8:30 Registration and Coffee
LCC Conference Center
Lansing Community College West Campus
5708 Cornerstone Dr. Lansing, MI 48917
9:00 Opening | Rob Edwards
9:30 – 10:30 Session 1
A. CRAFT: From Brainstorm to Outline | Jay Whistler
What you need to know about your story before you start writing.
B. Getting Started with Audiobooks | Brandy Thomas
Want to make your book available in audiobook format? Come learn the process of audiobook creation.
C. Tell Me a Story | Andrea King Collier
Ever heard or seen a TED Talk, a Snap Judgement, or a Moth Story Hour and thought you might want to try your hand at it?
D. Self-publishing: From Start to Finish | Amy Olle
Learn the details about self-publishing, from getting your book out to the world, to marketing it.
E. Shoot, Write & Publish a Photo Book | Wayne Pope
How to capture, and edit your images, use templates to make page layouts, publish, promote and sell your photo book.
10:30 – 11:00 Authors Alley: Break and Books
11:00 – 12:00 Session 2
A. CRAFT: Character Desire | Jay Whistler
Learn the three prongs of desire and figure out what your protagonists want, need, and don’t even know they’re missing.
B. How to Write a Great Sex Scene | Lev Raphael
Learn the dos and don’ts of a sex scene that you can be proud of, one that won’t make the readers laugh or say, “What?!”
**Attendees must be over 18**
C. The First Page | Erin Bartels
Improve your chances of getting an agent to read page two.
At least 10 people will be chosen to read their first pages.
D. A Talk about Trees: Writing Poetry of Delight | Laura Apol
In this session, we’ll focus on poetry of delight – writing poems of joy and pleasure as we live with integrity in challenging times.
E. Your Path to Children’s Book Success | Naomi V. Dunsen-White
Step into the world of children’s literature: write, publish, and thrive as a successful children’s book author.
12:00 – 12:30 Keynote | Nandi Comer
“When Poets Respond: Poets, Resistance and Witness”
12:30 – 1:30 Feeding the Soul: Lunch, Networking & Authors Alley: Break and Books
1:30 – 2:30 Session 3
A. CRAFT: Daring Dialogue | Steven Harper Pizaks
Dialogue can make a book — or break it. Dialogue should snap, sparkle, leap and bound. It should never fall flat or sound… real?
B. Poetry as Resistance, Poetry as Witness | Nandi Comer
In this session, participants will learn strategies of contemporary writers who have uniquely engaged in writing for a more just world.
C. Self-Publishing: From Start to Finish | Amy Olle
Learn the details about self-publishing, from getting your book out to the world, to marketing it.
**REPEAT SESSION**
D. Mirrors and Windows for the Mystery/Thriller Antagonist | Claudia Whitsitt
Learn to create a sympathetic antagonist — one who keeps your reader ravenously turning the pages.
E. Short Stories: Let’s Deconstruct a Story | Kelly Fordon
Kelly will share lessons on fiction writing gleaned from three years of podcast interviews with masters of the craft.
2:30 – 2:50 Author’s Alley: Break and Books
2:50 – 3:50 Session 4
A. CRAFT: Editing – An Interactive Workshop for New and Experienced Writers | Brandy Thomas
Participants will learn how to self-edit and gain hands-on experience.
B. Memoir | Andrea King Collier
Everyone has a story that’s uniquely theirs. But where will you start? This class will help get your story out of your head and on the page.
C. The First Page | Erin Bartels
Improve your chances of getting an agent to read page two.
At least 10 people will be chosen to read their first pages.
D. Poetry Critique | Lauren Apol & Masaki Takahashi
Bring a short poet to read for instant, honest feedback.
At least 10 people will be chosen to read their poetry.
E. What’s Up with Agents? | Steven Harper Pizaks
What does an agent do? How do you get one? Do you even need one? Come get the latest on agents in the modern market.
A Rally of Writers 