Seasoned authors to beginning writers are invited to attend the Flathead River Writers Conference Oct. 4 and 5, with a special pre-conference workshop on Oct. 3.
Hosted by Authors of the Flathead, the annual conference draws writers from across the region for a weekend of craft, community and connection. Workshops and presentations will cover a wide range of topics — from the craft of storytelling to the nuts and bolts of both traditional and self-publishing.
“This conference is a fantastic opportunity for writers at any level,” conference coordinator Claudia Cassidy Bennett said. “Whether you’ve published a book or are just starting to wonder if you could write one, this is a welcoming space to explore your voice and your ideas.”
This year’s keynote speaker is Shelley Read, whose debut novel, “Go as a River,” became an award-winning bestseller. She will speak on authenticity in writing, in her lecture titled, Writing as a Witness: Stories only you can Tell. She will also lead workshops: Wandering and Wondering: Writing Place-based Narratives and Crafting Character.
Attendees will also have the opportunity to pitch their work directly to publishing professionals, including agents Abby Saul and Julie Stevenson and editor and publisher Cindy Spiegel — a valuable experience for those exploring both traditional and independent paths to publication, according to organizers.
With more than 15 years of experience, Saul, founder of The Lark Group, will share quick tips on writing query letters that stand out in addition to the topic of working with literary agents and what they can do for writers. People are encouraged to bring a query letter for the group to look at.
Stevenson is a literary agent with Massie, McQuilkin & Altman Literary Agents in New York, representing New York Times and international bestsellers and authors whose books have won the Pulitzer Prize, Carnegie Medal for Excellence, National Book Critics Circle Award and the Caldecott Honor, among other awards.
“She is drawn to storytelling with unforgettable characters, an authorial command of voice, and a strong sense of narrative tension. She looks for work that explores the depths of human experience, particularly the many facets of ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, social class, and regional and international backgrounds,” according to her bio at mmqalit.com.
Spiegel, CEO of independent publisher of Spiegel & Grau, will take writers behind the scenes of the publishing process, including what goes on in acquisition meetings; why blurbs matter and how publishers prioritize books within a season, according to authorsoftheflathead.org. She will also speak on how to best work with editors and publicists to be an effective advocate for a writer’s book. As an editor and publisher, she has worked on award-winning and bestselling books such as “Go as a River,” “The Color of Water, “The Kite Runner,” and “Orange is the New Black,” according to her bio.
Spiegel, Saul and Stevenson will also serve as a panel for a question-and-answer session about the current state of the publishing business.
WORKSHOPS WILL also be led by authors Jake Arrowtop, Debbie Burke, J.D. Evans, Jonathan Fetter-Vorm, Jess Owen and Robert Petrone.
Burke, a local thriller and suspense author with 40 years of experience writing, editing and teaching, will lead a special pre-conference workshop Oct. 3 that focuses on creating interesting villains. “The Villain’s Journey: How To Create Villains Readers Love to Hate” is her first nonfiction book. This workshop is limited to 35 participants.
As part of the regular conference, Burke will also hold a workshop on self-editing in the age of artificial intelligence and what programs such as Grammarly and ProWritingAid can accomplish, along with their limitations.
Arrowtop, an Amksapi Pikuni writer, is the author of the poetry collection, “Rez Void.” His work has appeared in “Hemingway Shorts,” “The Chapter House Journal” and “Scribble Lit.” Arrowtop’s workshops will include Writing Culturally-Responsive Fiction and Poetry as Catharsis.
Evans is a fantasy and science fiction romance writer, Army veteran and author of the “Mages of the Wheel” series. Originally from Montana, the North Carolina-based author will present on Writing Relationships Your Readers Will Care About.
Fetter-Vorm, a Somers-based graphic novelist, will hold workshops on writing prose and graphic narratives, “that build coherence out of odd fragments, jarring juxtapositions, empty spaces, and audacious leaps.” He will also present on How to Make Comics (the hard way).
Fetter-Vorm’s work has appeared in “The New York Times” and “Slate.” His first book, “Trinity: A Graphic History of the First Atomic Bomb,” was selected by the American Library Association as a Best Graphic Novel for Teens in 2013. He is currently working on a graphic memoir to be published by Pantheon in 2026, according to his bio.
Former Authors of the Flathead president, Owens, will lead a workshop titled, “The Marathon: 10 Keys to Sustaining your Lifelong Writing Journey.” Owens is best known for her fantasy series, “The Summer King Chronicles,” and is working on a new series titled “The Dragon Star Saga,” according to jessowen.com.
Petrone, a creative nonfiction writer and an associate professor of English education at the University of Missouri, will present on Developing the “Internal Narrative” in Memoir Writing.
As a professor, Petrone’s research and writing focus on rurality, disability, adolescence and education. He has co-authored a book that highlights the experiences of high school English teachers in rural Montana and is currently revising a memoir titled “Used Cars,” which details his experiences growing up in a large Italian Catholic, New York family amid parental disability, secrecy and shame, according to authorsoftheflathead.org.
The conference is limited to 100 attendees and will be held at the Hilton Garden Inn, 1840 U.S. 93 S, Kalispell.
The cost to attend a single day is $125 and $225 for both days. Students pay $75 to attend both days. Scholarships are available on request by emailing [email protected].
The cost to attend Burke’s 4.5-hour workshop on Oct. 3 is $140.
For more information or to register, visit authorsoftheflathead.org/conference/.