Writers Conference GENERAL details


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On the heels of Head Start is our annual Writers Conference…

41st ANNUAL WRITERS CONFERENCE March 26-30, 2010 Eleven Major Morning Tracks: Check out the Tracks available below and choose the one you would like to be part of. (There is no sign-up ahead of time except for the Intermediate Writer Mentoring Tracks for both Fiction and Non-Fiction which require an additional $75 charge and an application process. Read carefully the requirements for Mentoring tracks on our Major Morning Track page.) On the first full day of the conference, go to the Track of your choice and stick with it the entire conference. If after the first session you find it's not what you anticipated, you may transfer to another track. There is only one transfer possible, so make sure you've read the descriptions carefully (full Major Morning outlines will be in the Web Binder on March 15). Afternoon Optional Workshops: There are 70 afternoon workshop options to choose from, ten per hour. These are valuable times of instruction by experienced publishing house representatives, magazine editors and seasoned, published authors. You do not have to sign up ahead of time nor do you have to participate in all workshop opportunities. NEW FACULTY for 2010: Stacy Hawkins Adams (full-time author, professional speaker and former daily newspaper reporter and columnist, freelance article writer for Heart & Soul, Gospel Today, USA Today, and founding president of the Richmond Chapter of the American Christian Fiction Writers) Philis Boultinghouse (Senior Editor, Howard Books, division of Simon & Schuster) Austin Boyd (Navy pilot, astronaut finalist, and spacecraft engineer turned author of the Mars Hill Classified Trilogy) W. Dale Cramer (Christy Award winner for two of his four novels, Levi’s Will and Bad Ground) Laura Christianson (Viral marketing, social media strategist) Jeff Gerke (Owner, Marcher Lord Press; author, Christian speculative fiction) Marcus Goodyear (Poet; senior editor, Foundations for Laity Renewal, Christianity Today’s FaithInTheWorkplace.com) Richard Mabry, M.D. (Retired physician and medical school professor, specialist in medical details for fiction writers; author of medical suspense, Code Blue, first book in the “Prescription For Trouble” series, among others.) Bill Myers (Writer/producer whose books and videos have won over 50 national and international awards including the C.S. Lewis Honor Award. For children, best known as co-creator of the 'McGee and Me' video series and author of the 'My Life As...' book series. Adult work includes such best selling titles as Blood of Heaven and Eli. Dr. Dean Nelson (Director, Journalism Program, Point Loma University, San Diego, CA, former writer for the New York Times, Boston Globe and San Jose Mercury News, Christianity Today, Sojourners; author of 14 books, most recently, God Hides in Plain Sight.) Rachael Phillips (Erma Bombeck Global winner, newspaper columnist; writer of articles for Today’s Christian Woman, Marriage Partnership and others; author of novella Ride with Me Into Christmas and four biographies of famous giants of the faith.) Marlo Schalesky (Representative, Power For Living; novelist and Christy Award Winner for Beyond the Night; ACFW Book of the Year Winner for Veil of Fire) Sheila Seifert (Managing editor of Focus on the Family’s new adult magazine, Thriving Family) Thomas Umstattd, Jr. (Speaker, Social networking guru for all things internet) Lynn Vincent (Author of Sarah Palin’s new biography, Going Rogue; Senior Writer of WORLD Magazine) Rusty Wright (AMY Foundation rep, award winning author, journalist, syndicated columnist and lecturer who has spoken on 6 continents.)

Free Pre-Conference Critiques (available only for fully paid registrants): Any registrant may send the first 20 pages of two manuscripts or two articles, 2 children's books or 5 poems or 3 devotionals ahead of the conference for either critiquing or editorial review. Editorial review is by an editor of your choosing to see if your project is something he/she might be interested in for their company. It does not necessarily include critiquing. Critiquing is done by published freelance writers, with years of expertise in your area of writing, who assess your work, offering concrete observations and advice. (If you have never been published, you should choose critiquing instead of editorial review.) All submissions must be in hard copy and must be postmarked by Saturday, March 20, 2010, and/or received at Mount Hermon at the latest Tuesday, March 23rd. Check Guidelines under FORMS for the explanation of proper formatting. The form for choosing the faculty members you want to look at your manuscripts will be up under “Forms” by February 1, 2010. NOTE: Bring along several copies of your manuscripts in case there is a second opportunity for submitting mid-conference. Critique Team: This year's critique team consists of Gayle Roper (Chairman), Jim Scott Bell, Joseph Bentz, Brandilyn Collins, Ethel Herr, Joy Gage, Marcus Goodyear, Mona Hodgson, Kathy Ide, Randy Ingermanson, Karen O'Connor, Christine Tangvald. The team will be available throughout the conference, Saturday-Monday afternoons, in the Hospitality Room from 4:00 pm until 6:00 pm for walk-in critiques, first-come, first-served. Meal Service: All meals are served buffet style at set times in Mount Hermon’s Dining Hall. Registrants eat at faculty hosted tables at noon and dinner. PLEASE NOTE: WE CANNOT PROVIDE SPECIAL DIETS OF ANY KIND, but our director of food service will work with those who have food allergies by advance arrangement only. Please inquire of Terra Gray in Registration ([email protected]) if you have a special need. Complimentary refreshments each morning and afternoon between sessions. Our Fountain (Snack Shop) is open afternoons and evenings. CD's & MP3's Available: All general sessions and most workshops are professionally recorded and available for purchase at the conference through O.T. Studios of Whittier, California. Most are available for purchase to non-registrants by mail after the conference, beginning May 2010. Check the website for the icon after that time. Conference Binder: In an effort to be good stewards, there will be no binder handed out at the conference. Instead, on March 15th, there will be an icon at the bottom of the Writers conference website where the entire binder will be available for download for those fully paid registrants. It is recommended that you read through the information, and if you want to have hard copy, print off only those pages that are of importance to your chosen workshops and tracks and make yourself a small binder to bring along. And keep the resource material on your computer for future use. There will be a few complete sample binders in Hospitality for reference during the conference. If you are bringing a laptop, why not download the entire binder (or those pages you want) and bring your laptop to the conference. You can actually type into the workshop outlines anything you want out of the instruction in class on your battery charged computer. (Humorous aside, we lovingly call this BYOB . . . Bring Your Own Binder!) :>) Book Sales: Conferees who are published authors may bring their own books to place on consignment (20% fee) at our writers conference bookstore. All books must be pre-priced. Click the "forms" button on the menu above for an Excel consignment form. You may give your book information to us in two ways: 1) download consignment form, fill it out and e-mail it as an attachment to Bookstore Chairman, Joy Harrison, [email protected], OR 2) print it off, fill it out and bring it with you and make sure to give it to Joy when you deliver your books to the writers conference bookstore in Ivy Dining before the conference. What to Bring: Casual clothes are the rule for the conference, with comfortable walking shoes (it’s hilly at Mount Hermon). Weather this time of year is erratic. Dress for warm, wet, cold, or beautifully sunny! Layering is the operative way to go. Laptops are not necessary but useful as we have Wi-Fi in various locations around campus. Flashlights helpful. Camera for photos of our majestic Redwoods, Beni Hoshi Cherries and Rhododendron! Travel Arrival Shuttles: Three Options 1) Head Start Mentoring Clinic shuttles run 1:30-5:00 PM, Wednesday, March 24th. Dinner marks the

beginning of the mentoring clinic. 2) Early arrival shuttles run 1:30-5:00 PM, Thursday, March 25th. Dinner available, and breakfast on Friday. See below for info. 3) Writers Conference shuttles run between 8:00 and 11:30 AM on Friday, March 26th from San Jose International (SJC). No SFO shuttles available. The conference begins at lunch that day. Arrival shuttle service is available from the San Jose International Airport only by advance arrangement through Mount Hermon. You must fill out the shuttle form to receive this service and return it by March 23rd at the latest. See FORMS section. Cost is $75.00 per person, round-trip from San Jose. We are unable to provide shuttle service from San Francisco airport. If you must arrive after 11:30am on March 26th, please think about renting a car for the week. Directions: We are off Route 17 between San Jose and Santa Cruz, the ocean side of the coastal mountains. Exit at Mount Hermon Road toward Scotts Valley. Mount Hermon Road dead ends at Graham Hill Road (3.5 miles). Turn left on Graham Hill, and just past the small shopping mall on the left is Mount Hermon's "little sign." Turn left up the hill (Conference Dr.) which takes you into campus. (If getting directions to Mount Hermon on Google Maps or any other direction service on the web, input Felton, CA for best results.) Departure: The conference ends after lunch Tuesday, March 30th, with airport shuttle service beginning at 1:15 PM. Please plan any flight departure for 3:00 PM or later to allow for shuttle travel and necessary time in the airport before your flight. You’ll need to verify departure with our Transportation personnel in Hospitality a day before departure. Extra Night Option Want to come a night early on March 25th to enjoy the beautiful Santa Cruz area and our McAfee Fieldhouse before the conference? Or maybe you live across the country and can't get in on Friday before noon. Consider this great way to be rested and ready for the conference. Dinner, overnight housing, and breakfast on March 26th are available for only $90. A cozy fire, wireless availability, and a pleasant gathering spot await early arrivals in Central Lounge. Enjoy the historic Roaring Camp Railroad as well as virgin redwoods at Henry Cowell State Park within walking distance, and the Pacific Ocean beaches, Boardwalk, and fabulous bakeries and restaurants of Santa Cruz, just six miles away. Carmel-by-the-Sea and Point Lobos State Reserve are 60 minutes south, and San Francisco is 90 minutes to the north. Our McAfee Fieldhouse gym and exercise room are open for use as well. There is no program planned on Thursday, except a free two-hour optional "Mastering the Pitch" workshop Thursday evening after the evening meal…see below. Check the box on your registration form if you want the early night option. We cannot provide transportation once you’re at Mount Hermon so why not consider a rental car or carpooling with other early arrivers to enjoy the area opportunities? Two Hour FREE Evening Workshop Available to Early Arrivers: If you're coming in on Thursday, why not bring your pitch info and the basics of your project for the free two-hour optional evening class, "Mastering The Pitch," taught by seasoned author, Austin Boyd. Gain valuable information that will help you come away with an actual query letter to use in pitching a story or article to an editor during the conference. What a great way to get started on the right foot! The Pre-Conference Buddy System for First Timers For the past four years Mount Hermon has offered the “Buddy System” designed to help first-timers arrive better prepared to enjoy and make the most of this wonderful conference. We’ve seen great things come of it and are excited to offer it again for 2010. Unlike the Buddy System that you remember from your elementary school field trips, you are not required to hold hands, wear matching T-shirts or stick together at all times! This is a program in which interested first-time registrants are matched with conference veterans who can answer questions or concerns that come up in the weeks leading up to the conference. If you are a first-timer and would like to be assigned a buddy, please contact Jeanette Hanscome: [email protected]. Deadline: March 1. After this date first-timers can request a First-Timer’s Information Packet but cannot be guaranteed a buddy. Conference veterans PLEASE consider serving in this great program, even if you’ve only attended one time. Your main duty will be answering pre-conference questions via e-mail. For questions on how it works or to sign up, contact Jeanette Hanscome: [email protected].

Financial Help through Camperships Perhaps you find yourself in a position where if you had a bit of financial help you could attend the conference. Monies have been sacrificially given by supporters of Mount Hermon for the purpose of helping those who could otherwise not come to a conference. Once you register and pay the registration fee, you may ask for a Campership form for this purpose if you need it. Camperships are meant for those asking for minimal financial help and are limited in amount. Approved Campership monies are put toward the Writers Conference program fees only, not room and board expenses.

Annual Awards & 2010 Fiction Contest Annual Awards: Each year Mount Hermon gives out awards for Writer of the Year, Pacesetter, Poetry, and Most Promising New Writer. NEW for 2010: This year we also feature an award for the Most Promising Teen Writer. All awards are chosen and sponsored by the faculty and carry cash prizes and a news release for newspaper publication and are decided from the pre-conference manuscripts sent in. Winners will be announced at the Monday evening general session of Mount Hermon Writers Conference. 2010 B&H Publishing Group Fiction Contest: This year B&H Publishing Group is sponsoring a Fiction Contest. To win, entrants must purchase and read Leanna Ellis’s Once in a Blue Moon (available in bookstores mid-February 2010) and write an extended ending—“What might be the next scene were you writing the book?” The submission must be no more than 3,500 words in length. Entries should be sent via e-mail to [email protected] by March 10, 2010, though earlier would be better. (NOTE: All contestants must be registrants at Mount Hermon Christian Writers Conference, March 26-30, 2010.) First place winner would receive: o one-on-one manuscript consultation with Fiction Executive Editor, Karen Ball (entrants must have a personal manuscript of at least 3 chapters of their own written work, along with a two-page synopsis); o 8 hours of marketing consultation and plan from Fiction Marketing Manager, Julie Gwinn; o 8 hours of web, digital and social networking consultation with Digital Guru, Aaron Linne; o an invitation to submit a fully tweaked proposal to B&H Fiction. Second place will win an IPOD/Video. Third Place would receive a $150 Amazon gift certificate. All three winning entries will be featured on the B&H Pure Enjoyment website, B&H Twitter and B&H Fiction Facebook Group. Winners will be announced at the end of Mount Hermon Writers Conference. (Mount Hermon Writers Conference fiction contest winners are eligible to win contests twice before becoming ineligible to enter future contests).