The 29th Annual WWW Conference
Look to the Horizon: The Promise of the West
The 2023 Women Writing the West Conference will be a virtual event
held October 12 – 14, 2023
This Virtual Conference will feature all the Awards, Workshops, Panels, Book Store, Silent Auction and camaraderie that WWW Members and Guests expect.
Meet Keynote Speaker Susan Straight | Meet the Editors & Agents | Conference Sponsorships | New Book Corral
29th Annual Conference Updates
Excitement is building as the 2023 Women Writing the West Conference details are announced!
The schedule of events is now available. Check out all the panels, workshops and speakers. The schedule is a PDF file that you may view, download and save, or print out. This schedule is subject to change so check back as the conference approaches.
Editors and Agents
Our guest Editors and Agents will be available for Pitch appointments beginning at 10 AM Pacific Time Thursday, October 12, and will participate in the Editors and Agents Panel on Friday, October 13 at 2 PM Pacific Time. If you selected Pitch Appointments on your registration form, you will be contacted to choose the Editor or Agent and schedule your pitch appointment.
Meet the Editors and Agents
bios and wish lists here.
WWW is honored to be awarded the Colorado Creative Industries Colorado Creates Grant which supports our programs, services, and activities.
Conference Sponsorship Opportunities
Conference attendees are published and unpublished authors, memoirists, poets, journalists, editors, agents, publishers, and educators. Our past conference presenters have been New York Times best-selling authors, distinguished educators, and invited speakers from every genre across all publication fields.
Display your company logo and website link to the Conference attendees, website visitors, other advertisers and more, with a Conference Sponsorship!
Silent Auction Donations
The conference committee is seeking donations for the silent auction. The auction supports the Women Writing the West WILLA Literary Award. Email submissions to Conference Chair Rachel Santino at conference@womenwritingthewest.org.
Call for Volunteers
Conference volunteers make it all happen! Please get in touch with Conference Chair Rachel Santino for more details at conference@womenwritingthewest.org.
More Information about Volunteering …
2023 Virtual Conference
Keynote Speaker
Susan Straight
Susan Straight’s new novel, Mecca, published in 2022 by Farrar, Straus & Giroux, was a Finalist for the Kirkus Prize, and named by The New York Times as a Top Ten California Book of the year, one of the Best Ten Books of 2022 by The Washington Post and The Los Angeles Times, and a best book of 2022 by NPR.
Her 2019 memoir, In the Country of Women, was a national bestseller, named a best book of the year by NPR and CodeSwitch, and longlisted for the Carnegie Medal for Excellence. She has published eight previous novels, including Highwire Moon, a Finalist for the National Book Award and bestseller, and A Million Nightingales, a finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize. Her stories and essays have appeared in O Henry Prize Stories, Best American Short Stories, Best American Essays, The New York Times, The New Yorker, Granta, Harpers, and elsewhere.
Susan Straight’s awards include the Lannan Prize for Fiction, the Edgar Award for Best Mystery Story, and a Guggenheim Fellowship. Her work has been translated into Italian, French, Spanish, German, Turkish, Arabic, Swedish, Polish, and Japanese.
Susan was born in Riverside, California, where she lives with her family, serving as Distinguished Professor of Creative Writing at The University of California, Riverside.
Bookstore
A new, streamlined Book Corral will be unveiled at the 2023 Conference – you won’t want to be left out on this stunning member benefit!
This new format will replace the old Conference Bookstore, and is open to all Women Writing the West members. It will also be available on the WWW website year-round!
For more information, contact Kathy Secrist, sechristk@gmail.com
Volunteers
We are in need of more conference volunteers, specifically to assist with session and panel introductions and moderation, and to assist the pitch session coordinator to ensure things run smoothly. Guidance and training will be provided. This is a great opportunity to get to know fellow authors, for new and seasoned members alike. Being a volunteer gives you a chance to contribute to the WWW community and to learn more about the ever-changing craft of writing, editing, and publishing. Email Conference Chair Rachel Santino for more details at conference@womenwritingthewest.org.
Auction
Donations are now being accepted for the Virtual Auction, to benefit The WILLA Literary Award Fund. We are asking donors to send a short description of the donated item along with two to three photos. Please also include the value of the donated item or service. Suggested items include certificates to writing classes, subscriptions to magazines, jewelry, Western wear, gift certificates (general or toward a cozy bed-and-breakfast) … The list goes on, but please note—we are not accepting books. We all have plenty of those. Contact Conference Chair Rachel Santino for more details at conference@womenwritingthewest.org.
Conference Brochure
Hotel Reservations
No hotel needed for the Virtual Conference!
Contact
2023 Conference Chair,
Rachel Santino, conference@womenwritingthewest.org
CONFERENCE PRIVACY POLICY
Women Writing the West is committed to providing conference attendees with the best possible service while preserving your privacy. WWW will not release your name or other personal information about you to any other parties unless consent is obtained. Conference registration information is collected and used for that conference only.
Periodically, WWW sends all-member emails that are filled with noteworthy information. Since WWW communicates with its members exclusively through email, please add web@womenwritingthewest.org to your contacts/safe-sender/whitelist, or whatever method you use to ensure inbox delivery of WWW emails. Additionally, for your convenience these emails may be accessed on the WomenWritingtheWest.org Members Only page by clicking on “Recent WWW Member Emails.”