Rochester Writers’ Spring Writing Conference – April 1, 2017
“Writing for Children and Young Adults” is the theme for Rochester Writers’ annual spring event held on April 1 at Oakland University. For authors and illustrators of any age, this one-day event will focus on designing picture books, writing young adult novels, and publishing middle grade series.
Carrie Howland from Empire Literary Agency in New York returns to her home state of Michigan to kick off the conference as the featured morning speaker. Howland will describe what an agent does and how to acquire one. Throughout the day, she will meet one-on-one with some of the attendees.
April 1, 2017, Featured Presenters
An author/illustrator couple from Brighton, MI will be the featured afternoon speakers. “Karen Bell-Brege and Darrin Brege are full of energy and always entertain while delivering good information,” said Michael Dwyer, organizer of the event, “For those writers seeking to produce, publish, and promote their books; Karen and Darrin are the perfect creative team to experience.” They have published several titles, including the Mick Morris Myth Solver series and Monsters First Day at School.
“There will two tracks of breakout sessions,” said Dwyer, “One for picture book authors and another for young adult (YA) novelists.”
The picture book track will include presentations from Ruth McNally Barshaw (Lansing, MI), a published author and illustrator with several titles, including Leopold the Lion, and Amy Nielander (Royal Oak, MI) who wrote and illustrated her book, The Ladybug Race.
On the young adult track, attendees will hear from Heather Smith Meloche (Rochester Hills, MI), author of Ripple, a contemporary YA novel; Katie Van Ark (Fennville, MI), author of The Boy Next Door; and Melanie Hooyenga (Grand Haven, MI), author of The Slope Rules. All three will be presenting workshops for attendees who are writing young adult novels and middle grade books.
Kristin Bartley Lenz (Royal Oak, MI), author of The Art of Holding On and Letting Go, joins the line-up of authors. Lenz manages the Michigan Chapter Blog for the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI). “Kristin will lead two panel discussions with several of the presenting speakers, allowing attendees to ask many questions,” said Dwyer, “and to hear from those in the industry currently reaching their writing goals.”
Presentations Include
- What is an Agent and How to Find One
- Illustrations in children’s books: What I know and what I’m still learning
- Adding Poetry to your Prose
- Unleash your YA Novel
- Raising Your Voice
- Committing yourself to Creativity
- Three Paths to Publication (Young Adult Panel)
- Picture Book Panel Discussion
- Bringing it all Together, Author/Agent Panel
The conference begins at 9:00 a.m. in the Oakland Center at Oakland University. Refreshments and lunch come with the registration fee, which covers all the presentations. Offering a variety of workshops, lectures, and panel discussions, the conference is designed so attendees may select the ones most interesting to them. The event concludes at 5:00 p.m.
Registration is going on now. The regular rate is $125 in advance and $150 at the door. Purchase securely online. A full list of speaker biographies and their presentations are posted at www.RochesterWriters.com.
Rochester Writers’ Conference
About Rochester Writers
Rochester Writers serves local authors and freelance writers by hosting groups, contests, and conferences. Currently, Rochester Writers holds two writing conferences annually – at Oakland University – one in the spring and their signature event in the fall. The spring event has a fine-tuned focus, while the fall conference is more general with fiction, non-fiction, and business presentations for the writer. Their events are family-friendly, available to all ages, and open to new writers, working journalists, and published authors. Rochester Writers will hold its tenth annual fall conference in October of 2017.
About Michael Dwyer
Michael Dwyer, former radio talk show host, turned his efforts to travel writing in 2003. His hometown newspaper voted him columnist of the year in 2006 by reader survey. Michael is published internationally in magazines on topics including travel, skiing, beer, pirates, and horseracing. Dwyer is a past Advisory Board member for the North American Travel Journalists Association. His passion for writing is most prevalent as founder and organizer of the Rochester Writers’ Conference held annually in southeast Michigan. He lives in Rochester Hills, MI.
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