2023 In-Person Conference Schedule

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The James River Writers Conference is designed to help you reach your writing goals, whatever they may be. We have included a mix of sessions that cover both the business side of writing, as well as craft. Tailor the conference offerings to your needs. While the conference add-ons (Agent One-on-Ones Meetings and Master Classes) need to be selected at the time of registration, you can decide which regular sessions to attend up until the day of the conference, when you arrive at the Greater Richmond Convention Center. Once you’ve registered, watch this website and your email inbox for more conference fun and details, as well as tools to help you make the most of your experience! Schedule and speakers are subject to change.

Friday, October 6, 2022 | Pre-Conference Master Classes

9:00 am–4:00 pm Eastern  |  Master Classes (Premium Add-On)

See schedule and pricing for Pre-Conference Master Classes HERE.  Please be prepared to make your Master Class choices when you register. You must register for these ahead of time to secure your spot. This year, you may choose to register for Master Classes as an add-on to your in-person ticket, or a la carte, if you’re unable to attend the in-person offerings on Saturday and Sunday. We have nine online Master Classes, as well as one in-person Master Class in Richmond, VA.

Saturday, October 7, 2023 | In-Person Schedule at the Greater Richmond Convention Center

8:00 am–8:30 am

  • Newcomers Welcome

Specially designed for those new to the JRW in-person conference and will include a brief overview of what to expect over the conference weekend.

Room: E10D

8:45 am–9:15 am

  • Welcome and 2023 Awards Presentation

James River Writers Executive Director, Katharine Herndon, welcomes you to Richmond, Virginia, for the 21st Annual Conference, followed by the presentation of JRW\’s 2023 Awards. We will celebrate the Emyl Jenkins Award winner, for inspiring a love of writing in others, and the winner of the 2023 Best Unpublished Novel Contest.

Room: E10AB

9:30 am–10:30 am | Breakout Sessions

  • Self-Publishing & Distribution: How to Get Your Book to Readers

Whether you’re using Amazon, Ingram Spark, or another method of self-publishing your book, it doesn’t do you any good if you can’t find your readers. Three industry experts will share their tips on the best practices for finding your audience, identifying the best distribution methods, and getting your book into your readers’ eager hands.  

Panelists: Kim Eley, Dawn Michelle Hardy, E. J. Wenstrom 

Moderator: Phil Hilliker

Room: E10AB 

  • Awards, Grants, & Residencies: Putting Yourself Out There

Some authors seem like they’re always earning awards and getting accepted for retreats, residencies, and grants. Beyond being talented, dedicated writers, do they also know something you don’t? How do you find out about these opportunities, and what are best practices for applying? 

Panelists: L.D. Lewis, Mia P. Manansala, Bethanne Patrick

Moderator: John Glover

Room: E10C

  • Persisting: Navigating the Writing Life

Writers have to have pretty thick skins and some serious self-motivation. How do you keep going against setbacks and find the best path forward when the book business is constantly changing? How do you know if you need to work harder, work better, or try something completely new? Three authors who know how to hang in there share their best advice.

Panelists: Michael Albo, Alma Katsu, Virginia Pye

Moderator: Catie-Reagan Palmore

Room: E10D

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  • Keep in Touch: Writing for MG/YA Audiences

When writing Middle Grade and Young Adult works, it’s inevitable that you’ll gradually grow more distant from your target audience in age and experiences. How do you keep your voice relevant and fresh? Are there unforgivable missteps that lose your readers? Our accomplished panel can give you insight that will help you get it right.

Panelists: Andrea Beatriz Arango, Marie Lamba, Mark Oshiro

Moderator: Wendy DeGroat

Room: E11A

10:45 am–11:45 am | Breakout Sessions, Intensives, & Headshots

  • INTENSIVE – Writer Self-Sabotage

In this session, writer, editor, and coach Lisa Cooper Ellison will help you explore the psychological causes of writer self-sabotage, the sneaky ways it presents itself (like overscheduling, procrastination, perfectionism, etc.), and how to stop saying no to yourself and your book.  

Instructor: Lisa Cooper Ellison 

Room: E10AB

  • Bigger Isn’t Always Better: Working with a Small Press

As the Big Five publishers continue to be in turmoil, there are many advantages to working with a small, independent press to publish your work. Where do you find reputable small presses, and what are best practices for a successful experience? Our experts will walk you through the pros and cons. 

Panelists: Anne-Marie Oomen, Virginia Pye, E.J. Wenstrom 

Moderator: Bill Blume

Room: E10C

  • Business 101 for Writers

Sure you\’re a creative, but that doesn\’t mean you neglect the business side of your writing life. Hear from both a lawyer and an accountant about the often overlooked aspects of being a successful writer. Come get you questions answered on topics like LLCs, business licenses, and more.

Panelists: Joan B. Davis, Saa\’dia JW Douglas, CPA, MBA, CICA

Moderator: Julie Valerie

Room: E10D

  • INTENSIVE – Telling Stories with Tarot

There’s a reason that it’s called a tarot reading. In Modern Tarot, writer Michelle Tea tells us that “tarot is an ancient story system, a pack of cards that tell a multitude of tales depending on the ways in which they’re placed alongside each other.” In this generative writing session, participants will learn some (very) basics about tarot and, more importantly, how they can use these cards to spark their creativity, think about story structure, and lean into intuition and reflection for their creative practice.

The instructor will bring a collection of decks and books to better understand tarot. Participants should bring something to write with and on (laptop, notebook, etc.).
  

Instructor: Laura Chow Reeve

Room: E11A

10:45 am–1:15 pm | Professional Headshots Mini Sessions (Premium)

It\’s time to retire that selfie or that favorite photo from five-plus years ago. You need a professional headshot for your professional life as a writer. We\’re here to help! This service is only open to conference registrants.

See details and register for your headshots HERE.

Professional headshots will be provided by Jamie Wulfekuhle-Zaweski of Radiant Snapshots.

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12:00 pm–1:15 pm | Lunch with Live Poetry Showcase

Grab your lunch and join us for poetry from our conference speakers and local award-winners. 

Moderator: Rosa Castellano 

Room: E10AB 

 

1:30 pm–2:30 pm | Breakout Sessions & Intensive

  • Query Letter Live Critiques

Your query letter is your first chance to grab an agent’s interest and encourage them to read your work. In this panel, modeled on our popular first-pages critique, query-writing pros will review pre-submitted, anonymous letters and give their on-the-spot reactions to what works, what doesn’t, and whether they’d pass or read the author’s first pages. To submit your query for consideration, CLICK HERE. 

Panelists: Christopher Combemale, Reiko Davis, Marie Lamba 

Moderator: MM (Peggy) Finck 

Room: E10AB

  • Why Write Memoir?

Our three accomplished panelists will dig into what it means to have a real life story that “needs to be told” and the best ways to tell it. How do you meld “what happened” with your personal truth? We’ll explore ways that you can take control of the story through structure and shared details.  

Panelists: Sam Hiyate, Anne-Marie Oomen, Bethanne Patrick 

Moderator: Annette Marquis 

Room: E10C

  • Speculative Fiction: Putting the Real in the Unreal 

How do you draw your reader into your book’s storyline when it defies reality? What are some tried and true methods of getting readers to suspend their disbelief? Three experts in building convincing alternate worlds share their favorite techniques. 

Panelists: L.D. Lewis, Mark Oshiro, Fran Wilde 

Moderator: Phil Hilliker

Room: E10D

  • INTENSIVE – Exploring Improvisation in Your Creative Process 

Tap into your creative impulse during this workshop on the magic of \”Yes, And…\” Using a variety of improvisation approaches, this workshop explores point of view, character development and situational dialogue through a participatory environment. Consider applying this imaginative technique to your writing process

Instructor: Jenny Hundley

Room: E11A

2:45 pm–3:45 pm | Breakout Sessions

  • The Perfect Detail: Enhance Your Writing with Historical Research

In this session, you’ll learn all about these researchers’ favorite approaches for finding illuminating details that make the past come alive. Get advice on how to winnow your mountain of historical data into fascinating tidbits that invite the reader into your world. 

Panelists: Rachel Beanland, Adriana Herrara, Dean King 

Moderator: Wendy DeGroat

Room: E10AB 

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  • Calliope’s Calling: Poets on Inspiration

Hear from this panel of accomplished poets what inspiration means to them, where they draw inspiration for their work, and what they do or who they read to get back in the muse’s good graces. You’ll leave this panel with new favorite poets, new favorite prompts, and some great answers to “How do you start that poetic spark and how do you keep it burning?”

Panelists: Taylor Byas, Diamond Forde, Fran Wilde 

Moderator: Emily Okamoto-Green

Room: E10C

  • Creating Effective Character Arcs

Characters who are already perfect or who aren’t but never grow aren’t very interesting. How do you convince your readers that your character has changed and improved by the end of your book? How much change is enough, and can your character change too much? Our panelists give you advice on achieving believable, 3D character growth. 

Panelists: Andrea Beatriz Arango, Bill Blume, Mia P. Manansala

Moderator: Phil Hilliker

Room: E10D 

  • Intensive – Substack: A New Online Home for Writers

If you want to share and monetize your writing online, Substack offers a simple and effective way to distribute your work through free and paid subscriptions. In this session, you’ll hear from Substack writer Annette Marquis about what Substack is, including how you can create a Substack newsletter and why you\’d want to, how to build and engage in a Substack community, how to serialize a book project on Substack, and how it compares to Medium. 

Instructor: Annette Marquis

Room: E11A

4:00 pm–5:00 pm | Keynote

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New York Times Bestselling Author Sadeqa Johnson is joined by her friend and first publicist, Dawn Michelle Hardy, a creative strategist dubbed “The Literary Lobbyist.” Listen as they discuss the changes in the publishing industry they\’ve seen since they first started out together, and the decisions they\’ve each made to bring them to where they are now. They\’ll talk about how life experience shapes storytelling and characters, and the different support systems they\’ve built or discovered along the way. 

Moderator: Terry Menefee Gau

Room: E10AB

Sunday, October 8, 2023 | In-Person Schedule at the Greater Richmond Convention Center

8:45 am–9:00 am

  • Welcome and Announcements

9:00 am–10:30 am | Plenary Session

  • First Pages Live Critique

The lively First Pages Critique has become one of the conference’s best-loved sessions. Agents and editors are swamped with submissions. How can your writing get their attention? Pre-selected first pages will be read aloud anonymously, and our experts will give on the spot feedback. Does the action start too early? Can the reader tell what genre or time period they’re in on page one? Find out what a good hook looks like and common errors to avoid. 

More on submitting YOUR First Page HERE. 

Panelists: Michelle Z. Jackson, Chad Luibl, Michaela Whatnall 

Moderator: Bill Blume

Reader: Phil Hilliker

Room: E10AB 

10:45 am–11:45 am | Breakout Sessions & Headshots

  • Grappling with the Present & Future of Book Publishing 

The Book business is experiencing both drastic changes (artificial intelligence, BookTok, the implosion of Twitter) and ongoing human challenges (burnout, low pay, a continued lack of diversity). What do authors need to know to have the best shot at success for themselves and their writing? 

Panelists: Sam Hiyate, Bethanne Patrick, E.J. Wenstrom 

Moderator: DaNika Neblett Robinson

Room: E10AB 

  • Behind the Scenes: Working with Magazines & Periodicals 

These panelists wear many hats–writers, poets, and editors. Come with them behind the scenes to learn what happens once you submit your work to a periodical. How do they decide what to accept? How much gets edited? What can you do to show yourself and your writing in the best light? Our experts can give you tips on getting through the door. 

Panelists: Taylor Byas, Diamond Forde, L.D. Lewis

Moderator: Rosa Castellano

Room: E10C

  • Writing That Goes Bump in the Night

     Join our panel of horror experts to learn how to send chills up your reader’s spine. How do you write “dread-soaked pages” (Alma Katsu) and illuminate “life’s darkest horrors” (Mark Oshiro), and what makes a particular horror novel a good sell (agent Chad Luibl).  

Panelists: Alma Katsu, Chad Luibl, Mark Oshiro 

Moderator: John Glover

Room: E10D

  • Lights! Camera! Action! From Screenwriter to Director and Producer

    During this panel, filmmakers with acting and journalism backgrounds will provide key tips and techniques on how to write, direct, and produce your own work. Learn how to cast actors, lead a crew, and execute your vision as a cinematic storyteller without breaking the bank. 

Panelists: Robin Farmer, Terry Menefee Gau, Brendan W. Riley 

Moderator: Gail Giewont

Room: E11A

10:45 am–1:15 pm | Professional Headshots Mini Sessions (Premium)

It\’s time to retire that selfie or that favorite photo from five-plus years ago. You need a professional headshot for your professional life as a writer. We\’re here to help! This service is only open to conference registrants.

See details and register for your headshots HERE.

Professional headshots will be provided by Jamie Wulfekuhle-Zaweski of Radiant Snapshots.

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12:00 pm–1:15 pm | Genre Networking Lunch

Are you looking for some like-minded writers to share plot holes and two-dimensional characters with? We’ll provide areas for different genres of writers to gather and several friendly, somewhat extroverted individuals to get the conversation started.  

Moderators: TBA 

Room: E10AB 

 

1:15 pm–2:15 pm | Breakout Sessions & Intensive

  • Demystifying the Debut

We talk a lot about the beginning: querying and proposals, first pages, finding an agent or an alternate path to publishing. But after a release date is set, what should a first-time author be working on behind-the-scenes? What can you control, and what should you let go? Get pro tips on having the best debut experience possible. 

Panelists: Andrea Beatriz Arango, Reiko Davis, Kim Eley 

Moderator: Melissa Sinclair

Room: E10AB

  • I Love You; We Break Up – Using Romance Tropes to Build Relationships

Romance as a genre is stronger than ever, and so much depends on the perfect framing of the meet-cute and the third act breakup. How can thousands (and thousands) of books use the same tropes successfully, and what can you learn from them about building relationships, romantic or otherwise, in your own works? Two experts in the field share the dos and don\’ts of creating believable human interactions on the page. 

Panelists: Adriana Herrara, Tracey Livesay 

Moderator: Kristi Tuck Austin 

Room: E10C

  • Better Together: Finding a Writing Community 

If there’s one piece of advice we’ve heard from the JRW stage over and over these past two decades, it’s that you don’t have to do this alone. Whether it’s finding a critique group, connecting with a mentor, or joining an organization of 500 other writers, your writing burdens will be much lighter if you don’t carry them by yourself. Our panelists share their personal experiences of finding the help they need, as well as advice on being a good community member yourself.  

Panelists: Mia P. Manansala, Brynn Markham, Virginia Pye 

Moderator: Laura Jimenez

Room: E10D

  • INTENSIVE – The Ten-Minute Play

    What is a ten-minute play, and how do you go about writing one? Award-winning playwright Anne-Marie Oomen will walk you through this particular format, including skills you can apply in many other genres.  

Instructor: Anne-Marie Oomen 

Room: E11A 

2:30 pm–3:30 pm | Breakout Sessions & Intensive

  • Action Scenes: Slowing It Down

    Thriller writer S. A. Cosby once told us to “Write the slow parts fast and the fast parts slow.” Hear from three panelists who excel at letting you see the action unfold on the page in just the right detail to make it seem like it flies by.  

    Panelists: Bill Blume, Adriana Herrera, Alma Katsu 

    Moderator: Melissa Sinclair 

    Room: E10AB

  • Get in and Get Out: Writing Short Stories

Writing a short story isn’t just shrinking your novel length idea down to a handful of pages, it’s about careful structuring so that you only include what you need and no more. Our panelists will give you advice on keeping it compact and share the ways they’ve seen short stories go off the rails. 

Panelists: L.D. Lewis, Ran Walker, Fran Wilde 

Moderator: DaNika Neblett Robinson

Room: E10C 

  • Nature Writing: Capturing a Sense of Place 

Good nature writing is about the many ways we experience place and how that informs who we are and what we write. Observation skills and specifics are crucial, but so is your unique relationship with the world around you, whether your storytelling features historic Yosemite, Virginia\’s longnose gar, or the bees in your backyard. Join this panel of professionals to learn more about how to anchor your nature writing with meaningful details. 

Panelists: Dr. Hollee Freeman, Dean King, Caroline Kettlewell

Moderator: Logan Ward 

Room: E10D

  • INTENSIVE – Poetry for Everyone 

When poet, essayist, novelist, and educator Derek Kannemeyer taught a poetry segment at our spring retreat, a participant who hadn’t written a poem in thirty years rediscovered their love of poetry and wrote a piece that made us all cry. Join Derek as he once again provides poetry samplings to demonstrate how this short form of writing can help any writer sharpen their skills and move beyond writer\’s block.  The session will feature a collection of writing prompts and craft exercises, and in-session writing time to aid the discussion.

Instructor: Derek Kannemeyer 

Room: E11A

 

3:45 pm–4:45 pm | Breakout Sessions & Intensive

  • INTENSIVE – The Fab Five Editing Essentials

No matter your genre, this editing intensive will address five essentials to help you turn out your best work, preparing it for submission to an agent or editor. Cindy will help you: 1) spice up your language without overwhelming your reader; 2) focus on style and authentic voice; 3) keep from feeling overwhelmed; 4) give your work foundation and order; 5) finish up with practical proofreading tips.

Bring along a page or two of your own work to dig into with these Fab Five editing essentials!

Instructor: Cindy Cunningham 

Room: E10AB 

  • Take Care – Mental Health & Your Writing Life

Rejection, imposter syndrome, deadlines, envy–the creative life is a minefield for your mental health. Our panelists, two authors and a local psychiatrist, will talk about the importance of looking after yourself. They\’ll share their personal experiences and professional expertise so you\’ll be better equipped for success!

Panelists: Andrea Beatriz Arango, Mark Oshiro, Dr. Rashida Gray

Moderator: Portia Chan

Room: E10C 

  • Starring Secondary Characters 

Sometimes we get so caught up in our protagonist’s importance that we neglect the people populating the world around them. How do you create secondary characters that convincingly occupy their own space without making them more entertaining than your main cast? Alternately, how do you keep them from standing around like cardboard cut-outs? Our panelists share their tricks and tips. 

Panelists: Michael Albo, Tracey Livesay, E.J. Wenstrom

Moderator: Julie Valerie

Room: E10D

  • The Anatomy of a Book Contract

A highly respected and award-winning entertainment lawyer will walk you through a typical book contract, including the clauses you should look out for. What should you push back on, definitely not accept, or be sure to include to get the most out of your contract? Get an overview of the best practices that will keep you safe.

Panelist: Kirk Schroder

Moderator: Kristi Tuck Austin

Room: E11A

5:00 pm–5:30 pm | Closing/Weekend Wrap-Up!

Some of our most beloved moderators from the conference will wrap things up for us, sharing their favorite tidbits from the weekend and offering their best advice for next steps as we say goodbye (for now!).

Panelists: Rosa Castellano, MM (Peggy) Finck, J. T. Glover, and Melissa Scott Sinclair

Moderator: Gail Giewont

Room: E10AB

Register Now!