2013 Write on the Sound

CALL FOR PRESENTERS

October 5-6, 2013

Pre-Conference
October 4

In its 28th year, Write on the Sound (WOTS) is an intimate, high quality, affordable writers' conference that focuses on the craft of writing. A variety of classes are offered for all levels and interests. Special features include pre-conference half-day critique workshops, a keynote speaker, one-on-one manuscript critique appointments, a themed writing contest, book sales featuring books by conference presenters, a meet-and-greet reception and
book signing event, and more.

A choice of workshops is offered in four time segments on Saturday & Sunday. WOTS provides a mix of sessions on how-to, motivational topics, various genre, and specialty subjects. Presenters are paid an honorarium (2012: $134 for 75 minute, $161 for 90 minute workshops). Lodging and transportation are only paid for the Keynote speaker, but a stipend is available to those traveling more
than 100 miles. WOTS is held at the Frances Anderson Center (Edmonds' Parks & Recreation facility), 700 Main Street, Edmonds WA, with outstanding views of Puget Sound and the Olympic Mountains.

Submission Instructions:  (Please email all requested materials as attachments to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. ) 

• Completed Application (Download the application here) 
• Detailed description of presentation topic, plus a 50 word summary of the topic
• List three things people attending the presentation will learn
• Current resume, including courses you have taught and location, public speaking experience, publication credentials and 2-3 references.

Selection Process:

Jennifer Armstrong
 
Jennifer Armstrong is a pop culture writer. She was the senior writer at Entertainment Weekly for nearly a decade. Recent publications include: Why? Because We Still Like You, and is working on a book about The Mary Tyler Moore Show, and co-authoring The Feminist Bombshell.  She has provided commentary for CNN, VH1, A&E, and ABC, and has been featured in Salon, Details.com, Match.com, Nerve.com, New York magazine online, and Glamour. She co-founded and runs SexyFeminist.com.

Philip Athans  

Phillip Athans is the New York Times best-selling author of Annihilation and a dozen other books including The Guide to Writing Fantasy and Science Fiction, and the recently released How to Start Your Own Religion and Devils of the Endless Deep. His blog, Fantasy Author’s Handbook , is updated every Tuesday and you can follow him on Twitter @PhilAthans. 

 

Erica Bauermeister

Erica is the best-selling author of two novels, The School of Essential Ingredients and Joy for Beginners.  She is also co-author of two non-fiction guides – 500 Great Books By Women and Let's Hear It For the Girls: 375 Great Books for Readers 2-14.  She has a PhD in literature and has taught at the University of Washington and Antioch.

Carole Estby Dagg

Carole is the author of the award-winning The Year We Were Famous (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt), a historical novel based on the true story of her Great-aunt Clara and her suffragist mother who walked 4,000 miles to save the farm and prove women could do it.  She’s a retired librarian writing in Everett and San Juan Island.

Kathleen Flenniken   

Kathleen is the 2012 – 2014 Washington State Poet Laureate.  Her books are Plume, a meditation on the Hanford Nuclear Site, and Famous, named a Notable Book by the American Library Association and a finalist for the Washington State Book Award.  Flenniken’s awards include a Pushcart Prize and fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts and Artist Trust. 

Kathryn O. Galbraith  

Kathryn is the author of fifteen books for children, including Arbor Day Square and Boo, Bunny!  Planting the Wild Garden, her most recent picture book, was awarded the 2011 Parents’ Choice Gold Award and received a starred review from Publishers Weekly.  A frequent speaker at writing conferences, she also taught at University of Washington on the craft of writing for children.

Ron Gompertz

Ron Gompertz is the indie author of “No Roads Lead to Rome” and “The Expat’s Pajama’s - Barcelona.” He focuses the other side of his brain on optimizing every aspect of Amazon.com and unlocking the basic keys to social media marketing. Ron’s well-received consults and presentations are informative, upbeat and humorous. He is happy to share his discoveries, best practices, and easy-to-avoid pitfalls. 

Ann is the author of Running for My Life.  She received her MFA from the Northwest Institute for Literary Arts.  She is fascinated by the importance of stories and the way in which people express themselves. Gonzalez went on to earn her Master’s in Counseling Psychology. In addition she teaches at conferences and in the North Seattle Community College’s Continuing Ed Department.

Janice Hussein  

Janice Hussein is a freelance editor/ writer/ teacher. With 9 years of experience, she's worked for a literary agent, holds two Master’s degrees, and has presented workshops at ECWC and Wordstock. Her articles about unsympathetic protagonists, novel structure, submissions and dialogue have appeared in RWR and Writer’s Digest’s (2010, 2011 and 2013) Novel & Short Story Writer’s Market.

Bharti Kirchner  

Bharti Kirchner is the author of five novels, several cookbooks and hundreds of short pieces. Her latest, Tulip Season: A Mitra Basu Mystery is now out. She is the Contributing Editor for The Writer and has written for Food & Wine, Vegetarian Times, Writer’s Digest, Fitness Plus, Northwest Travel, and The Seattle Times.  Bharti received grants/fellowships from the VCCA, Seattle Arts Commission, Artist Trust and Jack Straw. She has been honored as a Living Pioneer Asian American Author.

Brandon LaFave 

Brandon LaFave is an editor at Pink Fish Press. He has worked for large and small publishers, co-agented manuscripts, and served as the agent and editor coordinator for the 2011 Whidbey Island Writers Conference.

Kathrin Lake  

Kathrin Lakes is an author, award-winning playwright, professional speaker and founder of the Vancouver School of Writing. Her books include From the Survival to Thrival, The A to Zen of Writing and now Writing with Cold Feet. Kathrin is a Writing Coach and helps individuals write their first books or and keynote speeches using her Power of Story system. She helps authors become speakers and speakers become authors.

Amanda Laughtland  

Amanda Laughtland holds an MFA from the University of Washington and has taught writing at Edmonds Community College since 2004. Her book of poems, Postcards to Box 464, was published by Bootstrap Press in 2010. She has her own small press called Teeny Tiny.

Corbin Lewars

Corbin Lewars M.Ed. is a writing coach and developmental editor specializing in memoir. She teaches personal essay, publishing and marketing, and memoir classes through Richard Hugo House, Field’s End, and national conferences. Her memoir Creating a Life was nominated for the Washington State and Pacific Northwest Booksellers awards.

Sarah Martinez  

Sarah Martinez currently serves as Senior Editor for Pink Fish Press. She has worked with several freelance editors and knows how the process works on both sides. Her novel Sex and Death in the American Novel will be published in August 2012.

Jennifer McCord  

Jennifer McCord is a 30 year publishing veteran and has worked in all areas of the book trade – from national retailers and NY publishers to small presses and self-publishing ventures. Currently she supports writers and publishers through her consulting and coaching business.

Neil McNeill

Neil McNeill’s paranormal education work has appeared on Evening Magazine, The Seattle Times, North County Journal, and SeattleMet.  His “Paranormal Studies” courses have been featured at Shoreline, North Seattle, and Edmonds community colleges since 2008.  Neil consults for television, film, and print media, and has just released an educational DVD entitled “Dark & Stormy Nights: Parapsychology for Ghost Hunters.”  

Jessica Morrell

Jessica Morrell is a developmental editor, columnist, and the author of six books, five focused on writing topics.  Her latest books are Thanks, But This Isn’t For Us, A (sort of) Compassionate Guide to Why Your Writing is Being Rejected and Writing the Hours. She’s been teaching writers for twenty years and lives in Portland, Oregon where she’s surrounded by writers.

Jennifer Munro

 Jennifer Munro is a freelance editor, whose work has appeared in numerous publications, including Salon; Brain, Child; and an anthology of essays about body image by funny women. Her humorous stories about sexuality are collected in The Erotica Writer’s Husband. She has received grants/fellowships from Artist Trust, 4Culture, Jack Straw, Fishtrap, and Hedgebrook.

Bernadette Pajer

Bernadette Pajer is the author of the Professor Bradshaw Mysteries published by Poisoned Pen Press.  She’s a graduate of the University of Washington and a proud member of MWA, SinC, Northwest Science Writers, and the Seattle7Writers.org.  Research is Pajer’s favorite activity.  She happily delves into Seattle’s past and the early days of electrical invention as she plots Professor Bradshaw’s investigations.

Stella Pope Duarte

Stella Pope Duarte was inspired to become a writer by a prophetic dream of her father in 1995; she is described as an author who “will enlarge humanity.” Let Their Spirits Dance (HarperCollins, 2002) won her a place on Oprah’s list.  Recipient of a 2009 American Book Award, and a Pulitzer Prize nomination, for her novel If I Die in Juárez, (2008, University of AZ Press), she is hailed as a “major, new literary voice in America.” She teaches creative writing for colleges and universities in Arizona, as well as presenting at national conferences and as an artist-in-residence.

Kim Purcell

Kim Purcell has worked as the curriculum director for Write Girl in Los Angeles, where she has taught writing workshops for teens and their mentors.  Her first novel is titled Trafficked (Viking, 2012) and has received starred review in VOYA, calling it “suspenseful, heartbreaking, and excellent.”  Booklist says, "Purcell's well-researched look into human trafficking has the slow pull of a dawning nightmare...gritty, realistic and eye-opening. "

Ray Rhamey    

Ray Rhamey is a developmental fiction editor and book designer (covers, interiors, and ebooks) at crrreative.com ; an author (4 novels, 1 non-fiction) and Indie publisher.  He writes the internationally known blog, Flogging the Quill, on creating compelling fiction.  His background includes advertising and screenwriting.  His writing how-to-book, Flogging the Quill, Crafting a Novel that Sells (2009), gets rave reviews from writers.

Bonnie J. Rough

Bonnie Rough is author of the award-winning memoir Carrier: Untangling the Danger in My DNA. Her writing appears in numerous periodicals including The New York Times, The Sun, The Iowa Review, and Brevity, as well as anthologies including The Best Creative Nonfiction and The Best American Science & Nature Writing. She teaches creative writing, and edits fiction for Versal.

Gerri Russell  

Gerri Russell has done it all when it comes to writing, she’s worked as a broadcast journalist, newspaper reporter, magazine columnist, technical writer and editor, instructional designer, which all finally led her to follow her heart’s desire of being a romance novelist.  Gerri is the author of six novels and one novella.  She is best known for her adventurous and emotionally intense novels set in 13th and 14th Century Scottish Highlands.  She is a two-time recipient of the Romance Writers of America’s Golden Heart award.

Michael Schein  

Michael Schein is the author of three novels, a play and a logorrhea of poems.  His novels are The Killer Poet’s Guide to Immortality by “AB Bard” (2012), Bones Beneath Our Feet (2011), and Just Deceits (2008).  Michael has taught poetry and fiction at a number of venues, and is Director of LiTFUSE Poet’s Workshop.  He was once known as Pyro, the Charred Charlatan.

Suzanne Selfors  

Suzanne Selfor's Middle Grade novels include Smells Like Dog, Smells Like Treasure, To Catch a Mermaid and Fortune’s Magic Farm.  Her accolades include Junior Library Guild Awards, starred reviews, School Library Journal Book of the Year, Kids Indie Pick, Bank Street Best Children's Books, and she's been nominated for the Sunshine State award and William Allen White Award.  She currently resides on Bainbridge Island.

Rick Steves  

Since 1973, Rick Steves has spent 120 days a year in Europe. Spending one third of his adult life living out of a suitcase in Europe has shaped his thinking. He has produced over 50 guidebooks on European travel, the most popular travel series in America on public television, a weekly hour-long national public radio show, and a weekly column syndicated by the Chicago Tribune. Rick Steves lives and works in his hometown of Edmonds, Washington.

Shari Storm

Shari Storm has been an executive in the credit union industry since 1998. Her book Motherhood is the New MBA: Using Your Parenting Skills to be a Better Boss. (St. Martin’s Press) was published in 2009. She has been featured in Time Magazine, Redbook, HybridMom, Body & Soul, Costco Connection, Martha Stewart’s radio program, KING 5 morning news, The Metro News New York, BusinessWeek online, MomLogic website and Working Mother magazine blog.

Helen Townsend

Helen Townsend specializes in developing nonfiction manuscripts on subjects ranging from religion and philosophy to parenting skills. As the former Publishing Manager of award-winning Dorling Kindersley Eyewitness Travel Guides, she's an expert at structuring content and has edited dozens of books in her 20-year career.

 
Roberta Trahan

Roberta Trahan is the author of the epic fantasy The Well of Tears (47North, Sept. 2012).  A Local marketing professional for over 20 years, Roberta has helped promote other authors while developing her own writing career. 

Steve White

Steve White writes science fiction and fantasy, and is an MFA candidate of the Northwest Institute of Literary Arts on Whidbey Island.  He is best known for his alternate history bestseller, Outrageous Fortunes, and his writing mastery blog, Novel dog.  
  
 

David Paul Williams 

David Paul Williams is the “In the Field” Editor of Washington-Oregon Game and Fish, and former Business Topics Editor of ArrowTrade.  His articles have appeared in Seattle Magazine, Northwest Palate, Backpacker, Seattle Metropolitan, American Angler, Northwest Travel, Northwest Fly Fishing and Fly Fusion.  He teaches freelance writing and Williams won the 2010 SCN First Five Pages and Novel Pitch Contest and is working on a non-fiction book for Stackpole Books.