This February is the 21st annual ANWA Conference. It will be held in the Phoenix area, at the Mesa Hilton. It’s open to all and any writers and looking at the lineup of presenters and agents and publishers who will be there, it looks to possibly be their best yet.
For the past several years I’ve been a faithful attender of this conference and it’s been nothing less than inspiring. Not just the workshops (which have been fantastic), but also the people involved, have been a great reason to go. For a writer, because our craft is one that’s rather isolating by its very nature, it’s so nice to go to a conference or a retreat and to realize we’re not alone in talking to the people in our heads and having them talk back!
One of the best opportunities is the lineup the organizers have of agents and the oportunity to pitch our work to real agents and publishers. Not only that, but early in the weekend they’ll have a pitch workshop where, if like me you aren’t someone who starts out with an automatic knowledge of what the heck to do in a pitch session, you can learn just what to do and sound professional and not like a big weirdo.
It’s going to be that last weekend in February. Thursday night through Saturday. And I hear there will be a “Protagonists Ball,” where attendees can appear at the ball dressed as a favorite literary character. Fun, right? Okay, writers will think this is fun. Maybe not everyone else. But that’s the joy of going to a writers conference.
Here’s the link to the conference, if you’re thinking about giving this as a gift to a writer you love–and possibly including yourself as that writer you love. Yeah! I hope to see you there. I wouldn’t miss it!
