News: Hillary Tiefer to be published
Member News: Nancy Lane story chosen for anthology
Congratulations, Nancy Lane of Beaverton, who joins 53 other short story writers from around the world in the recently published anthology, “The Best of Fiction on the Web.” Nancy’s story, “The Bird on Silver Strand,” set in the early days of the movie industry, assembles a cast of hopefuls and pretenders to celebrate July Fourth…
On Writing from Willamette Writers
What Agents Want – Tips from Meeting with Literary Agent Laura Bradford
At the April 4 Willamette Writers meeting, attendees got to hear from Laura Bradford, founder of Bradford Literary Agency, about what agents look for in writers. Here are some key takeaways from the presentation. Are You Someone Agents Want to…
Turn Bad Writing Days into Good Ones
The November 7th meeting of Willamette Writers brought William Kenower, teacher of the Fearless Writing Series, to the Old Church to share his perspectives for building up a strong writing life while keeping the topics that interest and engage us…
C. Lill Ahrens’ Tighty Writey Game
by C. Lill Ahrens The old saying, “Can’t see the forest for the trees” can be a metaphor for wordy writing. Too many extra words obscure the view of your story. In contrast to “cutting,” (the deletion of an entire…
Author Marketing – Notes from WW Portland Meeting with Tex Thompson
The June 6th Willamette Writers meeting was a wonderful time to be in community with one of my very favorite presenters from last year’s conference, Tex Thompson. The presentation focused on how writers can promote and market themselves, a topic…
Why Characters Do What They Do – Notes from WW Portland Meeting with Jessica Morrell
This contributed piece brings notes from Willamette Writers Portland’s April 4th, 2017 Meeting with author and editor Jessica Morrell by member Amy Foster Myer. Enjoy! Having seen Jessica Morell present at the 2016 Willamette Writers Conference, I can tell you she…
Ellen Urbani’s Tips for a Successful Author Reading
Today, we’re bringing you a post from Ellen Urbani who was our closing keynote at the 2016 Willamette Writers Conference. In 2015, Ellen Urbani toured the South with her novel Landfall (Forest Avenue Press, 2015). The tour brought in overflow crowds and pushed Landfall up on…
Join a Meeting or a Workshop Near You
All Writers Welcome! Members & Full-Time Students Attend for Free!
Central Point: Monthly Meeting
YWW Central Point: Fandom with Debby Dodds
Eugene: Mid-Valley Chapter Workshop
Portland: Interview with Author Laini Taylor
YWW Finishes the Year
Eugene: Mid-Valley Chapter Meeting
Timberline Review at Broadway Books
Newport: Oregon Coast Chapter Meeting
Our News
What’s New at the Willamette Writers Conference
Welcome to our 2018 Conference! It’s my great pleasure to be once again organizing the herculean effort that is the Willamette Writers Conference. This year, our theme for The Best Three Days in Writing is “Celebrating Diverse Voices in Writing.” The whole team is really looking forward to what we’ve got in store for you…
Willamette Writers is Sponsoring Write to Publish
We are delighted to contribute to this year’s Write to Publish conference with Ooligan Press to help writers, agents, and publishers alike get more familiar the ins and outs of the industry! What: A one-day conference demystifying the publishing industry When: April 21, 2018 9:00 am – 6:00 pm Where: George C. Hoffmann Hall 1833…
Randall Jahnson and FiLMLaB Screenwriting Workshop
Screenwriting Workshop Willamette Writers and FiLMLaB invite you to join us for an online screenwriting workshop with Randall Jahnson. Details Date: Saturday, April 21st Time: 12-2PM Cost: Free Open to the public This is an online workshop Click here to register. About Randall Jahnson Randall Jahnson has written more than 20 feature-length screenplays. Not all…
Help Support Young Writers
What a wonderful year. We started out with our chapter meetings across the state, joined together at our annual conference, and finished the year with a closer — and much larger — community of support and friendship. Every day, Willamette Writers members are developing their craft and expanding their careers. Today, we ask you to…
Share your Thanksgiving stories with us!
Happy Thanksgiving, Willamette Writers! Every year, we gather around the dining room table to eat delicious food and share stories with our family and friends. These stories matter; they sustain us when we are apart and connect us to each other across the miles. Today, let’s share our stories of joy and thankfulness. Let’s move…
FiLMLaB Adds Showrunner for its Web Series Project: FiLMLaB.tv
Willamette Writers and FiLMLaB are thrilled to announce that veteran network television writer and producer F.J. Pratt has agreed to helm this year’s program, an Episodic Storytelling LaB: FiLMLaB.tv! About FiLMLaB.tv Showrunner F.J. Pratt F.J. Pratt has been a television comedy writer for twenty-five years, starting on the writing staff for network shows including “Frasier,”…
Willamette Writers at Wordstock this weekend with David D. Levine
Willamette Writers Celebrate Wordstock with David D. Levine! Thousands of book lovers are expected to fill Portland’s park blocks for this year’s Wordstock: Portland’s Book Festival on November 11th at the Portland Art Museum. They will revel in seeing the more than 100 authors who have come to present workshops, give readings and sign books.…
Join us for a meeting or write-in in November!
Happy November! We have a great month ahead of us at Willamette Writers. We’re kicking off the month talking about memoir in Eugene, and then Patricia Morrison will show us how to finish our projects. We will explore Fearless Writing in Portland with William Kenower, and also dive into improv with Marian Scadden. David Paul…
Willamette Writers is Going to the Ashland Literary Arts Festival
Willamette Writers is going to the Ashland Literary Arts Festival which will be held on Saturday, October 28th, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., in the Hannon Library on the Southern Oregon University campus. Willamette Writers will have a table on the third floor, so be sure to come up and say hi. We’ll have ChocoLove bars (come…
FiLMLaB Screening at McMinnville Short Film Festival on Saturday, October 21st
The FilmLab staff has had a great summer, planning for our 2017-2018 contest (details to come!) and performing various ritualized rain dances in a battle against the heat. Now that the weather has cooled down (you’re welcome!), prime moving watching season is upon us. We wanted to let you know our latest film, INTERCEPT, written…