Events & Activities
WOTR offers year-round events and activities for writers and authors in Central Washington.
From focused workshops and small gatherings, to weekend-long conferences and opportunities to share your finished work with the world, Write On The River is here for every part of your writing journey — from inspiration to publication.
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Learn more about specific event types below, see a list of upcoming WOTR-sponsored events, or visit our Community Calendar to learn more about WOTR and non-WOTR writing events throughout the PNW.
Spring Conference
After a seven year hiatus, The Spring Conference is back!
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This weekend-long writing conference has spawned novels, friendships, and fresh passion for writing in the past, and we're thrilled to be offering it again. Featuring workshops and presentations from PNW writing pros, our Spring Conference offers something amazing for every stage of your writing journey.
BookFest
Welcome to the biggest little book fair in the PNW!
For one Saturday every October, WOTR gathers 20+ authors from around the PNW for a bookselling event, connecting regional writers with local readers.
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Come meet authors, collect signatures and swag, win prizes, and find your next favorite read.
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(If you're an author, register a table! Spots go fast!)
Four Minutes of Fame
We hope to resume Open Mic events soon!
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Attend open mics held at fun venues around the valley. Read your work in front of a receptive audience. No critiques, just socializing and sharing.
Keep an eye on our upcoming events for how to sign up for limited reading slots.
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Workshops
Hosted several times a year, enjoy a 1.5 - 2 hour session with presenters, sometimes with critique options. Our classes cover a variety of topics, including fiction, non-fiction, poetry, marketing and self-publishing.
Past presenters have included Matthew Sullivan, Anthea Sharp, Bill Kenower and the husband-and-wife-team of writer Jason Brick and agent Rachel Letofsky.
Writers Meeting Writers
Watch for upcoming new options to connect!
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We believe the writing life is easier when we don't go it alone. Other writers can inspire and encourage us, and help us feel part of the writing community. We'll soon be introducing new opportunities to meet virtually and in-person for introductions to fellow writers, discussions of current work, and author chats.
Give it a try! The Writers Competition awards a total of $1200 to six writers of fiction or nonfiction.
Submission guidelines change through the years, so be sure to check back for entry details beginning late in the calendar year.
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High School Writing Competition
North Central Washington students grades 9-12 can submit their fiction, and cash prizes go to three winners. Sponsored by the North Central Regional Library and best-selling novelist Chelsea Cain.
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Submissions are usually due in March.
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Boost Your Writing Chops
Drop in on this bi-monthly fiction chat with novelist Kay Kenyon for sessions on skill-building, basic and advanced how-tos, and the writing life.
Over a 20+ year career in novels and short stories, Kay will demystify writing issues and the common strategies fiction authors use.
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Prompt Reply
Join Write on the River for a a low-stakes, high-creativity writing session.
We will provide prompts at the beginning of each meeting to stretch the imagination and get the creative juices flowing.
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And as they say in every email from your supervisor: "Thank you for your prompt reply."
Virtual Happy Hours
Grab a virtual glass and virtually gab with local writers during Write on the River’s Virtual Happy Hour. The event is purely social and has no program or structure. Both members and non-members are invited to the free, no-host social via Zoom.
We gripe about writing! We toast our successes! It's the most fun!
Saturday Writing Sprints
Meet together via Zoom and add a little boost of inspiration, community, accountability and fun into your writing practice to help you get those words on the page.
Bring a work in progress, or, if you don't have one, no worries. We will have a couple of prompts ready and waiting for you.
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