Category: WilWrite26_Keynote

Christopher Diaz (he/him) is an indigenous CHamoru from the Pacific Island of Guåhan. As a writer, performer, and photographer, he’s been featured by NBC News, Poets & Writers.org, and more. Recently he was awarded a fellowship with Indigenous Nations Poets and an artist grant from the Washington State Arts Commission. In 2025, he was the opening keynote speaker at the Oregon Poetry Association’s annual conference. He’s a two-time grand slam champion and won the 2023 Bigfoot Regional Slam with his PNW team. He’s taught poetry with “Writers in the Schools”, offers writing and performance workshops online and in person, and co-leads monthly writing workshops at the juvenile detention center in Vancouver, WA.

Find him at www.christopherdiazcreates.com.

Jane Friedman has spent 25 years working in the book publishing industry, with a focus on author education and industry reporting. In 2023, she was named Publishing Commentator of the Year by Digital Book World.

She is the author of The Business of Being a Writer, which received a starred review from Library Journal. In addition to serving on grant
panels for the NEA and the Creative Work Fund, she works with organizations such as The Authors Guild to bring transparency to the business of publishing.

Find out more at JaneFriedman.com