For writers of: - adult fiction and nonfiction - books for children and young adults - magazine journalism
	Friday & Saturday July 31 & August 1, 2009 at Stanford University

9:00 am
• Keynote: The Writer's Life with Joyce Maynard (all tracks)
Joyce Maynard has been a reporter for The New York Times, a magazine journalist, radio commentator, and syndicated columnist, as well as the author of six novels, including her best-selling memoir At Home in the World. She has been writing for over 30 years and knows how to create and sustain the writer's life.

10:20 am - Concurrent Sessions
• The Art and Commerce of Writing for the Book Business Today
(adult book track)
The current shift from print to digital; economic attrition; corporate makeovers; the self-publishing revolution; and other volatile factors are creating unprecedented opportunities for writers today. In this session, veteran editor Alan Rinzler talks about what’s really changed regarding the business of getting published, and what remains basic about writing the best possible book.

• Writing for Children & Teens: Open with Enticement, Maintain Your Momentum, & End with a Bang (children’s book track)
Bring your writing to its highest level by shaping the narrative arc of the story, eliminating the sagging middle and making the opening and ending of your book irresistible to readers. Deborah Brodie examines picture books as mini-models of issues that concern novelists, and our discussion will apply to every genre and age group.

• The Elements of Structure (magazine track)
Start with a concept (not a topic), pick the right approach, plot your path, craft the lead and nut graf, keep up a natural dialog with the reader, and stick to a single point. Veteran magazine journalist and editor Michael Gold offers macro-analysis of strong writing.


11:30 am - Concurrent Sessions
• Proposal Critiques as a Vehicle for
Understanding How to Write and Get Published (adult book track)
Send in your 15-page abbreviated proposal, including the hook and overview, author platform, competition, chapter outline, and sample pages. We’ll select two or three of the proposals for public discussion during this session, evaluating their strengths and weaknesses in getting the attention of busy agents and acquisition editors.

• Honing Your Voice, Developing Plot, Deepening Characterization, & More: Guided Writing Exercises: (children’s book track)
Variations on timed-writing help reinvigorate our writing selves. Members of the group will share the experience of doing the exercises, but we will not read our work aloud. Please bring pen or pencil and lots of your favorite paper.

• The Elements of Style (magazine track)
At a micro level, engaging writing comes down to specific, concrete, active language. Choose your words wisely, clean out the clutter, talk straight to the reader, and skip the flabby quotes.


12:30 pm
• Lunch & Conversation


1:45 pm - Concurrent Sessions
• Panel: What Do Editors Want? (adult book track)
Jay Schaefer of Workman/Algonquin and Emily Haynes of Chronicle Books discuss how they acquire books for their imprints: what they want to see in the writing and author platform, and how they make the commitment to develop and publish in their specific companies.

• Panel: Insider Advice from Children's Book Editors (children’s book track)
Nicole Geiger of Tricycle Press/Ten Speed (Random House) and Julie Romeis of Chronicle Books will offer tips on how to work with editors. You'll have opportunities to ask them about what they publish and why.

• Anatomy of a Query (magazine track)
It’s the key to getting a busy magazine editor interested in your story idea. In this session, Nan Wiener, executive editor of San Francisco magazine, examines what works as well as pitfalls to avoid. Participants are invited to send in samples to be considered for discussion.


3:00 pm - Concurrent Sessions
• Panel: What Do Agents Want? (adult book track)
Top agents Amy Rennert, Bonnie Solow and April Eberhardt talk about what they’re looking for in today’s difficult market, and what authors have to do to publish and self-market their work.

• Panel: Wise Words from Children's Book Agents (children’s book track)
Top children’s book agents Andrea Brown, Kendra Marcus and Angela Miller reveal smart ways to get and work with a literary agent. 

• Panel: What Editors Want (magazine track)
Bay Area magazine editors Susan West (Afar) and Bruce Anderson (Via) talk frankly about what they wish freelance writers would do for them. Come armed for the Q&A section.


4:15 pm - Concurrent Sessions
• One-on-One Critiques (adult & children’s book tracks) by appointment only.

• Tackling Writer's Block: Guided Writing Challenges:  (adult & children’s book tracks)
Turn stumbling blocks into building blocks with practical tips and strategies for overcoming perfectionism, with Deborah Brodie.

• Inside the Interview (magazine track)
Leading magazine writers Peter Jaret and Laura Fraser relive their most memorable interview experiences, share tips for dealing with touchy sources and tricky situations, and answer participants’ questions.


5:15 pm
• Noshes & Networking Reception

9:00 am
• The Public Persona: Using New Media Tools to Promote Your Work (all tracks)
Times are changing: With today's new media tools, writers now have the capacity to showcase their expertise, promote their work, and in some cases, self-publish and distribute their writing to a global audience. In this session, Ivory Madison, founder and CEO of RedRoom.com, explores the new landscape for writers.


10:20 am
• The Art of Writing for the Web (all tracks)
As a publisher of Web pages, blog posts, and tweets, you have to face it: people don’t exactly read online. In this session, expert Michael Gold looks at techniques for “Webifying” copy so that it gets noticed and is appreciated by your audience—humans and spiders alike.


11:30 am
• Harnessing Web Video To Get Noticed (all tracks)
It used to be you needed studio, lights, camera, audio equipment and a trained crew to create video that captures your expertise. Not anymore. In this session, Scott Robinson, NY-based producer and director of commercials, shows examples of how today's savvy writers use guerrilla Web video to spread their ideas.


12:30 pm
• Lunch & Conversation


1:45 pm - Concurrent Sessions
• The New World of Self-Publishing (adult & children’s book tracks)
Is it really feasible to self-publish? Would you want to? In this session, Alan Rinzler talks with author and independent publisher Jennifer Robin about her company and the path she took in publishing her ideas.

• Online Research & the Crowdsourcing Conundrum (magazine track)
Finding information is a breeze online, but judging its credibility can be a real challenge. This session, led by former Salon journalist Scott Rosenberg, explores sound strategies for doing research on the Web and recommends trustworthy online resources for journalists.


3:00 pm - Concurrent Sessions
• Hands-on Workshop: Setting Up a Blog (open to all tracks)
Free tools, your first post, a publishing strategy, style and etiquette, categories, tracking other blogs, and plenty of Q&A.

• Becoming Mediagenic (open to all tracks)
Writers are frequently asked to promote their own work via TV, radio and Web video. If you're mediagenic, you have a significant edge in getting those media invitations. In this session, well-known media coach and former Bay Area news anchor Vickie Jenkins explains the ropes.


4:15 pm - Concurrent Sessions
• Hands-on Workshop: Twitter Basics (open to all tracks)
What is it, why is it, do it yourself, tips and tricks, following Oprah, and how journalists use the Twitter stream.

• How To Produce Web Video on a Budget (open to all tracks)
Veteran podcaster Kenji Kato offers a step-by-step walk-through of what it takes to create a 1-minute video with minimal equipment and even less experience.


5:15 pm
Noshes & Networking Reception II