Southwestern schedules annual writer’s conference

Southwestern Oregon Community College is planning its 12th-annual South Coast Writers Conference in February in Gold Beach.

The conference, scheduled Feb. 16 and 17, features two days of workshops, author readings, book signings and writer critique circles. The event began as a way to energize local writers and lure others to Gold Beach for a one-day event and slowly has evolved into a weekend-long undertaking featuring around 100 writers from all over the state.

Several renowned writers will share their knowledge as guest speakers, addressing various genres including fiction, poetry and creative nonfiction. This year’s group of speakers includes Linda Barnes, Larry Brooks, Linda Crew, Jayel Gibson, Heidi Ratner-Connolly, Joanna Rose and J.D. Tynan.

“We try to make it sort of a gathering of writers,” Southwestern Oregon Community College Curry Program Coordinator Janet Pretti said. “And we try to invite writers who get involved in the conference and aren’t just presenting. It’s a pretty good group of people.”

Workshops are scheduled beginning Friday, Feb. 16, with participants choosing one of four seminar selections. Four 90-minute workshops are offered on Saturday, Feb. 17, with six options for each session. Cost for the Saturday workshops is $55 ($65 after Jan. 31), and the price for both days is $95 ($105 after Jan. 31). Friday Night Author Readings, scheduled at 7 p.m. on Feb. 16, will be held in the Showcase Building on the Curry County fairgrounds. That event is free and open to the public.

There also is a writing contest for a conference scholarship, with the prompt “The Truth as You Know It.” Entries must be typed and can be essay, short story, memoir or poetry of no more than 1,000 words. The deadline for submissions is Jan. 15, and entries can be submitted with contact information and a short biography to South Coast Writers Conference, P.O. Box 590 Gold Beach, OR 97444, or faxed to (541) 247-6247. They also can be e-mailed to scwc@socc.edu, with “scholarship” as the subject line.

Press Release Date: January 9, 2007