paths to publishing

1:00 p.m. - 2:15 p.m. | Thursday, July 31, 2025

The Paths to Publishing panel features writers from the MCWC community who published in the last year. This year’s seminar will include faculty who will share about their publishing journey and the steps that led to their success.

AGENT SEMINAR

2:30 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. | Thursday, July 31, 2025

Details coming soon…

THE EDITOr, the publisher, and the writer: navigating the publishing landscape with confidence

2:30 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. | Thursday, July 31, 2025

Whether you’re preparing your manuscript for submission, working with an editor, or navigating the world of publishing, understanding the relationship between editors, presses, and writers is key to success. The writer-editor relationship is fundamental to the success of any published book. This seminar provides writers with the essential skills and knowledge they need to navigate this crucial partnership effectively, ensuring a positive and productive publishing experience and ultimately resulting in a stronger, more polished book.

In this session, Peg Alford Pursell—award-winning author, editor, and publisher—will provide insider insights into the editorial process and the critical role of the editor-writer dynamic. Writers will learn how to collaborate effectively with an editor, what to expect during the publishing process, and how to strengthen their manuscripts before submission. The seminar will include interactive discussion and audience Q&A, empowering authors to become true collaborators in the publishing process and maximizing their chances of success.

Join us to learn how to refine your work, build productive editorial relationships, and make informed publishing decisions!

INTRODUCTION TO MIDDLE GRADE WRITING

2:30 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. | Thursday, July 31, 2025

When people hear ‘middle grade’, most tend to think of books that are written for young kids aged around 10 to 14, but did you know that most middle grade readers are adults? Sure, the target audience is kids, and the main character is a kid, but most of the people picking up and reading the book are teachers and librarians. Middle Grade books offer the opportunity to transport you back to the age when you initially got into reading books in the first place. And you get to tackle all the heavy subjects, even all the adult ones, but without the melancholy and hopelessness. Middle Grade books fuse hope and adventure into each story. You get to think like a kid again, and navigate through the difficult world, but with youthful eyes. 

In this seminar, you will be provided with exercises in creative writing to help you think and write like a kid again. We will tap into the youthful voice inside of you and explore ways to bring that voice onto the page. Middle Grade writing relies on creativity and hope. Those are the two ingredients you’ll need to succeed. So bring your pen and paper to wake up that kid and find that adventure.

Pitch Panel

4:15 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. | Thursday, July 31, 2025

Pitch your book in two minutes flat to an editor, an agent, and a published author. They’ll give you frank reactions to the concept of your book, and to the way you made your pitch.

Participants will have the opportunity to drop their name in the hat for selection, though we cannot guarantee that all interested participants will get a turn to pitch. Private, one-on-one consultations can also be requested when you register for the conference. Consultations are assigned on a first-come, first-served basis.

faculty Reading

5:30 p.m. | Thursday, July 31, 2025

Enjoy a medley of readings by the MCWC faculty.

This event is free and open to the public from 6:30 p.m. on.

open mic 

1:00 p.m. - 2:15 p.m. | Friday, August 1, 2025

Share a two-minute excerpt of your work—or sit back and enjoy a medley of good writing and entertainment.

This event is free and open to the public.

WRITING SUSPENSEFUL PLOTS

2:30 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. | Friday, August 1, 2025

Suspense and tension are the catalyst of imagination! They are the cornerstone of any great plot and character development. But more importantly, they are just so fun. There are great suspense-creating devices that can be applied to any genre in both drafting and revision. Learn how to leave readers wanting more and turning the pages late into the night.

Only Water is for Everyone: Using Rejection to Embolden Your Style

2:30 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. | Friday, August 1, 2025

There are many paths to becoming a writer, and they are all paved with lots (and lots!) of rejection. Of course, nobody likes the feeling of being rejected or criticized, but anyone who tries to please everyone will fail. Your work will never have universal appeal, and this is a great thing—you don’t want to be the literary equivalent of water (colorless, flavorless–as close to nothing as you can get).

This seminar will cover ways to use rejection and harsh criticism to foment personal style and a unique perspective. We will look at the work and rejections of audacious and innovative writers such as Christine Schutt, Ursula LeGuin, Tony Tulathimutte, Miranda July, Alex Chee and others to see how haters often show us exactly what we're doing right. Rejection can make us feel like we're sitting around waiting to get chosen, but with every daring aesthetic decision you make, YOU choose your audience. Authenticity and fearlessness on the page will ultimately draw the right readers to you: the boldest, most stylish version of yourself.

Writing Humor in Memoir & Essay

2:30 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. | Friday, August 1, 2025

Sometimes the truth hurts, and, more times than not, it is a laughing matter. Humor is a connective tissue: No matter what we’re trying to work through, we’re bound by the laughs that come from it. It’s a powerful tool on the page, too.

This seminar will examine how we metabolize our stories through humor. We will focus on the art of layering levity into our writing by analyzing different approaches to comedic storytelling, engaging in in-depth discussions, and using generative writing exercises to shape your ideas.

ANONYMOUS Critique

4:15 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. | Friday, August 1, 2025

Submit your opening page to see the candid reactions of an editor, an agent, and an author.

Participants will have the opportunity to drop their opening lines in the hat for selection, though we cannot guarantee that all submissions will be read.

faculty Reading

7:00 p.m. | Friday August 1, 2025

Enjoy a medley of readings by the MCWC faculty.

This event is free and open to the public.

open mic 

1:00 p.m. - 2:15 p.m. | Saturday, August 2, 2025

Share a two-minute excerpt of your work—or sit back and enjoy a medley of good writing and entertainment.

This event is free and open to the public.

Crafting a Fantastical World Your Readers Won't Want to Leave

2:30 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. | Saturday, August 2, 2025

In this seminar we will focus on building an engaging and realistic fictional world while avoiding the pitfalls of infodumping and pesky plot holes.

RESEARCHING YOUR MEMOIR

2:30 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. | Saturday, August 2, 2025

Research adds depth to memoir. It leads us deeper into our own stories and deeper into the world around us, building layers into our work. It is also practical: it gives us ideas and details for scenes, fleshes out characters, answers or complicates important questions, and builds the factual scaffolding of our stories. In this seminar, we'll open doors of curiosity within our work and our lives, document, brainstorm, and plan our research, and discuss the limitations and possibilities of researching our own lives.

Guided Meditation into Visualizing Your Story

2:30 p.m. - 4:00 p.m | Saturday, August 2, 2025

A playful, mind bending exercise--Using a guided meditation technique, I will prompt you to think visually and to draw out the spaces and places in your writing.

Pitch Panel

4:15 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. | Saturday, August 2, 2025

Pitch your book in two minutes flat to an editor, an agent, and an author. They’ll give you frank reactions to the concept of your book, and to the way you made your pitch.

Participants will have the opportunity to drop their name in the hat for selection, though we cannot guarantee that all interested participants will get a turn to pitch. Private, one-on-one consultations can also be requested when you register for the conference. Consultations are assigned on a first-come, first-served basis.

Closing Keynote ADdress

5:30 p.m. | Saturday, August 2, 2025

We’ll wrap up the conference with a keynote address by Byron F. Aspaas. Raised within the four sacred mountains of Dinétah. Aspaas’s first published work was included in Yellow Medicine Review and since then his writing has appeared in numerous journals and anthologies. Aspaas’s writing revisits the destruction of sacred land and engages his readers in a dialogue about preserving Diné culture and land. He uses imagery and persona to present explorations of language, landscape, and identity. Byron is faculty at San Juan College’s English Department and Western Colorado University’s Graduate Program in Creative Writing Program.