Hedgebrook Writers Conference
If you have questions, reach out to programs@hedgebrook.org.
Hedgebrook is a dynamic community of writers and we are thrilled to partner with three of our illustrious and acclaimed alumnae instructors for this event. We are working together to craft and guide you through interactive lessons over the course of three days this September. This offering is sure to challenge and stretch your writing and provide opportunities to build community.
This public event is open to intermediate and advanced writers of all genres and genders.
Registration includes three days of workshop intensives, three pre-recorded Industry Talks processed in facilitated small groups, and an evening performance on Thursday, September 18th.
Friday, September 19 with Julia Phillips
Workshop: Fast & Furious: How to Make Momentum in Your Story
We launch this year’s conference with a generative deep dive aimed at creating momentum on the page. Through a series of theories, discussions, and generative exercises, participants will plunge into practice with short craft-focused writing sessions that focus on creating a clear goal, meaningful stakes, character intimacy, compelling voice, and suspenseful structure. To sharpen our sense of what sweeps us along in a story, we’ll practice not only writing but also reading, exchanging our work with partners and opening ourselves up to group reflections on what makes a project unputdownable.
Industry Lesson: The practice of distilling your story down to a sentence.
Saturday, September 20 with Mira Jacob
Workshop: You Are Enough: How to Make Work That Is Uniquely Yours
Whether drawing a scene or a character perspective, we tend to recreate something we’ve already seen–the cheated upon spouse throwing clothes out the window, the grieving adult child wreaking havoc after a funeral. But having a reader connect to the story requires a writer to tell it in a way that reveals something new, especially when the scene is one we’ve seen before. The good news? Everything you need to do this is already in you. In this workshop, participants will learn how to use play, memory and slow-acting to bring evocative, original moments to the page. Through analysis of specific texts and media, we’ll map what we’ve been taught to expect and how an author can take the unexpected route to avoid the emotional cliche in work.
Industry Lesson: Making space for your creative process even when the world makes it hard.
Sunday, September 21 with Kirstin Chen
Workshop: He Said, She Said, We Said, They Said: Balancing Multiple Perspectives in Fiction
Every character, no matter how minor, is the protagonist of their own story, with their own motivations, desires, and histories. And so every story contains multiple perspectives, even if it's told from one POV. This workshop will look at how writers decide who will narrate their stories, paying particular attention to what multiple POV's can bring, as well as the challenges and opportunities that arise in working with two or more narrators.
Industry Lesson: Revisioning, editing, the space between, and how to continue
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Our full conference registration includes:
3 days of workshop intensives with our illustrious alumnae instructors.
3 pre-recorded Industry Talks that will be viewed and processed in facilitated small groups.
An evening performance with community partners and our instructors.
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Our 3-day conference and public event will be held in Seattle at Hugo House.
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This conference is for writers who have an established writing practice. There are no requirements of an MFA or being published, however this may not be the best fit for folks newly interested or just starting out.
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The workshop intensives are 2-3 hour in-person generative and skill-building sessions with an expert alumnae instructor. Each workshop will be structured a bit differently and will include instruction, prompts, writing time, and sharing out.
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While accommodations are not included in the registration fee, here are some Seattle area hotels to consider:
Hotel Sorrento - Just a 6-minute drive to Hugo House and a 4-minute walk to Town Hall. Plus our conference participants receive 15% off. Click here for a discount.
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Breakfast snacks and lunch will be hosted by Hedgebrook each day.
Dinner will be on your own and we will provide some suggestions to registrants as we get closer.
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We will record the conference workshops in hopes of making them available after the conference.
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We ask that you review all of the details carefully prior to registration as refunds will not be issued.
