2021 Workshops and Conferences January to March

 

Whether a one day session, one week conference, or a month-long writing workshop, writing related events are a good way to commune with other writers. They are opportunities to network and get your name out there. In some instances, you can meet and mingle with editors and agents. Some offer critiques or pitching sessions. Nowhere will you find a higher concentration of introverts enjoying each other's company. Local conferences are a good place to meet potential critique groups or recruit members.

Some are free. Some require a fee. Some are more social than others. Many are for new writers, but a few dig deep into craft. You should choose an event that speaks to your needs and desires.

Unfortunately with the pandemic, many in-person events have been cancelled. Some have been replaced with virtual events, podcasts, or online classes and lectures.

Virtual events allow for a wider audience and lower costs since attendance does not require travel and lodging.

January 7 - 17, 2021 The Pacific University Residency Writers Conference in Seaside, Oregon. will be a virtual residency.  

https://www.pacificu.edu/masters-fine-arts-writing/residency-writers-conference

January 10 - 14, 2022 Key West Literary Seminar and Writers' Workshop Program, Key West, Florida http://www.kwls.org/writers_workshops/

January 11 – March 18, 2021 ThrillerFest, Grand Hyatt New York City, N. Join them for winter virtual thrills. http://thrillerfest.com/

January 14 - 18, 2021 27th Winter Poetry & Prose Getaway. Join us online for a supportive conference.  https://wintergetaway.com/

January 15 – 18, 2021 The Colrain Poetry Intensive will be via Zoom this year. Check site for details. http://www.colrainpoetry.com/wp/?page_id=2845

January 16 - 23, 2021 Annual Writers In Paradise Conference, Eckerd College in St. Petersburg, Florida. We feel that the risk to the health of our faculty, participants, and guest speakers is simply too high.  Though we are disappointed, we look forward to hosting our 2-day virtual event for applicants, which will take place on Sunday and Monday, January 17 and 18. The 2021 program will be moved to 2022. If you applied, please keep your eye out for communications from us with more details. http://www.writersinparadise.com/

February 4, 11, & 18, 2021 Door County The Craft of Writing Young Adult Fiction online event. Check their site for other online classes and events throughout the year. https://writeondoorcounty.org/events/

February 5 - 6, 2021 Rhode Island Romance Writers Retreat, in Middletown-Newport, Rhode Island will take place via ZOOM from Friday evening to Saturday night. https://www.rirw.org/retreat/

February 9th -12th of 2022 Superstars Writing Seminars, Colorado Springs, Colorado http://superstarswriting.com/ 

February 11 - 13, 2021 Life, the Universe and Everything Conference Online, Provo, Utah http://ltue.net/

February 12 - 14, 2021 Southern California Writers Conference, San Diego, California will be held virtually. http://writersconference.com/sd/

February 18 - 21, 2021 Coastal Magic Convention, Urban Paranormal, Fantasy, & Romance in Daytona Beach, Florida will be virtual this year.

http://coastalmagicconvention.com/

February 18 - 20, 2021 Desert Nights, Rising Stars Writers Conference at Arizona State University will be a completely virtual event. Also, the Piper Center regularly offers creative writing classes and workshops through the Piper Writers Studio throughout the year. https://piper.asu.edu/conference

February 18 - 21, 2021 Wild Seeds Writers Retreat at Medgar Evers College, CUNY in Brooklyn, NY. https://centerforblackliterature.com/wild-seeds-full-description/

February 18 - 25, 2021 Writers Studio at UCLA Extension, UCLA, California will be a 4-Day intensive workshop series in a safe, fully online environment combining Zoom-based meetings, offline independent work time, small group activities, and other approaches to learning. The conference also features daily guest speakers and a keynote presentation by an industry professional of note. http://writers.uclaextension.edu/writers-studio/

February 27, 2021 Book-EM, Lumberton, North Carolina.  http://www.bookemnc.org/

February - March 2021 San Miguel Writers' Conference & Literary Festival, San Miguel, Mexico. We are going virtual and all our events and workshops will be held on Zoom. https://sanmiguelwritersconference.org/

March 3 - 7, 2021 Association of Writers and Writing Programs Conference & Bookfair, San Antonio, Texas will be virtual this year.  https://www.awpwriter.org/awp_conference/

March 6 - 7, 2021 Tucson Festival of Books, Tucson, Arizona will be virtual this year.

http://tucsonfestivalofbooks.org/

March 9 - 12, 2021 Mid-South Christian Writers Conference https://www.midsouthchristianwriters.com/

March 11 - 13, 2021 Futurescapes Conference at Utah Valley University will be virtual this year.http://www.futurescapes.ink/

March 18 - 21, 2021 New York Pitch online event. https://newyorkpitchconference.com

March 19 - 21, 2021 SleuthFest will be held virtually this year. http://sleuthfest.com/

March 19 - 20, 2022 Chicago Writers Association Conference, Chicago, Illinois. Registration is open at 2020 pricing. https://www.chicagowrites.org/conference

March 20, 2021 Bay To Ocean Writers Conference in Wye Mills, Maryland tickets go on sale starting January 15, 2021. https://www.easternshorewriters.org/

March 24 - 26, 2021 52nd University of North Dakota Writers Conference will be held virtually. http://www1.und.edu/orgs/writers-conference 

Next week, I will publish the list of conferences whose status and dates have yet to be announced for 2021 and those that have been postponed until 2022 or 2023. Check their sites for updates. Many conferences are in limbo due to the pandemic. Some will be postponed, canceled. or go virtual.

Diana Hurwitz is the author of Story Building Blocks: The Four Layers of Conflict, Story Building Blocks II: Crafting Believable Conflict, Story Building Blocks III: The Revision Layers, and the YA adventure series Mythikas Island. Her weekly blog, Game On: Crafting Believable Conflict explores how characters behave and misbehave. Visit DianaHurwitz.com for more information and free writing tools. You can follow her on Facebook and Twitter.