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23rd Annual
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The Mission of the Blue Ridge Writers' Conference is to educate, inform, and inspire writers. No matter the level of expertise, the Blue Ridge Writers’ Conference provides a venue for professional writers, editors and agents to provide honest and accurate feedback to the aspiring writer in how to craft that first novel, sell a magazine article, market yourself in the literary world, or finding inspiration for your poetry. Other previous keynote speakers include a number of well-known writers such as novelist Claire Cook, Terry Kay, mystery writers Patricia Sprinkle, Joshilyn Jackson and Sharyn McCrumb, essayists James Kilgo and Steven Harvey, suspense writer Karin Slaughter, Jaden Terrell, and former Georgia poet laureate, David Bottoms.
Saturday, September 5th begins with light breakfast fare and our keynote speech. The 2020 keynote speaker will be Melissa Fay Green. Melissa Fay Green is the author of six books of nonfiction: Praying for Sheetrock (1991), The Temple Bombing (1996), Last Man Out (2003), There is No Me Without You: One Woman’s Odyssey to Save her Country’s Children (2006), No Biking in the House Without A Helmet (2011), and The Underdogs (2016). The latest is an expansion of “Wonder Dog,” a 2012 New York Times Magazine feature story which became one of the most-searched-for and most-shared TIMES stories of the year. Melissa’s work has been translated into 12 languages and has been honored with a Guggenheim Fellowship (2015-2016), two National Book Award nominations, a National Book Critics Circle Award nomination, the Robert F. Kennedy Book Award,
the Chicago Tribune Heartland Prize, the Southern Book Critics Circle Award, the ACLU National Civil Liberties Award, an Anthony J. Lukacs Book Prize finalist citation, the Hadassah Myrtle Wreath Award, Elle Magazine Readers’ Prize, the Salon Book Prize, a Lyndhurst Foundation Fellowship, the Lillian Smith Book Award, the Georgia Author Award, another Georgia Author Award given by a different organization, an honorary doctorate of letters from Emory University in 2010, induction into the Georgia Writers Hall of Fame in 2011, and the Georgia Governor’s Award in the Arts & Humanities in 2013. She has contributed to The New York Times, The New Yorker, The Washington Post, The Atlantic, New York Magazine, Newsweek, LIFE, CNN.com, and other periodicals, and has been a frequent public radio guest. Sheetrock was named one of the Top 100 Works of American Journalism of the 20th Century and appeared on Entertainment Weekly’s list of “The New Classics—The 100 Best Books of the Last 25 Years.” A native of Macon, Georgia, and 1975 graduate of Oberlin College, Melissa is the
Kirk Distinguished Writer-in-Residence at Agnes Scott College.
The day continues with concurrent workshops on everything from Historical Research to insights from a book coach to assembling a book of poetry. Our 2020 speakers include a wide variety of fiction, non-fiction, poetry writers, editors and much more. Select the About our Speakers tab above for more information on our 2020 speakers as information becomes available. Conference attendees appreciate the chance to network with other writers and speakers during the day and the opportunity to submit their work for critique by one of the conference speakers.
The Blue Ridge Writers’ Conference also offers a four-hour Workshop Intensive on Friday, September 4th. For an additional fee, the Workshop Intensive provides a more concentrated workshop to strengthen and inspire your literary endeavors. The 2020 workshop instructor will be fiction writer, Sheila Athens. This year's workshop will be: Make Your Story Stronger: Insights from a Book Coach/Developmental Editor. Seating to this workshop is limited and registration is now full for this workshop.
High school students from area counties are invited to attend and the Art Center offers scholarships to make this more affordable.
We look forward to you joining us this year for our 23rd Annual Blue Ridge Writers’ Conference!
Saturday, September 5th begins with light breakfast fare and our keynote speech. The 2020 keynote speaker will be Melissa Fay Green. Melissa Fay Green is the author of six books of nonfiction: Praying for Sheetrock (1991), The Temple Bombing (1996), Last Man Out (2003), There is No Me Without You: One Woman’s Odyssey to Save her Country’s Children (2006), No Biking in the House Without A Helmet (2011), and The Underdogs (2016). The latest is an expansion of “Wonder Dog,” a 2012 New York Times Magazine feature story which became one of the most-searched-for and most-shared TIMES stories of the year. Melissa’s work has been translated into 12 languages and has been honored with a Guggenheim Fellowship (2015-2016), two National Book Award nominations, a National Book Critics Circle Award nomination, the Robert F. Kennedy Book Award,
the Chicago Tribune Heartland Prize, the Southern Book Critics Circle Award, the ACLU National Civil Liberties Award, an Anthony J. Lukacs Book Prize finalist citation, the Hadassah Myrtle Wreath Award, Elle Magazine Readers’ Prize, the Salon Book Prize, a Lyndhurst Foundation Fellowship, the Lillian Smith Book Award, the Georgia Author Award, another Georgia Author Award given by a different organization, an honorary doctorate of letters from Emory University in 2010, induction into the Georgia Writers Hall of Fame in 2011, and the Georgia Governor’s Award in the Arts & Humanities in 2013. She has contributed to The New York Times, The New Yorker, The Washington Post, The Atlantic, New York Magazine, Newsweek, LIFE, CNN.com, and other periodicals, and has been a frequent public radio guest. Sheetrock was named one of the Top 100 Works of American Journalism of the 20th Century and appeared on Entertainment Weekly’s list of “The New Classics—The 100 Best Books of the Last 25 Years.” A native of Macon, Georgia, and 1975 graduate of Oberlin College, Melissa is the
Kirk Distinguished Writer-in-Residence at Agnes Scott College.
The day continues with concurrent workshops on everything from Historical Research to insights from a book coach to assembling a book of poetry. Our 2020 speakers include a wide variety of fiction, non-fiction, poetry writers, editors and much more. Select the About our Speakers tab above for more information on our 2020 speakers as information becomes available. Conference attendees appreciate the chance to network with other writers and speakers during the day and the opportunity to submit their work for critique by one of the conference speakers.
The Blue Ridge Writers’ Conference also offers a four-hour Workshop Intensive on Friday, September 4th. For an additional fee, the Workshop Intensive provides a more concentrated workshop to strengthen and inspire your literary endeavors. The 2020 workshop instructor will be fiction writer, Sheila Athens. This year's workshop will be: Make Your Story Stronger: Insights from a Book Coach/Developmental Editor. Seating to this workshop is limited and registration is now full for this workshop.
High school students from area counties are invited to attend and the Art Center offers scholarships to make this more affordable.
We look forward to you joining us this year for our 23rd Annual Blue Ridge Writers’ Conference!
