writermag.com • The Writer | 41combine image and metaphor with
sound and structure in poetry.
“Finding Your Voice in Writing for
Young People” provides writers with
prompts to inspire ideas and
strengthen voice, while “Exploration in
Creative Nonfiction” looks at the ways
in which writers can borrow literary
techniques from poetry and fiction
when crafting a personal essay.
“Sublime Short Fiction” teaches writ-
ers to approach differences in cultural
and racial identity with respect and sen-
sitivity while creating authentic narra-
tive arcs for characters. “Structure in
Memoir” investigates key components
of the genre, including inciting incident,
setting, character development, and
repetition; in the same workshop, par-
ticipants weigh the options of crafting
their personal narrative around time,
theme, and metaphor.
Publishing Bootcamp takes place
the day after the conference for an
additional fee. Literary agents Ayesha
Pande and Marya Spence and editor
Shirin Yim Leos will offer insight on
how writers can build a platform, find
an agent, and publish a book. The
event includes two Pitch Panels, during
which participants will have the
opportunity to describe their manu-
script to editors and agents and receive
candid feedback.
Featured presenters
The 2020 Keynote Speaker is Elissa
Washuta, a member of the Cowlitz
Indian Tribe and the author of the
memoirs Starvation Mode and My Body
is a Book of Rules. Kerry Madden-Lun-
sford, director of creative writing at the
University of Alabama at Birmingham,
will teach sessions on writing for young
adult and middle grade readers, while
novelist Kij Johnson speaks about spec-
ulative fiction and Susan Stinson talks
about historical fiction.
Faculty also include Julie Buntin –
whose debut novel, Marlena, was a
finalist for the National Book Critics
Circle’s John Leonard Prize – and fic-
tion writers Gabe Habash and Anita
Felicelli. Christine Hyung-Oak Lee,
author of the memoir Tell Me Every-
thing You Don’t Remember, will address
the craft of nonfiction writing alongConference: Mendocino Coast
Writers’ Conference
Dates: July 30-Aug. 1, 2020
Cost: From $675. Several
scholarships available
Location: Mendocino, California
Contact: Lisa Locascio,
[email protected]. mcwc.orgPulitzer Prize-winning poet Sharon Olds reads at the 2019 Friday Night Faculty Reading moderated by
Lisa Locascio and featuring Victoria Chang, Ingrid Rojas Contreras, Jeannie Vanasco, and Myriam Gurba.
with essayist Rahawa Haile.
Michelle Peñaloza’s latest poetry
collection is Former Possessions of the
Spanish Empire. She’ll lead a workshop
titled “Crafting Balance in Poetry.”
Author Tomas Moniz will teach a
workshop for emerging writers titled
“Building Craft and Community.”
A “Paths to Publishing” panel fea-
tures three writers who attended the
conference in 2017. Cameron Lund will
discuss the release of her debut young
adult novel, The Best Laid Plans, while
Ginny Rorby talks about her sixth novel
for middle-grade readers. Moniz will
offer his experience of independently
publishing his novel Big Familia.Advice for first-time attendees
Locascio notes that it can be difficult
in a conference setting to find a bal-
ance between pacing oneself and get-
ting as much as possible out of each
day. “There’s no one right way to have
a good experience at the Mendocino
Coast Writers’ Conference,” she says.
“Everyone’s here for different reasons.
Some people attend to focus on the
craft of writing. Some focus on trying
to publish their work. What I want is
for everyone to make friends, to feel
heard and seen, and to hopefully expe-
rience an artistic epiphany or two.”
She urges potential participants who
find themselves daunted by Mendoci-
no’s remote location to contact her and
other conference staff for help in set-
ting up ride shares. “You get here on
windy roads, and the cell phone service
is spotty,” she explains. “But that’s one
of the magical things about Men-
docino. You feel like you’re departing
the ordinary. The landscape gets into
your blood, and most people find a
way to come back soon.”Contributing editor Melissa Hart is the
author of Better with Books: 500 Diverse Books
to Ignite Empathy and Encourage Self-Accep-
tance in Tweens and Teens (Sasquatch, 2019).
Twit ter/Instagram @WildMelissaHar t