April Write Brain: Conference Like a Pro: Everything You Need to Know

What really happens at a writer’s conference? Are you prepared to speak eloquently, or at least coherently, about your work? Is there a secret handshake? Do you have any idea what you’ll wear? What will you talk about when standing in line with a hundred other introverts?

Even if you’ve attended a conference before, this workshop will give you the inside line on what’s new at PPWC this year, plus tips on how to get the most out of your conference experience and soothe any preconference jitters.

After updates from Conference Director Laura Hayden and Programming Director Bowen Gilling, our four panelists will talk about their experiences at PPWC, give you their best insider tips, and answer your burning questions.

Speaker Bios:

Patrick Hester is an author, blogger, podcaster and two-time Hugo Award winner. He lives in Colorado, writes science fiction and fantasy, and can usually be found hanging out on social media platforms as @atfmb. His novel, Samantha Kane: Into the Fire is available at all major retailers and his short fiction, essays and articles can be found with a little Google-fu. He regularly attends conventions and conferences throughout the year, and has been part of PPW since 2012.

Stacy S. Jensen writes picture books, short stories, and memoir. She’s a member of PPW and SCBWI. She volunteers for both organizations. She worked for 20 years in a variety of newspaper reporter and editor positions in Georgia, North Carolina and Texas. She earned awards for editorial writing, hard news writing, and column writing.

Laura Hayden is one of the founders of the Pikes Peak Writers and served as it first president. In addition, she’s held the position of PPWC director for an unprecedented eight years (non-consecutive) and is working on her ninth year at the helm. She’s published thirteen fiction novels in a wide variety of genres, one nonfiction and many short stories. She owns Author, Author! a bookstore serving authors and co-owns Parker Hayden Media, an assisted self-publishing company.

Bowen Gillings is the current PPWC Programming Director and Immediate Past President. His writing has appeared in Allegory e-zine, Writing is Art, Ghosts of Downtown, and the Writing from the Peak blog. Bowen writes fantasy, humorous superhuman thrillers, and whatever else suits his fancy.