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Literature pros lined up for 2018 Surrey writers’ conference, and registration opens Wednesday

Three-day October event held at Sheraton Vancouver Guildford Hotel
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A “Blue Pencil Café” session at Surrey International Writers’ Conference. (photo: siwc.ca)

The lineup is set for this fall’s Surrey International Writers’ Conference, and registration opened at noon Wednesday (June 6).

The annual gathering is billed as “the most comprehensive professional development conference of its kind in Canada.”

The “#SiWC18” roster of speakers is posted on the Presenters page at siwc.ca.

“We’re SO excited,” says Kathy Chung, conference co-ordinator, in a note on the website. “We’ve got writers of all different genres, screenwriters, poets, and an amazing group of editors and agents. On the list, you’ll find returning friends and lots of brand new faces.”

In all, the biographies of 58 literature pros are on the Presenters page in alphabetical order, from editor Laura Apperson to writer John Zada. Other writers at the 2018 conference include Surrey-raised Michelle Kim (Running Through Spinklers), Surrey poet laureate Renée Sarojini Saklikar, criminal lawyer Michael Slade, Jack Whyte (The Skystone), romance novelist Alisha Rai, award-winning poet Shazia Hafiz Ramji and Cat Rambo (president of the Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers of America), among others.

The 26th annual conference will be held at Sheraton Vancouver Guildford Hotel from Oct. 19 to 21.

Events include Blue Pencil Café (where writers have their work reviewed by a professional writer), pitch sessions, a trade show, author signings and the SiWC Unconference, a Sean Cranbury-hosted series of events for attending writers “to generate and participate in exciting conversations about writing and the process of turning their ideas into the project.”

Master classes this year include “The Techniques of Timeless Storytelling” with Donald Maass, “Romance Arcs in Genre Fiction” with Alyssa Cole, “Once More, With Feeling: Layering Emotion Into Your Work” with Susanna Kearsley and “Crafting Compelling Non-Fiction Book Proposals” with Jennifer Browne. The events of the day (Thursday, Oct. 18) conclude with a public gala held at the Indigo store at Grandview Corners in South Surrey.

The conference is “a hive of activity from the moment it starts to the last round of applause at the final luncheon,” says a post on the website. “We have events running from dawn until late — take in as many different experiences as you can.”

As for pricing, a three-day full conference package is $599 until June 9, $625 until July 31 and $649 thereafter. Single-day, “Young Writers” and “Conference Basic” rates are also detailed on the website.

Until Sept. 21, entries are welcomed for the SiWC Writing Contest, to be judged by Diana Gabaldon and Jack Whyte.



tom.zillich@surreynowleader.com

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Tom Zillich

About the Author: Tom Zillich

I cover entertainment, sports and news stories for the Surrey Now-Leader, where I've worked for more than half of my 30-plus years in the newspaper business.
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