by Amy Lutz, MCWC Operations Manager
Registration for MCWC 2020 is now open! All workshops are fist-come, first-served, and are expected to fill quickly this year. As always, we have been working hard to improve the MCWC experience and have made some big changes this year. Here’s a handy guide to walk you through the registering for MCWC 2020:
Step 1: Pick your morning workshop
The morning workshops are at the core of the MCWC experience. You will meet with your workshop instructor and fellow workshop participants all three days of the conference. Workshop participants exchange work a month before the conference, and you will be expected to read and be prepared to comment on your fellow workshop participants’ pieces. This year, the morning workshops are limited to just eleven participants to ensure faculty and participants have time to delve deeply into each workshop piece.
We are thrilled to feature our first ever Historical Fiction Workshop taught by Susan Stinson, as well as a Master Class, “The Art of Beginning,” with Julie Buntin. Master Class applications are now closed, but there are nine morning workshops for you to choose from when registering (and no application is required): Novel, Short Fiction, MG/YA, Speculative Fiction, Historical Fiction, Memoir, Nonfiction, Poetry, and the Emerging Writers’ Workshop. Visit mcwc.org/morning-workshops for full class descriptions.
Step 2: Review the Afternoon Event Schedule
The $675 conference tuition price includes breakfast and lunch all three days of the conference, as well as all afternoon and evening events. The Saturday Closing Dinner is included in the price of the conference, though there are no partner tickets available for purchase. MCWC 2020 afternoon events include the signature Paths to Publishing Panel, featuring publishing advice and stories from the MCWC community, the Blind Critique, back by popular demand and expanded to two sessions this year, and Open Mics.
Each afternoon, you will have a variety of Afternoon Seminars to choose from taught by our MCWC workshop faculty. We’ve expanded the range of our offerings this year by including two movement classes! We are thrilled to welcome Sara Bassindale and Dyana Sangraal, two local Mendocino instructors, to the MCWC community this year. Their classes in Gentle Movement and T’ai Chi Chih, on Thursday and Friday afternoons respectively, will be the perfect way to break up a day’s worth of sitting and get your creative juices flowing.
While we ask you to let us know your preferences on the registration form for our planning purposes, we do not take prior registration for the afternoon seminars and you are welcome to attend whichever one appeals to you at the conference. Visit mcwc.org/afternoon-events to read the workshop descriptions.
Step 3: Add a consult (Optional)
Twenty minute one-on-one consultations are available with many of our workshop faculty for an additional $60. To add a consult, return to the main registration page after selecting your workshop and click on the image to add a consult to your cart. You must be registered for the full conference in order to sign up for a consult, but conference participants may register for more than one consult. Visit mcwc.org/faculty to read about this year’s faculty.
Step 4: Sign up for the Publishing Bootcamp (Optional)
We’ve revamped our Publishing Bootcamp this year with a dynamic array of activities including Pitch Panels and seminars by our MCWC publishing professionals: agent Ayesha Pande (Ayesha Pande Literary), agent Marya Spence (Janklow & Nesbit Associates), and editor Shirin Yim Leos. This stand alone bootcamp is available as an add-on to the full conference for $150, but registration in the full conference is not required to register for the Publishing Bootcamp. Visit mcwc.org/publishing-bootcamp for full information.
Step 5: Check out through the website and get excited for MCWC!
After completing your registration, check out the resources available on our Accommodations and Location and Schedule pages of our website to plan your trip to the Coast. Then you can start working on your workshop submission and your entry into this year’s MCWC Writing Contest. And feel free to contact us at info@mcwc.org with any questions. We are so proud of MCWC 2020 this year and hope you will join us for what is sure to be our best conference yet!
