Writer's Conference
Friday, May 15, 2009
Saturday session are new this year! Please scroll down to review.
The third annual Ann Arbor Book Festival Writer's Conference will be a full-day experience where attendees can hone their skills in sessions led by visiting Festival authors. The conference will be held on the University of Michigan central campus in Palmer Commons. Over the years, this campus has been home to many well-known writers from Arthur Miller to Elizabeth Kostova.
Review the following information to make your selections for the individual sessions. When you are ready, click here to register and pay the $105 registration fee. The fee includes morning coffee, lunch provided by Ann Arbor's own Zingerman's Deli (back again), and a light wine and cheese reception at the end of the day. After registering, you will receive an email listing your session assignments, specific location information, and directions. (The increase of $5 in our fee represents the inclusion of parking; the University is providing a discounted rate of $5 for the day and parking is available in the Palmer Parking Structure, attached to Palmer Commons. More details about this can be found below.)
Alternatively, you may download a form, fill in all applicable information, and send the completed form along with a check (made out to Ann Arbor Book Festival) for $105 to:
AABF Writer's Conference
500 South Main Street
Ann Arbor, MI 48104
** This year, the Conference is expanding into Saturday morning. If you would like to take advantage of these additional sessions, please check out the selections listed after the Friday sessions below. We are also hoping that many of you will choose to attend our "Breakfast With the Authors" on Saturday morning. By signing up for the Breakfast AND Saturday sessions, you can save some money. See details below!
Click for Printable Schedule - circle your preferred events and plan your day!
Location and Check-In
We will be in Palmer Commons at 100 Washtenaw Ave. Ann Arbor, MI 48109. You can get directions from highways to this part of campus from our Maps and Information page.
Here is a link to a partial campus map with directions to Palmer Common.
Parking is available in the Palmer Commons structure which is attached to Palmer Commons. Turn in on Palmer Drive, then you will enter at the Visitor Entrance (the second one on the left.) If you will be parking in this structure, please email Lucy at steucy@aol.com. She will mail you your coupon that you will present to the attendant upon arrival.
Come to the 4th floor of Palmer Commons. The elevators open at our check-in table. We want to make sure you have arrived safely and have everything you need.
Room Assignments
- "A" Sessions - Great Lakes South
- "B" Sessions - Great Lakes Central
- "C" Sessions - Great Lakes North
- "D" Sessions - Forum Hall
Another new feature we are offering this year is the opportunity to meet individually with one of our guest experts. These sessions will take place between 2:00 and 4:30 and will be 15 minutes in length. There is an additional charge of $20 for this feature.
Meet these guest experts:
| Kevin Smokler |
Kevin Smokler is the editor of Bookmark Now: Writing in Unreaderly Times (Basic Books) which was a San Francisco Chronicle Noteable Book of 2005 and the co-founder of BookTour.com. An Ann Arbor native, he now lives in San Francisco. Kevin will review nonfiction submissions.
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| Dorene O'Brien |
Dorene O'Brien teaches creative writing at the College for Creative Studies and at Wayne State University in Detroit. She has won the Red Rock Review Mark Twain Award for Short Fiction, the New Millenium's Fiction Award and the Chicago Tribune Nelson Algren Award. She also won the international Bridport Prize and is the recipient of a creative writing fellowship from the NEA. Her short stories have appeared in the Connecticut Review, Clackamas Literary Review, the Chicago Tribune, New Millenium Writings, Carve Magazine, Ellipsis, Cimarron Review, Detroit Noir, and others. Voices of the Lost and Found, 2007, is her first full-length short fiction collection and features many of her prize-winning works. Dorene will review fiction and creative nonfiction submissions.
NOTE: Dorene O'Brien's slots are now full. Please choose one of the other options for your Individual Session.
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| Masha Hamilton |
Masha Hamilton is the author of three novels: Staircase of a Thousand Steps, The Distance Between Us, and The Camel Bookmobile. As a journalist for the Los Angeles Times, Associated Press and others, she has reported from the Middle East, Russia, Afghanistan and Africa. Most recently, she traveled to Kenya to hike into the bush with the real camel library. Masha will review both fiction and nonfiction submissions.
NOTE: Masha Hamilton's slots are now full. Please choose one of the other options for your Individual Session.
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| Mark Shaw |
Mark Shaw is a former criminal defense attorney and television personality turned author with nearly twenty books published. His latest, "Beneath the Mask of Holiness: Thomas Merton and the Forbidden Love Affair That Set Him Free" will be released by Palgrave Macmillan in November, 2009. Mark also mentors many aspiring authors and poets with more information at his website, www.markshawbooks.net. He lives with his wife Wen-ying Lu and their beloved Labrador Black Sox in East Lansing, Michigan.
NOTE: Masha Hamilton's slots are now full. Please choose one of the other options for your Individual Session.
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Instructions for submissions to these experts:
Once you have chosen your expert on the registration form, you will receive an email address from us to which to send your copy for review. You will also be notified of the time of this session. You will excuse yourself for a short time from your assigned session. Click here to add this charge to your shopping cart.
Please email your typed draft, double-spaced, and no more than 15 pages, to your assigned expert. These must be sent no later than May 1, 2009, to be considered.
A special thank you to our sponsors: Zingerman's Community of Businesses and the University of Michigan English Department.
Friday Writer's Conference Sessions
8:15 am - 8:45 am - Registration / Check-In
8:45 am - 9:45 am - SESSION 1
A. Mystery writing: The Important Ingredients - Heather Buchanan
Mystery writing is challenging, yet satisfying. Like a good cake recipe, a good mystery novel requires essential ingredients. This session will give writers the important ingredients necessary for a successful mystery novel. We will also analyze examples from successful historic and contemporary masters of mystery. Bring a notebook and your works-in-progress for discussion and advice.
Heather Buchanan is the owner of Aquarius Press, an award-winning literary and academic publisher. She is the author of Dark River, a CBS Award nominee. A former COO for Wayne County Arts and VP of the Great Lakes Independent Publishing Association, Heather is a Lecturer in the Writing Program at the University of Michigan - Dearborn. Her newest publication is It's Worth the Struggle: Inspiration for Contemporary Writers.
B. Writing for Actors – Barton Bund
Barton Bund has numerous writing and directing credits on his resume. This workshop will be an interactive class that will involve the participants in writing and performing quick scenes written on the spot. He will also discuss play development and share his experiences as a writer.
Barton Bund (Founder, Managing Artistic Director) is the original founder of The Blackbird Theatre and its original company, BlackBag Productions. He most recently directed their acclaimed all-African-American production of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. Other writing and directing credits include his original musicals Patty Hearst and The Glob, as well as his adaptations of The Picture of Dorian Gray (from Oscar Wilde), as well as The Rainbow & Women in Love (adapted from the novels by D.H. Lawrence), Margaritaville, The Jealous Type, and One Hundred Twinkling Lights (winner, Ann Arbor News Best Original Play, 2005). Bart is a staff writer for Mosaic Youth Theatre of Detroit, Artist-in-residence at The Children's Creative Center of Ann Arbor, as well as a Playmaker Playwright at The Purple Rose Theatre, and a nominee for the Williamstown Theatre Festival's 2001 L. Arnold Weissberger Award in playwriting for his play Norma Peoples.
C. Identifying Creative Niches in Nonfiction - Deanna Adams
Creative nonfiction is described as using fiction techniques in your nonfiction writing. Nowadays, it's one of the most popular forms of writing, even by newspaper journalists. In this session, Deanna Adams will highlight the key elements that are guaranteed to produce a rich story that will hook your readers in the first paragraph and take them on an intriguing journey. A writing exercise will be included.
Author and freelance writer, Adams has presented at numerous conferences. She is the author of Confessions of a Not-so-Good Catholic Girl, 2008, and RocknRoll and the Cleveland Connection, 2002. She was a finalist for the 2003 Ohioana Award and ARSC award for Excellence in Research (for nonfiction).
D. Issues of Intellectual Property – Ken Wachsberger
You're looking at a real live book contract from a real live book publisher. You have no idea what it all means - except that it was written by the publisher's lawyers for the sole benefit and protection of the publisher. In this session, you will learn about the major clauses in a typical book contract and how to negotiate a better contract.
Ken Wachsberger has been called the dean of I-Search teachers today. He is an internationally respected editor and writer who has taught writing and researching, creative writing, composition, journalism, and writing for self-discovery at Michigan colleges, universities, and prisons for over twenty years. Ken founded Azenphony Press in 1987. Subject areas of current and upcoming books include the First Amendment, the underground press of the Vietnam era, censorship, the Holocaust and Jewish resistance, the I-Search paper (a first-of-its-kind textbook), and writing for self-discovery.
10:00 am - 11:00 am - SESSION 2
A. What Makes a Children's Book Memorable? – Cynthia Furlong Reynolds
What stories are guaranteed to end up in an editor's reject pile? Writing for children is like making a mouth-watering S'more. Both require planning, the right ingredients, crisp beginnings and endings (graham crackers), a delicious theme (chocolate bar), and fun-filled sticky steppingstones (marshmallows) that lead the reader from an exciting beginning to a delicious and satisfying ending. This session will discuss the do's and don'ts, perils and pitfalls inherent in crafting children's stories that will sell.
Cynthia Furlong Reynolds discovered her calling at an early age, during a visit with her grandmother. An award-winning journalist, Reynolds juggles writing time with motherhood. She has written a series of histories as well as children's books, which include The Far-Flung Adventures of Homer the Hummer, Rascal Makes Mischief on Mackinac Island, S is for Star: A Christmas Alphabet, and a number of state alphabet books.
B. Finishing Your First Novel: A Three-Pronged Attack – Sung Woo
Starting a novel is relatively simple. The first twenty or thirty pages may come quite easily, in fact. But once you reach fifty or sixty, this is when it hits you: how the heck am I going to do this for another two-hundred and fifty pages? As someone who has recently been in this exact situation, Sung Woo can offer three techniques that helped him complete his first novel.
- Rewrite your life
- Link up short stories
- Get up an hour earlier: writing 1 hour a day X 2 years = a book
Sung Woo's debut novel Everything Asian comes out in April of 2009 with a review statement from both A. Manette Ansay and Stewart O'Nan. Woo's short stories have appeared in The New York Times, KoreAm Journal, and Storyglossia. An MFA graduate of New York University, he lives in Washington, New Jersey.
C. Writing Your Family History – Chloé Yelena Miller
Researching and writing your family history doesn't have to be a daunting task. In this session, learn tips on how to gather information and brainstorm ideas before translating the stories and research into a form that you can share with family members.
Chloé Yelena Miller has poems published or forthcoming in Alimentum Journal, Lumina, Privatephotoreview.com, South Mountain Poets Chapbook, Sink Review and The Cortland Review. Her manuscript, Permission to Stay, was a finalist for the Philip Levine Prize in Poetry. She teaches writing online for Fairleigh Dickinson University and edits Portal Del Sol. She received an M.F.A. from Sarah Lawrence College and a B.A. from Smith College.
D. How to Write and Sell Your First Mystery: Lessons from the Trenches - Jane Cleland
In this workshop, you'll learn to craft suspenseful page-turners that sell. Jane K. Cleland, author of the Josie Prescott Antiques Mystery series, will also share strategies for selling your manuscript, including how to find an agent who's right for you.
Jane Cleland is the author of the Josie Prescott Antiques Mystery series. She's also the past president of Mystery Writers of America/New York Chapter and the chair of the Wolf Pack's literary awards. Killer Keepsakes comes out in April, 2009.
11:15 am - 12:15 pm - SESSION 3
A. Writing the Forbidden: Going to Secret Places to Fuel Your Fiction - Masha Hamilton
Everyone has secrets, be they personal, family, or the hushed confidences whispered by a friend. In this workshop, we'll talk about accessing and shaping your forbidden material to create more meaningful fiction. Handouts included. We'll also do an exercise, so bring pen and paper.
Masha Hamilton is the author of three novels: Staircase of a Thousand Steps, The Distance Between Us, and The Camel Bookmobile. As a journalist for the Los Angeles Times, Associated Press and others, she has reported from the Middle East, Russia, Afghanistan and Africa. Most recently, she traveled to Kenya to hike into the bush with the real camel library.
B. Breaking Into the Regional Freelance Market - Abby McGuire
Learn to write great articles, prove to an editor that you can write great articles, and land a job as a regular contributor for regional publications. Abby McGuire will show you how to ask for the writing opportunities you want, write articles that editors want, and use your expertise to write regularly for local publications.
Abby McGuire is an award-winning journalist whose work recently received national recognition from Parenting Publications of America. She writes regularly for Saginaw Valley Family Magazine, Tri City Monthly Lifestyle Magazine, The Midland Daily News, and she's the editor of Connecting Families. Abby is earning her Master's degree in English Composition and Communication at Central Michigan University. She lives near Midland, Michigan.
C. Actions Against Distractions - Geri Markel
Are distractions sabotaging your efforts to achieve your writing goals? Lurking around are forces — labeled demons — that interrupt your flow of attention. You can rid your life of the demons of distraction and stop procrastination, writer's block, and interruptions. Geraldine Markel, Ph.D. will provide you with practical, research-based strategies to help you increase writing productivity and decrease stress.
Geraldine Markel, Ph.D., is principal of Managing Your Mind Coaching and Seminars. She has spoken at professional organizations such as the American Psychological Association. Dr. Markel has coauthored five books on learning and performance. Her lasted book is entitled, Defeating the 8 Demons of Distraction: Increasing Productivity and Decreasing Stress.
D. The "I" of the Beholder: Crafting the Persona Poem - Sarah Freligh
The persona poem allows the writer to step out of the familiar "I" and slip into the skin of a character, real or imagined. During this session, we’ll look closely at some contemporary persona poems; then create some of our through guided exercises. This session is recommended for writers at any level.
Freligh was born and raised in Michigan and is a lifelong Tigers fan. She teaches at St. John Fisher College in Rochester, NY, and is the author of Sort of Gone, 2008, a story told in the form of a lyric sequence. Ms. Freligh is the recipient of a Poetry Fellowship from the NEA and recipient of a Constance Saltonstall Foundation grant for poetry in 2006.
12:30 pm - 2:00 pm - LUNCH (Great Lakes Room)
Our keynote speaker this at this year's Conference is Elizabeth Kostova, New York Times bestselling author for her debut novel, The Historian. This book is a chilling historical mystery that reaches from the present day into the medieval past of Vlad the Impaler, Wallachia's barbarous 15th century ruler whose gruesome deeds gave rise to the legend of Dracula. In The Historian, Kostova's characters hunt the immortal Prince Vlad across twentieth century Europe, from ancient village to dank crypt in a quest to destroy the vampire. Kostova, a graduate of Yale and The University of Michigan's MFA program, will share her experiences working on this novel over a span of years, as well as enlighten us about the process of getting the book published. As a bonus, she will also share what working on her second book, due out next October, has been like and how it compares with her earlier experiences. Following up on significant success on a first try can be challenging and her insights are invaluable to the beginning writer.
2:30 pm - 3:15 pm - SESSION 4
A. Creating Energy & Motivation as a Writer - Susan McKenna and Robert Halmo
Two published authors (children's, fiction, non-fiction and fantasy), one a motivational speaker / life coach and the other an owner of a publishing company, present different ways to tap into a source of motivation and energy to think outside the box, helping you to get where you want to be. Hear how different personalities created the success for themselves that many writers just wait for. Learn how you can light your own fire and sell yourself, get into the right frame of mind, and some valuable tips from two valuable resources. It is all about knowing who you want to be and starting from there! You need to make it happen.
Authoring two published children's books, Susan McKenna is inspiring and motivating to writers. Near completion on a novel, two self help books and several other children's books, she's an excellent resource for marketing/promoting yourself. Featured on the cover of TWIST MAGAZINE, honored with WNIC's WOMEN WHO MAKE MAGIC award, a guest on radio/television shows, in news/magazines, as well as national websites, her innovative creativity has no limits.
Publisher/Author Robert Halmo, Wayfarer Press, has interests in self-publishing, publishing in general, and the craft of writing. He has written three published books under pen names and is also a staff writer for the Oakland Press.
B. How to Write, Or A Few Things I Learned From Listening to the Donna Summer Version of 'MacArthur Park' – Colson Whitehead
The writing process is challenging for any writer. This session will present keen insights into the process from one of our country's most celebrated young writers. Come meet him, hear his story, and find out what he means by this rather interesting title, suggested by him!
Colson Whitehead is a New York-based novelist. He is best known as the author of the novels John Henry Days and The Intuitionist. In 2002, he received a MacArthur Fellowship, often referred to as the "Genius Grant." Whitehead has since produced four widely-acclaimed book-length works — three novels, and a meditation on life in Manhattan in the style of E. B. White's famous essay Here Is New York. Whitehead's newest novel, Sag Harbor, is to be published in April of 2009.
C. Write your Passion into Personal Essays, Travel Pieces, and Op-eds that Sell – William Powers
In this learning-packed and hands-on workshop, participants will feel energized to write and successfully sell something within one month. We'll use the author's own published work to explore the art and business sides of rule-bending freelancing to increase writing income.
William Powers has freelanced for the New York Times, Washington Post, International Herald Tribune, The Sun, and Slate, among other publications. He is author of two memoirs: Blue Clay People: Seasons on Africa's Fragile Edge, 2005 and Whispering in the Giant's Ear: A Frontline Chronicle from Bolivia's War on Globalization, 2006, which was featured on NPR's Fresh Air with Terry Gross and in Newsweek and now is in its second print run.
D. Writing Amateur Sleuths - Why They Don't Just Call the Cops – Rosemary Harris
Everyone loves the amateur...from Nancy Drew and The Hardy Boys to Murder She Wrote Jessica Fletcher and Diane Mott Davidson's Goldy Schulz. But why don't they just do what most of us would do and call the police? Well, of course they can't, otherwise there'd be no book. But more importantly, lots of readers like the idea that an every man or woman can be a hero, bring down one of the bad guys, and save the day. Still, there has to be the right balance of realism and suspension of disbelief.
Ms. Harris is the author of Pushing Up Daisies, 2008 and of The Big Dirt Nap, 2009. Pushing Up Daisies was the first in a series of mysteries featuring master gardener/amateur sleuth, Paula Holliday. Rosemary is a member of Sisters In Crime, Mystery Writers of America, and CMGA (Connecticut Master Gardeners Association), and is also a Board member of MWA/NY and Vice-President of SINC New England.
3:30 pm - 4:30 pm - Great Hall Rooms - GENRE TABLES / Networking
4:45 pm - Wine and Cheese Reception - Atrium
Saturday Writer's Conference Sessions
Saturday Sessions will take place in the Michigan League at 911 N. University, Ann Arbor, MI 48109. Directions can be found at this link: http://umich.edu/~uunions/maps/toleague.html.
We will be on the 3rd floor in the following rooms:
- "A" Sessions - Henderson Room
- "B" Sessions - Koessler Room
- "C" Sessions - Room D
We hope that you will stay around after the sessions for the rest of the Festival activities which will take place in the Michigan League on the 2nd floor and just outside on Ingalls Mall.
If you want to sign up for these Saturday sessions, the cost is $30. When you have chosen your sessions, click here to register.
** If you also would like to attend the "Breakfast with the Authors" event at 8:30 am on Saturday, click here for the details. The cost of the breakfast is $20 for adults / $10 for children ages 6-10, and children under 6 are free.
SPECIAL RATES: If you sign up for the Saturday sessions AND the breakfast, your cost is $40 - a savings of $10. These prices are listed on our Giftshop Page under the EVENTS menu. You also may print off a form for these items and mail in a check to the address above.
10:00 am - 11:00 am - SESSION 1
A. SPECIAL 2 HOUR SESSION - For Youth (8th Grade and up) and Adults - Cynthia Furlong Reynolds
WHO? WHAT? WHERE? WHEN? WHY? Every good story requires a writer to ask and answer those questions in creative, memorable ways. A series of fun (and easy!) exercises will help writers of all ages develop a backbone (plan) for their narrative, whether it's a short story or a novel—and, conversely, will help readers distinguish the elements of great writing. When this plan is in place, the story will write itself!
Cynthia Furlong Reynolds discovered her calling at an early age, during a visit with her grandmother. An award-winning journalist, Reynolds juggles writing time with motherhood. She has written a series of histories as well as children's books, which include The Far-Flung Adventures of Homer the Hummer, Rascal Makes Mischief on Mackinac Island, S is for Star: A Christmas Alphabet, and a number of state alphabet books.
B. Write your Passion into Personal Essays, Travel Pieces, and Op-eds that Sell – William Powers
In this learning-packed and hands-on workshop, participants will feel energized to write and successfully sell something within one month. We'll use the author's own published work to explore the art and business sides of rule-bending freelancing to increase writing income.
William Powers has freelanced for the New York Times, Washington Post, International Herald Tribune, The Sun, and Slate, among other publications. He is author of two memoirs: Blue Clay People: Seasons on Africa's Fragile Edge, 2005 and Whispering in the Giant's Ear: A Frontline Chronicle from Bolivia's War on Globalization, 2006, which was featured on NPR's Fresh Air with Terry Gross and in Newsweek and now is in its second print run.
C. You and Your Big Young Adult Ideas - Margaret McMullan
We'll cover major points every YA writer should consider: target audience, structure, character, setting, and dialogue. We'll talk about research, how to come up with ideas, and how to keep coming up with more. This is both workshop and in-class writing and discussion, and attendees will leave brimming with enthusiasm and ideas. Our goal is to recharge, rev up, and get you started on young adult novels.
Margaret McMullan is the author of five novels including Cashay (April, 2009), When I Crossed No-Bob, a School Library Journal Best Book for 2007 for young adults, and In My Mother's House, 2003, for adults. She teaches at the University of Evansville, in Indiana. She has work coming out in National Geographic for Kids that will be co-authored with her husband and her son.
11:00 am - 12:00 pm - SESSION 2
A. (Continuation of Furlong Reynolds’ special session.)
B. Flights of Fantasy: Getting into the skeleton of a fantasy novel: Ages 10-18 years - Diane Christiansen
If you've ever read books like Harry Potter or Lord of the Rings and said, "Wow, I'd like to write a novel like that," now's your chance to take the first step into the world of fantasy writing. Learn about the basic skeleton of a novel…how to create a realistic setting and characters in a not so real world. Diane Mayer Christiansen, author of the young adult fantasy novel, Switcher, will help put the pieces together while you create an original story of your own. She'll share tricks of the trade and maybe even make you believe that anything is possible.
Diane's first book was published in April, 2008. Switcher is a young adult fantasy book that takes its reader through the struggles of one girl, Sam, who finds herself doubting her worth in the world around her. Ms. Christiansen has appeared at the Decatur Book Festival and the International Dyslexia Association Conference.
C. Self-Publishing Options for Authors - Dave Marx
It's easier than ever to get your book into print, and probably harder than ever to get someone to read it. Whether you self-publish for personal satisfaction, to work towards a contract with a major publisher, or to establish your own publishing enterprise, or especially if you haven't figured that out yet, this will be an hour well spent.
Dave Marx is Publisher at Ann Arbor's PassPorter Travel Press, and serves on the board of directors of the Independent Book Publishers Association (formerly PMA). With his wife Jennifer, he's co-written more than two dozen titles (altogether selling over a half-million copies), both for major publishers including John Wiley/IDG Books, and for his own press.
