Applications are now being accepted for the 6th annual Surprise Valley Writers’ Conference scheduled for Sept. 13-16 in Cedarville, California.

This year Western States Book Award winner Primus St. John and Copper Canyon Press co-founder William O’Daly will lead poetry workshops. A new poetry translation workshop will be led by noted Rilke translator Anita Barrows.

Novelist Kirby Wilkins, author of “Quantum Web,” will conduct the fiction workshop and Ray A. March, a recent Pushcart Prize nominee for “River in Ruin: The Story of the Carmel River,” will lead the creative nonfiction sessions.

The conference, which emphasizes the craft of writing, is open to writers of all skill levels.

The four-day event includes three-hour workshops each morning, an afternoon lecture series, dinners, a “field trip,” open mic and free time to write.

The application deadline is Aug. 1, and the conference is limited to 50 participants.

Writers interested in attending the Surprise Valley Writers’ Conference may click on their website for submission guidelines and further details.

SPECIAL UPDATE:

SVWC has established a scholarship fund in the name of their old friend and writer/activist, Steve Turner. With that they’re offering a matching fund scholarship to a qualified recipient to attend the Surprise Valley Writers’ Conference on Sept. 13-16.  The scholarship will fund $225 and the applicant or organization is required to cover the balance of $225. This scholarship does not include travel or lodgings, but does cover two dinners and includes the entire program. Applicants can be writers of poetry or prose, fiction or nonfiction.  Deadline for applying is Aug. 1. We will notify the chosen applicant by Aug. 15 and a writing sample from the chosen recipient must be sent to us that date.  Click here for information on how to apply for this generous scholarship.