Whatever your writing interest, this conference will help you to improve your writing, develop new skills, increase your publishing knowledge, launch and build your writing career or business, and expand your network of people who can relate to your dreams and inspire you to surpass them. Formerly dedicated solely to aspiring and published authors of fiction, poetry, creative nonfiction, and drama, the 2008 conference includes other opportunities for profitable writing including sessions on careers for writers outside of the publishing industry, how to break into those careers, develop your writing resumes and portfolios, and start your own writing businesses, to name a few.
You'll meet and learn from accomplished playwrights, screenwriters, technical writers, proposal writers, editors, agents, marketing professionals, authors, and an intellectual property attorney with a wealth of experience as a successful literary entrepreneur as well.
You're also invited to attend one or both of our exciting events: the premier of the gospel stage play, "Confessions of a Preacher's Wife," on Friday night and the Saturday night poetry slam for a slamming vibe session on the art of spoken word. Tickets on sale now.
Vendors are invited to exhibit at the 2008 BWRC. Exhibitor applications are now being accepted.
The 2008 conference will be held at the Sheraton Tampa Riverwalk on the banks of the Hillsborough River in downtown Tampa, Florida, on June 20-21, 2008, with pre- and post-conference seminars on June 19 and June 21.
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What some of our past participants have to say:
I am here... Because You Were There!!! Thank you guys so much for giving me a starting point. Without your conference in 2000, my dreams would not be coming true. God Bless You!
- William Fredrick Cooper
I was so charged up from attending the conference. I am also so very pleased to see the kind of organization and nurturing available to African-American writers that has been available to white writers for years.
- Tananarive Due
I can't stop talking about the professionalism of the BWRC staff and presenters. Each presenter promised and delivered a dynamite session on the do's and don'ts of publishing. A wealth of information was exchanged, retained, and sustained by all. I walked away with renewed energy and a real commitment to completing my literary goals.
- Janette Owens
The BWRC can only be described as a total EXPERIENCE. I have been to a number of conferences, both black and white, and none came close to what I experienced in Dallas. I walked away feeling renewed, revived and rededicated to the craft of writing.
- ReShonda Tate Billingsley