Jennifer Fulford on Volunteering and the Willamette Writers Conference

Jennifer Fulford Web

Jennifer Fulford

Volunteering: A Success Story

Many great things come out of volunteering at the Willamette Writers Conference. New friends are made, new contacts are gained. For volunteer Jennifer Fulford, the benefits didn’t end there.

A third-year volunteer, Jennifer found that volunteering gave her a new level of understanding about herself and her career as a writer.

“(Attending the conference) has helped me in so many ways,” Fulford said. “I learned how to pitch, learned how to write a good query letter and, most of all, I got over the insecurity that my writing project was insignificant and unworthy. I also learned perseverance, which you have to have by the bucketloads in this field.”

As a volunteer, Jennifer has worked in multiple areas of the conference, as a room monitor, an assistant in the volunteer room and also as a monitor for the Pitch Practice with the Pros room. During the slow times when class was in session, Jennifer sat with the Pros and refined her pitch to the point where she can “give one pretty much anytime, anywhere.”

All of the knowledge and practice has paid off for Jennifer. Her first novel, a romantic sequel to The Three Musketeers, is being published this year by Thames River Press in London.

“(Volunteering) has helped me connect with great people behind-the-scenes,” Fulford said. “I’ve made friends with several new writers who also volunteered, and they’ve been wonderful resources and touchstones to add to my growing writing network.”


Connect with Jennifer at this year’s Conference. Check out her website www.themusketeerseries.com or her blog, www.livingonink.com. Check out more about volunteering at the conference.