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Writer's Room

Join the Writer's Room In Session Now!

Annual, Weekly and On-Going Socials

Saturday Social

Weekly Saturday Socials With HWG

     Join us on Saturday mornings from 10:00 am to 11:00 am (CST) via Zoom for a time of networking and connecting to other writers.
Conversations about current work in progress, publishing, troubleshooting issues, plus sharing news and opportunities with one
another take place during this time as we meet up in virtual space for coffee.

Your HWG Quick Resource Links

Seminars and Summits

Seminars and Summits

Seminars and Summits Coming Soon

To stay up to date on all future events and updates, be sure to follow the Houston Writers Guild on all social media channels.

Follow the Houston Writers Guild on eventbrite to stay up to day with all of our events!

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Upcoming Houston Writers Guild Events

Authopalooza

AuthorPalooza Extravaganza Conference

2024 Conference Itinerary

9:00 – 9:15 am Opening Remarks 

9:15 – 10:15 Keynote Speaker -- Deborah D.E.E.P Mouton

                   Houston Poet Laureate

10:30 – 11:30 Breakout Session 1 -- Industry

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Room 1: Publisher’s Panel – 

  • Maer Wilson of Ellysian Press

  • Tod Tinker of Balance of Seven Press

  • Roger Leslie of Paradise Publishing

  • Fern Brady of Inklings Publishing

Room 2: Alicia Richardson – DIY Audiobooks: Getting it done right

Room 3: Ronel Golden – Marketing In Today’s Complex World

 

11:45 – 12:45 Breakout Session 2 – Genres

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Room 1: Writing for Healing Panel

  • Ronel Golden

  • Barbara Ann Carle

  • Cyndi Wilson

Room 2: J Lynn Else – Historic Fiction: Dos and Don’ts

Room 3: Kim Sauke – Screenplay Writing 101: The Nuts and Bolts

12:45 – 1:45 Lunch Break – On Your Own

 

1:45 – 2:00 Networking Mingle

 

2:00 – 3:00 Breakout Session 3 -- Craft 

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Room 1 – Kim-Ling Sun – Poetic Techniques for Prose

Room 2 – Bianca Alejandra GonzalezWriting for Young Audiences

Room 3 – Ronda Carman  Publishing a Coffee Table Book

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3:15 – 4:15 Breakout Session 4 – Craft 

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Room 1 -- Maer Wilson Creating Multidimensional Characters

Room 2 -- Tod Tinker World Building Across Genres

Room 3 -- Fern BradyUsing Conflict Variety to Build Tension

 

4:15- 5:15 Breakout Session 5 – Industry

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Room 1 – Mickey Mikkelson Publicity: How It All Works

Room 2 – Alexandria WillbondEditors: The People We Love to Hate!

Room 3 –  John Simons – Selling Your Soul: Event Retailing Books and Merch

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Acquisition Editors Pitch Sessions:

 

Maer Wilson for Ellysian Press – Speculative Fiction Boutique Press

Roger Leslie for Paradise Publishing – Nonfiction

Alexandria Willbond for Inklings Publishing – Fiction – Genre Fiction 

Saturday, October 5th, 2024

Sunday, October 6th, 2024

Friday, October 4th, 2024

Brazos Bookstore – 2421 Bissonnet St, Houston, TX 77005

7:00 – 7:15 pm Arrival and Mingle

7:15 – 7:45 Deborah D.E.E.P Mouton

                  Houston Poet Laureate

                  She will lead us in an activity for performance poetry

7:15 - 9:00 pm Book Launch Party

  • Discussion of how these types of opportunities can help an author

  • Presentation of Winners and Awards

  • Readings from Winners

9:45 – 10:00 Final Day Opening Remarks

 

10:00 – 12:00 Alicia Richardson – Writing Time!

12:00 – 1:00 Networking and Light Lunch

1:00 – 2:00 Fern Brady – Renga Competition

Keynote Speaker

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Photographer, Pin Lim.

     Deborah D.E.E.P Mouton is an award-winning writer, director, performer, critic, and the first Black Poet Laureate of Houston, TX. Praised by the NY Times as an artist who “defies categorization”, her genre-bending works span from stage to page, and everything in between. She is the author of Newsworthy (Bloomsday Literary, 2019) which was translated into German (Berichtenswert, Elif Verlag, 2020), Black Chameleon (Henry Holt, 2023), and an upcoming children's book, Hush Hush Hurricane (Kokila Books, 2025). Honored as part of Houston Business Journal’s 40 Under 40 class, she has been a contributing writer for Glamour, Texas Monthly, Muzzle, and ESPN's Andscape, to name a few.

     She has penned stage works including Marian's Song (Houston Grand Opera),  The Forest of Secrets (National Sawdust), Atlanta: 1906 (Atlanta Opera) & On My Mind (Opera Theater St. Louis). Serving as Playwright/Director, she produced The World's Intermission, commissioned by Performing Arts Houston (Jones Hall), which has since been adapted for film, and Plumshuga: The Rise of Lauren Anderson, a choreopoem (Stages Theater) which made the cover of the NYT Culture section.

     Her recent memoir, Black Chameleon examines Black womanhood through afrofuturistic mythology which Mouton later adapted into a storybook opera titled (Lula, the Mighty Griot, HGO) and an independent short film (Headache & Heartthrob).  A former Resident Artist with the American Lyric Theater, Rice University, and the Houston Museum of African American Culture, her upcoming projects will debut at The Kennedy Center and American Lyric Theater. She resides in Houston, TX.

Acquisition Editors Pitch Sessions

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Maer Wilson

Ellysian Press

Speculative Fiction Boutique Press

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Roger Leslie

Paradise Publishing

Nonfiction

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Alexandria Willbond

Inklings Publishing

Genre Fiction

Breakout Session Descriptions

Breakout Session 1 – Industry

Room 1: Publisher’s Panel –

  • Maer Wilson of Ellysian Press

  • Tod Tinker of Balance of Seven Press

  • Roger Leslie of Paradise Publishing

  • Fern Brady of Inklings Publishing

Room 2: Alicia Richardson – DIY Audiobooks: Getting it done right

Room 3: Ronel Golden – Marketing In Today’s Complex World

Breakout Session 2 – Genres

Room 1: Writing for Healing Panel –

  • Ronel Golden

  • Barbara Ann Carle

  • Pending To Be Filled

Room 2: J Lynn Else – Historic Fiction: Dos and Don’ts

Room 3: Kim Sauke – Screenplay Writing 101: The Nuts and Bolts

Breakout Session 3 -- Craft

  • Room 1 – Kim-Ling Sun – Poetic Techniques for Prose

  • Room 2 – Bianca Alejandra Gonzalez – Writing for Young Audiences

    • ​As an author and creator it is important for us to set goals in order to have something for us to strive for. Without an end goal in mind, we are essentially throwing our work into oblivion without any sort of strategy which could lead to an unmotivated future. Through peer discussion and coaching, we will dive deep into the importance of goal setting, not only for our creations, but also for our individual lives outside of what we do. 

  • Room 3 – Ronda Carman  Publishing a Coffee Table Book​​

    • ​A well-produced coffee table book is more than a book, it is a coveted, and sometimes a collectible, work of beauty. If you have ever dreamed of publishing a coffee table book, join Rizzoli author Ronda Carman. She will share what it takes to make it happen.

Breakout Session 4 – Craft

  • Room 1 -- Maer Wilson – Creating Multidimensional Characters

  • Room 2 -- Tod Tinker – World Building Across Genres

  • Room 3 -- Fern Brady – Using Conflict Variety to Build Tension

Breakout Session 5 – Industry

  • Room 1 – Mickey Mikkelson – Publicity: How It All Works

  • This presentation will be an information session of the publicist / author relationship and answer the following questions:

    • What is publicity and different types of traditional media aspects

    • Discussion around the publicist and author relationship

    • leveraging the effectiveness of an author who is an indie compared to an author who publishes traditionally

    • Finally, what a publicist looks for in signing a new client

  • Room 2 – Alexandria Willbond – Editors: The People We Love to Hate!

  • Room 3 – John Simons – Selling Your Soul: Event Retailing Books and Merch

    • Sometimes if you want something done right, you have to do it yourself. If the bookstore won't sell your book, so can do it yourself at cons, community markets, trade shows and other venues. This panel helps you approach your own event sales like a professional, from setting goals to selecting events to merchandising to sales strategies and techniques. We'll discuss everything you need to consider in order to make your sales.

Presenters

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Fern Brady

HWG Chief Executive Officer & President

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Ronel Golden

HWG Director

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Alicia Richardson

HWG Executive Officer & President

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Alexandria Willbond

HWG Communications Director

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Barbara Ann Carle

Author

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Bianca Alejandra Gonzalez

Author

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John Simmons

Publisher

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Maer Wilson

Author

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Ronda Carman

Author

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Roger Leslie

Author

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Kim-Ling Sun

Author

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Cyndi Wilson

Author

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J Lynn Else

Author

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Mickey Mikkelson

Publicist

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Tod Tinker

Publisher

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Writer's Room

     Writing Coach and Developmental Editor, Max Regan, offers ongoing workshops and programs for writers of all genres.

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     For more information and to register contact Max Regan at hollowdeckpress@mac.com.

     Upcoming sessions offered by Max Regan:

First Sunday of the Month Salon Reading

First Sunday Monthly

Taught by Max Regan via Zoom

For more information and to register contact Max Regan at https://www.hollowdeckpress.com.

Workshops by Max Regan

First Sunday of the Month Salon Reading

     Free admission!
     To Register please email Max at hollowdeckpress@mac.com

     Join this free session every first Sunday of the month. Bring short 5-minute writing pieces to share and receive feedback from Max as well as the other authors in the room.

See other courses that are added to the Class Schedule at https://www.hollowdeckpress.com.

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