8th NWU Writers Conference Is Oct. 13

The center of publishing, a cultural gem, crowded with doers, the core of diversity … New York City has been a magnet for writers and journalists for these and so many other reasons. In one day, learn how to make your own key to the City.

8:30 AM – 10 AM: Registration and Continental Breakfast

General Audience Panels:
10 AM – 11:15 AM Start Molding Your NYC Writer’s Key
Three successful writers share their keys to advancing their craft and reaching new audiences.

Moderator: Mireya Perez
Panelists:
Anthony Advincula (invited) will show how to partner with New York’s diverse communities – from targeting readers with specific ethnic backgrounds to marketing general interest pieces.
Daniel Gallant will describe how the Nuyorican Poets Cafe has created a writing community in the Lower East Side and what that experience can teach individual writers.
Calvin Alexander Ramsey will explain how he transformed himself from an insurance salesman in Atlanta to a Bronx-based playwright whose work has been featured in The New York Times.

11:30 AM – 12:45 PM Using the City to Hone Your Craft
Your writing happens in a solitary space. Using NYC’s vibrant environment just outside your door will allow you to refine and push your work to a higher level. Learn how to find the right writing group or class.

Moderator: Greggory Morris
Panelists:
Kelly Caldwell, Dean of Faculty, Gotham Writers Workshop
JP Howard whose Women Writers in Bloom Poetry Salon has been featured in Poets & Writers Magazine and on CUNY-TV’s cable tv program “Study with the Best!” She is the recipient of Brooklyn Arts Council Grants on behalf of the Salon for 2014 through 2017.

LUNCH: 1 PM – 2 PM
Featuring Keynote Speaker: RANDY KEARSE
Preparing the Perfect Sales Pitch for New Yorkers
Profiled by The New York Times and even interviewed by Stephen Colbert, Randy Kearse has used his street-smart marketing tactics to sell 80,000 self-published books. He’ll show you how to use every opportunity available in NYC to sell your work to booksellers, at book fairs and conferences, and elsewhere.

Afternoon Group Consultation Sessions – Advance Registration Needed
— Once payment is received, you’ll be asked to select your sessions. —
2:15 PM– 3:15 PM: Three Concurrent Sessions

Planning a Successful Book Launch
Ron Howell and Izzy Church will show you how to fill the room at your next book launch. Expect an interactive session with tips for fiction and nonfiction writers.
Self-publishing Innovations
You wrote a book. Now what? Kinga Jentetics from PublishDrive will cover new business models, tools, and DIY tricks which all help authors to sell more books.
Interactive Session: Practice Pitches in front of an Experienced Panel including a full-time writer, a publisher, and a literary agent. Peter Benjaminson, Katharine Sands, and Timothy Sheard

3:30 PM – 4:30 PM: Three Concurrent Sessions
Why New York’s Libraries Are a Writer’s Best Friend
Hunter College’s Hal Grossman will share resources available in the City’s extraordinary library system that few even NYC-raised writers know about.
Branding Yourself for the New York Minute
John Agoglia and Lee Christine Brownlee will reveal insider secrets for getting ready for your next New York minute.
Interactive Session: Practice Pitches in front of an Experienced Panel including a full-time writer, a publisher, and a literary agent. Peter Benjaminson, Katharine Sands, and Timothy Sheard

Wine and Cheese Reception: 4:45 PM – 6 PM
(Open to All NWU Members and Conference Attendees)
Learn about the NWU’s broad support network and how we are fighting for writers’ rights and livelihoods.