Pack your bags, grab your books, and head out the door. Time for last-minute shopping and settling of consigment sales. The conference is over, but we will see you online and in-person this September!
Category: Wilwrite26 Sunday
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11:30AM – 1PM Sunday Belmont A/B/C: Brunch Keynote and Goodbye
Join us for a special brunch conversation with New York Times Bestselling Author, Rosanne Parry, and Top Literary Agent Fiona Kenshole. They’ll discuss Rosanne’s road to New York Times Bestseller, with over 40 weeks on the NYT List. Listen in as they discuss the joys, heartaches, and revisions that paved her path. We’ll end with a special wrap-up just for you, focusing on your next steps in your writing career.
About Rosanne Parry
Rosanne Parry grew up in Oregon loving its rainy days, wild places, and many libraries. She is the author of eight novels for young readers, including the NY Times best sellers A Wolf Called Wander and A Whale of the Wild which have been translated into more than 14 languages. Her next novel will be A Horse Named Sky–another Voice of the Wilderness book. Look for it August 29th, 2023. Rosanne is a bookseller at legendary independent bookstore, Annie Blooms. She lives with her family in an old farmhouse in Portland and writes in a treehouse in her backyard.
Find out more at rosanneparry.com
About Fiona Kenshole
Fiona Kenshole is a specialist children’s book literary agent based in Portland. She has been with the Transatlantic Agency for over 13 years, representing local authors such as NYT bestseller Rosanne Parry (A Wolf Called Wander), award-winner Elizabeth Rusch (The Twenty One) and critically acclaimed Leslie Barnard Booth (I Am We). Previously she was VP at Laika Studios, developing Academy award-winning movies such as CORALINE and THE BOXTROLLS. She spent 20 years as a senior publisher in London where she was proud to be the UK editor for Ramona Quimby, The Giver and Paddington Bear amongst others. She is looking for picture books – fiction and nonfiction, chapter books and contemporary middle grade.Learn more here: https://transatlanticagency.com/portfolio/kenshole-fiona/
Find out more at rosanneparry.com
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11 – 11:30AM Sunday Belmont Foyer: Brunch
Your weekend of writing is almost over! Join us for Sunday brunch. Pour your coffee and take your seat for our final keynote presentation. Keynote announcement coming in April!
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10 – 11AM Sunday Zoom 3: Are Writing Contests Worth Entering?
Is it really worth it to enter a writing contests? Literary agent Anjanette Barr will discuss how to evaluate which contests are truly worth your time and money, along with practical tips for spotting and avoiding scams that target writers. Participants will also learn how to get the most value—whether feedback, exposure, or new opportunities—from the contests they choose to enter.
Faculty
- Anjanette Barr
Anjanette Barr is a literary agent at Dunham Literary, representing authors and illustrators across all genres and age categories. She lives in beautiful Juneau, Alaska. Seeking work in these genres: Romance, SF, Fantasy, YA, Historical Fiction, Non-Fiction, Memoir, Middle Grade, General Fiction, Literary Fiction Find out more at https://www.dunhamlit.com Schedule
Faculty
- Anjanette BarrAnjanette Barr is a literary agent at Dunham Literary, representing authors and illustrators across all genres and age categories. She lives in beautiful Juneau, Alaska. Seeking work in these genres: Romance, SF, Fantasy, YA, Historical Fiction, Non-Fiction, Memoir, Middle Grade, General Fiction, Literary Fiction Find out more at https://www.dunhamlit.com Schedule
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10 – 11AM Sunday Zoom 2: Genre Mash-ups: How to make them work for you
Great fiction has a long history of blending elements from different genres — horror, science fiction, fantasy, historical, westerns, romance, poetry, and more — to create lasting, powerful work. This generative workshop will help you blend different genres in new ways. You’ll leave with several new story seeds, as well as a pocket full of tools for your creative toolbox.
Faculty
- Fran Wilde
Two-time Nebula Award-winner Fran Wilde has (so far) published nine novels, a poetry collection, and over 70 short stories for adults, teens, and kids. Her stories have been finalists for six Nebula Awards, a World Fantasy Award, four Hugo Awards, four Locus Awards, and a Lodestar. They include her Nebula- and Compton Crook-winning debut novel… Read more: Fran Wilde
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10 – 11AM Sunday Zoom 1: Poetically, short.
What happens when a poem steps off the page and onto the screen? In this workshop, you’ll learn the techniques and mechanics of screenwriting by turning a favorite poem into a short script. Bring three poems you love (no advance submission required) and choose one to transform into a screenplay for a short film. You’ll learn how to shape material that originated elsewhere, developing the collaborative skills essential to film and television, as you build an outline and begin drafting your short in proper screenplay format.
Faculty
- Rose McAleese
Rose McAleese (Mac a Lease) was born on Halloween night in Seattle, delivered by a doctor in a giant spider costume—which has pretty much set the tone for the rest of her life. She studied at the prestigious women’s writing collective Hedgebrook, where she focused on screenwriting, television writing, non-fiction writing, and memoir development with… Read more: Rose McAleese
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10 – 11AM Sunday Windsor C: Write the Movie, Not the Script
Take your scripts to the next level by learning how to “direct on the page,” one of the film industry’s longest-standing taboos. In this “dangerous” workshop, Randall Jahnson teaches screenwriters how to incorporate stage directions and visual storytelling directly into their scripts without breaking any rules. You’ll gain techniques to make your writing more dynamic, visceral, and cinematic.
Faculty
- Randall Jahnson
Randall Jahnson has been a professional screenwriter since 1985. He’s worked with such amazing filmmaking talent as Stephen Spielberg, Penelope Spheeris, Spike Lee, and the late Jonathan Demme. His credits include the punk rock Western Dudes, The Doors, The Mask of Zorro, Sunset Strip, and episodes of the classic HBO comedy-horror series, Tales from the… Read more: Randall Jahnson
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10 -11AM Sunday Windsor B: BIPOC Social
Meet your fellow BIPOC writers in this warm and welcoming space. Come share experiences and make connections as you wrap up your 2026 Conference.
Note: This is a time for community members to gather and support one another in a safe space.
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10 – 11AM Sunday Windsor A: Conference Wrap-Up (Invite-Only)
Invite-Only: Our conference volunteers are invited to drop in and help prep for 2027. We can’t wait for next year!
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10 – 11AM Sunday Belmont C: Put them on the Couch: Therapy for your Characters
Complex and interesting characters are essential to any story, but how do you reach their true depths? In this fun, exploratory writing class, you’ll step into the role of therapist while your character becomes the patient. Using an adapted psychological intake form, you’ll uncover childhood traumas, bad habits, and quirky hobbies to create the marvelous, messy details that make characters come alive. It’s character therapy without the copay! This class is perfect for writers who want their characters to stop behaving like cardboard cutouts and start acting like the complicated bundles of contradictions we all are.
Faculty
- Joy Lotus
Joy Lotus has a Masters of Arts in Clinical Counseling with over ten years of direct experience. She also has both Ganja Magic and A Poet’s Guide to Ireland available on Amazon. Her short story, “Park Ranger Cinderella,” was published with The Rapids. She spends her days wrangling her small children and drinking copious amounts… Read more: Joy Lotus