SCHEDULE
2026 WRITERS CONFERENCE
From keynote addresses to workshop sessions, our program schedule is packed with content but relaxed enough to network with new friends. (If you’re attending online, we recommend following the conference schedule as closely as you can. Plus, you’ll have some online-exclusive events of your own!)
Click the tabs to view the schedule for each day.
Wed NOV 4
PRECONFERENCE DAY
CREWs Only
8:15 a.m.
CREW Registration
9:00 a.m.
CREW Gathering
9:30 a.m.
CREWs Begin
10:30 a.m.
Break
10:45 a.m.
CREWs Resume
12:00 p.m.
Lunch
1:00 p.m.
CREWs Resume
2:30 p.m.
Break
2:45 p.m.
CREWs Resume
4:30 p.m.
End of Day
WORKSHOP SESSIONS
SESSION #1
THURSDAY 1:00 PM
Characters and Communities
to Come Back To
Shelley Adina Senft
Crafting a Book Proposal
that Gets a Yes
Linda Howard
Self-publishing on
Kindle Direct Publishing
Keri Wyatt Kent
Start Your Nonfiction Book Today
Lynn Donovan
Starting Strong: First Pages that Make a Lasting Impression
Bunmi Ishola
Write Now, Launch Later:
8 Success Steps for Your Future Book Release
Kathi Lipp
SESSION #4
FRIDAY 1:00 PM
5 Ways to Use AI
in your Writing Life
Roger & Kathi Lipp
Articles from Start to Finish
Sarah Brickens
Booked & Hooked:
Reach New Readers through Podcast Interviews
Janet McHenry
Finding Your Voice Through Poetry and Prayer
Jan Kern
A Novel Recipe:
Balancing Your Story Ingredients
Sarah Sundin
Shelf Awareness:
How to Research Comp Titles
Karen Neumair
SESSION #2
THURSDAY 2:30 PM
How to Launch Your Substack
Dorina Gilmore-Young
Read Like an Editor,
Revise Like a Pro
Joleen Graumann
Stop Talking to Yourself:
How to Become a
Reader-Centered Writer
Joseph Bentz
Story Spark: Igniting your Story through Brain Science
Tara Johnson
Writing with the Spirit
Chanté Griffin
A Year-In-The-Life
of a Debut Author
Leslie Bosserman
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SESSION #5
FRIDAY 2:30 PM
Craft Inspiring and Compelling Devotionals
Lynn Donovan
From Seed to Tree:
Writing Picture Books
Dorina Gilmore-Young
How to Secure Funding
for Your Writing
Chanté Griffin
Myth-Busting & Reality Checks
in Publishing
Rachel McRae
Staging the Setting for Your Novel
Jeanette Hanscome
Writing in a Biblically Accurate Way
Lance Hahn
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SESSION #3
THURSDAY 4:00 PM
The ABCs of Writing for Children
Bitsy Kemper
Clarity is Ministry:
Marketing that Serves, not Sells
Laura Maxey
Money for Nothing:
Self-Publishing Scams to Avoid
Emma Fulenwider
Nonfiction From the Heart
Jen Babakhan
Plotting with Timelines
Michelle Ule
Win Hearts, Not Arguments: Writing Winsomely about
Tough Topics
Chris Morris
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APPOINTMENT SCHEDULING
In-person Coaching/Critique appointments and Agent/Editor appointments are scheduled during workshop time blocks. During registration, you will have the opportunity to select the time slot for your appointment. Don't worry about missing a workshop - you can watch the recording later. It is perfectly acceptable to slip out of workshop early or arrive late to work around your appointments.
*New for 2026: Pitch Palooza Nov 11-18*
Select an add-on ticket to make an online appointment with an Agent/Acquisitions Editor during the Pitch Palooza week following the conference. Available to both in-person and online conference attendees. ​