See You at the 2015 Chuckanut Writers Conference
Dear Writers,
Now in its fifth season, the CWC just keeps attracting awesome authors, agents, and marketing experts to share their knowledge and insights at this inspiring event that brings hundreds of writers together each June. Here’s the fabulous Hannah Streetman to tell you more.
I’ve often wondered what it is about the Pacific Northwest that attracts and produces some of the best writers around. Maybe it’s the inspiration of the Sound, the morning fog, the thousands of Douglas firs, or the community. Whatever it is that kindles your creativity, the Chuckanut Writers Conference has rounded up a group of twenty-one authors, industry experts, and agents from around this lush region to inspire you to put it into action.
Washington State’s inaugural poet laureate Sam Green will speak to “The Art of Framing.”
The conference will be held at Whatcom Community College in Bellingham on June 26th and 27th. It’s all about benefiting writers at any stage in their craft. Whether you’re tentatively picking up a pen for the first time or have published six bestselling novels, you will be taking something away from this conference. Most people leave with new practical knowledge, inspiration, contacts, and lifelong friends. And an awesome swag bag!
For its fifth anniversary, the conference is offering three new Master Classes. This year’s Thursday Master Classes include “The Art of Framing” from Washington’s Inaugural Poet Laureate Sam Green, “Fiction, What Is It Made Of?” from author Steven Galloway, and “Secrets of a Successful Proposal” from publishing consultants Kerry Colburn and Jennifer Worick. These fill up fast, so be sure to register early. Thursday wraps up with a special poetry edition of the Chuckanut Radio Hour, featuring the music of the Lady Crooners.
Publishing consultants Kerry Colburn and Jennifer Worick will be sharing their insider expertise in “Secrets of a Successful Proposal.”
The conference continues with multiple breakout and plenary sessions from the diverse faculty. Read over the descriptions in the schedule to see what piques your interest. Good luck narrowing it down! You can also sign up for agent pitch sessions if you’ve got something in the works. Of course, there are plenty of opportunities to mingle at receptions and faculty book signings (the wonderful Village Books will be the on-site bookseller). On Saturday, open mics will be hosted in bars and restaurants in Fairhaven so you can keep the spirit of the conference going all night.
Register early! There’s an early bird rate if you register by May 28 that will save you $40. If you think like me, that’s a new book and five lattes!
Novelist Stephen Galloway will be teaching “Fiction: What Is It Made Of?”
I’m so excited to be a part of this year’s conference. I love that it brings together the writing sub-communities of the region into one place for one weekend to celebrate Pacific Northwest writing. I moved to Bellingham from Denver for the trees, mostly, but I’ll stay for the community.
I’m always curious to know: What is it about the Pacific Northwest that inspires your writing? Tell me in the comments below or in person at the conference. I hope to see you there!
Best,
Hannah Streetman
Chuckanut Writers Conference Intern
Hannah Streetman is a lifelong reader who is entirely fascinated by the world of publishing. She’s working on her bachelor’s degree in creative writing from WWU with a couple more practical minors she keeps switching around. When she’s not reading and writing, she enjoys oil painting, drinking coffee, and taking day trips to nearby towns. She would love to spend her life reading and traveling.
Dear Writers 
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An old timers thoughts:
When my great grandpa came to Whatcom County in the late nineteen century, I understand he said anything was better than the heat, cold, dry, wind, and hail back east. Our tribe has been here ever since, although the current generation is spreading out again.
Cemented tight into the fourth generation, I don’t have the momentum to gain escape velocity and leave. When I sneak out on small exploits beyond the borders, I scurry back, missing the rain coming in steadily off Georgia Straits and saturating creative spirits with precious trace elements from the deep Pacific. In winter the rain is a volley of ice daggers that stiffen the brain for analytic inquiry. In spring, the rain is softer, coaxing green plants from the soil and deep thoughts from underground lakes. Summer rain is a blessing, healing tentative wounds inflicted by our hesitant sun. Fall rain carries the scent of the arctic and whirling glimpses of white unknown. The rain in other places has no constancy, no life, no inspiration. It’s just rain, not a force.
I can write other places, but none so well as here. The writer’s tools needed to appreciate the county rain are a good coat, well-greased shoes, and a hat to keep your head up, all abundantly available in spirit at the Chuckanut Writer’s Conference.
Marvin, I have to say you’ve made me look at our rain in a whole new way. What a beautiful answer. Thank you!
Sounds like a fantastic line-up! I think the yearning sound of the foghorn is what does it. That’s why we have so many fabulous writers in San Francisco (and those who will remain unnamed, who decided to move from San Francisco to the Pacific Northwest).
Ha ha, do I get a pass because I first moved from the Pacific Northwest to the San Francisco Bay Area and then back again? Probably not, but I do miss the foghorn, among other Bay Area things and people, including you, my dear friend.
Ok, I’ll let it slide. 😀
Oh, thank you. I do appreciate dodging that bullet. Or, in light of recent conversations on your blog, dodging that headstone.
Thanks for such an enticing preview of the conference, Hannah! As much as I love scenic Whatcom County and the Pacific Northwest, ultimately it’s the people who inspire my writing. Some are delightfully quirky in the way they dress and act, and I have to include myself in that group, having recently adopted socks and sandals as a wardrobe staple. So many inspire me by example, like local distance runner/writer Cami Ostman, who uses the occasion of her running and traveling to create fantastic stories. And many others inspire me by coming together to write with me. It’s hard to beat hanging out with a group of writers at the Book Fare Cafe inside Village Books, working on a story, and occasionally glancing out the window to see Bellingham Bay steps away.