Test Schedule Block Post – Saturday

Greet the sun like a (writing) warrior with our morning Yoga class. Designed for experienced and new folks alike, this beautifully relaxing session will help you stretch your muscles and wake up all your sleepy… Read more: 7 – 8AM Saturday Windsor A: Yoga

The big day’s here, and we can’t wait to see you! Pick up your badge to get this exciting day rolling. You won’t want to miss a single moment!

Time for a writer’s best friend: coffee! Fill your cup, pile that plate high, and catch up with other writers before the morning workshops begin.

Happy Saturday! Pack up your bag and get ready for a full day of workshops. On your way, grab a pen from registration or a journal from the book table. You have a full day… Read more: 8:45 – 9AM Saturday Belmont A/B & Zoom: Break

Writing doesn’t have to be a mystery. Join Glen Erik Hamilton for an introduction to genre conventions and key differences in mysteries, thrillers, and suspense novels.  We’ll discuss effective use of characters, story structure, writing… Read more: 9 – 10AM Saturday Belmont A: The Amateur Sleuth’s Guide to Writing Mysteries, Thrillers, and Suspense

Have questions about publishing, querying, or building your writing career? Join literary agent T.S. Ferguson and editor Lara C. Jones for a Q&A focused on you and your goals as a writer. Bring your questions,… Read more: 9 – 10AM Saturday Belmont B: Publishing Industry Q&A

Building a legacy takes time and devotion, but more than that, it takes a system. Join LeFoster Willams for a practical, no-nonsense workshop that gives writers a proven system to stay disciplined, finish their projects,… Read more: 9 – 10AM Saturday Belmont C: Build Your Legacy: Systems, Discipline, and Creative Structure for Writers Who Want Results

Join us for a fresh cuppa in this LGBTQIA+ friendly space. Bring along your writing wins, losses, and all the stories making up your journey. We’re here for you. Note: This is a time for… Read more: 9 – 10AM Saturday Windsor B: LGBTQIA++ Social

Are you a screenwriter? Here’s a wonderful chance to sit down with an experienced group of producers, directors, and industry professional. You’ll find the support, conversations, and connections you need to take the next steps… Read more: 9 – 10AM Saturday Windsor C: Film Roundtables

In this practical workshop, Laurie Scheer will show you how to thoughtfully transform real-life experiences into compelling fiction. You’ll learn how to identify which moments from your personal story are best suited for adaptation and… Read more: 9 – 10AM Saturday Zoom 1: Memoir as Fiction

In a time of political suppression, censorship, and rising hostility toward the arts, your writing can become a vital act of resistance. In this workshop, you’ll learn practical craft strategies for embedding resistance into form,… Read more: 9 – 10AM Saturday Zoom 2: Writing as Resistance: Crafting Work That Refuses to Be Silenced

Writing at a writer conference? You bet! Bring that brilliant idea and get it on the page in a quiet space. The quiet room is open all day.

Time for some quick self-care! Grab a snack, stretch your legs, check in with friends, then get ready for your next amazing workshop!

In this workshop with Alle C. Hall, you’ll learn effective strategies for submitting journalism, essays and creative nonfiction, poetry, KidLit, short stories, and flash. You’ll gain practical tools to strengthen your submissions and target the… Read more: 10:30 – 11:30AM Saturday Belmont A: Build to a Book Deal: Submit strategically

What makes humor strange and magical is that it is often rooted in sadness, anger, or shame. The writers we find funniest reveal deeply vulnerable truths while mining the absurd even from their darkest moments.… Read more: 10:30 – 11:30AM Saturday Belmont B: Mining Darkness for Light: The Art of Humorous Memoir

Getting your book published is one thing. Getting it sold is another. In this session, Keri-Rae Barnum, marketing strategist and CEO of New Shelves Books, breaks down publishing distribution and how books reach bookstore shelves,… Read more: 10:30 – 11:30AM Saturday Belmont C: The Book Distribution Playbook: Visibility, Positioning, and Sales

Ever wonder how to squeeze 300 pages of a novel into a 100-page script? In this workshop with Randall Jahnson, you’ll learn how to turn books into compelling movies or series. You’ll explore how to… Read more: 10:30 – 11:30AM Saturday Windsor B: Adaptability: Bringing Books to the Screen

Picture books are a critical part of children’s reading development and social and emotional learning. In this workshop, literary agent CoCo Freeman will show you how to create an engaging and memorable read aloud experience… Read more: 10:30 – 11:30AM Saturday Windsor C: The Power of Picture Books

Are you planning to apply for a literary grant, fellowship, scholarship, or artists’ residency in 2026 or 2027? This strategy-packed workshop will show you how to position yourself as a competitive candidate, demonstrate a rising… Read more: 10:30 – 11:30AM Saturday Zoom 1: Fund Your Muse: Applying for Grants, Fellowships, & Residencies

World-building can turn a story from “just OK” into something readers can’t put down. In this workshop, you’ll learn how to create immersive, believable worlds that draw readers in and support your story. Julie Artz… Read more: 10:30 – 11:30AM Saturday Zoom 2: Bring Your Story World to Life

It’s lunchtime! If you’ve registered for a boxed lunch, then come to the Belmont Foyer and pick up your meal. If not, check your folder for our list of neighborhood options, prepared for you by… Read more: 11:30AM – 12:30PM Saturday Belmont Foyer: Lunch

Writing for the script or screen? Join us for a casual lunch designed to connect screenwriters at all levels. Share ideas, swap stories, and talk craft in a relaxed, informal setting.

It’s time! The ballroom doors are open. Join us in person or on Zoom for Saturday’s Keynote with publishing expert and celebrated author Jane Friedman. Then, meet the next generation of young writers as they… Read more: 12:30 – 1:45PM Saturday Belmont A/B & Zoom One: Saturday Keynote

Struggling to make your drafts shine? Join veteran authors and skilled editors to learn practical, results-driven techniques to tackle every stage of the editing process. This panel covers strategies for refining structure, polishing language, and… Read more: 2 – 3:30PM Saturday Belmont A: Editing Toolbox: Strategies that Actually Work

Writer’s block often comes from putting too much pressure on ourselves and our writing. In this 90-minute generative poetry workshop with keynote Christopher Diaz, you’ll explore playful approaches that shift your mindset from critical to… Read more: 2 – 3:30PM Saturday Belmont B: All Play, No Pressure: A Generative Poetry-Writing Workshop

Join New York Times Bestselling Author Rosanne Parry for a focused Q&A about her work, publishing life, and how she made it to the top of the New York Times Bestseller list…multiple times! Faculty

What makes an agent or editor stop and read your query? In this workshop, you will learn to craft a concise and compelling query letter that captures your story’s promise, conflict, and surprise. You will… Read more: 2 – 3:30PM Saturday Windsor B: The Art of the Query Letter: How to Thrill Editors and Agents with a Single Page

Working on your script? Join us for a deep dive to learn more about the art of screenwriting through the Oscar-winning short The Lunch Date. Watch the film before you arrive – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ty_hn7l1zKE&t=118s We will… Read more: 2 – 2:45PM Saturday Windsor C: Short Film, Big Impact: A Case Study of The Lunch Date

Screenwriters! Come practice your pitch! We’ll help you refine and shine your film or TV pitch and talk you through your next steps to the screen. Faculty

Pantsers: want to ditch outlining forever but don’t know how? Writing a novel without one is like solving a puzzle blind—daunting, but not impossible, and mastering it means writing stories you never dreamed of, stories… Read more: 2 – 3:30PM Saturday Zoom 1: The Pocket Guide to Pantsing: How to write a novel without an outline, with confidence

Why is “dirtying up” your character so important? It makes them more complex and memorable. Many writers focus too much on making their protagonist likable, but real people are flawed and your characters should be… Read more: 2 – 3:30PM Saturday Zoom 2: Dirtying Up Your Character: Finding their Flaws

Refill your coffee and head to the courtyard. It’s the perfect time to meet with friends or make new ones before our last round of workshops for the day.

Curious about how the publishing industry works behind the scenes? What really happens after an agent submits a manuscript to an editor? Join a panel of literary agents and editors as they discuss the process… Read more: 4 – 5PM Saturday Belmont A: Panel: Agents and Editors in Conversation

How do you stay happy, healthy, and feeling successful as a writer or artist while dealing with rejection, imposter syndrome, envy, and other fun challenges of the creative life? Randy Henderson will share research-based tips… Read more: 4 – 5PM Saturday Belmont B: How to be a Happy and Successful Writer

Genre is where imagination meets tension. As a writer, you can stretch reality while keeping every moment grounded and real. This workshop is designed for screenwriters who are comfortable with craft fundamentals and want to… Read more: 4 – 5PM Saturday Belmont C: Genre Screenwriting Workshop

Ever wonder what you’re really signing when you agree to a contract? Join lawyer Valerie Saski as she breaks down common worries in legal contracts, including different contract types and what you’re actually signing away… Read more: 4 – 5PM Saturday Windsor A: Legal Contracts for Writers

How do you keep readers hooked across a trilogy or a full series of books? In this workshop with Jared Agard, you’ll explore exercises, strategies, and examples to craft story arcs that span multiple books.… Read more: 4 – 5PM Saturday Windsor B: Crafting a Series

Can a paragraph become poetry? Join poet Brian Garrison in a conversation on ways to use line breaks as we tinker with words. You’ll experiment with transforming ordinary sentences into lyrical, expressive lines that capture… Read more: 4 – 5PM Saturday Windsor C: Break This Line

Join a panel of literary agents as they discuss the many ways agents support authors throughout their publishing journey. From preparing a manuscript for submission and identifying market opportunities to negotiating contracts and building a… Read more: 4 – 5PM Saturday Zoom 1: How a Literary Agent Supports Your Writing Career

If you want to maximize your readership reach, social media is a necessary evil. In this workshop, we’ll explore each of today’s leading platforms, their respective audiences, as well as their technical strengths and weaknesses.… Read more: 4 – 5PM Saturday Zoom 2: Social Media(tion for those who just don’t know where to start with social media marketing)

Kick off the evening with drinks, appetizers, and popcorn at our pre-show social hour. Mingle with fellow attendees and get excited for tonight’s Writer’s Room dramatic premiere. You’ll hear the work of our talented FilmLab… Read more: 5 – 5:30PM Saturday Belmont Foyer: Drinks and Appetizers Before the Show

FilmLab proudly premieres a LIVE reading featuring the 2026 Writer’s Room participants and professional SAG-AFTRA performers. You won’t want to miss this exciting debut! The FilmLab Writer’s Room is an in-person educational opportunity for aspiring… Read more: 5:30 – 7PM Saturday Belmont A/B: SAG-AFTRA FilmLab Live Reading!

It’s time: we’re passing the mic over to YOU! You’ve got five minutes max to share your excerpt with a supportive crowd of writers. It’s first come, first served, so dash on over to Belmont… Read more: 7 – 9PM Saturday Belmont A/B: Open Mic

It’s time: we’re passing the mic over to YOU! You’ve got five minutes max to share your excerpt with a supportive crowd of writers. It’s first come, first served, so fire up that Zoom link… Read more: 7 – 9PM Saturday Zoom: Online Open Mic

The mic is hot and the song list even hotter! Join us in Windsor C for the writing community’s most electric annual karaoke event. Whether you’re a seasoned artist or can’t hold a tune, your… Read more: 9PM – 12AM Saturday Windsor C: Karaoke