2020 Conference Highlights
Willamette Writers 51st Annual Conference
July 31 – Aug 2, 2020
"If we were handed a job description, if people would deign to pay us a salary, it would be to tell the truth. Writers are truth tellers”
"History will always reveal who is right and who is wrong. But sometimes we have to really, really go in and interrogate that history."
"The joy is in the striving. There is no prize at the end of the book that will compensate for not loving the process. So- Attend To Your Joy. Dwell on your own delight. Revel in the company of your fellow creatives. Spend these brief hours and days of your life in a worthy cause."
"I very much want to make sociopolitical statements, and am always challenging myself to do so in a way that’s beautiful. "
“…Ink is etched so deep in my skin that I can’t be made of anything else but stories.”
“The story that wants to be told will find its way to you.”
"Do the work to think about the world that surrounds your character. It’s on you not to make them a token."
"I have had the extraordinary privilege of being the man in the room for eight years..."
-Obama: An Intimate Portrait
Wow! What an amazing online conference!
We had the best time at the 51st annual Willamette writers conference. From our keynotes, to our workshops, to our networking and community events, it was a weekend we will never forget.
And it was all online! Thank you to all of our volunteers, faculty, and industry professionals who made the weekend possible.
Catch up with us on Twitter: @Wilwrite
2020 Conference Feedback
One of the best conferences in the world…
“This is truly one of the best conferences in the world. The fact that Willamette Writers pulled this off during Covid is remarkable.” —April Eberhardt, agent
Awesome, fun, inspiring…
…it was awesome, fun, inspiring and looking forward to seeing each and every one of you again. You are a wonderful group and this was a fantastic intro to the Willamette Writers. See you next time! —Cheers, Rosemary (writing as RD Fiori)
Resonant with the warmth of community…
Thank you! The conference was a great experience, resonant with the warmth of community. Terrific speakers, master classes, and workshops! WW did a fantastic job of creating safe, inviting virtual spaces. Looking forward to upcoming offerings and future volunteering. —Cheers, Greta
Classy, well run conference…
As always, thank you all for putting on a classy, well run conference with excellent speakers!! It has definitely been worth my time!! —Karen, Ashland, Oregon
Another knockout conference…
I just wanted to thank everybody at Willamette Writers for another knockout conference. I’ve been going for 20+ years, and it’s always interesting, entertaining, and enlightening. Thanks especially to the folks who had to deal with Zoom’s… everything. I caught a bit of behind-the-scenes Zoom wrangling Sunday morning, and I’m very glad it was you…
Beyond grateful…
Amidst the pandemic, bright spots can be few and far between. When we find those moments of connection and grace, we hold them close. I am beyond grateful to attend the 51st Willamette Writers Conference this weekend from my home in Austin. Three days with fellow writers, all of us sharing our stories and struggling…
Excellent job all around
Thank you for everything! I couldn’t believe it was the first time you’ve done it all virtually because everything was so smooth. Excellent job all around. Couldn’t have been better! Scott
Great, great conference…
Excellent conference! You guys are the best! …Thanks again for a wonderful job and a great, great conference. —Paul
Member News
Member News: Supercosmic Power through Small Presses
How much would you give to sit down with a traditionally published author and pick their brain about the ins and outs of working with a small press? How about two? Grab a notebook, a pen, and a magic lamp to harness some incredible insight from two of The Parliament House’s most successful authors: Jason…
Member News: Midnight Beach, Port Stirling Mystery Series Book 2
Midnight Beach, Book 2 in the Port Stirling Mystery Series is available now. A brutally murdered federal agent and distrust among his close colleagues greet Port Stirling Police Chief Matt Horning as he faces down a second homicide in his new Oregon hometown. Native Oregonian Kay Jennings is back with book two in her exciting…
Member News: Nancy Lane to Present at an Annie Bloom’s Books Event
Nancy Lane will introduce her debut short story collection, Pretty Chrysanthemum and Other Stories, published by Open Books Publishing, on Monday, September 28 at 7:00 PM., during a livestream event hosted by Annie Bloom’s Books. These sixteen stories remind readers how family is at the core of human experience and how relationships, especially between parent…
Member News: Catherine A. Hamilton’s Fall Author Events
Join Willamette Writers member and author Catherine A. Hamilton for these live and virtual events celebrating her debut novel, Victoria’s War: Book Club Event: September 21, 2020 at 6:30 Live Chat with Author Catherine A. Hamilton “Read A Little Wine A Lot” book club is hosting a discussion of the novel. Livestream Virtual Reading: September…
Member News: These Several Women – A New Poetry Collection
Cristina White’s new book is These Several Women: Love Poems, a collection of poetry about love, desire, and memory. All those who have been in love, who have known passion and heartbreak, will find an echo of their own memories here. And if you are a woman in love with another woman, somewhere in these…
Member News: Blog posts published on two Mario Vargas Llosa novels
Ivonne Saed published blog posts about Death in the Andes and The Storyteller — two novels by acclaimed Nobel prize winner Mario Vargas Llosa. The latter is part allegory of Dionysus and Ariadne, part historical/political fiction about Shining Path influence on the Peruvian Andes. The latter is also part allegory and part pseudo-autobiographical/ historical fiction…
Member News: Storm Beat Virtual Launch Party
Oregon State University and the Hoffman Center for the Arts present the virtual launch of Lori Tobias’ Storm Beat – A Journalist Reports from the Oregon Coast with Dave Dillon interviewing Tobias on Sept. 1 at 6 p.m. Register here. Journalist Lori Tobias arrived on the Oregon coast in 2000. After freelancing from Newport for…
Member News: First Book Published
Christina Reagle’s Life at Fifty Below Zero: An Alaskan Memoir on Teaching and Learning is a memoir about one woman’s Alaskan journey, beginning in 1972 as she accompanied her husband to teach in a small rural village. The transition from the job interview in a San Francisco hotel room—” Do you know what a honey…
Member News: Kay Snow Award Winner’s First Creative Publication!
Barb Lachenbruch’s essay, “The Physics of Connection and Solitude,” was published in High Country News online and will be in the September print edition. “There is no law of physics to explain the transfer of emotions, no equation to describe the difference between what I send and what my father receives. I need that equation…
Member News: The Unanswered Letter Released September 1, 2020
An untold Holocaust story 75 years after WWII award-winning investigative journalist traveled across the globe to answer a family’s 1939 cry for help. Washington, D.C.—September 2, 2020 marks the 75th anniversary of V-J Day, the official ending of World War II. Yet, there is an incredible story that has only now been uncovered by award-winning…
Join a Meeting or a Workshop Near You
All Writers Welcome! Members & Full-Time Students Attend for Free!
Open Mic Night – Corvallis and Coast Chapters
Online: Coffee at your Kitchen Table
The Write Place: An Online Meeting for Productivity
Online: Coffee at your Kitchen Table
The Author’s Journey with Alethea Kontis
Online: Adding the Senses to Add Depth to Your Scenes with Mikko Azul
Writing Resources from Willamette Writers
Writing Advice from Zoraida Córdova
by Mari Hotchkiss An unusual career path. As a young child in Ecuador, Zoraida Córdova grew up listening to her grandmother’s stories that were filled with magic and wonder. At six years old, she immigrated to the United States with…
Creating Characters
Happy Fall! Have you got your sweater? Your scarf? Your pumpkin-spiced whatever?Then sit down and talk with us about character. Hemingway said, “When writing a novel, a writer should create living people; people, not characters. A character is a caricature.”…
How To Happily Write A Query Letter
We’re excited that Bill Kenower is a member of the faculty at the upcoming Willamette Writers Conference. Bill is the author of Fearless Writing: How to Create Boldly and Write With Confidence and Write Within Yourself: An Author’s Companion. In…
HOW TO WIN THE SUBMISSION WAITING GAME
We’re excited that Erick Mertz is a member of the faculty at the upcoming Willamette Writers Conference. Erick is a Portland-based ghostwriter and fiction/memoir manuscript consultant. Over the last five years as a full-time freelancer he has written manuscripts for…
Experts Weigh In: 10 Crucial Screenwriting Mistakes
Experts Weigh In: 10 Crucial Screenwriting Mistakes Lee Jessup, a member of our screenwriting faculty at the upcoming Willamette Writer’s Conference and the author of Breaking In: Tales from the Screenwriting Trenches and Getting It Write: An Insider’s Guide To A…
The 7 Things Writers Need to Make a Living by Sonia Simone
Written by SONIA SIMONE Reprinted with permission from Copyblogger. If you’re a writer, you might have heard this most of your life: People don’t make a living writing. You should find something practical to do with your life. Smart, capable writers grimly…
WW News
Writing Advice from Zoraida Córdova
by Mari Hotchkiss An unusual career path. As a young child in Ecuador, Zoraida Córdova grew up listening to her grandmother’s stories that were filled with magic and wonder. At six years old, she immigrated to the United States with her mom and grandma, causing her to abandon her love of stories. “I stopped reading.…
Literary Agents at the 2020 Willamette Writers Conference Register now for our 2020 Conference, and meet these agents, along with other top notch industry professionals. You can register for a pitch or critique, and share your work with these pros. They are excited to hear from you. At the conference, you can join them in…
C.C. Humphreys, Best-Selling Author of Historical Fiction, Joins the Willamette Writers Conference
TV Development and Production with Grant Rosenberg
Willamette Writers Authors at the Portland Book Festival
We are proud to be supporting these Willamette Writers member authors at this year’s Portland Book Festival on November 9th! 9AM-9:30AM Dede Montgomery Sue Fagalde Lick Sharleen Nelson Tasche Laine 9:30AM-10AM Kerry Blaisdell Kay Jennings Phillip Kenney Deni Starr 10AM-11AM Paula Butterfield Charley Descoteaux Marilyn McDonald Holly Manno 11AM-12PM Mazarine Treyz Marilynne Eichinger Rick George Jo Sparkes 12PM-1PM Ruby Lee Cornelius Holly Manno Bob Ferguson Kim Hester 1PM-2PM Anne Hendren Jeff Stookey R. Gregory Noakes Heather Ames 2PM-3PM Dawn Prochovnic Julie Dawn…
FiLMLaBtv 2019 Writer’s Room The 2019 winning script is “Stripes,” written by Alexandra Keister. Keister, an executive assistant and screenwriter, has written two feature-length screenplays, both romantic comedies, and a handful of short screenplays that range from dark sci-fi to the classically uplifting my-dog-is-dead story. She graduated from Oregon State University in 2012 with a BA…
Willamette Writers Authors Sign Books at The Portland Book Festival
by Ari Mathae Willamette Writers, the Portland literary community, and book lovers near and far will meet again Saturday 10, 2018, for the largest celebration of books in the Pacific Northwest: The Portland Book Festival. The event starts at 9 A.M. at the Portland Art Museum and continues there and at other neighboring venues in the…
Member News: Mary Andonian & David Poulshock launch ISA Third Thursdays
Mary Andonian & David Poulshock launch ISA Third Thursdays Members Mary and David are launching the local chapter of the International Screenwriters Association(ISA). It’s a monthly mixer for screenwriters on Third Thursdays, where you can mingle with fellow screenwriters, meet film and television industry professionals, and win door prizes — including a free Willamette Writer’s…
How To Happily Write A Query Letter
We’re excited that Bill Kenower is a member of the faculty at the upcoming Willamette Writers Conference. Bill is the author of Fearless Writing: How to Create Boldly and Write With Confidence and Write Within Yourself: An Author’s Companion. In a blog he posted this past June, he shares his perspective on how he learned…
Wilwrite20 — The Willamette Writers Conference
Writing Advice from Zoraida Córdova
by Mari Hotchkiss An unusual career path. As a young child in Ecuador, Zoraida Córdova grew up listening to her grandmother’s stories that were filled with magic and wonder. At six years old, she immigrated to the United States with her mom and grandma, causing her to abandon her love of stories. “I stopped reading.…
Literary Agents at the 2020 Willamette Writers Conference Register now for our 2020 Conference, and meet these agents, along with other top notch industry professionals. You can register for a pitch or critique, and share your work with these pros. They are excited to hear from you. At the conference, you can join them in…
2019 Willamette Writers Conference Pitch Professionals We are proud to announce the industry professionals accepting pitches this year at our 50th annual Willamette Writers Conference. You will find a list of all our current industry professionals here. We are welcoming a fantastic group of agents, editors, manager, and producers, and the list will continue to…
Julie Whipple Book Signing at Powells
Julie Whipple will be reading and signing copies of her new book, Crash Course Join Julie Whipple at Powell’s downtown flagship store on West Burnside on Monday, August 20 at 7:30 (http://www.powells.com/book/-9780692070406#product_details) and award-winning audiobook narrator Heather Henderson for a special performance of excerpts from the book. Long-time Portland residents vividly recall the crash of…
HOW TO WIN THE SUBMISSION WAITING GAME
We’re excited that Erick Mertz is a member of the faculty at the upcoming Willamette Writers Conference. Erick is a Portland-based ghostwriter and fiction/memoir manuscript consultant. Over the last five years as a full-time freelancer he has written manuscripts for a variety of clients. In a blog he posted this past December, he shares advice…
The 7 Things Writers Need to Make a Living by Sonia Simone
Written by SONIA SIMONE Reprinted with permission from Copyblogger. If you’re a writer, you might have heard this most of your life: People don’t make a living writing. You should find something practical to do with your life. Smart, capable writers grimly pass around war stories on Facebook. Penny-a-word assignments, clients who don’t pay, disdain for our…
Open Mic Night at the Willamette Writers Conference
Open Mic night started at the Willamette Writers Conference in 2013, when I mentioned to the conference chair that I attended a really fun Open Mic Night at another writing conference. This launched us into a talk about how we could make one for Willamette Writers and how we could make it even better than…
What’s New at the Willamette Writers Conference
Welcome to our 2018 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 all this August 3rd -5th. As you know, the conference has grown and changed much over its 49-year…
Experiences at The Willamette Writers Conference
“A writers conference can be an empowering and uplifting experience,” according to Scott Myers, a producer, writer, and assistant director. Myers presented at the Willamette Writers Conference this year, and said it was a “special experience.” He explains on his website about his conference experience that he met so many writers and old friends, and his classes were packed. His…