Congratulations to FiLMLaBtv's 2019 Writers' Room!
The 2019 winning script is "Stripes," written by Alexandra Keister. "Stripes," explores the idea that not all family issues are black and white -- even in a family of mimes.
FiLMLaBtv will bring Keister’s script into the Writers’ Room with runner-up, Jason Rosenblatt, and these talented screenwriters (in alphabetical order): Mary Andonian, Ashley Blincow, Amy Fredericks, Nancy Froeschle, Tim Johnson, Lindiwe Mueller-Westernhagen, Britt Olson and Dale Winton.
Find out more about this year's Writers' Room here, and follow their progress.
Congratulations to the 2019 FiLMLaBtv Writers’ Room!
Thank You for a Great Conference! 2019 Registration Will Open Soon!
Join the Willamette Writers Conference - August 2-4, 2019
Our 50th annual conference (50!!!) will be a BLAST! Three full days of classes, workshops, keynotes, critiques, and events. We invite you to join us for a weekend of community as you develop your craft and expand your career on August 2nd-4th, 2019 in Portland, Oregon at the Airport Sheraton Hotel.
After a successful launch of Master Classes Day with industry professionals at our 2018 conference, we are doing it again in 2019. So stay tuned for details about opportunities to learn from top instructors in a small group setting.
We'll also be offering many options for one on one critique, including On the Spot Critiques and Advance Manuscript Critique. As always, we'll have a roster of agents, editors and film executives ready to hear about your project. Plus, we'll have our amazing community of PNW writers that you just can't find anywhere else. Join us!
Member News
Member News: PDX Writers Winter Workshops
We’ve planned some workshops that will spark excitement and give you fresh eyes as you return to your previous project. Our Elements of Fiction and Critique workshops will give you new insights and inspiration. The Historical Fiction workshop offers prompts, structural support, and facilitator critique. Still stuck on structure? Hammer & Nails is a one-on-one…
Member News: Story of an Unlikely Writer
Philip Kenney’s short essay, “The Story of an Unlikely Writer,” was recently published in the Author Magazine of The Pacific Northwest Writer’s Association. Philip didn’t begin writing until the age of 45. This piece tells the remarkable story of that beginning following a bout with depression and a trial run with Prozac. Read about how…
Member News: THE FIRST LADY OF MODERN ART
RALEIGH, NORTH CAROLINA. December, 2018 Regal House Publishing is pleased to announce the March 15, 2019 release of La Luministe: Berthe Morisot, Painter of Light, about the artist who survived the siege of Paris—and the love of Édouard Manet—to become the sole female founder of the Impressionist movement. If Frida Kahlo was “a ribbon around…
Member News: Scholarship for Writers to Attend AWP 2019
This year, RACC has scholarships to award to 45 writers based in Clackamas, Multnomah, and Washington Counties for the 2019 Association of Writers and Writing Programs (AWP) Conference and Bookfair at the Oregon Convention Center from March 27-30th. AWP is the largest literary conference for writers, teachers, students, editors, and publishers across North America, featuring…
Willamette Writers Author Signing: Teresa Klepinger
Teresa Klepinger will be signing books at booth 39 at the Portland Book Festival on November 10th. Teresa Klepinger believes a dose of imagination can improve just about anything. Her love of storytelling began with “Genie” bedtime stories told by her father, continued through years of teaching elementary school, and stays close to her heart…
Willamette Writers Author Signing: C. LaVielle
C. LaVielle will be signing books at booth 39 at the Portland Book Festival on November 10th. I began my grown-up life as a biologist because I was, and still am, fascinated by people, plants, and animals and what makes them tick. I became a wife, a mother, and a healer specializing in tarot divination,…
Willamette Writers Author Signing: Rosemary Douglas Lombard
Rosemary Douglas Lombard will be signing books at booth 39 at the Portland Book Festival on November 10th. Rosemary Lombard, former university teacher, editor, and naturalist, now independent interdisciplinary researcher in animal cognition, brings to her writing decades of surprise and delight exploring turtles’ cognitive potential. Award winner in creative nonfiction and poetry, she has…
Willamette Writers Author Signing: Riley Costello
Riley Costello will be signing books at booth 39 at the Portland Book Festival on November 10th. Riley Costello, an Oregon native, writes the popular lifestyle and fashion blog, sincerelyriley.com. Waiting at Hayden’s is her first novel and the first book where readers can watch scenes unfold and shop the characters’ clothes. Costello coined and branded this…
Willamette Writers Author Signing: Jack Estes
Jack Estes will be signing books at booth 39 at the Portland Book Festival on November 10th. Jack Estes is the author of the critically acclaimed Vietnam memoir, A Field of Innocence – Finalist for the Oregon Book Awards- and his equally powerful, recent novel, A Soldier’s Son. His articles and essays have appeared in…
Willamette Writers Author Signing: Mary DeMocker
Mary DeMocker will be signing books at booth 39 at the Portland Book Festival on November 10th. Mary DeMocker uses the arts to fight for a healthy future. Her book, The Parents’ Guide to Climate Revolution: 100 Ways to Build a Fossil-Free Future, Raise Empowered Kids, and Still Get a Good Night’s Sleep, features a…
On Writing from Willamette Writers
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…
Ten Tips for Writing an Effective Pitch
By Alyssa Schaffer and Joanna Szabo Pitching your manuscript can be one of the more intimidating aspects of the writing process, so we’ve collected a few essential tips to help you prepare your next pitch. Start with a hook. This…
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…
Join a Meeting or a Workshop Near You
All Writers Welcome! Members & Full-Time Students Attend for Free!
Corvallis: Writing to Sell: Commercial Non-Fiction with Louise Cary Barden
Southern Oregon: Monthly Meeting
Portland: Monthly Meeting
YWW Portland: YWW Portland: Critique Groups – The Answer to Everything
Newport: “Writing is Luxury . . . But It Could Save Your Life” with Kim Stafford
Salem: Write + Publish Fierce in 2019 with Sage Cohen
Salem: Monthly Meeting
Cynthia Whitcomb’s Screenwriting Class
The Willamette Writers Conference
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…
Writing Through the Tough Times by Julie Fast
New Conference Opportunity for Members: Sell Your Books at the Consignment Booth
Thanks for checking out this opportunity. We are finalizing the details and should have them for you this week. In the meantime, please let us know you’re interested by completing the short form below or via this link (same form, use whatever works better for you). We will let you know when we have more…
New Opportunity at Conference: Author Headshots
For the first time ever, the 2017 Willamette Writers Conference will have a professional photographer at the conference to take author headshots. A limited number of slots will be offered Friday and Saturday afternoon, so book your slot before they are all taken. Why Do Author’s Need Headshots? Last year’s conference keynote speaker Jane Friedman…
Hone Your Craft: The 2017 Conference Offers Opportunity for Advanced & Beginning Writers
As we’ve mentioned before, our schedule of educational programming includes 9 tracks of themed content from across the spectrum of what writers need to know and want to celebrate. Our Genre offerings for this year take up two of those tracks: one for beginners and novices, the other for intermediate and professional writers. And the…
Our News
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…
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…
Attend FiLMLaB.tv workshops and get all the value without even attending!
Attend FiLMLaB.tv workshops and get all the value without even attending! Well, not really. Eventually you’ll have to “attend.” But thanks to space-age technology, Willamette Writers is presenting two valuable workshops online that you will be able to access 24/7 AND multiple times right up until the conference. That means that even if you’re not…
Ten Tips for Writing an Effective Pitch
By Alyssa Schaffer and Joanna Szabo Pitching your manuscript can be one of the more intimidating aspects of the writing process, so we’ve collected a few essential tips to help you prepare your next pitch. Start with a hook. This should be one or two lines covering the most exciting thing about your book. However,…
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…