Chuckanut Writers Conference, 2017
Dear Writers: Here’s Amberly Baker of the Chuckanut Writers Conference to tell you what’s in the works for this year’s amazing event!
Welcome to Bellingham, Washington, an eccentric city nestled in the northern corner of the great Pacific Northwest. Bellingham is home to all kinds of people: With the bay to the West and Mount Baker to the East, it attracts all kinds of outdoor enthusiasts. With so many amazing independent restaurants and holes-in-the-wall, it is a food lover’s haven. It’s a college town, bringing in passionate, excited college students by the thousands. It is also home to a huge writing community, and the annual Chuckanut Writers Conference.
Kelly Magee will offer a class on Rewriting Fairy Tales.
The Chuckanut Writers Conference is an amazing opportunity, whether you’re local or visiting, whether you’ve published three novels or are writing on napkins in rare quiet moments. This year, it takes place on Friday and Saturday, June 23rd and 24th at Whatcom Community College, and offers a wide range of breakout sessions to help you find inspiration and continue to develop your craft. These sessions are taught by some of the finest writers the area has to offer—and it has a lot.
There are several great events included in this year’s conference. If you are looking to pitch your amazing new piece of writing, you can find Sean Fletcher and Andy Ross offering Pitch Sessions. Pre-register for these sessions by June 15th! For Marketing Consultations, bring those questions you’ve been wondering about to marketing expert Alice Acheson. And new to the conference this year are Editing Consultations, offered by Andrea Hurst.
Poet Anis Mojgani will teach Magical Realism as Truth Telling in Poetry.
In addition to conference breakout sessions, on Thursday we are offering two Master Classes to get you ready and excited for the weekend to come. They are filling up fast, but there is still some room left in Tod Marshall’s class, “Exploring the Boarded-Up Houses of your Triggering Towns.” Learn how to incorporate gritty, traumatic experiences and worldviews into your writing and start producing some of your own new pieces that “might originate in subject matter that makes (you) a little uncomfortable.” Don’t miss out—reserve your spot in these fabulous pre-conference sessions while you still can.
New York Times Bestselling author Jonathan Evison will teach a session on the Elements of Plot.
The best part of all of this is that it’s not too late to sign up for the Conference. Early Bird Registration goes through May 22nd, at which point the price jumps from $239 to $279—register soon and save yourself forty dollars, because every penny counts. A student rate of $159 is available. You can register online, in person, via telephone, or by mail. You can find more information on this, and a comprehensive list of everything the conference offers, on the conference website.
This is such a great opportunity, and I am so excited to share it with you. It feels truly amazing to be part of Bellingham’s unique and inspiring writing community. This June, spend a weekend in a city surrounded by nature and scenery, full of fun things to do and seriously great places to eat (find me for recommendations). But most of all, come spend time doing what you love with the people who love it, too. Submerge yourself in a weekend of learning and inspiration, of making lifelong friends and connections, and of what all of this is about—writing.
Amberly Baker is a student in Western Washington University’s Creative Writing program, and works at a small bookstore. When she is not reading or writing, she enjoys playing Animal Crossing, knitting, and is obsessed with her cats.
Dear Writers 