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CHECK OUT OUR 2026 SPEAKERS!

James River Writers is pleased to announce the accomplished slate of presenters for our 24th Annual James River Writers Conference. We are adding confirmed speakers daily, so be sure to check back…

Keynote Speaker COURTNEY MILAN

Courtney Milan

COURTNEY MILAN writes books about carriages, corsets, and smartwatches. Her books have received starred reviews in Publishers Weekly, Library Journal, and Booklist. She is a New York Times and a USA Today Bestseller. Before she started writing romance, Courtney got a graduate degree in theoretical physical chemistry from UC Berkeley. After that, just to shake things up, she went to law school at the University of Michigan and graduated summa cum laude. Then she worked for a handful of federal judges too important to mention here. She was a law professor for a while. She now writes full-time.

Find out more about Courtney on her website HERE.

Confirmed Speakers

Stacy Hawkins Adams

Stacy Hawkins Adams is a multi-genre author of 12 books published by HarperCollins, Baker Publishing Group and her own indie imprint. For two decades, her writing has helped women navigate life transitions with resilience and insight. Her notable works include her novels Watercolored Pearls, The Someday List, and Coming Home, as well as Wander Well, an inspirational chapbook she recently co-published with actress Daphne Maxwell Reid. She is currently writing her next novel and nonfiction book. Learn more at StacyHawkinsAdams.com.

Kristi Tuck Austin

Kristi Tuck Austin helps authors increase their books’ discoverability, build their platforms, and turn new readers into loyal fans. She’s also worked in TV development for Can Do Entertainment and Gum Street Productions. She was a producer on the proof of concept for America’s Next Great Author and is earning a certificate in film and TV development from UCLAx. She served as board chair of James River Writers and conference chair.

Clarissa Bannor | MODERATOR

Clarissa Bannor is a Ghanaian-American writer based in Richmond, Virginia. Her essays and short fiction explore the intersections of identity, culture, and belonging. Her work is published or forthcoming in African Voices Magazine, Radiant Health Magazine, and Callaloo. Clarissa’s work has been supported by the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts, Kenyon Review and Bread Loaf. She’s working on her first novel.

Rachel Beanland

Rachel Beanland is the author of The House Is on Fire and Florence Adler Swims Forever, which won the National Jewish Book Award for Debut Fiction. Her latest book, The Half Life, will be out in July 2026. She is a graduate of the University of South Carolina and earned her MFA in creative writing from Virginia Commonwealth University. She lives with her family in Richmond, Virginia.

Anne Blankman

Anne Blankman is an award-winning author of several works of historical fiction. Her recent book, The Blackbird Girls, won the National Jewish Award, the California Young Reader Medal, a Sydney Taylor Honor, an ALA Notable, and Italy’s Amo Questo Libro Award. Originally from upstate New York, Anne now lives in Richmond with her husband and daughter. She loves hearing from readers, and you can visit her online at anneblankman.com.

Bill Blume

Bill Blume’s love for the written word started back in high school with an addiction to comic books that was later hijacked by novels such as Frankenstein and Dragonflight. Since 2013, he’s published six novels, which have been nominated for multiple awards. His latest book, To Hell and Back, was released earlier this year. Bill has worked as a 911 dispatcher for more than two decades and spent ten years as a JRW board member. He lives in Richmond with his wife Sheri and their two dogs, Wicket and Mocha.

Suzanne Boothby

Suzanne Boothby is an award-winning author and executive editor of The Brockovich Report, a Substack newsletter with Erin Brockovich that covers the national water crisis, toxic chemicals, and other problems in your backyard. She is the author of The After Cancer Diet, co-author of Superman’s Not Coming, and has helped pen many successful non-fiction books. She is currently working on her first novel.

Ellen F. Brown | MODERATOR

Ellen F. Brown is a nonfiction writer whose work has appeared in publications such as Bloomberg, the Dictionary of Literary Biography, Dramatists Quarterly, Encyclopedia Britannica, the Los Angeles Times, and The Rumpus. She co-authored the book Margaret Mitchell’s Gone With the Wind: A Bestseller’s Odyssey, a behind-the-scenes look at one of the most controversial novels in publishing history. She is currently writing a biography of playwright Tennessee Williams.

Dr. Maurice "Moeflowz" Brown

Dr. Maurice “Moeflowz” Brown is a Virginia-based poet, educator, storyteller, retired U.S. Army veteran, and mathematics educator whose work blends lyrical depth with cultural reflection. Founder of Ink & Barrel Inc., he uses poetry as a tool for empowerment, healing, and dialogue. His debut publication, About Her, explores love, memory, and relationships through poems, journal entries, and narratives that invite readers to think, feel, reflect, and experience. He is one of Richmond’s two current Poets Laureate.

Denny S. Bryce

Denny S. Bryce is the bestselling, award-winning author of five novels. She is also an NPR book critic, an adjunct professor at Drexel University, and a freelance writer who has written for Harper’s Bazaar and USA Today. A member of the Historical Novel Society, Women’s Fiction Writers Association, and Tall Poppy Writers, her novels explore themes of love, family, resilience, and the complexities of identity and issues of race, class, and gender. Currently residing in Savannah, Georgia, she is an avid fan of genre television, dance (in all its forms), and a variety of music styles, including jazz, R&B, and classical.

Shonda Buchanan | MASTER CLASS INSTRUCTOR

Oxfam Ambassador Shonda Buchanan is the author of The Lost Songs of Nina Simone (winner of the 2026 American Library Association’s Black Librarians Caucus Poetry Award) and the award-winning memoir Black Indian, chosen by PBS NewsHour as a “Top 20 books to read to learn about institutional racism.” Associate Professor in the Department of English at Western Michigan University, Shonda has published in The Mississippi Review, The Los Angeles Times, Indian Country Today, Sisters of AARP, and other places. Three-time Pushcart Prize nominee, Shonda is an English Language Specialist with the Department of State and PEN Emerging Voices Fellow and Mentor. Her works-in-progress are America’s Bloodflowers and Children of the Mixed Blood Trail.

Jacquelin Cangro | MASTER CLASS INSTRUCTOR

Jacquelin Cangro worked at Penguin Random House and Simon & Schuster for more than twenty years. Now, as an independent developmental editor and book coach, she reviews novel manuscripts in many genres, including romance, historical, YA, women’s fiction, and upmarket, providing writers with feedback to revise their stories. She teaches creative writing at GrubStreet and The Loft, and she’s presented workshops at writing conferences around the world.

Rosa Castellano

Rosa Castellano is currently one of two Poets Laureate currently working on poetry projects for the City of Richmond. She is also the Literary Arts Director for Sundress Publication and a co-founder of the Richmond Poetry Festival. Her debut poetry collection, All is the Telling, is available now from Diode editions.

Phenderson Djèlí Clark

Phenderson Djéli Clark is the award-winning and Hugo, Nebula, World Fantasy, and Sturgeon-nominated author of the novel A Master of Djinn, the Abeni’s Song series, and the novellas The Dead Cat Tail Assassins, Ring Shout, The Black God’s Drums, and The Haunting of Tram Car 015. His short stories have appeared in online venues such as Tor.com and in print anthologies including, Hidden Youth and Black Boy Joy.

Lauren Connolly

Lauren Connolly is an award-winning hybrid author of contemporary and magical romance stories. She was named Georgia Author of the Year for Romance in 2025. She’s lived among mountains, next to lakes, and in imaginary worlds. Lauren can never seem to stay in one place for too long, but trust that wherever she’s residing there are twin cats hiding in the couch and bookshelves bursting with stories written by the authors she loves.

Wilbert L. Cooper

Wilbert L. Cooper grew up in the suburbs of Cleveland, Ohio. He studied journalism at Ohio University and earned a master’s degree in publishing at New York University. He has written for outlets such as The Guardian, The New York Times, the Marshall Project, and The Wall Street Journal. His Vice documentary The Cleveland Strangler was nominated for a National Magazine Award. In 2024, he was the recipient of the Richard J. Margolis Award. The Black Shield is his first book.

Wendy DeGroat

Wendy DeGroat is a poet and librarian whose documentary collection What Doesn’t Burn: Imagining Richmond’s Grace Arents in Poems, forthcoming this November, tells the story of a Progressive-era philanthropist and social reformer, including glimpses into the life she shared with her longtime companion Mary Garland Smith. Wendy’s poems have appeared in her chapbook Beautiful Machinery, and in Cider Press Review, Commonplace, Rust + Moth, and elsewhere. She also posts occasional prose on her Substack Furrow and Fire.

Eva DeVirgilis

Eva DeVirgilis is a playwright, performer, and speaker known for her joyfully defiant, female-forward work. Her new comedy WitchDuck–– inspired by the true story of Virginia’s last convicted “witch”–– premiered in May at Firehouse Theatre to completely sold out audiences. Her solo show, In My Chair, received the Richmond Theatre Critics Circle Award for Best Original Work, and her TEDxWomen talk on self-acceptance has reached audiences worldwide. She was a Pipeline Playwriting Fellow mentored by Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-winning playwright David Lindsay-Abaire and is currently a Newmark Fellow for public leadership at the University of San Francisco.

Margot Douaihy

Margot Douaihy, PhD, is a poet, crime writer, and assistant professor at Emerson College in Boston. She is the author of the lyrical hardboiled mysteries Scorched Grace, Blessed Water, and Divine Ruin, published with Gillian Flynn Books/Zando. Her novels have been named among the Best Crime Novels of the Year by The New York Times, The Guardian, CrimeReads, Barnes & Noble, and others.

Natalie Edwards | AGENT

Natalie Edwards joined Trellis Literary at its founding in 2021, after stints at Janklow & Nesbit Associates and Curtis Brown, Ltd. She represents upmarket and literary fiction, as well as narrative nonfiction and selective memoir. Originally from Pasadena, CA, Natalie is a graduate of Bowdoin College and lives with her wife in Brooklyn.

Robin Farmer

Robin Farmer is an author, screenwriter, filmmaker, and journalist. Her work focuses on magnifying the underexplored world of young female protagonists defying the odds. Her Catholic upbringing in Philadelphia spurred tons of guilt and stories, including her debut YA novel, Malcolm and Me, adapted from her own screenplay. Writer-director of four short films, she is a former investigative journalist. In her spare time, this writer without boundaries tries to roller skate backward with swagger.

MM "Peggy" Finck

Known around these parts as “Peggy,” MM Finck is a niche editor specializing in queries, pitches, opening pages, and overall story analysis. She established her practice as the Query Quill in 2014. Among her clients’ successes are chart rankings and bestsellers. Two-time Vice-President of Women’s Fiction Writers Association. Past-Chair Advisor for Rising STAR Award for Unpublished Women’s Fiction. Interviews authors for Women’s Writers Women’s Books. Founder of Penning Suspense, a group for suspenseful & thriller fiction writers, and togetHER, a Facebook group for women. Also active in James River Writers and Sisters in Crime. Represented by Katie Shea Boutillier.

Sarah N. Fisk | MASTER CLASS INSTRUCTOR

Sarah N. Fisk is a literary agent at the Tobias Literary Agency, representing MG, YA, and most genre fiction and select nonfiction. 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.

Demetrius Frazier | MODERATOR

Demetrius Frazier is the owner of Resist Booksellers, an independent bookstore in historic Petersburg, Virginia, dedicated to amplifying diverse voices and fostering community through literature. A lifelong advocate for literacy and access, he is also the founder of Black Men Read, a national book club promoting reading engagement among Black men. Before becoming a full-time entrepreneur, Demetrius served as Vice President and ChiefLearning Officer at Kaiser Aluminum, where he led enterprise learning, communications, and diversity initiatives across North America.

Terry Menefee-Gau

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 serves on the Virginia Screenwriters Forum leadership board and is a former JRW board member. She is represented by The Muraviov Company and she has several award-winning scripts under her belt. She also works as a marketing manager 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.

Nick George

Nick George is a poet and teacher from Newark, New Jersey, and currently based in Richmond. He is the author of three books of poetry: Just Some Stuff I Wrote Down (2009), EL-OH-VEE-EE (2010), and Carnegie Halls in Shower Stalls (2023). He has performed at venues such as TedXCharlottesville, American Psychology Association Annual Convention, University of Lynchburg, and Opera Roanoke. His poems and performances have been commissioned by Greater Public and the Academy Center of the Arts. His work dwells at the intersection of culture, identity and spirituality. He has been writing, performing, and teaching for more than two decades.

Brian Gresko | MASTER CLASS INSTRUCTOR

Brian Gresko is the author of the book You Must Go On: 30 Inspirations on Writing & Creativity. Their work has appeared on Slate, The Literary Hub, The Atlantic, and in The Sun Magazine and Poets & Writers Magazine, among numerous other publications. Gresko co-hosts Pete’s Reading Series in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, and is co-founder of Writing Co-Lab, an artist-owned teaching cooperative. On Substack, Gresko keeps a column called “The Creative Accomplice,” about writing and the creative life.

Robert Gwaltney

Robert Gwaltney, a recipient of the 2022 Pat Conroy Writers Residency, was named 2023 Georgia Author of the Year for his debut novel, The Cicada Tree. Robert’s work has appeared in such publications as Southbound Magazine, Southern Literary Review, The Blue Mountain Review, and The Dead Mule School of Southern Literature. His latest novel novel, Sing Down The Moon, which was awarded the Somerset Award for Literary and Contemporary Fiction, was published by Mercer University Press on March 3, 2026.

Cynthia Henebry

Cynthia Henebry is a poet and photographer from Richmond, Virginia. Her photographic portraits have been exhibited nationally, including at the National Portrait Gallery and the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts. She is the author of The Recovery House and The Abundance Is Staggering in Flowerland (Deaf Shell Press, 2025). Her newest collection, Lucky Guy, explores desire, Deafness, and midlife transformation.

Phillip Hilliker | MODERATOR

Phillip Hilliker is a creatively restless writer and illustrator with credits spanning many fields and genres. He has contributed to role-playing games such as Shadowrun and White Wolf’s World of Darkness, written voiceover scripts for too many whiteboard explanatory videos, and spent time as JRW’s membership coordinator. Currently he’s employed by a puzzle company to draw primarily sports-centric projects.

Ismita Hussain | MASTER CLASS INSTRUCTOR

Ismita Hussain is Senior Agent at the New York-based literary agency, Great Dog Literary. She is a native Southerner, avid classics reader, and a polyglot. Ismita pivoted to the publishing industry from a career in healthcare, and her continued passion for disability advocacy led her to be a founding member of Disability in Publishing. Ismita represents an eclectic list of award-winning authors who write literary fiction, upmarket fiction, romance, non-fiction, and YA. The books she represents often comment on contemporary issues, explore the body, and provide an unflinching look at everyday life.

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 the Board of Directors for James River Writers and a Municipal Liaison for the Richmond chapter of NaNoWriMo.

Rachel Kahan

In her 30 year editorial career in editorial, Rachel Kahan has edited dozens of both fiction and non-fiction New York Times and international bestsellers, including books that were nominated for the National Book Award, the Women’s Prize for Fiction, the NAACP Award, the Thurber Prize for American Humor, the Edgar Award, and many more. She proudly publishes a diverse list of writers from around the world. Born and raised in Arlington, Virginia, she graduated from the College of William and Mary and the Radcliffe Publishing Course.

David Kazzie

David Kazzie is a novelist and attorney living in Richmond, Virginia. He began his self-publishing journey in 2011 with the publication of his debut novel, The Jackpot. Since then, he has published nine more novels, including the post-apocalyptic Immune and American Midnight trilogies. His books have sold more than 125,000 copies worldwide. He is also the creator of a series of short animated films, which have been viewed more than 2 million times on YouTube.

Dr. Catie-Reagan King

Dr. Catie-Reagan King is a writer, editor, and educator with experience working in academia and nonprofits. Her research and writing interests include arts education, design thinking, theatre, and visual culture. She lives in Richmond with her husband and son.

Isabel Klee

Isabel Klee is a writer, content creator, and passionate advocate for rescue dogs, currently living in Brooklyn with her epileptic street dog, Simon. Through her content, she shares her writing and chronicles her journey of fostering dogs in New York City, shedding light on the critical need for fosters to help the countless amazing dogs in need of a home. In the last twelve months Isabel has raised over $750,000 for animal non-profits. Her debut memoir, Dogs, Boys, and Other Things I’ve Cried About, is available for pre-order now and set to be published by Harper Collins on April 28th, 2026. After just one day of pre-orders, it debuted as the #1 best seller on both Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Bookshop.org.

Amy Lacey

Amy Lacey is an Emmy award-winning journalist with nearly 30 years of television, digital, radio, and public relations experience. Amy is currently the Director of Local Programming at WTVR-TV CBS6, a role that includes co-hosting the talk and entertainment show Virginia This Morning. Amy is a regular guest speaker and emcee in the Richmond area and serves in several volunteer leadership roles including the boards for the Public Relations Society of America-Richmond and March of Dimes-DMV chapters, the Virginia Cancer Conference marketing committee, and Fresh Start. When she isn’t working, Amy enjoys exploring new places with her favorite plus one, her almost seven-year-old daughter Rowan Kate.

Clare Mao | AGENT

Clare Mao is an agent at Sanford J. Greenburger Associates. In fiction, she is looking for literary, upmarket, and commercial novels with a strong sense of place and unforgettable characters. She has a soft spot for a good, elevated love story. In nonfiction, she represents illustrated projects like cookbooks, as well as voice-driven narrative nonfiction and essay collections. Across genres, she is drawn to writers who are curious, thoughtful, and critical. Most importantly, she wants to represent writers who are having fun. Authors include: Ifrah F. Ahmed, Johanna Hedva, Emily Mester, and Rioghnach Robinson.

Brynn Markham | MODERATOR

Brynn Markham has over fifteen years of experience in nonprofit leadership with a focus on education, literacy, and public media. She currently leads communications and fundraising efforts for READ RVA, Richmond’s only nonprofit focusing on adult literacy. Previously, with JRW, Brynn connected writers to resources and professional development opportunities. She also spearheaded nationally recognized and award-winning marketing campaigns and events at VPM, Richmond’s PBS and NPR affiliate. No matter her role, she loves using her passion for connecting people with resources and opportunities that help communities thrive.

Annette Marquis

Annette Marquis is a community builder, wanderer, and author of three memoirs, Living Into the Truth: A Daughter’s Journey of Discovery, Accidental Mentors: Inspirational Stories of Women Who Shaped My Life by Just Being Themselves (coming soon), and Resistance: A Memoir of Civil Disobedience in Maricopa County. In a past life, she co-authored over twenty-five software books. She lives in Richmond, VA, and you can find her hanging out on Substack at annettemarquis.com.

Alethea McCollin

Alethea McCollin is dope! As an English instructor, she revels in leading maturing scholars to critically examine diverse works. As a playwright whose works have been produced in various cities nationally, she remains focused on elevating her craft and on exploring fantastical female-driven narratives. As a woman, she continues to travel in the complexity and nuances of her woman-ness! Her stage and screen plays include The Sacred Forest, The Stilettos Monologues, Styx and Gunz, Pastor Willie, and Renaming Shaim. Alethea is an award-winning director, consummate theatre artist, and founder of Orange Stilettos Productions. She is a member of The Dramatists Guild and serves as executive secretary on the board of James River Writers.

Joey Merlo

Joey Merlo is a Brooklyn-based playwright whose work includes the Obie-winning On Set with Theda Bara and Midnight Coleslaw’s Tales from Beyond The Closet!!!, hailed by The New York Times as “the year’s most twisted psychosexual melodrama—a bittersweet yet biting piece.” He is a two-time New York Foundation for the Arts Playwriting Fellow and teaches at Hunter College (CUNY), where he co-produced We The People: A Forum on Working-Class Artists in America. He holds a BFA from NYU Tisch and an MFA from Brooklyn College.

Patricia Bradby Moore

Patricia Bradby Moore is an author, connector, and innovation leader whose work bridges technology, community, and storytelling. As the AI Field CTO and Innovation Lead at Boomi and former Ideator-in-Residence at VCU’s da Vinci Center, she brings a multidisciplinary lens to leadership, creativity, and systems change. Her debut memoir, Blackinese: Reflections on Race and Ethnicity from a Biracial Millennial, received the Reader Views Gold Award for Humanities and the Silver Nautilus Award for Memoir & Personal Journey.

Cass Morris

Cass Morris lives her life at the intersection of storytelling, performance, and education as a writer and editor of novels, short fiction, and immersive experiences. Her novels, The Aven Cycle, are Roman-flavored historical fantasy, and she is one-third of the team behind the six-time Hugo Award Finalist podcast Worldbuilding for Masochists. Cass works as Story Editor at Mythik Camps, providing narrative design and writing for the mythology-themed summer camps’ interactive theatrical experiences.

Peter Mountford | MASTER CLASS INSTRUCTOR

Peter Mountford is the author of the novels A Young Man’s Guide to Late Capitalism (Washington State Book Award), The Dismal Science (NYT editor’s choice), and his latest, a collection of short stories, Detonator (now out from Four Way Books). His work has appeared in the New York Times (Modern Love), Paris Review, Southern Review, The Atlantic, The Sun, Ploughshares, and Guernica. He teaches at University of Nevada, Reno, at Lake Tahoe’s MFA, and through Mountford Writing.

Dae Newman | MODERATOR

Dae Newman, who also writes as A.D. Newman, writes science fiction, fantasy, and horror. They also enjoy writing occasional poetry, essays, and screenplays. A long-time resident of Richmond, Dae has been a member of James River Writers for several years and currently serves as the board chair. When not writing, Dae enjoys practicing amateur photography, dancing, and caring for their spoiled cat.

Emily Okamoto-Green | MODERATOR

Emily Okamoto-Green is a half Japanese poet, essayist, educator, editor, and animal lover. 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. She teaches literature and creative writing at the Visual Arts Center of Richmond, Quarry RVA, and Studio Two Three. You can find her latest work in The Oregon Hill Review.

Martheaus Perkins

Martheaus Perkins is a first-generation college graduate and son of a single Black mother. He is the author of The Grace of Black Mothers (Trio House Press) and co-editor of BRAWL. His writing has appeared in BWR, diode, Obsidian, Mizna, and Beloit. The name “Martheaus” is a collection of each woman who raised him: “Mar-” was his grandmother, “-Thea-” is his mother, and “-us” represents the aunties who created the name.

Aggie Prakash

Aggie Prakash is a creative trapped in a technologist’s job.

Virginia Pye

Kirkus calls Virginia Pye’s Marriage and Other Monuments, set in 2020 Richmond, “a fascinating and audacious novel of family, marriage, and a society in flux.” She is also author of award-winning historical novels, River of Dust, Dreams of the Red Phoenix, The Literary Undoing of Victoria Swann, and a short story collection, Shelf Life of Happiness. Her essays have appeared in The New York Times, Literary Hub, Publisher’s Weekly, The Writer’s Chronicle, and elsewhere.

Laura Chow Reeve

Laura Chow Reeve is the author of the short story collection A Small Apocalypse. Her writing and graphic work can be found in The Offing, Lit Hub, The Rumpus, Catapult, Joyland, and elsewhere. She is a winner of the PEN/Robert J. Dau Short Story Prize and was a Blackburn Fellow at the Randolph College MFA program. She lives in Richmond, VA.

DaNika Neblett Robinson | MODERATOR

DaNika Neblett Robinson is the author of a novella, The Metamorphic Journey, about three teenage mothers’ quest to succeed. The Metamorphic Journey is also the name of a movement she founded to provide individuals with opportunities to foster personal growth. She enjoys inspiring, motivating, and empowering tomorrow’s leaders to achieve their goals, in spite of life’s obstacles.

Kirk T. Schroder

Kirk 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.

Jon Sealy

Jon Sealy is a Richmond-based writer, editor, and communications consultant. His latest novel, The Night Hawk, introduces the Detective Luke Steele mystery series. He is also the author of The Whiskey Baron, The King Street Affair, and So You Want to Be a Novelist, a memoir and manifesto about fiction writing. As a freelance book editor, he works with fiction writers on developmental and line editing.

Melissa Scott Sinclair

Melissa Scott Sinclair is a fiction writer, essayist and journalist. She is a 2025 Virginia Center for the Creative Arts Fellow, as well as the recipient of the 2023 Lit/South Award in Fiction. Melissa’s recent deep-dive on hermit crabs and the people who love them was published in Slate and featured as a Longreads editor’s pick. Other science and nature pieces have appeared in Audubon and WILD LIFE: An Explorer’s Guide to the World’s Living Wonders from Atlas Obscura. Her picture book, One Little Shell, co-authored by photographer and conservationist Shawn Miller, will be published in spring 2028 by Sleeping Bear Press.

Julietta Singh

Julietta Singh is Stephanie Bennett-Smith Professor of Gender and Sexuality Studies and Professor of English at the University of Richmond. A nonfiction writer and postcolonial theorist, her work engages the enduring effects of colonization through attention to race, gender, ecology, and inheritance. She is the author of three books: The Breaks, No Archive Will Restore You, and Unthinking Mastery. Singh is also writer, co-director, and narrator of the award-winning feature documentary, The Nest.

Eric Smith | AGENT

Eric Smith is an award-winning Young Adult author and literary agent living in Philadelphia. He’s worked with New York Times bestselling and critically acclaimed authors across genres and categories, and is the founder of Neighborhood Literary.

April Sopkin

April Sopkin writes fiction and personal essays. She was the 2024-25 writer-in-residence at the Visual Arts Center of Richmond, and was awarded a 2023 Elizabeth George Foundation grant to support her in-process short story collection. Her work has appeared in Joyland, MIT Technology Review, Carve, Southern Indiana Review, and elsewhere. She teaches writing all over Richmond, including at Quarry and VisArts, and publishes Something Out of Nothing, a regular newsletter about finding meaning in a multifaceted life.

Kris Spisak

Kris Spisak wrote her first three books—Get a Grip on Your Grammar, The Novel Editing Workbook, and The Family Story Workbook—to help writers of all kinds sharpen their storytelling and empower their communications. Her award-winning debut novel, The Baba Yaga Mask, was inspired by her Ukrainian heritage, and her fifth book, Becoming Baba Yaga: Trickster, Feminist, and Witch of the Woods, explores the complex origins of this Slavic folktale character and her lingering lessons for empowering us all. Kris knows well-written words and well-told stories can change the world, and she cannot wait to tell you her next story.

Dr. Ravynn K. Stringfield

Dr. Ravynn K. Stringfield is a writer, editor, artist, and former Peanut Fest Queen from Suffolk, Virginia. She is the author of two young adult novels, Love in 280 Characters or Less (Feiwel & Friends, 2025) and Love Requires Chocolate (Joy Revolution, 2024). Stringfield holds a Ph.D. in American Studies from William & Mary and is a lifelong reader.

Saba Sulaiman | AGENT

Saba Sulaiman is a Senior Agent at Talcott Notch Literary Services, an agency located in Connecticut. Being an immigrant who is constantly negotiating her own identity and sense of belonging in a place she now calls “home,” she is committed to championing books by writers from marginalized communities with compelling stories to tell; stories that demonstrate a wide range of perspectives, and address urgent and often underexplored issues in fiction and non-fiction with veracity and heart.

Sullivan Summer

Sullivan Summer is an independent scholar, critic, essayist, poet, podcaster, and adoptee rights advocate. Her U.S. history and pop culture hot takes can be heard weekly on the podcasts Adoption Pop! and Additions to the Archive with Sullivan Summer. Her chapbook, Performance Anxiety, was published in 2025 by Black Sunflowers Poetry Press, and she is a 2025 “Best of the Net” anthology nominee. Sullivan is currently shopping a literary fiction novel, a biography proposal, and a creative nonfiction anthology which she is coediting.

Marin Takikawa | AGENT

Marin Takikawa is an agent and foreign rights director at The Friedrich Agency. Born in Tokyo and raised in Singapore and NYC, she joined TFA in early 2021 and now handles selling international rights for authors like Alison Espach, Jane Smiley, the Estate of Frank McCourt, in addition to representing her own list.

Hannah Teachout | AGENT

Hannah Teachout is an associate agent with Folio Literary Management where she represents commercial fiction across genres for middle grade, young adult, and adult audiences. She loves a good adventure on and off the page, but especially the stories that dig into themes of identity and explore the metaphors of magic and monsters. Hannah works on Middle Grade, Young Adult, and Adult fiction across genres and loves a speculative or romantic bent and distinct voice. She earned an MFA in Writing for Children & Young Adults from Vermont College of Fine Arts, but pivoted to working in the publishing industry shortly after graduating. Since then, she has worked as a bookseller, festival organizer, and freelance editor before landing at Folio.

Addie Tsai

Addie Tsai (she/they) is the author of Dear Twin (2019), included in American Library Association’s Rainbow List in 2021; Unwieldy Creatures (2022), a Shirley Jackson finalist for Best Novel; and Straight White Men Can’t Dance: American Masculinity in Film and Popular Culture (2025). They are the founding editor in chief of the queer fashion and literary magazine just femme + dandy. Addie is Associate Teaching Professor of Creative Writing at William & Mary. Their debut poetry chapbook, Tongue Withheld, is forthcoming from Harbor Editions.

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 international trend forecaster with speaking credentials in thirteen countries, her diverse skills extend to advanced certifications in wine theory and blind tasting, while her M.Ed. enriches her role as a professor at VCU School of the Arts.

R.R. Virdi | MASTER CLASS INSTRUCTOR

R.R. Virdi is a two-time Dragon Award finalist and a Nebula Award finalist. He is the author of two urban fantasy series, The Grave Report, and The Books of Winter. He was born and raised in Northern Virginia and is a first generation Indian-American with all the baggage that comes with. He’s offended a long list of incalculable ancestors by choosing to drop out of college and not pursue one of three pre-destined careers: a lawyer, doctor, engineer. Instead, he decided to chase his dream of being an author. His family is still coping with this decision a decade later.

Ran Walker

Ran Walker (he/him) is the author of over 30 books. He is the winner of the Indie Author Project’s 2019 National Indie Author of the Year Award, the 2019 Black Caucus of the American Library Association Best Fiction Ebook Award, the 2018 Virginia Indie Author Project Award for Adult Fiction, and the 2021 Blind Corner Afrofuturism Microfiction Contest. Ran is an Associate Professor of English and Creative Writing at Hampton University and a Contributing Editor at Writer’s Digest. He lives in Virginia with his wife and much better half, Lauren, and his amazing daughter, Zoë.

Rachel Werner | MASTER CLASS INSTRUCTOR

Rachel Werner is the author of the kidlit Floods (Capstone 2022), Moving and Grooving to Fillmore’s Beat (Capstone 2023), and The Glam World Tour (Capstone 2025), as well as several titles in Capstone’s Pebble Explore series such as Ada Lovelace Creates an Algorithm. She also wrote the cookbook Macro Cooking Made Simple (Chartwell Books 2023), in addition to the forthcoming nonfiction YA title Glow & Grow (Bloomsbury 2027). She is on faculty for Hugo House in Seattle, Lighthouse Writers Workshop in Denver, and the Loft Literary Center in Minneapolis, where she leads curricula to educate writers and content producers in marketing their work. A regular book reviewer for Shelf Awareness, Rachel has contributed print, photography, and video content to We Are Teachers, Highlights Foundation, The Spruce Eats and TheKitchn. She is currently represented by Megibow Literary Agency.

2026 Speakers and Moderators