Have you seen the line-up for this year’s Wilmington Writers Conference? Please save the date: Saturday, July 27, 8:30 to 4pm. Join your local writing community at morning and afternoon sessions to feed your creativity. My afternoon session for poets and prose writers is “Watershed: Personal Landmarks in Public Conversation.” During the session, we’ll do short exercises and I will talk about ways to write about life-changing events. We’ll look at the world outside and identify our personal landmarks.

Watershed: Personal Landmarks in Public Conversation. A craft talk for poetry & prose writers at the third annual Wilmington Writers Conference, on July 27

I’ll share what I have learned as a writer grappling with the emotions of watershed moments. Rooting a story in place can translate emotional responses into controlled writing. When a writer expands the personal with research and observations of the outside world, her writing finds new meanings. Most importantly, to move a reader, the writer and her writing must be grounded.

JoAnn east of the Sierra Nevada, California’s principal watershed, April 2019

Open Reading

The third annual Wilmington Writers Conference is preceded on Friday night July 26th by an open mic and writers’ hang out at the Delaware Art Museum. This reading is open to all (regardless of conference attendance). All are invited to network and mingle from 6 to 8:00pm. 

Join us for the Wilmington Writers Conference at the Delaware Art Museum. Drawing on the Museum’s place-centric summer exhibitions, this full-day conference will include a keynote presentation and craft talk by playwright and educator Erlina Ortiz, breakout sessions taught by area writers, networking, and a panel on how to maintain a writing life. Check out the schedule and presenters’ bios here. The full day fee is $30 / $20 for museum members / $15 for students.