Writer’s Conferences: Each to Its Own
If the business gurus are right (and they often are), then one golden key to success is Location, Location, Location. And it doesn’t take a business guru to tell you that the Cape Cod Writers Center Conference has the location question well in hand.
It’s right there in the name: Cape Cod.
Set in Hyannis, the energetic heart of Cape Cod, the writer’s conference is just around the corner from ocean bluffs and duned beaches, historic landmarks and quaint coastal villages–images enough to fill a writer’s soul for months and years to come.
Cape Cod Writers Center functions year-round, offering writers groups, seminars, readings and even programs for young writers to over 400 area members, culminating with one of the nation’s oldest literary conferences, in August.
The conference boasts a wide range of experienced and knowledgeable course instructors on both the business and craft of writing. One can expect lively and informative discussions on the industry from traditional publishing to self-publishing and a wealth of options in between as well as publicity, agents, pitches and queries, submissions and even tax and financial management on the business side. A writer wanting to focus on his or her craft won’t be disappointed with course offerings on fiction, memoir, mystery, YA, short stories, humor and more, with a good balance of instruction and critique. Networking opportunities are plentiful, most notably during the opening meet-and-greet when all of the conference faculty are on hand to chat.
Every conference has its own personality or culture, and as we’ve noted previously, some may be better suited for networking while other writing conferences are designed to help immerse one in a period of focused writing. Perhaps most notable about the Cape Cod Writers Center Conference is the caliber of the conference attendees. While many were not longtime experienced writers, they were characterized by a maturity, evident in the intelligence of their questions, in their relaxed but professional demeanor, in their attentiveness to the events taking place. Writers Center executive director Nancy Rubin Stuart observed that many of the attendees and members are in their second careers, and it seems this may allow them the freedom to grow and develop as writers and individuals without the need to “prove” themselves to others. The net effect is a conference environment that is as interesting during the Q&A as during the presentations themselves.
Cape Cod Writers Center Conference offers a flexible scheduling package that includes courses lasting the full five days as well as others lasting one, two or three days.
Think again about that location. In a week’s time, you could take in a fair measure of the conference, plus spend a few days exploring the beach, the Edward Gorey House, and other sites along the Edward Gorey Cats of Cape Cod Trail.
For more information, visit the Cape Cod Writers Center.
Photos by L.L. Barkat. Used with permission.
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A literary event: September 19-21, 2013
Lenox, Massachusetts
Wordfest invites you to join a celebration of literature in one of the most beautiful settings in the Berkshires: The Mount, Edith Wharton’s home in Lenox, Massachusetts. Featuring Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Mark Strand for a special public reading and the Berkshire premier of the internationally-acclaimed Literary Death Match.
For tickets and more information, visit EdithWharton.org or call 413-551-5100
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[…] Gorey’s cats made a stop at the Cape Cod Writers Center Conference, where they received the latest news in publishing and even picked up a few tips on memoir and […]