Richmond Writes
Do you have a story to tell, but the thought of writing it down
daunts you? James River Writers
holds its sixth annual conference at the Library of Virginia this month.
On Friday and Saturday, October 10 and 11, authors, editors and others
affiliated with writing and books will hold seminars and panel sessions
on topics from “The Craft of Dialogue” to “The Power of the Memoir” to
“21st Century Self-Publishing.”
Author and historian Jon Kukla (“Mr. Jefferson’s Women”), co-chair of
this year’s event, describes it as “a splendid showcase for Richmond’s
diverse community of talented writers and a vital workshop for aspiring
authors.”
For those of you who don’t know, James River Writers is a Richmond-based
group of approximately 250 authors and “friends of literature.” Its
purpose is twofold: to promote writing and reading in the area and to
increase awareness of our local authors and their works.
The group sponsors a variety of literary events throughout the year,
with the conference being the annual highlight. (If you want to see just
how alive the literary scene is in Richmond, check out the calendar that
JRW curates at www.jamesriverwriters.com > Literary Events Calendar. You
may be surprised.)
Designed primarily to help writers with “how-to” advice on everything
from the mechanics of style to the machinations of the publishing world,
the conference also provides a fascinating insider’s view that will
appeal to any reader who is thinking, “Why not me?”
“We’ve found that a lot of readers in their heart, in their gut, have a
story they want to tell,” says Anne Westrick, JRW administrative
director. “And we’ve found that connecting with JRW inspires people to
start writing their stories.”
DDavid Baldacci, the Virginia Commonwealth University graduate whose
novels usually reside at the No. 1 spot on the New York Times
best-seller list, will give the opening address on Friday morning after
remarks by prolific novelist David L. Robbins and a talk about “Literary
Richmond” by mystery writer Emyl Jenkins.
Jenkins will also participate in a session on mystery writing later in
the day with Diane Mott Davidson. Other sessions on Friday will look at
poetry (with Virginia’s poet laureate, Claudia Emerson), romance writing
(with Cathy Maxwell), literary fiction and script writing, among other
topics, before closing at 4:30 p.m.
Saturday’s sessions will include “Morphing Life into Fiction” and
“Breaking into Print.” The conference will conclude with a talk by
Adriana Trigiani, the best-selling author of the Big Stone Gap novels.
Call James River Writers at (804) 230-575 for more information, or see
jamesriverwriters.com.
Pictured top to bottom: David Baldacci, Jon Kukla, Diane Mott
Davidson, Cathy Maxwell.
John Denniston lives and writes in Richmond.
