ABOUT THE SANIBEL ISLAND WRITERS CONFERENCE

Participants at all stages of development—from notebook scribblers to published novelists—are invited to attend a variety of morning workshops in fiction, poetry, songwriting, children’s literature, journalism, screenwriting, and creative nonfiction; afternoon panels in publishing & editing; and nightly readings & concerts—all presented by celebrated and experienced writers and teachers. The conference is open to any aspiring writer who wants to create new work or refine a project already in progress.

The dates are November 7-10, 2013.

The locations are BIG ARTS & the Sanibel Island Public Library.

BIG ARTS is the conference’s main campus, and where the majority of the events will take place. When you arrive on the first morning of the conference, you should check in at BIG ARTS.

A handful of workshops and readings will be held at the Sanibel Island Public Library, which is a short walk from BIG ARTS.

For information about and directions to BIG ARTS, click on the “BIG ARTS” link.

Because classes will begin on the morning of Thursday the 7th, we recommend that out-of-town attendees arrive on Wednesday the 6th.

All morning workshops, afternoon readings and panels, evening cocktail hours, and nighttime events are included with registration.

Click on the “Schedule” link to the left for a complete list of event times & locations.

The cost is:

• $250 for students (with current ID)
• $300 for Big Arts members
• $350 for non-student registration if postmarked before August 1, 2013
• $400 for non-student registration if postmarked after August 1, 2013

For an additional fee, full-time registrants have two options to receive feedback on a pre-submitted manuscript. For a complete list of participating manuscript readers and small-group workshop leaders, click on the “Register” link:

1. Participants can meet privately with a writer, agent, or editor to discuss a manuscript. Once you’ve submitted your manuscript, you & your reader will arrange a mutually convenient meeting time. Most manuscript consultations last 30-45 minutes. ($75)
2. Participants can register for a small-group workshop to discuss & critique one another’s manuscripts. Workshops will be held in the afternoon and be genre specific (fiction, poetry, creative nonfiction, journalism). Each workshop will be led by one of our presenters, cap at six participants, and last approximately two and a half hours per day. ($100)

Manuscript guidelines for private consultation & small-group workshop:

• Manuscripts must be submitted by September 30, 2013.
• Manuscripts should not exceed ten double-spaced pages.
• All manuscripts should have one-inch margins and a font size of 12.
• Full contact info—name, address, phone number, and e-mail address—should appear on page one of your manuscript.
• All pages should be numbered and include your last name in the upper right-hand corner.
• If the manuscript is an excerpt from a longer work, please provide an introductory/contextualizing, 100-word synopsis on page one.
• Those registering for the small-group, afternoon workshops: All participants will receive each other’s manuscripts by October 1. You should read and prepare feedback prior to attending the conference. The manuscripts will be discussed and critiqued during the workshop.

We have 150 openings for the conference itself; however, space for individual manuscript consultations and capped afternoon workshops is very limited, so act fast.

Refunds (less a $100 processing fee) are available until September 30, 2013.

For more info about registration and manuscript consultations, click on the "Register" link to the left.

Accommodations: We've made arrangements with The West Wind Inn for discounted group rates. For contact and special rate information, please click on the "Hotel and Travel" link to the left, and be sure to mention the conference when you call.

We hope you're as excited about the Sanibel Island Writers Conference as we are. We've done everything we can to bring in the best writers available for a variety of workshops, panels, and consultations. And we've tried very hard to keep the costs affordable, which is why we encourage you to register now, before the rates increase on August 1. If you have any questions or suggestions, feel free to contact us. In the meantime, we hope to see you in November.

Sincerely,
Tom DeMarchi, Director
March 2012
Phone: (239) 590-7421
e-mail: tdemarch@fgcu.edu