Willamette Writers Conference is a Gem

The 2010 Willamette Writers Conference was a fantastic experience. Something every aspiring writer in Oregon should take full advantage of.

Held in Portland the weekend of August 6-8th, this writers conference has become one of the largest in the west. It not only offers an opportunity to pitch agents and editors in a wide range of genres, it offers the opportunity to pitch to top-notch agents and editors.

Since I was busy pitching, I did not get to attend many workshops. The thirty minutes of a panel, half a class and one full workshop I did attend were highly informative. The writers I met raved about many of the classes they sat in on. Most of the other attendees were from Oregon, which made it a very friendly conference to attend, but there were others who came in from Italy and Canada for the golden opportunity to pitch film and TV.

Three full days of classes / workshops / panels from 8:30 a.m.-5:00 p.m. make it a very cost effective writers' conference. Practice sessions for pitching and manuscript ER consults help the writer make it a successful conference.

I got my foot in the door with some top-notch agents and a publisher. I wasn't quite sure what I was getting into when I signed up, but am pleasantly surprised with how it all turned out. It was better than I expected. Getting the notice you want in this business is hard to come by. Willamette Writers opened doors that otherwise might not have let me through.

Willamette Writers can easily grow to the largest conference in the country. They are certainly well on their way to making it so. Reports had over 1,000 hopeful writers attending. It is a gem of an opportunity available in this state which every writer should take advantage of. If you're getting ready to pitch or are ready to pitch, I highly recommend you attend in 2011. First weekend of August. Mark your calendars.

by Mary Pax