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CHECK OUT OUR 2023 SPEAKERS!
James River Writers is pleased to announce the accomplished slate of presenters for our 21st Annual James River Writers Conference. We are adding confirmed speakers daily, so be sure to check back…
Keynote Speakers SADEQA JOHNSON and DAWN MICHELLE HARDY
Sadeqa Johnson
Sadeqa Johnson is the New York Times best-selling author of five novels. Her accolades include being the 2022 Hurston/Wright Foundation Legacy finalist, a BCALA Literary Honoree, and the Library of Virginia’s Literary People’s Choice Award winner. Her newest release, House of Eve, was an instant New York Times bestseller and was chosen as a Reese Witherspoon Book Club Pick in February 2023. Johnson is a Kimbilio Fellow and teaches in the M.F.A. program at Drexel University. Originally from Philadelphia, she currently lives near Richmond, VA with her husband and three teens.
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Dawn Michelle Hardy
Dawn Michelle Hardy is a creative strategist who specializes in helping authors promote their work. She has worked with fiction, nonfiction, children’s book authors and poets, and has been dubbed “The Literary Lobbyist” by Ebony magazine. She is a frequent podcast guest and conference presenter, teaching platform building, proposal writing, and best practices for securing a traditional book deal. Dawn has contributed her knowledge and reflections on the publishing industry with Forbes, Esquire, and Poets & Writers.
Confirmed Speakers
Amina Adeyola
Amina Adeyola is a published and award-winning poet, playwright, and filmmaker creating, teaching, and curating spaces of the arts and live music. She is Virginia’s first Poet Laureate Ambassador of her hometown Richmond and explores new ways of how art can protect and uplift the youth of Richmond. Now studying film in Boston, she works with community members and renowned artists to further the expansion of the arts and the well-being of marginalized and working class communities. She is grateful for all she has learned in her budding career.
Mike Albo
Mike Albo\’s recent novel, Another Dimension of Us, was published by Penguin Random House in 2023. His other work includes the novels Hornito (HarperCollins) and The Underminer (Bloomsbury USA), as well as the novella The Junket, and memoir Spermhood: Diary of a Donor (both Amazon Kindle Singles). Albo has written for the New York Times, The New Yorker, New York Magazine, Lambda Legal, TED. com, Out, AARP and many other magazines and websites.
Andrea Beatriz Arango
Andrea Beatriz Arango is the Newbery Honor Award-winning author of Iveliz Explains It All. She was born and raised in Puerto Rico, and is a former public school teacher with almost a decade of teaching experience. Andrea now writes the types of children’s books she wishes students had more access to. She balances her life in Virginia with trips home to see her family. When she’s not busy writing, you can find her enjoying nature.
Kristi Tuck Austin | MODERATOR
Kristi Tuck Austin helps authors increase their books’ discoverability, build their platforms, and turn new readers into loyal fans. She’s also worked in television development for America’s Next Great Author, Can Do Entertainment, and Gum Street Productions.
Rachel Beanland
Rachel Beanland’s most recent novel, The House Is On Fire, which is based on the true story of the 1811 Richmond Theater fire, is out now from Simon & Schuster. Her first novel, Florence Adler Swims Forever, was published by Simon & Schuster in 2020 and received the National Jewish Book Award for Debut Fiction. Beanland earned her MFA in creative writing from Virginia Commonwealth University and lives in Richmond, Virginia where she will be the 2023-24 Writer-in-Residence at University of Richmond.
Bill Blume
Bill Blume discovered his love for the written word while in high school and has been writing ever since. His latest book West of Apocalypse comes out August 2023. His short stories have been published in many fantasy anthologies and various ezines. Like the father figure in his debut novel Gidion\’s Hunt, Bill has worked as a 911 dispatcher for more than 20 years.
Dr. Taylor Byas
Taylor Byas, Ph.D. (she/her) is a Black Chicago native currently living in Cincinnati, Ohio, where she is an Associate Editor for Cincinnati Review and an Assistant Features Editor for The Rumpus. She is the author of the chapbooks Bloodwarm and Shutter, and her debut full-length I Done Clicked My Heels Three Times will be out with Soft Skull Press in August 2023. She is represented by Rena Rossner of the Deborah Harris Agency.
Rosa Castellano | MODERATOR
Rosa Castellano is a poet and teacher living in Richmond, VA. In 2021, she was a finalist for Cave Canem’s Starshine and Clay Fellowship and her work can be found or is forth coming from RHINO Poetry, The Southampton Review, Nimrod and Passages North, among others. She has an MFA from VCU and her work has been supported by Bread Loaf, the Visual Arts Center of Virginia, and by Tin House.
Portia Chan, MA, CPRS | MODERATOR
Portia Chan is the Grants Writer at the Science Museum of Virginia. She is a certified peer recovery specialist and mental health advocate. Her articles have been published in The Asian American Psychologist, April Magazine, and The Virginia Voter. Portia holds a certificate in psychology and counseling from UC Berkeley, MA in education from Emmanuel College, and BA in art history from Wellesley College.
KJ Charles | MASTER CLASS INSTRUCTOR
KJ Charles spent twenty years as an editor in British publishing before switching tracks to become a full-time novelist, a choice she has never regretted. She writes mostly historical queer romance and fantasy, and her work has been translated into eight languages to date. She lives in London, UK, and enjoys digging out obscure historical facts about the place.
Jennifer Chen-Tran | MASTER CLASS INSTRUCTOR
Jennifer Chen-Tran is a literary agent at Folio Literary Management. Jennifer is passionate about nurturing and championing authors. She represents authors who write non-fiction and fiction, adult and children’s books, and loves to work with a wide range of talent. She obtained her Juris Doctor from Northeastern School of Law in Boston, MA, and a Bachelors of Arts in English Literature from Washington University in St. Louis.
Laura Chow Reeve
| Laura Chow Reeve is a writer & illustrator living in Richmond, Virginia. Her fiction has been published in The Rumpus, Catapult, Joyland, and elsewhere. Her story in Hyphen Magazine was a 2017 winner of the Pen/Robert J. Dau prize and featured on LeVar Burton Reads. She has a MA in Asian American Studies from UCLA, is a Blackburn Fellow at Randolph College’s MFA program, and has attended workshops at Tin House and VONA. Her debut short story collection, A Small Apocalypse, is forthcoming with TriQuarterly Books/Northwestern University Press in March 2024. |
Christopher Combemale | AGENT
Christopher Combemale is an associate agent at Sterling Lord Literistic. He is looking for a broad range of bold literary fiction and upmarket fiction with an unexpected hook. In non-fiction he is interested in essay, cultural criticism, and expert-driven projects across popular psychology, science, food, and any book that asks big questions about forces of change. As a Singaporean/French/American born and raised in London, he is drawn to international voices and handles work in translation for select foreign publishers. He graduated from UNC-Chapel Hill as a Morehead-Cain Scholar.
Cindy Cunningham
Cindy Cunningham is an editor, writing guide, and author of heart-wrenching queer memoir and poetry. Her publications include a chapbook, Bittersweet Swallows, and Wild Woman: Memoir in Pieces. Cindy combines her deep well of empathy and the expertise she developed in her MFA and PhD programs to provide compassionate editing and coaching services for both established and aspiring fiction and memoir writers. Her favorite student accolades include “Most Real Teacher” and “Empress of Safe Spaces.”
Joan B. Davis
Joan B. Davis is an attorney with Schroder Brooks Law Firm located in Richmond, Virginia. Licensed to practice law in both Virginia and New York, Joan has over a decade of experience representing entertainment clients, including authors, artists, musicians, and fashion designers. Joan\’s background gives her a unique perspective of the literary and fashion law landscapes. The book she co-authored, Feng Shui Love, hit the “Chick-lit” world with complementary merchandise and design lines. Joan can\’t wait to get back to fiction writing, but her most recently published work is a chapter in a book published in Europe titled \”Fashion Law And Sustainability, Fashion The Planet\”, released in May 2023 by Water Mill Press. She is currently writing a chapter for a similar book focusing on upcycling fashion in Europe and The United States. In her spare time, Joan enjoys reading, learning Italian, teaching aqua Zumba classes, and studying Feng Shui and the metaphysical properties of crystals and Tarot.
Reiko Davis | AGENT
Reiko Davis joined DeFiore and Company in 2016 after working at Miriam Altshuler Literary Agency for four years. She represents literary and upmarket fiction, narrative non-fiction, and middle-grade and YA books. She grew up in Kansas City, received her BA in Comparative Literature and Art History from Brown University, and is a graduate of the Columbia Publishing Course. She lives in Jersey City.
Wendy DeGroat | MODERATOR
Wendy DeGroat is the author of Beautiful Machinery and is currently revising a docupoetry manuscript about Grace Arents, a Progressive-era philanthropist and educator, and Grace’s companion, Mary Garland Smith. Her poems have appeared in Cider Press Review, Commonplace, the museum of americana, Rust + Moth, and elsewhere. She is a librarian and mindfulness teacher in Richmond, Virginia, where she also curates poetryriver.org, encourages writers to find inspiration in quirky artifacts, and serves as a facilitator for Living the Richmond Pledge, a workshop that empowers participants to take an active role in ending racism.
Saa\'dia JW Douglas, CPA, MBA, CICA
Saa’dia JW Douglas, CPA, MBA, CICA is the CEO of Prosperity Financial Services, LLC. Her vision is to help individuals and business owners obtain financial freedom. Prosperity Financial Services, LLC offers Consulting Services, Tax and IRS Resolution Services, and Business Services, including Business Formation, Financial Strategies, and Accounting Services. Mrs. Douglas is a Certified Public Accountant with a BSBA from UR and an MBA in Accounting from VCU. Saa’dia is a member of the several accounting and tax organizations including the AICPA, VSCPA and ASTPS. She has formed many non-profits and has served on several boards. Mrs. Douglas has also served as the Chief Financial Officer for two multi-million dollar agencies where she was responsible for financial and strategic planning, forecasting, budgeting, financial and human capital management, and capital projects.
Kim Wells Eley | MASTER CLASS INSTRUCTOR
Specializing in personal development books and thoughtful children\’s books is the mission of Kim Wells Eley’s company, KWE Publishing. As a writing coach and publisher, Kim gives clients six steps to make their books a reality. Happily married to her BFF for over twenty years, she’s a speaker, an author, a cat lover, a collector of orchids, a horror film fan, and she gets all of her news from comedy shows.
Lisa Cooper Ellison
Lisa Cooper Ellison is an author, speaker, and trauma-informed writing coach with an Ed.S in clinical mental health counseling and a background in mindfulness. She is a book proposal expert who teaches courses in memoir, navigating the writing process, and writing about trauma. A regular contributor to the Jane Friedman blog, her essays and short stories have appeared in HuffPost, Kenyon Review Online, and Hippocampus Literary Journal, among others.
Robin Farmer
| Robin Farmer is a screenwriter, author, and journalist with a passion for coming-of-age narratives and thrillers. Her Catholic upbringing has generated guilt and stories, including her debut YA novel, Malcolm and Me, adapted from her own screenplay. Robin\’s goal is to write strong female protagonists who resonate with a global audience. Writer-director of two shorts, she is director of the Virginia Screenwriters Forum, a 2023 Stowe Story Labs Fellow, and Hedgebrook residency recipient. She relaxes by trying to roller skate backwards with swagger. |
MM Finck | MODERATOR
MM (Peggy) Finck is a niche editor who specializes in queries, pitches, opening pages, and overall story analysis. She was granted the first ever interview with the Editor-in-Chief of Amazon’s Lake Union Publishing. Among MM’s clients’ and interviewees’ successes are chart rankings, bestsellers, and two adaptations to television series—one Apple, one Prime.
Sarah N. Fisk | MASTER CLASS INSTRUCTOR
Sarah N. Fisk is a literary agent at the Tobias Literary Agency, representing all genres in Middle Grade and Young Adult as well as adult science-fiction, fantasy, and romance. Sarah is a former mechanical engineer who made the switch to publishing in 2011. They have worked in the publishing industry as an editorial assistant, author’s assistant, publicist, and art director. Sarah is a former Pitch Wars mentor, board member, and Agent Liaison. They host the podcast Queries, Qualms, & Quirks and are one of the founding members of Disability in Publishing.
Diamond Forde
Diamond Forde’s debut collection, Mother Body, is the winner of the 2019 Saturnalia Poetry Prize. Forde has received numerous awards and prizes, including a Pink Poetry Prize, a Furious Flower Poetry Prize, and was a finalist for the 2022 Kate Tufts Discovery Award from Claremont Graduate University. A Callaloo, Tin House, and Ruth Lilly Dorothy Sargent Rosenberg fellow, Forde’s work has appeared in Poetry, Obsidian, Massachusetts Review, and more. In her spare time, Forde also serves as the interviews editor of Honey Literary and the fiction editor of Nat. Brut.
Dr. Hollee Freeman
Hollee Freeman, Ph.D is a career educator who curates programs that leverage community, creativity, and critical thinking. She is the author of twenty children’s books (fifteen of those for the Boston Public Schools system) and has had her academic work published in numerous peer-reviewed books and journals. Hollee has been featured as a TEDx speaker and a CreativeMornings RVA speaker. Freeman is the co-curator of CityBees RVA, an ecological and educational program that demystifies one’s understanding of the importance of honeybees through hands-on experiences in her apiary.
Terry Menefee Gau | MODERATOR
Terry Menefee Gau is an accomplished actor & writer. She has a varied theatre and film resume, spanning over twenty-five years as an actor, producer, writer, and director. Terry is a proud member of James River Writers and the Virginia Screenwriters Forum, and she has several award-winning scripts under her belt. She also works as a Senior Copywriter for a local start-up. Terry received her M.Div. and MACE from Union Presbyterian Seminary, focusing in Narrative and Film Theology, and she has a B.S. in Mathematics from James Madison University. She loves the dichotomy of art and logic, spirit and reason.
Shannon Gibney | MASTER CLASS INSTRUCTOR
Shannon Gibney is a writer, educator, activist, and the author of See No Color (Carolrhoda Lab, 2015), and Dream Country (Dutton, 2018) young adult novels that won Minnesota Book Awards in 2016 and 2019. Gibney is faculty in English at Minneapolis College, where she teaches writing; she was recently selected as one of three Educators of the Year in the entire Minnesota State College and University system. A Bush Artist and McKnight Writing Fellow, her new novel, The Girl I Am, Was, and Never Will Be, explores themes of transracial adoption through speculative memoir (Dutton, 2023). Gibney’s other recent publications include the picture books Sam and the Incredible African and American Food Fight (University of Minnesota Press, 2023), and Where We Come From (Lerner, 2022; coauthored), and a YA anthology of stories by adoptees about adoptees, co-edited with Nicole Chung (HarperTeen, 2023).
Gail Giewont | MODERATOR
Gail Giewont chairs the Literary Arts department at Appomattox Regional Governor\’s School for the Arts and Technology. Her chapbook of poetry, Vulture, is available from Finishing Line Press. She has won the Shann Palmer Poetry Prize, the Many Mountains Moving Poetry Prize, and the Fralin Museum\’s Writer\’s Eye Poetry Prize. Currently the Membership Chair of the Poetry Society of Virginia, she lives in Chesterfield with her rescue beagles, Bee and Mrs. Waddlesworth.
J.T. Glover | MODERATOR
J. T. Glover has published short fiction in Best New Horror, Pseudopod, and Nightscript, among other venues. His \”The Song Between the Songs\” will appear in the forthcoming Dark Corners of the Old Dominion, a Virginia horror anthology supporting Scares That Care. His nonfiction has appeared in many publications, including The Silent Garden and Thinking Horror. By day he’s an academic librarian specializing in the humanities, and he lives in Central Virginia.
Rashida Gray, MD
Dr. Rashida Gray is a psychiatrist and owner of Gray MD Psychiatry, LLC in Richmond, VA. She treats a wide variety of psychiatric conditions, with a special focus on mood and anxiety disorders. Dr. Gray utilizes a range of therapeutic modalities, including medications, psychotherapy and lifestyle modifications to help patients achieve optimal mental health. After receiving her Bachelor of Science degree from Xavier University of Louisiana, she completed her medical training at Drexel University College of Medicine and a psychiatry residency at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania in her hometown of Philadelphia, PA. She has held research, teaching, and clinical leadership positions at VCU Medical Center and Bon Secours Health System. Dr. Gray sits on the executive board for Greater Richmond SCAN, focused on advocacy, education and treatment for Richmond area children affected by or at risk for abuse. Dr. Gray is a founding member of the African American women giving circle, SisterFund, providing grant gifts to local nonprofits improving the lives of African American women and girls in the Richmond area. In 2023, Dr. Gray joined the board for the Jenkins Foundation, responsible for providing grant gifts to local nonprofit organizations focused on health related impact projects. Dr. Gray has been a lifelong bookworm, particularly drawn to mysteries and historical fiction, and she has profound respect for the writers of the world.
Adriana Herrera
Adriana Herrera was born and raised in the Caribbean and writes stories about people who look and sound like her, getting unapologetic happy endings. The New York Times calls her books \”sweet and thoughtful, but delightfully filthy too.\” She is a trauma therapist in New York City.
Phil Hilliker | MODERATOR
Phillip Hilliker is a creatively restless writer and illustrator with credits spanning many fields and genres. Formerly JRW\’s membership coordinator, he is currently a script writer for a video production and marketing firm in central Virginia.
Sam Hiyate | AGENT
Sam Hiyate worked at the literary magazines Blood & Aphorisms and The Quarterly in the 90\’s. He ran the edgy micropublisher, Gutter Press, from 1993 to 2002, as publisher. He launched the literary division of The Lavin Agency in 2003, where he built a list of clients and did his first deals. Sam’s projects for the agency have been in various categories, including memoir, literary and commercial fiction, narrative non-fiction and graphic novels. He’s looking for works of all categories with distinct and compelling voices. He loves to discover and help new writers prepare their works for the market and to help them build a career with their talent. He is the host of the podcast Agent Provocateur.
Jenny Hundley
Jenny Hundley received her BFA and MFA from Theatre VCU and has been performing, devising, directing, and teaching for over 30 years. Passion projects include Live Art (SPARC), Full Plate Collection (Minds Wide Open) and New Voices for the Theatre (SPARC). Favorite roles include Joan in Small Mouth Sounds (Cadence); Lisa Kron in Well (Virginia Rep); Kathy in Parallel Lives (RTP); and Little Stone in Eurydice (Firehouse). Jenny has taught drama at Collegiate School since 1991 and is a recipient of the Craigie Educational Excellence Award.
Michelle Z. Jackson | AGENT
Michelle Z. Jackson is a literary agent who represents books that evoke heartfelt emotions and fervent conversations among its readers. Her mission is to mentor and develop authors, particularly those from underrepresented communities, and help them build a brand of quality and authentic reads. Originally from Jamaica, West Indies, she is a literary agent with LCS Literary. She began her agenting career as an intern and then as a Literary Associate with Olswanger Literary. Michelle is also a published author and has earned educational degrees from New York University, SUNY at StonyBrook, Teachers College Columbia University and Argosy University.
Dr. Laura Q. Jimenez | MODERATOR
Dr. Laura Q. Jimenez is a speculative fiction author, scientist, and professor in the heartland of Virginia. Her short fiction has appeared in a Dragon Soul Press anthology, and her dieselpunk-fairytale \”Piper\” was the editor’s top choice for that year. Her poetry has also appeared in the Horror Writers of America Poetry Showcase. She is a member of James River Writers and the Richmond chapter of NaNoWriMo. Her scientific career has seen her lecture and present to groups ranging from 10 to 100 people.
Derek Kannemeyer
Derek Kannemeyer was born in Cape Town, raised in London, and has spent most of his adult life as a writer, teacher, and actor in Richmond, Virginia. He holds a BA from London University and an MA from UVA. His poetry and prose have appeared in scores of publications from Fiction International to Rolling Stone. In 2018, he won the inaugural chapbook contest offered by the Irish journal Blue Nib. In 2019, he published The Play of Gilgamesh, and in 2020, he published a full-length poetry collection, Mutt Spirituals, with San Francisco Bay Press. After retiring from teaching he took up photography, which led to the publication of his photographic essay collection in 2021, Unsay Their Names, which was honored with a full scale photography exhibition at the Black History Museum and Cultural Center of Virginia, and was awarded the Silver Medal IPPY Award for Best Non-Fiction Book, Mid-Atlantic Region.
Alma Katsu | MASTER CLASS INSTRUCTOR
Alma Katsu is best known for historical fiction with a speculative element, such as The Fervor, which has been nominated for the Stoker, Locus, International Thriller Writers for best novel. Her spy thrillers draw on a long career in intelligence. Red Widow (2021) was a New York Times Editor’s Choice and nominated for ITW Best Novel. Red London recently published to excellent reviews and has been optioned for a TV series.
Caroline Kettlewell | MASTER CLASS INSTRUCTOR
Caroline Kettlewell is the author of two books of narrative nonfiction. She writes on a wide range of topics, including conservation and the natural world, human health, research science, arts and culture.
Dean King | MASTER CLASS INSTRUCTOR
Dean King is an award-winning author of ten nonfiction books. He crossed the Sahara on camels and in Land Rovers while researching Skeletons on the Zahara, trekked the Long March trail in the mountains of Western China for Unbound, and was shot at while researching The Feud in Appalachia. For his most recent book, Guardians of the Valley, Dean traveled to John Muir’s boyhood homes in Dunbar, Scotland, and rural Wisconsin and spent months roaming Yosemite National Park and the Sierra Nevada. His writing has appeared in Granta, Garden & Gun, National Geographic Adventure, Outside, Travel & Leisure, New York magazine, and The New York Times. An internationally known speaker, King has also appeared on NPR’s Talk of the Nation, ABC World News Tonight, PBS American Experience, BBC Radio, and TEDx. He is a partner of Gum Street Productions, which is currently developing a feature documentary for Netflix.
Marie Lamba | AGENT
Marie Lamba is a Senior Literary Agent at the Jennifer De Chiara Literary Agency in NYC (jdlit.com), where she represents fiction and non-fiction picture books, middle grade, Young Adult and adult works, plus graphic novels and memoir. Marie is also author of the picture books Green Green: A Community Gardening Story (Farrar Straus Giroux), and A Day So Gray (Clarion), and of the young adult novels What I Meant… (Random House), Over My Head, and Drawn. Her articles are in more than 100 publications, and she’s a frequent contributor to Writer’s Digest. She has worked as an editor, an award-winning public relations writer, and a book publicist, and has taught classes on novel writing and on author promotion.
L.D. Lewis
L.D. Lewis is an editor, publisher, and Shirley Jackson award-nominated writer of speculative fiction. She serves as a founding creator and Project Manager for the World Fantasy and Hugo Award-winning FIYAH Literary Magazine. She also serves as Researcher for the LeVar Burton Reads podcast, and pays the bills as the Director of Programs and Operations for Lambda Literary. She is the author of A Ruin of Shadows (Dancing Star Press, 2018) and her published short fiction and poetry includes appearances in FIYAH, PodCastle, Strange Horizons, Anathema: Spec from the Margins, Lightspeed, and Neon Hemlock, among others. A short story of hers will appear in Jordan Peele\’s collection Out There Screaming, available October 3, 2023. She lives in Georgia on perpetual deadline, with her coffee habit, two cats, and an impressive LEGO build collection.
Tracey Livesay
Tracey Livesay\’s latest release, The Duchess Effect, was one of the most buzzed about sequels of the summer. In addition to being named to USA Today’s list of “100 Black Novelists You Should Read,” she’s been featured in The New York Times, The Washington Post, and Entertainment Weekly. Her novel, Like Lovers Do, was named one of the 100 Best Fiction Books of 2020 by Kirkus Reviews. A former criminal defense attorney, Tracey lives in Virginia with her husband and their three children.
Chad Luibl | AGENT
Chad Luibl is a literary agent at Janklow & Nesbit Associates. Born and raised in Virginia, he received a BA in English at Lynchburg University before moving to Eastern Europe to teach English for several years. While in Krakow, Poland, he got his MA in European Studies at Jagiellonian University, with a focus in Comparative Literature. He went on to get his MFA in Creative Writing at Virginia Commonwealth University, where he was also the coordinator of the VCU Cabell First Novelist Award, an intern in the Literature Department at the National Endowment for the Arts, and an editor at Blackbird and Broad Street literary journals. Chad comes from the workshop model of creative writing and has a hands-on editorial approach to agenting. He is interested in narrative nonfiction with a strong emotional pull from journalists and writers who challenge the status quo. For fiction, he is particularly drawn to novels that are more character or plot-driven, horror and thrillers that are as inventive as they are suspenseful, speculative and historical fiction that offer a nuanced perspective on place, and graphic novels that push the boundaries of the genre.
Mia P. Manansala
Mia P. Manansala (she/her) is a writer and certified book coach from Chicago who loves books, baking, and bad-ass women. She is the author of the multi-award-winning Tita Rosie’s Kitchen Mystery series, and uses humor (and murder) to explore aspects of the Filipino diaspora, queerness, and her millennial love for pop culture.
Brynn Markham
Brynn Markham is passionate about connecting people and organizations in ways that strengthen communities and amplify the strengths and talents of everyone involved. Prior to joining James River Writers as Director of Programs and Communications, she spearheaded nationally recognized and award-winning marketing campaigns and events in her communications and outreach role at VPM, Richmond\’s PBS and NPR affiliate. The cornerstone of her work is partnership with nonprofits and arts & culture organizations, allowing for deeper and expanded connection to audiences and added value for all partners involved. Projects she\’s especially proud of include: The Great American Read; Ken Burns’ The Vietnam War; Great Performances’ Hamilton’s America; PBS KIDS Summer Challenge; and the nation’s largest screening events for series premieres of Downton Abbey two years in a row.
Annette Marquis | MODERATOR
Annette Marquis is a community builder & author of a short-form memoir, Resistance: A Memoir of Civil Disobedience in Maricopa County, twenty-five software books, and a micro-memoir Substack series \”Accidental Mentors: Inspirational Stories of Women Who Shaped My Life Without Even Trying.\” She works for Living Legacy Project, Inc. & lives with her wife Wendy in Richmond, VA.
Beth Marshea | MASTER CLASS INSTRUCTOR
Beth Marshea is the owner of Ladderbird Literary Agency. She has a BA in Literature and a Masters in Business Administration and is always looking for new and exciting ways to bring more diversity into publishing and beyond. Outside of agenting, Beth teaches writing in her local community with a focus on bringing reluctant writers and readers into the magical world of books. She relentlessly searches for more ways to encourage writers to create stories that matter! Outside of books, she loves the outdoors, all things water related, and has a strong attraction to abstract art.
Emily Okamoto-Green | MODERATOR
Emily Okamoto-Green is a half Japanese poet, essayist, educator, and animal lover. She teaches poetry and embroidery at the Visual Arts Center of Richmond and literature at the Appomattox Regional Governor’s School. Her life highlights include Arthur Sze once saying her poem had a sense of wonder and any time a cat or dog has come up to her without her first initiating the interaction. Some of her newest work can be found in the 2023 edition of RHINO Poetry.
Anne-Marie Oomen
Anne-Marie Oomen’s memoir, As Long As I Know You: The Mom Book, won AWP’s Sue Silverman Nonfiction Award and Michigan’s Notable Book Award. She wrote Lake Michigan Mermaid with Linda Nemec Foster (also Michigan Notable), Love, Sex and 4-H (Next Generation Indie Award, Memoir), and edited ELEMENTAL: A Collection of Michigan Nonfiction (Michigan Notable Book). She teaches at Solstice MFA at Lasell University (MA), Interlochen’s College of Creative Arts (MI).
Mark Oshiro
Mark Oshiro (they/them) is the award-winning author of the young adult books Anger is a Gift (2019 Schneider Family Book Award), Each of Us is a Desert, and Into the Light, as well as their middle grade books The Insiders, You Only Live Once, David Bravo, and Star Wars Hunters: Battle for the Arena. They are also the co-author (with Rick Riordan) of The Sun and the Star: A Nico Di Angelo Adventure. When not writing, they are trying to pet every dog in the world.
Catie-Reagan Palmore | MODERATOR
Catie-Reagan Palmore, Ed.D. is the Managing Editor at the Metropolitian Universities Journal and the Membership Director at James River Writers. She received her doctorate from Baylor University\’s Learning and Organizational Change program. Catie-Reagan received an M.S. in Strategic Design and Management from Parsons School of Design, a B.A. in Theatre Arts from Virginia Tech, and a Women in Leadership certificate from Cornell University. Her writing and research interests include interdisciplinary arts integration, design thinking, and visual culture.
Bethanne Patrick
Bethanne Patrick is a critic who tweets @TheBookMaven and comments on books and literature to 200,000+ followers. Her work appears frequently in the Los Angeles Times and NPR Books, among others. She sits on the board of the PEN/Faulkner Foundation and hosts the “Missing Pages” podcast. Patrick’s work has appeared on Elle.com, the Rumpus, VQR.com, and in the Grace & Gravity series. Her debut memoir, Life B: Overcoming Double Depression, is out from Counterpoint Press.
Virginia Pye
Virginia Pye’s latest novel, The Literary Undoing of Victoria Swann has been called “witty, intelligent and exuberant.” Her story collection, Shelf Life of Happiness, won the 2019 IPPY Gold Medal. Her debut, River of Dust, was an Indie Next Pick, and a Finalist for the Virginia Literary Award. Her novel, Dreams of the Red Phoenix, was named a Best Book of the year by the Richmond-Times Dispatch. Virginia helped establish James River Writers and now lives in Cambridge, MA.
Brendan W. Riley
Brendan W. Riley is a writer-director known for his unique characters, intriguing situations, and experimental camera/editing work. His determination to push the boundaries has earned him regular placement amongst the top films in festivals near and far. He is currently working on no less than three shorts and has a feature not far behind.
Dr. DaNika Neblett Robinson MODERATOR
Dr. DaNika Neblett Robinson is the author of The Metamorphic Journey, a novella that explores three teenage mothers’ quest to succeed. This fictional work is based on her experiences of becoming a teen mom, first-generation college student, and ultimately the recipient of multiple academic degrees, including master’s and doctoral degrees. The Metamorphic Journey is also the name of a movement that DaNika founded to foster individuals’ personal growth. Additionally, she is the founder of Wailing Women Ministries, a nonprofit organization that provides book scholarships to female high school seniors. DaNika is a higher education administrator and expert in transformational leadership who speaks widely about the benefits of diversity, equity, inclusion, belonging, justice, and leadership in the workplace. She also coauthored an anthology, On Womanhood: Connecting and Thriving in Every Season, featuring personal essays penned by women ages 21 to 72.
Kirk Schroder
Kirk T. Schroder is an experienced entertainment and arts law attorney. He has been recognized in The Best Lawyers in America® for the field of entertainment law and is currently rated an “AV Preeminent” lawyer by Martindale-Hubbell, its highest rating for lawyers. Kirk’s national peers in the entertainment and sports law profession elected him the current chair of the American Bar Association’s Entertainment and Sports Law Section. His law practice draws entertainment and arts-related clients from around the world.
Lizz Schumer | MASTER CLASS INSTRUCTOR
Lizz Schumer is a writer, editor, and educator from Brooklyn, NY. She is a senior editor at Good Housekeeping Magazine and teaches journalism courses at New York University School of Professional Studies and offers private coaching and editing through the New York Writing Room. She is the author of Buffalo Steel and Biography of a Body.
Melissa Scott Sinclair | MODERATOR
Melissa Scott Sinclair is a fiction writer, essayist, and journalist. She is the recipient of the 2023 Lit/South Award in Fiction and the 2021 Michael Kenneth Smith Novel Fellowship. Melissa’s bylines have appeared in The Washington Post, Audubon, Richmond magazine, and Style Weekly. Look for her pieces about urban sturgeon, Chicago coyotes, and the ancestral dens of the timber rattlesnake in WILD LIFE, a book forthcoming from Atlas Obscura.
Eric Smith | MASTER CLASS INSTRUCTOR
Eric Smith is a Young Adult author and literary agent with P.S. Literary living in Philadelphia. He’s worked on award-winning and New York Times bestselling titles, and began his publishing career at Quirk Books. A frequent blogger, his ramblings about books and the publishing industry regularly appear on Book Riot, Paste Magazine, and Publishing Crawl. His latest book, Jagged Little Pill: The Novel, a collaboration with Alanis Morissette, Academy award-winner Diablo Cody, and Glen Ballard, is an adaptation of the Grammy and Tony award winning musical. His upcoming books include the YA rom-com With or Without You (Inkyard Press, November 2023) and the anthology First-Year Orientation (Candlewick, April 2023) with Lauren Gibaldi.
Julie Valerie | MODERATOR
Julie Valerie, bestselling author of Holly Banks Full of Angst and The Peculiar Fate of Holly Banks, is both novelist and editor, with professional-level proficiencies using the Chicago Manual of Style, backed by a University of Chicago editing certificate. A former trend forecaster with speaking credentials in 13 countries, her diverse skills extend to advanced certifications in wine theory and blind tasting, while her M.Ed enriches her role as a faculty member at VCU School of the Arts.
Ran Walker
Ran Walker is an award-winning author of over 30 books. He is a contributing editor for Writer\’s Digest and serves on the Writers Board for NaNoWriMo. He is an associate professor of English and Creative Writing at Hampton University and lives in Hampton, Virginia, with his wife and daughter.
Logan Ward | MASTER CLASS INSTRUCTOR
Logan Ward has written feature articles for The Atlantic, Outside, Popular Mechanics and many other magazines. He is a longtime Garden & Gun contributing editor and received honorable mention, twice, from The Best American Science and Nature Writing. His memoir, See You in a Hundred Years, chronicles his family’s immersion into 1900-era farm life in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley. He lives with his family in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.
E.J. Wenstrom
E. J. Wenstrom believes in complicated heroes, horrifying monsters, purple hair dye and standing to the right on escalators so the left side can walk. She writes dark speculative fiction for adults and teens, including the young adult dystopian novel Departures and the award-winning Chronicles of the Third Realm War series. When she isn’t writing fiction, E. J. Wenstrom is a regular contributor to the Hot Sheet and co-hosts the Troped Out and Fantasy+Girl podcasts.
Michaela Whatnall | AGENT
Michaela Whatnall is an agent with Dystel, Goderich & Bourret, where they have worked out of the West Coast office since 2019. They have a degree in English and linguistics from Emory University and completed the Columbia Publishing Course. Michaela represents middle grade and young adult fiction across genres; upmarket adult fiction and fantasy; and select picture books, graphic novels, and narrative nonfiction.
Fran Wilde
Fran Wilde’s first novel Updraft won a Nebula and a Compton Crook Award. Cloudbound and Horizon completed the trilogy in 2017. Her debut middle-grade novel Riverland won a Nebula and was named an NPR Best Book of 2019. Middle-grade novel The Ship of Stolen Words was published in 2021. Wilde’s short work has appeared in publications including Asimov’s, Tor.com, Uncanny Magazine, and multiple years’ best collections. Her nonfiction has appeared in The Washington Post, The New York Times, NPR, Tor.com, and elsewhere. The managing editor of The Sunday Morning Transport, Wilde holds an MFA in poetry and an MA in information architecture and interaction design. She teaches for Vermont College of Fine Arts WFCYA MFA.