October 29, 2015
MARSHALL, Texas (10/21/15) - The 13th East Texas Christian Writers Conference will be held at East Texas Baptist University Friday and Saturday, October 30 & 31. The two-day conference is for beginning writers as well as seasoned scribes. Over 30 presenters will share from a broad range of writing experiences with conference sessions held in Bennett Student Commons, Ornelas Student Center, and Scarborough Hall.
"This conference is one of the most exciting and engaging conferences for writers, editors, and publishers," said ETBU Professor of History and conference chairperson Dr. Jerry Hopkins. "The great leaders, writers, and editors attending and presenting cannot be matched by any other conference, even those costing many hundreds of dollars to attend. The East Texas Christian Writers Conference is one of the best values available."
The keynote speaker at the Friday evening banquet is Don Piper. Piper is a dynamic speaker and the author of New York Times best-seller, "90 Minutes in Heaven - A True Story of Death and Life." Music at the banquet will be performed by Charles Delaney. Chalk artist James Pence will also provide entertainment.
The cost of attending the conference sessions on October 31 is $100. Conference activities begin at 8:30 a.m. on Saturday and end at 5:00 p.m.
The pre-conference workshops on October 30 cost an additional $50 for a two-hour practical hands-on workshop. Pre-conference activities began at 3:00 p.m. on Friday and end at 8:00 p.m.
Students from high schools or other colleges may attend the conference at a discount rate of $60.
A writing contest is scheduled and features a grand prize and first, second, and third place prizes. The three categories to enter are Personal Essay, Short Story and Poetry.
Registered attendees at the conference may arrange one-on-one interviews with an agent or editor during the conference. These will be made on a "first come, first served" basis as time slots are available. There is no charge for the personal consultation with the authors and editors.
The session titles for Friday are: Make the Most of Your Conference Experience; Story Power: Your Story for God's Glory; Survive Your Way to Publication; Editorial Makeover; Building a Writing Investment-Keeping a Personal or Professional Journal; Dancing with Dialogue; Welcome to the World of Children's Literature; Book-Show-and Tell: A Performance Based on a Book; and Summarize Your Novel Idea in Two Sentences.
The session titles for Saturday sessions are: Promoting and Selling Your Books; Conference Alumni Panel; Editor and Agent Pet Peeves; Making Your Poems Different; Sharing Your Faith: Writing Daily Devotionals; The Magic Power of Storytelling; Writing History; Editing: Searching for a Better Way to Say it; Failure: A Necessary Step Toward Success; Book-Show-and-Tell: A Performance Based on a Book; How to Get an Editor's Attention - In a Good Way; The Basics and Beyond; Writing Christian Non-Fiction; and Be Your Own Publicists: Newspapers and More.
Other Saturday titles are: 21st Century Publishing; A World of exciting (and Confusing) Opportunities; Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Writing a Book; Writing as a Means to Draw Closer to God; Public Speaking Strategies for Authors; When Your Start Preaching, The Sermon's Over; Social Media for Writers; Writing Picture Books; Writing, Publishing and Marketing in the Digital Age; Getting Started in Speculative Fiction; From Book to Big Screen; The How & Why of Inspirational Stories; Writing Book Reviews; Getting Started in Speculative Fiction; The Five W's of Blogging for Writers; Public Speaking Strategies for Authors; and Finding Books-A Literary Adventure.
The ETCWC is sponsored the ETBU School of Humanities and the Marshall Regional Arts Council. Registration fees cover workshops and materials. Registration may be done online at
https://www.etbu.edu/writersconference or call 903.923.2083. A schedule for both days is also posted on the ETBU website.