Two upcoming conferences in the Nutmeg State drew our attention recently. The first is the Unicorn Writer's Conference in Stratford, Connecticut. If you don't know writing, you should. It's a bit of a writing Mecca, and the Unicorn Writer's Conference, now in its second season, takes full advantage of that fact.
The conference is organized by Jan Kardys, a literary agent with a long, long career in publishing. The conference is a fascinating peek into the ins and outs of getting on board the writing train, with workshops on everything from Writing Character-Based Fiction to Down & Dirty Self-Promotion, an art as old as Walt Whitman's ebullient and anonymous review of his own poetry.
This conference runs from 8:00 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. at the Oronoque Country Club, 385 Oronoque Lane, Stratford, CT 06614 (203-375-4293, Fax: 203-375-1443). You can register here. The cost is $165.
The list of presenters is long and impressive. It includes Gene Wilder as a keynoter and presentations by author Jodee Blanco, filmmaker Anthony Artis, Hearst Books publisher Jacqueline Deval, literary agent Gina Maccoby. It is an ideal venue to meet those in the business and schmooze, one hopes, your way to new deals and success.
Now on to our next event: did you know that there is a Connecticut Chapter of the Romance Writers Association (CTRWA)? Who knew we had so many writers in the genre?
But the CTRWA does more than just handle romance writing. To find out what that more is, you'd need to check out its Connecticut Fiction Fest, which will be held on April 24 at the Four Points Sheraton in Meriden, Connecticut. Registration is a relatively modest at $95 ($75 for CTRWA members) for a program that will run from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
The focus of this conference seems to be on "pitching." Since literary agents will be in attendance, it's an opportunity both to learn the trade and, hopefully, make a connection. Workshops here include "Length Really Does Matter: Tips for a One-Page Pitch/Synopsis" and "How to Sell Your Book Fast," with presenters including fantasy romance novelist Jessica Anderson to Emily Beth Rappaport of Berkly Books.
So if the itch you need to scratch is a book looking for a publisher, this might be the conference for you.