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The 38th Annual Western Reserve Writers' Conference 

A day of writing information and inspiration!

AGENDA

9:00-9:30 AM / CHECK-IN, LIGHT BREAKFAST, COFFEE & TEA
Writers' Center

For anyone interested in having their work read anonymously at the First Page Critique Panel at 1:45 PM: Drop off FOUR COPIES of the first page of your work-in-progress (prose only, fiction or nonfiction) at check-in before noon. Your work must be double-spaced, in 12-point Times New Roman font, with Title and Genre written at the top of the page. Do NOT include your name anywhere on the page. We'll randomly select first pages and read them aloud starting at 1:45 p.m. Each panelist will raise a hand at the point where they would stop reading and then comment on what stopped them. First Page Critique writers will remain anonymous.

9:30 AM / WELCOME & CONFERENCE OVERVIEW
Meeting Room A/B/C

Deanna R. Adams, Conference Coordinator
Laurie Kincer, William N. Skirball Writers' Center 

9:40-10:20 AM / KEYNOTE SPEAKER
Meeting Room A/B/C

Multi-published author Abby L. Vandiver speaks on Building a Writing Community.

Writing is not a solitary endeavor. Fellowship, support and sharing with other writers is the foundation of writing success. 

Note: Sessions with an asterisk (*) include a writing exercise.

10:30-11:30 AM / BREAKOUT SESSIONS

1. Publish Your Pain / Deante Young. Looking back on painful, emotional traumas of the past, it’s easy to feel resentment. What if you channeled that raw anger into something uplifting and life-changing? In this session, Young explores how you can write about setbacks and challenges with real world examples to illustrate his message of using life experiences to serve yourself and others in positive ways.

2. Publishing with Small Presses / Deanna Adams. Most writers harbor dreams of publishing with a big agent and publisher who will launch their book to the best seller’s list. And yet, it’s a hard dream to fulfill in today’s book industry. But that doesn’t mean you can’t be published through other means. Small presses are a great way to get many of the benefits of a big publisher and maintain more control over your product.

*3. Building Your Natural Talent for Writing Prose or Poetry / Marion Starling Boyer. Gregory Orr proposes that writers are born with a natural gift for Music, Structure, Story, or Imagination. In this session, learn ways to complement your natural ability and gain practical ideas for making your writing more powerful, alive, and memorable.

11:30-11:45 AM / BREAK & PREARRANGED EDITING SESSIONS

Individual, prearranged editing sessions with editors Amy Dragga or Eryka Parker.

11:45 AM-12:45 PM / BREAKOUT SESSIONS

1. Writing and Researching True Crime / James Renner. Are you fascinated by true crime and want to write a book about it? Should you write it as a work of nonfiction or turn it into a novel? How do you approach a source for an interview? What do you need to know about the law to protect yourself and your book? Crime writer James Renner shares his methods and experience writing about unsolved mysteries in Ohio.

2. Publishing Industry Insider / Julie Anne Lindsey. Join award-winning and bestselling author Julie Anne Lindsey as she pulls back the curtain on the publishing industry and shares what it takes to move your story from pen to paperback. She'll answer questions, bust some myths, and shed light on what you need to know about today’s traditional publishing.

*3.  Honing Your Craft through Various Techniques / Kevin P. Keating. Most writers find something deeply gratifying in the oftentimes arduous process of putting pen to paper, and getting their characters to come to life on the page. During his talk, award-winning author Kevin Keating will examine craft techniques that will help give your fiction greater depth and meaning, including a closer examination of character, setting, details and structure.

12:45-1:45 PM / LUNCH BREAK, BOOK SALE & AUTHOR SIGNINGS
You may bring lunch and eat it in the Writers' Center. You may also picnic outdoors or in your car. Local restaurant map available at check-in table.

1:30-1:45 PM / PREARRANGED EDITING SESSIONS

Individual, prearranged editing sessions with editors Amy Dragga or Eryka Parker.

1:45-2:45 PM / FIRST PAGE CRITIQUE PANEL 
Panelists Abby L. Vandiver, Deanna Adams, and Julie Anne Lindsey.

We'll randomly select anonymous first pages of work-in-progress and read them aloud. Each panelist will raise a hand at the point where they would stop reading and then comment on what stopped them. First Page Critique writers will remain anonymous.

2:45-3:00 PM / BREAK & PREARRANGED EDITING SESSIONS  

Individual, prearranged editing sessions with editors Amy Dragga or Eryka Parker.

3:00-4:00 PM / BREAKOUT SESSIONS

*1. From Idea to Story: Crafting the Personal Essay / Marsha McGregor. This hands-on workshop will guide you through a step-by-step process that helps build your idea into a meaningful essay. You’ll discover the small details that bring your thoughts to life and lead you to bigger discoveries. As your story unfolds on the page, learn how to tell it with the candor and heart that connect to readers. 

2. Writing a Book in 30 Days / Abby L. Vandiver. Writing a novel can be a daunting task. But it doesn't have to take years or unending drafts to get that manuscript finished. Learn what it takes to get a first draft completed in thirty days! This can help all writers, aspiring or advanced.

3. Picture Books from Start to Finish / Lindsay Ward. Join picture book author and illustrator Lindsay Ward as she discusses the step-by-step process of making a picture book. She will discuss ideas, where hers come from, the drafting and writing phase, submission process, revisions and edits, sale and production, and finally the finished product—a book!

4:00-4:15 PM / PREARRANGED EDITING SESSIONS

Individual, prearranged editing sessions with editors Amy Dragga or Eryka Parker.

4:00-4:30 PM / DOOR PRIZES, BOOK SALE & AUTHOR SIGNINGS

TODAY’S PRESENTERS

Deanna Adams is a writer, speaker, and author of eight books, both fiction and nonfiction. She is the longtime coordinator of this conference, the “Book Whisperer” for Cuyahoga County Public Library, and teaches online writing courses for the Pennwriters organization. Her book, The Writer’s GPS: A Guide to Writing & Selling Your Book, instructs aspiring writers on how to get their book written from beginning to end. 

Marion Starling Boyer is a professor emeritus and author of five poetry collections. Her most recent book, Ice Hours, won the 2021 Wheelbarrow Books Poetry Prize, sponsored by Michigan State University Press. Boyer lives in Twinsburg, Ohio and leads workshops for Lit Cleveland and Lit Youngstown.

Amy Dragga is an experienced editor who specializes in the Chicago Manual of Style (the style guide used by most trade publishers in the US), and a member of both ACES: The Society for Editing and the Editorial Freelancers Association. Through her company, Blue Hyphen Creative, LLC, she helps nonfiction and fiction authors polish their manuscript to get it ready for submission.

Kevin P. Keating is a writing instructor who has taught fiction at Cleveland State University, Baldwin Wallace University, and others. His first novel, The Natural Order of Things (Vintage Contemporaries), was a finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prizes First Fiction Award. His second novel, The Captive Condition (Pantheon), was launched at the San Diego Comic Con. He’s received numerous awards, including the Cleveland Arts Prize, and was a James Thurber House Writer-in-Residence. 

Julie Anne Lindsey is an award-winning and bestselling author of mystery and romantic suspense. She’s published more than fifty novels since her debut in 2013 and currently writes as herself, as well as under multiple pen names. She’s represented by Erin Niumata at Folio Literary Agency. When Julie's not creating new worlds, she can be found plotting murder with her shamelessly enabling friends.

Marsha McGregor’s personal essays have been published in BrainChild, Zone 3, Kenyon Review Online, Fourth Genre, Literary Mama, and four anthologies. Her work most recently appeared in A Harp in the Stars: An Anthology of Lyric Essays. More than 30 of her first-person essays have appeared in Cleveland Magazine. She leads writing workshops for Literary Cleveland and The International Women’s Writing Guild (iwwg.org). 

Eryka Parker is a book coach and award-winning developmental editor at Legacy Book Coaching & Consulting. She believes in simplifying the independent publishing process, helping authors maximize book sales, and generating reader engagement. Eryka has partnered with libraries, writing groups, and independent publishing companies to facilitate custom writing and book marketing workshops. She is a freelance journalist for Indie Author Magazine and is currently working on her third novel under the pen name, Zariah L. Banks.

James Renner is a local journalist and author of several works of nonfiction, including True Crime Addict and the upcoming book, Little, Crazy Children, based on the unsolved murder of Lisa Pruett. He currently hosts two podcasts: "True Crime This Week" and "The Philosophy of Crime."

Abby L. Vandiver is the William N. Skirball Writers' Center's Writer in Residence, and a Wall Street Journal and USA Today bestselling author. The prolific Abby writes under several pen names. As Abby L. Vandiver, she has approximately 20 self-published books as well as the traditionally published Romaine Wilder Mysteries from Henery Press. As Cade Bentley, she debuted her novel, Where Wild Peaches Grow. And as Abby Collette, she has two mystery series and a crime trilogy. Her latest novel is Soul of a Killer, released in 2022. 

Lindsay Ward is the author and illustrator of over two dozen picture books for children. She is also the founder of Critter Lit, a free critique service for up-and-coming authors and illustrators. Lindsay lives in Peninsula, Ohio with her family. Her latest books are The Capitol: A Meet the Nation’s Capitol Book (Harper Collins) and Jessie: Queen of the Road. 

Deante Young is founder and Chief Creative Architect at Dirty Truth Publishing, LLC, as well as its head author. He is the author of seven nonfiction books, including co-writer of Wayne Dawson’s memoir.  He specializes in writing and speaking about personal development and has twenty years of multi-media experience, as well as filmmaking and podcast production. He is also the executive producer and host of the digital series, “Deante Speaks to Cleveland.”