Writing Conferences and Workshops to Attend In 2020
Sometimes in order to get the inspriation flowing, you need to leave your workspace. Maybe even leave your town or state. Writing conferences and workshops are immersive experiences that allow you to learn from published writers, connect with other people and spend full days or weeks focusing solely on your writing projects. Sounds like a dream, right? Below find a list of conferences and workshops to attend in 2020 in the USA, Canada, and Europe.
USA
Where: Boston, MA
When: April 3nd- 5th
Cost: $415+
Grub Street, a writing center in Boston, holds its annual conference at the Boston Park Plaza Hotel for three days each spring. Established and emerging authors lead 130+ interactive sessions on the craft of writing – the “muse” side of things – while editors, literary agents and other industry professionals tackle the business side – the “marketplace.” This year, expect to see Esmé Weijun Wang, Brandon Taylor, and Courtney Maum among their featured speakers.
Northern Colorado Writers Conference
Where: Fort Collins, CO
When: April 30 - May 2
Cost: $345
The Northern Colorado Writers group provides support and encouragement to writers of all genres and levels through this annual conference, as well as through monthly meetings, classes, and other networking and social events. The event typically has just 150 to 175 attendees, so you’ll get a more intimate experience than some of the larger conferences. Writers Sophie Hannah and Teresa Funke will be keynote speakers this year.
Missouri Writers Guild Conference
Where: St. Louis, MO
When: May 2
Cost: $75
The Missouri Writers Guild is a 100+-year-old organization for professional writers in all genres across the Midwest. Join its annual conference for writers at all levels for breakout sessions and masterclasses covering the craft and business of creative writing.
Fine Arts Work Center in Provincetown - Summer Workshops
Where: Provincetown, MA
When: June 7 - August 22 (Different workshops held each week)
Cost: $650+
The Fine Arts Work Center in Provincetown is a nonprofit organization dedicated to encouraging the growth and development of emerging visual artists and writers and to restoring the year-round vitality of the historic art colony of Provincetown. Every summer, they hold week-long, immersive workshops facilitated by renowned writers and artists, dedicated to poetry, memoir, women playwrights, social justice and more This year, they are debuting their new WRITING QUEER LIVES SERIES with Andrea Lawlor, Paul Lisicky, and T Kira Madden.
Where: Sewanee, TN
When: July 21- August 2
Cost: $1,800
Offering workshops in fiction, poetry, nonfiction, and playwriting, the Conference invites talented writers to come to Sewanee each summer to learn from each other in a welcoming and supportive environment. This program includes an individual meeting for each participant with a faculty member, numerous readings, open mics, craft lectures, and master classes taught by faculty and fellows. This year's faculty includes Jamel Brinkley, Alexandre Chee, Sarah Shun-lien Bynum and many more.
Where: New York City
When: August 13 - 16
Cost: $350+
The Writer’s Digest editors bring you this annual conference with resources for craft, career and creative inspiration. Nearly 50 agents and editors participate in the infamous Pitch Slam, and dozens of industry experts lead educational sessions.
San Francisco Writing for Change Conference
Where: San Francisco, CA
When: September 14
Cost: $99
This annual one-day conference tells nonfiction writers, “Your ideas can change the world.” The conference brings together writers and industry experts to teach nonfiction writers about writing, publishing, marketing and technology.
CANADA
The Ottawa International Writers Festival
Where: Ottawa, Ontario
When: April 30 - May 5 and October 22 - 28
Cost: $85
The Ottawa International Writers Festival is dedicated to providing a welcoming, respectful and comfortable environment for all its guests. “Twice a year, we convene an international celebration of ideas to recharge our imaginations. From politics to poetry, science to music, history to thrillers, we celebrate the full diversity of the word and the gifted writers who guide us in our exploration of the world.”
Where: Lakefield, Ontario
When: April 3
Cost: $20
This Festival showcases Canadian authors and promotes the joy of reading and writing among children and adults. It includes author readings and masterclasses in writing for all ages.
Where: Edmonton, Alberta
When: October 15-25
Cost: $12 per event
Spanning 11 days with 50+ presenters, Litfest is Canada’s original nonfiction festival. Through readings, lectures, panel discussions, and workshops, this writing conference covers diverse topics from food writing to feminism, connecting people to other writers and creatives alike.
EUROPE
Where: Le Marais, Paris
When: Various dates in April and November
Cost: $1,500
Find inspiration in Paris! Patricia Tennison, a professor and author of award-honored books, leads a small group of eight writers in a week-long workshop. Accompanied by her husband Joseph Prendergast, a poet and teacher, Tennison guides writers of all experience levels through five-morning seminars and a private writing session.
Where: Bellevue, Switzerland
When: May 15-17
Cost: $250
This conference is bursting with opportunity! Offering several informative events throughout the year such as the biennial Geneva Writers’ Conference; a “Meet the Agents” weekend on alternate years, monthly Saturday workshops from September to June that include masterclasses and critiquing sessions; coordinated writing groups and an annual literary cruise on Lake Geneva, this year’s May conference will focus on bringing English-language writers together for high-level instruction, support, and creating community through workshops.
Where: Dublin, Ireland
When: June 18 - 21
Cost: $69+
Dublin is a World Heritage City and home to some of the most famous writers. This conference will help you to improve your writing craft, publish successfully, and plan the marketing necessary for any author to achieve success whether traditionally published or self-published. This conference provides practical support, valuable training and an opportunity to meet and get to know fellow writers in one of the world’s great literary cities.
Where: Ledbury, UK
When: July 3 -12
If poetry is your passion, this is the workshop for you. The Daily Mail called this festival, now in its 22nd year, “the world’s most diverse poetry festival.” The festival features an array of community events to celebrate the writing and performance of poetry. Attend readings, writing workshops, panel discussions, musical performances, craft seminars and open mics in the “lively and picturesque market town” of Ledbury.
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About Kailey Brennan
Write or Die Tribe was created by Kailey Brennan, a freelance writer, blogger and content creator based in Plymouth, MA.
She currently writes for Read Poetry and a handful of other online platforms.
