WritingSpirit Resources

2008 Santa Barbara Poetry Conference

March 28-30, 2008
Santa Barbara, CA

Pulitzer prize-winning poet Philip Levine will be the featured poet, when we gather again for this special weekend in the beautiful foothills of Santa Barbara. Levine’s most recent collection of poems, Breath, was published in 2004. (Alfred A. Knopf).

All poets – from aspiring beginners to published sages – are welcome to join us for a weekend of workshops, seminars and readings. As with Ted Kooser in 2007, Levine will do a reading on Saturday night and offer a master class for all participants on Sunday morning.

Santa Barbara Poetry Conference

The Gospel Music Association's "Music in the Rockies"

August 3-9, 2008
Estes Park, CO

The Gospel Music Association’s Music in the Rockies (formerly “Seminar in the Rockies”) has a long-standing history as the premier competition, gathering and educational event in Christian music. Since 1974, aspiring artists, songwriters and indies have traveled from all over the world to perform, compete and hone their skills under the guidance of seasoned industry professionals and peers. Artists such as Stacie Orrico, Rachael Lampa, Babbie Mason, Point of Grace and Mark Lowry all began their careers at Music in the Rockies. Located in the beautiful city of Estes Park, Colo., Music in the Rockies is a must-attend event for any aspiring or indie artist, songwriter, worship Leader and musician, and for producers, publishers, and A&R professionals. Families also take advantage of this resort destination through diverse activities and the acclaimed Music in the Rockies Concert Series.

Music in the Rockies

Stories From the Heart IV

February 1-3, 2008
Austin, TX

Stories from the Heart IV will bring women from around the country to celebrate the stories of our lives. Through writing, reading, listening, and sharing, you'll discover how personal narrative is a healing art, how you can gather your memories, how you can tell your stories. Readers, writers, storytellers, and any woman with a past, present, and future are welcome. There will be opportunities to explore difficult or hidden issues, expand your relationships with other women, and discover different modes and media--such as art, dance, and drama--for sharing your stories. Come, learn, share, and celebrate as we honor our stories!

Stories From the Heart IV

Whidbey Island Writer's Conference

February 29 - March 2, 2008
Whidbey Island, WA

Choice is the operative word at this uniquely personal conference. Join a small group in a friendly home setting for a Fireside Chat. Immerse yourself in learning and nurture your talent at a variety of informative classes and hands-on intensive writing workshops. Attend an expert panel discussion, where agents and editors will share inside details, divulge what they are looking for, and offer important how-to's in our Skill Building Sessions and Workshops. Pre-register to meet with an agent or editor for a consultation or a small inspiring critiquing session led by an experienced author in our Agent/Editor Consultations and Writer Critiques.

Whidbey Island Writer’s Conference

2008 Festival of Faith & Writing

April 17-19, 2008
Grand Rapids, MI

The 2008 Festival of Faith & Writing will bring together more than 50 writers and some 2,000 conference participants from around the continent who gather for three days to soak in the Festival's wealth of keynote addresses, seminars, workshops and more.

Says LeMahieu Dunn: "The Festival of Faith and Writing began as an exploration of the communities made and served by religious writing. Over the years, it has become a community itself - a gathering of authors, publishers, readers and academics who come together for three days of conversation and celebration."

Festival of Faith & Writing

Taos Writer's Conference

Taos Writer's Conference
July 12-20, 2008
Taos, New Mexico

Held in Taos, New Mexico, this writing conference features workshops in Fiction, Poetry, Memoir, Travel Narrative, Publishing, Spirituality and Healing, and more.

Southern California Writers Conference

February15-18, 2008
San Diego, CA

Founded and run by professional writers the Southern California Writers Conference (SCWC) provides veteran and emerging talent with authoritative critique to help distinguish those manuscripts that are ready for market consideration, facilitating some $3 million worth of first-time authors' book and screen deals. With extended one-on-one evaluation of advance submissions and dozens of read & critique and Q&A workshops uniquely defying the "us versus them," academia-style cattle drives found at similar events, the SCWC is among the only writing conferences in the country specifically tailored to provide comprehensive feedback on your work.

Along with the read & critiques run during each session, many interactive problem-solving and assignment-oriented workshops are also available. And since the surroundings of the conference afford it, and since we most certainly encourage it, plenty of other opportunities await those attending to sidle up next to editors, agents, executives, and other writers joining us to discuss things on a more intimate level.

So whether you're a writer who can't figure why your work's not working, a writer simply in search of some answers, a writer wanting feedback on what you've written, a writer who doesn't know where to start, or just a writer who wants to hang with other writers, do yourself a favor and join us for the 22st Annual Southern California Writers Conference in San Diego.

Southern California Writers Conference

Book Expo America (BEA)

May 29-June 1, 2008
Los Angeles, CA

May 28-31, 2009
New York, NY

June 10-13, 2010
Las Vegas, NV

Book Expo America is an annual industry event for publishers, booksellers, librarians, rights professionals, authors, and anyone else involved in the buying and selling of books and related products (over 30,000 "industry professionals" usually attend). The four day bookfest includes:

• Conference & Educational Programs - With over 80 sessions, this complete educational program is designed to address topics of interest to all segments of the industry.  Most sessions are Free with event registration.

• Exhibition Halls/Pavilions - featuring more than 2000 exhibits. All major U.S. publishers have a presence along with hundreds of publishers of all sizes from the U.S. and from across the world. 

• Special Events and Networking Opportunities- There are a wide variety of special events taking place throughout the event.  These include author breakfasts, luncheons, receptions, special lounges and more.

• Autographing Program - The autographing program is a highlight of BookExpo America and features over 400 authors. 

• International Rights Center - If you are an agent, scout, publisher, packager or acquisition editor looking to buy or sell rights, this is the place to do the deal.

Book Expo America

BEA/Writer's Digest Books Writer's Conference

May 28, 2008
Los Angeles, CA

In just four short years, the BEA/Writer's Digest Books Writer's Conference has become one of the premier writing conferences in the country, with its wide variety of programming that includes workshops by leading authors, editors, agents and other industry professionals. Attendees can:

• Meet editors, authors, and agents. Hear what they're really buying and how to get work accepted

• Attend specific workshops, taught by industry professionals, that will help them get their writing published. Breakout sessions include workshops on fiction and non-fiction writing, magazine writing, mystery writing, proposals, e-queries and more

• Pitch their book and get instant feedback.

BEA/Writer's Digest Books Writer's Conference   

WorldCon 2008 – The 66th World Science Fiction Convention

August 6-10, 2008
Denver, CO

The Worldcon, or World Science Fiction Convention, is the annual convention of the World Science Fiction Society (WSFS). Worldcons are wild and wonderful, with 20-30 panels and events to choose from at any given time. Although many who attend Worldcon are going strictly as Science Fiction and Fantasy fans, there are many panels that deal with the craft of writing, and usually several that deal specifically with how religion is depicted (often quite differently) in both Science Fiction and Fantasy.

The panels on Religion, Spirituality and Consciousness at the 2006 Woldcon included:

• New Maps of Heaven
  

  Recent times have seen an explosion of science fiction and fantasy tales centered in cosmologies and mythologies outside of the North American mainstream. Writers discuss what draws them to these other mythos and what lessons they offer.

• Religion in SF Books and Movies

Religion is frequently ignored in science fiction and fantasy. But sometimes it isn't. How is it treated? Do we see standard Earth religions or all-new ones? Or ones that just think they're all new? Some authors seem to think that, come the future, all people will just abandon their religious beliefs. Does that seem likely?

• Is the Scientific Method the Death of God?

Copernicus, Galileo, Newton, and Einstein have included religion in their commentary. How have scientific methods changed over the centuries and how has it affected science's relationship with religion? When all actions can be described by physics and all life can be described by biology and chemistry, is there any room for the miraculous, the ineffable?

• The Rise of Theocracy

Was Heinlein right? Is this our future? Who will be Nehemiah Scudder?

• The Future of Religion

What should we expect from our many religions as we enter the new century? If we ever leave Earth will we take our religions with us? Should we?

• The Tarot and Writing

Everyone knows the hero/heroines journey, the basis for nearly everything written in fantasy fiction. But what about other archetypes? The Tarot has 22 in all. How do these other archetypes reflect in fiction? Forget the hero/heroine, let's talk about death, the empress, the hanged one, the universe, the priestess, the fool...

 

WorldCon 2008 – The 66th World Science Fiction Convention