Six Years of Success
Rochester Writers’ Conference
Success continues to bless the Rochester Writers’ Conference, which has now completed its sixth event. The conference started at Rochester College and by its third year was being held at Oakland University because of its growth. The 6th annual event was held last Saturday, October 5th.
The conference exceeded 100 attendees for the first time. Organizer and founder of the event, Michael Dwyer, is already planning the 2014 event. “We are renting more space for next year and we have some of the speakers lined up as well,” said Dwyer. “We want to keep the attendee fee the same, so we’re looking for sponsors to step up and become part of the event.”
Currently, Rochester Media is the only sponsor of the event. Rochester Media provided gift bags for the attendees and cash prizes for the writing contest awards that coincides with the conference. “Sponsors, such as Rochester Media, provide a way to make the experience more valuable for attendees,” said Michael Dwyer.
The Big Hits
Stan Williams speaks about the Moral Premise to a full house at the 6th annual Rochester Writers’ Conference
Last year’s keynote speaker, Stan Williams, returned this year to conduct a two-part lecture on story structure. Attendees packed the room and gave the presentation rave revues. Also popular was the Children’s Author Panel featuring three Michigan authors. Amy Huntley, Ruth Barshaw and Carol A. Grund spoke about their three different paths to publication within the children’s literature genre.
Overall, 14 presenters covered the day with lectures, workshops and panel discussions. All day refreshments and lunch kept the attendees nourished for the run of the event.
What’s Next
Rochester Writers’ announced their 2nd annual writing contest will begin on October 15, 2013. Rochester Media is once again sponsoring the awards to be able to offer cash prizes to the top three places in three categories.
Michael Dwyer is looking at a couple of spring conference ideas. “Attendees have indicated they want to learn more about social media and self-publishing,” said Dwyer. One of those focused events could run in March or April of 2014.
Save the date for the seventh annual Rochester Writers’ Conference, scheduled for Saturday, October 4, 2014.
Keep an eye on www.RochesterWriters.com for more information.
About Michael Dwyer