Categories
Children’s, Crime/Thriller, Drama, Essay, Fantasy, Fiction, General, Horror, Journalism, Nonfiction, Personal Journals, Poetry, Science Fiction, Screenwriting, Young Adult
Location
The 35th Annual Central Coast Writers Conference takes place at Cuesta College in San Luis Obispo, California, September 26-28, 2019. Lodging and activities are also planned in the picturesque seaside community of Morro Bay, near famed Morro Rock.
Admission Fees
Registration starts at $300 and includes three keynotes, all workshops, wine and appetizer reception, two lunches and one personal critique session. Additional personal critiques may be purchased. Master classes are: $150 for a six hour class and lunch with your faculty mentor.
Friday networking event is $50 and includes unlimited wine, beer, appetizers and lots of networking with faculty which include agents, publishers, editors and best-selling writers.
Description
Forty presenters will offer 112 classes in beginning writing, poetry, memoir, novels, non-fiction, screenwriting, children’s and young adult, marketing, publishing and agents. Private critiques and one-on-one “pitch honing” sessions will be available along with networking events and three keynotes.
Opening Keynote: Creativity Under Pressure (includes appetizers and famed Central Coast Wines: Justin and Talley. When we long for writing without difficulties, this keynote is to remind us that oaks grow strong in contrary winds and diamonds are made under pressure.
Our keynote presentation features six top creators on stage discussing ways to overcome the foreboding barrier of getting pen to page when it’s crunch time.
Our amazing panel includes: Monica Piper, Ricky Roxburgh, Ross Brown, Donald H. Hewitt, Linda Aronson and Phil Cousineau https://www.cuesta.edu/communityprograms/writers-conference/evening-keynote.html
Friday Opening Keynote: Sam Horn, “Someday is NOT a day in the Week.” In this inspiring keynote, Sam shares success stories of people who FINISHED their books and got them out in the world – even when they were busy, raising kids, working full-time, and running on empty.
Be prepared to walk out with the determination to make THIS the year you get your ideas, stories, lessons-learned out of your head and into print so they can add value for all involved. Her work – including POP!, Tongue Fu! and the Washington Post bestseller Got Your Attention? – has been featured on NPR and MSNBC and in New York Times, Forbes, Fast Company, Readers Digest, INC. https://www.cuesta.edu/communityprograms/writers-conference/opening-keynote.html
Closing Keynote: Monica Piper is an Emmy award-winning and Golden Globe nominated writer (Roseanne, Veronica’s Closet) and comedian performing with Second City and others before going solo to become one of Showtime Network’s “Comedy All Stars.” She went on to become the head writer and producer of the #1 children’s animated series, Rugrats (voice of Tommy), for which she won an Emmy. She then developed and wrote series for Nickelodeon, Disney and Cartoon Network. She will make you laugh and laugh!
Nine Master Classes will also be offered. These six-hour immersive classes are designed to have a finished product at the end and a faculty mentor and supportive “scribe tribe” post-conference. Topics: novel writing, memoir, poetry, young adult, e-book publishing, and making a living off of your book.
One of this year’s Master Class instructors is Emmy and Peabody award-winning producer and writer, Peter Dunne. He brings three decades of Hollywood experience in script development, writing, and producing. Peter has produced and/or written are such classics as CSI, Dallas, Knots Landing, Dr.Quinn: Medicine Woman and more. More on Master Classes: https://www.cuesta.edu/communityprograms/writers-conference/master_classes.html
Our Teen Screenwriting Workshop pairs young writers with Ricky Roxburgh. Ricky is a screenwriter of animated television and film. He got his start in New York City’s stand up and sketch comedy scene before venturing into the world of writing for the screen. Currently, he is a writer for Disney Channel’s hit, Emmy Nominated animated comedy/adventure show Big Hero 6: The Series. Prior to that, he served as a staff writer for Disney’s Emmy Nominated Tangled: The Series. He has worked on other franchises like Dreamworks Animation’s Dragons: Race to the Edge, Netflix’s Spy Kids: Mission Critical, and Hasbro’s Micronauts. He also served as screenwriter on the animated feature, Saving Santa, which received worldwide theatrical release.
The winning teen script will be made into a 10 minute movie. Last year’s student film debuted at the SLO Film Festival and appeared in other festivals across the country. Scholarships available. https://www.cuesta.edu/communityprograms/writers-conference/teens.html
Attendees will even be able to push through those afternoon energy dips with three different forms of yoga offered during breaks on the campus lawn. One instructor will focus on stretching, one on movement, and the last on poetry and poses.
The conference will wrap up just in time to make it to the Morro Bay Embarcadero, grab a glass of wine and a bite to eat, and watch the sunset over the bay next to the renowned landmark, Morro Rock.
Come get inspired, learn and have fun!
Contact Information
Teri Bayus, Conference Director
[email protected]