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
Kristi Tuck Austin
Rachel Beanland
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 Dragonflig
Suzanne Boothby
Ellen F. Brown
Dr. Maurice "Moeflowz" Brown
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. |
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
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.
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.
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. |
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.
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. |
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.
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.
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. |
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.
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.
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.
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.
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. |