Meet your 2021 Conference Keynotes & Faculty!
Celebrated authors Heidi W. Durrow and Daniel José Older join us for this year's conference. They're eager to share their stories with you, so plan on connecting with your community, developing your craft, and expanding your writing career with us this summer. Get excited and be sure to mark your calendars for May 1st, when registration for the online conference opens up.
At Willamette Writers, we're all about our members:
A community of writers supporting and learning from each other. We strive to provide members with everything they need to thrive—community support, networking opportunities, continuing education, inspiration, publicity, and much more.
Here’s all you get for just $57 a year:
Willamette Writers Membership benefits:
Weekly Chapter Meetings: with talks and inspirational, educational presentations on the craft and business of writing from leaders in the writing world
Online Coffee Hours: socialize with other writers twice a week
The Write Place: weekly productivity meeting, an opportunity for mutual support and accountability towards achieving your writing goals
The Timberline Review literary journal: free submissions and discounted subscriptions or copies
WilWrite Conference: early registration and discount on our acclaimed yearly writers conference
Kay Snow Writing Awards: Discounted submissions to our writing contest
FilmLab Contest: discounted submissions to our filmmaking contest
Critique groups: We help connect members to critique groups for various genres.
Post your writing news free: on our website, in our weekly Dispatch email, in our quarterly Newsletter, and on our social media. We want to celebrate YOU!
Join today!
We’d love for you to be part of the community.
Your writing community:
Congrats, Willamette Writers!
#WilWriteWins
2020 Conference Feedback
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
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: Book Release — The Plurality Of Entrances
Opening with the epigraph, “What can I make it mean?” from Agon by Harold Bloom, this eclectic collection of poetry asks us to join the author as he explores a wide variety of landscapes, both internal and external. Leigh Zaph, an NYC expat now living on the Oregon coast, draws upon an academic and familial…
Member News: Call for Submissions!
The writing group Cottage Grove Harpies is accepting submissions for an anthology of South Lane County authors to be published in early 2022. Short stories, poetry, and essays are all welcome. The submission period runs from April 1 through August 15. For submission guidelines, please check the website-under-construction. Please communicate any questions and/or concerns to…
Member News: Purged Souls is a 2020 Foreword INDIES Sci Fi finalist
Kagan Tumer’s debut novel, Purged Souls, is a 2020 Foreword INDIES finalist in Science Fiction. Praise for Purged Souls: “A rich science fiction story set in a brutal post-apocalyptic America—a tense and thrilling debut.”—Foreword Clarion Reviews “Purged Souls is a hauntingly atmospheric debut novel by Kagan Tumer about an apocalyptic world that makes you question…
Member News: Blue Mar—A Cli-Fi Novel by Francesca G. Varela
Now available from Owl House Books: Blue Mar, a new cli-fi novel from award-winning author Francesca G. Varela. In the not-so-distant future, two sisters must navigate a world that is unraveling due to climate change. Wildfires blot out the sky, coastlines are being washed away by rising seas, and the Great Pacific Garbage Patch has…
Member News: Jan Baross Reading at Salem Poetry Project
Member News: Debut Novel — Brushed Off
M. Lee Musgrave’s novel Brushed Off debuted on March 11, via Black Rose Publishing. An early review: “Who is killing artists in L.A.? TV art show host James Terra finds himself racing to help his homicide detective buddy unravel a puzzle as urgent as a splatter painting and as complex as an Escher drawing. Musgrave’s…
Member News: Debut Novel — The Wave
Kristen Crusoe’s debut novel The Wave, was launched March 25, 2021 by RedDoor Press in the UK, and will be followed by the US launch June 1, 2021. The Wave explores the emotional complexity of family life. Vulnerable and powerful, this story focuses on how suffering, self-realization and the power of love can heal even…
Member News: Author Event with Nancy Lane
Nancy Lane, author of Pretty Chrysanthemum and Other Stories, is featured in the March 13, 2021 virtual workshop, “The Writing Journey: Goals, process, craft” hosted by Josephine Community Library. Tackle goal setting, the process, and the craft of both writing and publishing and hear Nancy’s firsthand experience about her road to getting published! The free,…
Member News: Steven Mayfield to Appear on Book Spiel
Member News: Murder by The Sea Named Best Mystery
Join a Meeting or a Workshop Near You
All Writers Welcome!
Members & Full-Time Students Attend for Free!
Online: Coffee at your Kitchen Table
Between Art and Commodity: Writing Upmarket and Literary Fiction
Online: Coffee at your Kitchen Table
The Write Place: An Online Meeting for Productivity
Vancouver Online: Social Media: Mastering the Challenge
Mining Your Life for Laughter with Bob Balmer
Willamette Writers Conference!
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…
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…