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Thursday, September 19​
​
6:00p - 9:00p
Opening Mixer
at Bonfils Stanton spaces at 1033 Santa Fe Dr., Denver, CO
Join the opening mixer to meet fellow attendees and begin our shared grounding in Reclamation.
with Screening of short film "Long Live the Art"
Presenter: Anthony Grimes, Leland Schmidt James Holmes, Nuria, & SamFresh
Experience the world premiere of Long Live the Art, a captivating short film where a group of passionate artists go head-to-head with the Voice of Doubt, with the fate of humanity resting in their hands. Written and directed by Anthony Grimes, featuring breathtaking cinematography by Leland Schmidt and an original score by Jared M. Fry, the film delves deep into the creative struggle, exploring how the battle between art and doubt shapes the world around us.
Following the screening, stay for an exclusive panel discussion with key members of the cast and crew. This engaging panel will unpack the film's themes, creative process, and the challenges the artists faced both on-screen and off. Don’t miss this inspiring evening of film and conversation, celebrating the resilience of art in the face of uncertainty.
Friday, September 20:
9:10a - 10:40a
Publishing
Healthy Editing Process Roundtable
Presenters: Britt Camacho, Shymala Dason
Receiving edits and maintaining the integrity of our writing can be an unexpected process, but doesn't have to be an unfriendly one. Join to discuss fears, concerns, certainties and uncertainties to prepare your approach to self-editing and third-party editing.
Writing Craft
In/Visible Spaces: Writing from a Place of Love
Presenters: Ellen Chang-Richardson, Acamea Deadwiler, Alexei Perry Cox
What does it mean to carry invisible scars? In the aftermath of the globally debilitating COVID pandemic, questions of the (in)visibility of ability, race, and sociocultural positionality have only increased in both salience and urgency. This panel is composed of three poets who theorize visibility in their work, from the false neutrality/invisibility of whiteness to the only-sometimes-visible effects of multiple traumatic brain injury. Each panelist will give a short reading of their work, followed by an auto-analytical argument about the role of perception and its lack in the formation of their poems. These presentations will be followed by a moderated discussion and Q&A, in which audience members will have a chance to offer their own interpretations of the panelists’ work and of the theme in general.
Community
New Pathways for Expanding Access and Discovery
Discussion with The Black List
Presenter: Randy Winston
The Black List has been an invaluable resource for writers and the entertainment industry since the release of our first annual survey of Hollywood's most-liked unproduced screenplays in 2005. In its new expansion, The Black List becomes a home to fiction writers and their unpublished manuscripts. Join Randy Winston to learn more about this new path for access, and dream even more.
11:20a - 12:20p
Publishing
Anatomy of the Deal
Presenter: Kristin Nelson
Join a longtime agent to explore the 6 main things agents negotiate with an editor when a publishing house has made an offer on a book.
Community
Cohort Writing Meet-up
12:20p - 1:00p
BREAK
1:00p - 2:00p
Writing Craft
Writing from Family Archives
Presenter: poupeh missaghi
Many of us as writers are drawn to, sometimes even obsessed with, our family narratives. We want to learn the secrets. We want to tell the stories of multiple generations. We want to imagine other possible family dynamics. In order to do all of these and more, we make use of multiple types of family archives: from photographs to oral histories to objects passed on to us. In this class, we will discuss the many ways we can work with family archives to put the pieces of the puzzle together and tell stories whose characters are we and our loved (or not-so-loved) ones.
​Publishing
Creativity and Storytelling under Book Bans
Presenters: Britt Camacho, Deidre Dumpson, Diana Dominguez
The past years have seen unprecedented book bans, mostly focused within our communities. Join for a discussion of writing in this climate, how we remain true to our stories, and how we navigate the uncertainties in gaining support for our work.
Community
Cohort Writing Meet-up
2:10p - 3:10p
Writing Craft
Forking Tongues: The Possibilities and Provocations of Multilinguality
Presenters: poupeh missaghi, Kanika Agrawal, paparouna
To “speak with a forked tongue” is to be deceitful. But what if those of us who are split- or multi-tongued claim this phrase and redefine it? What might the possibilities and provocations of multilinguality be? The three panelists will discuss how and why they work with multiple languages as translators, editors, writers, and educators. They will consider how multilinguality, and translation in particular, can shift us out of place, position, and pattern. Might forking our tongues help us speak to and against classification, exclusion, dispossession, appropriation, and assimilation? Participants will be invited to consider this question, raise additional questions, and share their own experiences to deepen the conversation.
​Publishing
How to work with bookstores outside of events
Presenters: Deidre Dumpson, Diana Dominguez, Michelle Malonzo
When we think of book promo, we think of a packed room at a cozy bookstore and stacks of books ready for signing. The possibilities for working with bookstores may look very different; join this group of experienced booksellers to go behind the scenes and prepare to make the most of the bookstores that can support your work.
Community
Cohort Writing Meet-up
3:20p - 4:50p
Writing Craft
DreamWeaver: Entangling Structure and Subconscious
Presenter: D.L. Cordero ​
Innovative story ideas can be sourced from dreams and nightmares, but having a greater understanding of story structures can provide writers with the opportunity to weave these ideas into unique narratives that draw readers deeper into the surreal. In this workshop, we will study a variety of story structures, observe how their elements differ, and practice integrating them into material sourced from our subconscious. While we will review the hero's journey, also known as the three-act story structures, our primary focus will be on story formats less commonly used in modern, Western storytelling traditions. Examples include the four-act structure, the non-linear sequence, the fairy tale, branching, spiral, parallel, nested, and multiple point-of-view structures.
Publishing
Case Studies in Successful Promotion​
Presenters: Lupita Aquino, May Zhee Lim
What does a realistic approach to promoting your work look like? Join these experienced marketing pros to explore examples of real, successful promotion plans.
Community
Artivism: Discovering Our Roles as Artist in a Tumultuous World
Presenters: Dark Goddess Collective
In this craft class with a twist, you will have space to reflect on your values, place in the world, and how this can be channeled through your art. The event will combine a panel discussion and a workshop, emphasizing the importance of collectivism in finding our place in the world.
5:30p - 7:00p
Offsite Meet-Ups
Saturday, September 21:
9:10a - 10:10a
Publishing
Writing as a Small Business
Presenter: Jonathan Rodgers
When writing is craft and livelihood, how do you set up the best self-supports? Join this discussion to explore financial & other practical questions to take care of you and your work.
Writing Craft
Sex and Character Development: Confronting Shame and Stigma with Representation
Presenter: Zoe Brook Wright
From a lens of appreciating the importance of representing not only queer identities, but also queer sex itself, Sex and Character Development argues whether you are straight, queer, asexual, or allosexual, open discussion of sex is vital to strengthening our empathy, stories, and community bonds. No matter who you are writing about or for.
Community
Cohort Writing Meet-up
10:10a - 11:20a​
BREAK
11:20a - 12:20p
Writing Craft
Following the Desire
Presenter: R.O. Kwon
I believe that, in every line of our writing, desire can and perhaps ought to be present, which seems truthful to living as I know it: I want and want, and the characters I write do so, too. Desire is so central to my fiction that it supplies much of a book’s or story's shape: I listen for and follow what my characters want, and, pulled along, find a world. In this workshop, we’ll look at desire-fueled writing and dream up some of our own.
Publishing
The Author/Agent Relationship: Navigating the Rapidly Evolving Industry Together
Presenters: Amanda Orozco, Roma Panganiban
Literary agents speak about their experience in crafting their MSWLs, client strategy, and the querying process. Additionally, we want to provide an inside view of the agents' submission process to editors, as well as the working agent/author relationship in general.
Community
Investing in Storytelling
Panelists: Natalie Green, Randy Winston, Manny Loley; Moderator: Deidre Dumpson
A discussion about the storytellers we support and invest in. As we navigate questions about diversity and representation in stories, what are the economic implications of who we choose to financially support? From publishing to philanthropy to the sales floor how do we decide which stories and which storytellers to support and how does this shape the future of storytelling?
12:20p - 1:00p
BREAK
​
1:00p - 2:00p
Writing Craft
Embracing and Opening Obsessions
Presenters: R.O. Kwon, Sasha Geffen, Roma Panganiban; Moderator: Chris Aguilar-Garcia
Publishing
Querying Workshop
Presenter: Amanda Orozco
Join to explore success queries sent to agents, and break down their strengths to help craft the strongest pitch for your work.
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Community
Cohort Writing Meet-up
2:10p - 3:10p
Writing Craft
Memoir Across Format and Style
Presenters: Katerina Jeng, Jessica Hoppe; Moderator: Michelle Malonzo
Join writers across writing genres discussing personal storytelling that transcends the traditional approach to memoir for inspiration on building what is most personal and intimate into your own works.
Publishing
Understanding Opportunities for Short-Form Publication
Presenter: Erika T. Wurth, Sasha Geffen
There are a lot of submission opportunities in the world -- join two long-form writers who have spent a good amount of time in the short-form world to explore opportunities to amplify your writing beyond the book.​
Community
Back and Forth: Drafting in Two Languages
Presenter: Lydia Gil
Bilingual writers who draft in both languages simultaneously are often worried about how moving back and forth between languages might slow down a project. This discussion will focus on how drafting in two (or more) languages allows writers to access an untapped well of creativity, if willing to escape the comfort of their dominant language. We will discuss how writing in our non-dominant language(s) can help us uncover connections and create deeper layers of meaning.
3:20p - 4:20p
Community
Wild Collaborations
Presenters: Kristina Maldonado Bad Hand, Rowena Alegria
Collaborative storytelling is always expansion. Join these storyteller to explore the magic moments that come from collaborating while building story.
Writing Craft
Fueling Writing from our Deep Memories
Presenter: Shymala Dason
Actors create characters by looking for aspects of themselves that resonate with the character they are playing. Method Acting exercises are a form of self-guided meditation to help them dip into deep memories. This is a useful tool in fiction, memoir, etc., as well, to safely draw on deep memories and all our senses to add depth, texture, and 'voice' to our writing, without being overcome by possible trauma. The workshop will consist of a brief discussion, followed by practice going into this deep memory state, doing some writing, and breathing our way out again, and then sharing and discussion of some of the generated work.
Publishing
Traditional Publishing 101
Presented by: Jessica Hoppe; Moderator: Michelle Malonzo
Join to explore a writer's journey through a first publication, and learn the twists and turns that are staples to publishing within a traditional publishing house.
​7:00p
Plenary Discussion: Reclaiming Memory through Magical Realism
Panelists: Ingrid Rojas Contreras, Vanessa Angélica Villarreal, Gina María Balibrera
Moderator: Angela Maria Spring
Since the 1940s when European-born novelist Alejo Carpentier, a white Cuban heavily influenced by European schools such as Surrealism, co-opted the term “magical realism” to his own fiction, creating a movement solidified by Euro-centric critical embrace of Gabriel García Márquez’s 100 Years of Solitude in the 1960s, modern Latine/x and Caribbean writers seeking to write our family and cultural histories woven with Indigenous and/or African cultural backgrounds are inevitably labeled as “magical realism,” with the inherent implication that not only are their daily lived experiences too fantastical to be believed but also not “real” at all. If their lives are not real to the colonizer literary institutions and schools of thought, those Latine/x and Caribbeans of African and/or Indigenous roots remain unreal to the world at wide, and their ancestral memories are erased along with their languages, religious, and healing traditions. Many Latine/x and Caribbean writers seeking to write nonfiction rooted in their personal experiences, especially set in their home countries, are often advised to write it as fiction instead. However, now a new school of contemporary Latinx/e writers are subverting the colonial erasure and reclaiming both their creative agency and their lived experiences, innovating with form in all literary genres from memoir to poetry. The panel will discuss each writer’s own work in pushing against the concept of “magical realism” and eliminating the colonized borders of literature, as well as delving into the powerful act of ancestral veneration through storytelling.
October 1-4
Agent One-on-Ones
Sign-up for a 10-minute one-on-one with:
Amanda Orozco (Transatlantic Agency)
Roma Panganiban ( Janklow & Nesbit Associates)
Noelle Falcis Math (Transatlantic Agency)
Eric Smith (P.S. Literary Agency)
Sam Hiyate (The Rights Factory)
Julia Kim (The Rights Factory)
Kaitlyn Sanchez (Bradford Literary Agency)
Sign-up information coming soon.
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