Ridgefield Writers Conference a Success, Thanks to All

Ridgefield's historic fountain

Thanks to great coordinators, a wonderful workshop faculty and keynote speaker, industry-leading panelists and dedicated attendees, the inaugural Ridgefield Writers Conference on September 28 in historic Ridgefield, Connecticut, was a resounding success, with plans under consideration for a 2014 conference.

The Ridgefield Writers Conference, based on the Master of Fine Arts workshop format, surpassed its attendee goal, with participants coming from as far as North Carolina and northern New England. Due to the positive response to the event, a fiction and creative nonfiction workshop was added, as well as two literary agents to the morning and afternoon media and publishing panels.

The conference was kicked off by keynote speaker and award-winning author Dr. Michael White, founder and director of the low-residency MFA program in creative writing at Fairfield University. The workshops featured fiction with acclaimed author Chris Belden, winner of Fairfield University’s 2013 book award, nonfiction with author and novelist Pete Nelson, whose novel I Thought You Were Dead has been optioned for film, creative nonfiction with award-winning novelist Rachel Basch, young adult fiction with multi-published author Steve Otfinoski and poetry with poetry professor and former Crazyhorse editor-in-chief Carol Ann Davis.

The media and publishing panels featured editors from The Newtowner, Alimentum and Connecticut Muse. Electronic and print publishers included BookTV Girl, Defying Gravity and Globe Pequot Press, and agents included Allen O’Shea, L. Perkins, Rita Rosenkranz and Talcott Notch.

he conference concluded with a wine and cheese reception sponsored by the Ridgefield Library for An Evening With the Authors, featuring Linda Merlino, Chris Belden, Nalini Jones and Pete Nelson. Books on the Common provided a venue for faculty-penned works on-site, and the Chamber of Commerce provided information on local venues.

For more information on the Ridgefield Writers Conference, created by Word for Words, LLC, with Ridgefield-based author Chris Belden and award-winning writer, editor and instructor Adele Annesi, please contact Adele Annesi at Word for Words, LLC, a.annesi@sbcglobal.net.

The First Ridgefield Writers Conference, Not Just Another Conference

I'm pleased to announce, along with my esteemed MFA colleagues Chris Belden and Rebecca Dimyan, the first Ridgefield Writers Conference—a new literary writers conference slated for September 28 in historic Ridgefield, Connecticut.

Visit the Ridgefield Writers Conference

You may wonder, why yet another writers' conference? With all the other conferences out there, I'd wonder the same. Modeled after the MFA residency experience, the Ridgefield Writers Conference has a different focus and feel. We cater to emerging and established novelists, short story writers, poets, writers of young adult works, nonfiction writers, memoirists, playwrights and screenwriters dedicated to perfecting their craft, because we're dedicated to perfecting ours.

We're also dedicated to modeling as closely as possible the experience of the MFA residency — a mentor-style approach to learning the art and craft of creative writing and poetry that gives each attendee personalized attention and follow-up.

In an always-on, always-plugged-in age, we offer a day to unplug from the routine and connect, or reconnect, with your creative roots. In the model of the MFA residency, each workshop runs two hours in the morning and two hours in the afternoon, interspersed with hour-long publishing and media panels that feature literary agents, publishers and editors.

Our dedicated faculty comprise acclaimed novelist Chris Belden, award-winning nonfiction writer and author Pete Nelson, director/playwright Joanne Hudson, young adult author Steve Otfinoski and poet Carol Ann Davis.

Our media and publishing panels of literary agents and publishers will feature lively discussions on today's vast and varied world of publishing.

Books on the Common



Scheduled to deliver the inaugural keynote is novelist Dr. Michael C. White, author of the Connecticut Book Award-winning Beautiful Assassin and director of Fairfield University's Master of Fine Arts program in creative writing.

Also featured is An Evening With the Authors, with readings by award-winning authors Pete Nelson, Nalini Jones, Chris Belden and Linda Merlino.

Sponsors for the event and evening authors' reception include Word for Words, LLC, Books on the Common and the Ridgefield Library.

"This is a great opportunity for writers to come together and share their love of the written word," says media coordinator Rebecca Dimyan. "It will be a day of making new connections and expanding literary horizons through workshops with well-known authors, and panels with the industry's finest agents and publishers."

For more information, visit the Ridgefield Writers Conference Web page, or download the brochure and application included here.

For general information, contact Adele Annesi at Word for Words, LLC.

The inaugural Ridgefield Writes Conference takes place on September 28 in the North Hall of picturesque St. Stephen's Episcopal Church at 351 Main Street in historic Ridgefield, Connecticut, 06877.