North Carolina Writers’ Network Fall Conference

The 2022 North Carolina Writers’ Network Fall Conference was held from November 18 to November 20 at the Holiday Inn Resort in Wrightsville Beach. The conference featured classes in poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction, as well as conversations and panel discussions on the craft and business of writing, open mic sessions, faculty readings, and one-on-one manuscript critiques with editors or agents. The faculty included poets Anna Lena Phillips Bell, Mark Cox, Melissa Crowe, Gabrielle Brant Freeman, Malena Mörling, and Amber Flora Thomas; fiction writers Wiley Cash, Emily Colin, Sayantani Dasgupta, Clyde Edgerton, Philip Gerard, and Dana Sachs; creative nonfiction writer Hannah Dela Cruz Abrams; and journalist Brandon Sneed. Participating publishing professionals included editors Margaret Bauer (North Carolina Literary Review), KaToya Ellis Fleming and Emily Louise Smith (Lookout Books), and Pam Van Dyk (Regal House); and agents Zoe Aline Howard (Howland Literary) and Maria Napolitano (Bookcase Literary Agency). Poet and novelist Jason Mott delivered the keynote. The cost of the full conference was $475 ($325 for NCWN members). General registration was available through November 11. To apply for a one-on-one manuscript critique, writers submitted up to 20 pages of a prose or poetry manuscript with an additional $175 by November 4. Visit the website for more information.

Accessibility accommodations included a single-level event space; accessible sidewalks, pathways, and doorways; ADA-compliant restrooms and event spaces; accessible parking; and closed captioning for online programming. ASL interpretation and conference materials in Braille or large print were available with conference registration and request by October 28. Writers contacted the staff of the North Carolina Writers’ Network at mail@ncwriters.org with requests or accessibility questions.