Welcome
Note from the Director
In January of 2016, as a new assistant professor of creative writing at the University of Central Arkansas, I received an email asking if I’d like to attend an informational meeting about a possible annual women writers conference. In the span of a finger click, I’d hit reply with an enthusiastic, “yes!” That informational meeting occurred on February 8, 2016, and within the hour, the seeds of the C.D. Wright Women Writers Conference were sown.
With inspiration from UCA Foundation Board member Nan Snow, who brought the idea for an annual conference to Terry Wright, Dean of the College of Fine Arts and Communication, our steering committee had strong leadership from the start. Dr. Stephanie Vanderslice, Director of the Arkansas Writers MFA Program at UCA; Dr. Gayle Seymour, Associate Dean of the College of Fine Arts and Communication; Jennifer Deering. the grant writer from UCA's Sponsored Programs, and myself rounded out a team of strong and dedicated people intent on creating a stellar conference to highlight the contributions of women writers and provide a community for advancing the work of women writers. It was an honor to be asked to serve as director of the conference as a part of this team.
While our first conference will not occur until November 3 – 4, 2017, we are already in the planning stages. The conference will begin with a Friday evening keynote from Tayari Jones. Saturday will feature breakout sessions on the UCA campus, a lunch keynote from Cara Brookins, and a bookfair. Our sessions will include craft talks, information on publishing and editing, manuscript consultations, and readings.
The C.D. Wright Women Writers Conference will focus on women writers from all genres and all experience levels, from journalism to mass market books to literary endeavors, and beyond. While we hope our audience will draw women from all over the country, there will be a special emphasis on women from the south. Our goal is to provide a space for camaraderie, connection-making, and inspiration.
We hope you will join us!
Cordially,
Sandy Longhorn
With inspiration from UCA Foundation Board member Nan Snow, who brought the idea for an annual conference to Terry Wright, Dean of the College of Fine Arts and Communication, our steering committee had strong leadership from the start. Dr. Stephanie Vanderslice, Director of the Arkansas Writers MFA Program at UCA; Dr. Gayle Seymour, Associate Dean of the College of Fine Arts and Communication; Jennifer Deering. the grant writer from UCA's Sponsored Programs, and myself rounded out a team of strong and dedicated people intent on creating a stellar conference to highlight the contributions of women writers and provide a community for advancing the work of women writers. It was an honor to be asked to serve as director of the conference as a part of this team.
While our first conference will not occur until November 3 – 4, 2017, we are already in the planning stages. The conference will begin with a Friday evening keynote from Tayari Jones. Saturday will feature breakout sessions on the UCA campus, a lunch keynote from Cara Brookins, and a bookfair. Our sessions will include craft talks, information on publishing and editing, manuscript consultations, and readings.
The C.D. Wright Women Writers Conference will focus on women writers from all genres and all experience levels, from journalism to mass market books to literary endeavors, and beyond. While we hope our audience will draw women from all over the country, there will be a special emphasis on women from the south. Our goal is to provide a space for camaraderie, connection-making, and inspiration.
We hope you will join us!
Cordially,
Sandy Longhorn
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Thanks to Our Sponsors!
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