Friday, September 8

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6:00 PM MST/8:00 EST

Welcome and Meet + Greet

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6:15 PM MST/8:15 EST

Poetry Breakout Room - Meetup with fellow writers by genre. 

Poetry with Vogue M. Robinson will welcome the poets with "Kindness I Carry", a generative exercise at this meetup!

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6:15 PM MST/8:15 EST

Fiction Breakout Room - Meetup with fellow writers by genre. 

Fiction with DL Cordero 

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6:15 PM MST/8:15 EST

Nonfiction/CNF Breakout Room - Meetup with fellow writers by genre. 

Chris Maddy Aguilar Garcia

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6:15 PM MST/8:15 EST

Writing at the Intersections Breakout Room - Meetup with fellow writers by genre. 

Writing across genres with multiple marginalized identities with Mark Travis Rivera

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7:00 PM MST/9:00 EST

Open Mic

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Saturday, September 9

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9:15 AM MST/11:00 EST

Welcome 

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9:30 AM MST/ 11:30 EST

Applying Yourself

Experienced writers, educators, and program directors will share their experience and perspectives on how to apply/submit for Awards, Fellowships, Publications, Residencies, and MFA Programs, from artist statements to writing samples and beyond.

Panelists: Ariana Brown, Amber Flame, Arvin Ram

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9:30 AM MST/ 11:30 EST

Marketing, Publicity, & Connecting to Your Community

Award-winning authors, booksellers, and publicists will offer their expertise on marketing your book, connecting to your community of readers, and building a platform to stay connected and motivated to keep writing the next book.

Panelists:  Alyssa Reynoso-Morris, Emilly Prado, Christine Bollow, May-Zhee Lim

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11:00 AM MST/ 1:00 PM EST

Meetups

Join a meetup and connect with community. 2SLGBTQIA+ Meetup; AAPI Writers Meetup; Black Writers Meetup; Indigenous Writers Meetup; Latinx Writers Meetup; Neurodiverse Writers Meetup; Writers with Disabilities Meetup

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12:15 PM MST/ 2:15 EST

Coloring Outside the Lines

Award-winning authors, creators, journalists, playwrights, poets, and storytellers who write beyond a single genre and/or multimedia approaches to storytelling.

Panelists:  Bobby LeFebre, Deborah Mouton, Monica Prince, Lizz Huerta, Jane Wong

 

12:15 PM MST/ 2:15 EST

Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Working with Booksellers

What are some best practices and approaches for authors and small presses to work with bookstores to reach readers? How can booksellers serve as community hubs? Experienced booksellers are here to share their wisdom and help you make good choices for the best ways to partner with booksellers for your reading and writing life.

Panelists: Calvin Crosby, Kalani Kapahua, Veronica Liu

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1:30 PM MST/ 3:30 EST

Writing with Your Friends

Co-authors of the novels Tannery Bay and Funeral, this panel will feature a discussion between award-winning authors on approaches to collaboration, writing with friends, honoring multiple voices in collective creation, and shattering the myth of isolation as absolute for writers.

Panelists:  Steven Dunn & Katie Jean Shinkle, Daisuke Shen & Vi Khi Nao

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1:30 PM MST/ 3:30 EST

Telling Our Stories in Color

A primer on Graphic Novels & Comics, this panel will feature graphic novelists, comic creators, and industry experts on their experiences from the creative process through publication and the lessons they've learned.

Panelists:  Kristina Maldonado Bad Hand, Kate Gavino, Amparo Ortiz

 

2:45 PM MST/ 4:45 EST

Closing poem

Alejandro Jimenez will read an original poem. The Word will provide the text in English and in Spanish to conference registrants.