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Sorry if this isn't the right section of the forum, this heading seemed the best place to start a thread on conferences.
Has anybody been to a conference where you really felt you got your money's worth, and you'd like to recommend it? I write short and novel-length fiction (kids, YA, and adult), poetry, and articles.
I've had the Maui conference recommended, but no real specific feedback on it---in fact, I'm not even sure if they meant the retreat or the conference, or the whole shebang.
Of the two conferences I've been to, one was local enough (Sacramento State) that I could register as a commuter. I did get a lot out of that one, partly because it was compatible with where I was in my writing career and mostly because it was well organized and had a good variety of speakers and workshops. And, as an aside, they were able to handle special diet accommodations, a pleasant surprise for a "smaller" conference. Alas, Sac State is no longer holding their summer writing conference.
Last year I went to a conference in Salinas and felt ripped off (I'm not the only one, my cousin that lives in Salinas sent me an article from their local paper, where a columnist complained how disorganized it was). There was an option to sign up for sessions with agents/editors, but it wasn't clear that they schedule you during the morning workshops, so I missed the two workshops that would have been most useful to me (historical fiction and queries). As a result, I was able to attend only 2 workshops (one great, the other one the speaker got off track and chatted the whole time) and the agent panel. I did get to meet the agent that had my partial (she ultimately declined), but since she actually lives near my home I may not have had to go to Salinas to do that. And, despite repeated correspondence and assurances that they would have something I could eat (I have food allergies), I was left eating turkey jerky out of my purse for lunch.
We're thinking of going to Hawaii this fall anyway, so Maui (or the Hawaii Writer's conference as it's now called) is an option if I could get some more specifics on it. UCDavis also offers a Tomales Bay retreat that sounds promising. Any others you'd like to rave about?
Has anybody been to a conference where you really felt you got your money's worth, and you'd like to recommend it? I write short and novel-length fiction (kids, YA, and adult), poetry, and articles.
I've had the Maui conference recommended, but no real specific feedback on it---in fact, I'm not even sure if they meant the retreat or the conference, or the whole shebang.
Of the two conferences I've been to, one was local enough (Sacramento State) that I could register as a commuter. I did get a lot out of that one, partly because it was compatible with where I was in my writing career and mostly because it was well organized and had a good variety of speakers and workshops. And, as an aside, they were able to handle special diet accommodations, a pleasant surprise for a "smaller" conference. Alas, Sac State is no longer holding their summer writing conference.
Last year I went to a conference in Salinas and felt ripped off (I'm not the only one, my cousin that lives in Salinas sent me an article from their local paper, where a columnist complained how disorganized it was). There was an option to sign up for sessions with agents/editors, but it wasn't clear that they schedule you during the morning workshops, so I missed the two workshops that would have been most useful to me (historical fiction and queries). As a result, I was able to attend only 2 workshops (one great, the other one the speaker got off track and chatted the whole time) and the agent panel. I did get to meet the agent that had my partial (she ultimately declined), but since she actually lives near my home I may not have had to go to Salinas to do that. And, despite repeated correspondence and assurances that they would have something I could eat (I have food allergies), I was left eating turkey jerky out of my purse for lunch.
We're thinking of going to Hawaii this fall anyway, so Maui (or the Hawaii Writer's conference as it's now called) is an option if I could get some more specifics on it. UCDavis also offers a Tomales Bay retreat that sounds promising. Any others you'd like to rave about?
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