BREAKOUT

SESSION 1

Maggie Cooper:  An Introduction to Literary Agents

 In this seminar, we’ll explore the role of agents in the literary landscape: what they do, how they work, and whether you need one to achieve your publishing goals. With that foundation in place, we’ll discuss how writers can research potential agents, the basics of the query process, and the importance of finding the right fit. By understanding how agents and writers work together to get books into the hands of readers, participants will leave this session with a fuller understanding of the literary landscape—and practical insights to apply along their own publishing path.

Angela Ackerman: Fear Factor: How Fear Rewires a Character's Behavior, Logic & Responses

Fear is more than something a character feels in a tense moment—it’s the force shaping their thoughts, decisions, and behavior throughout the story. In this session we explore how fear acts as a psychological trigger, rewiring perception and logic to prompt the character to restore safety through an instinctive response: fight, flight, freeze, or fawn. We’ll also look at how fear drives deeper behavioral patterns like avoidance, control, perfectionism, and self-sabotage. These habits influence how a character handles conflict, risk, and ultimately, whether they grow toward something better, or remain stuck.

Jennifer Booz: Stories That Belong: Empowering Marginalized Voices in Writing 

Many writers, especially those from marginalized identities or historically underrepresented backgrounds, carry a sense of doubt about whether their voice, experience, or perspective “belongs” on the page. This session explores how imposter syndrome, internalized bias, and systemic narratives shape the writing process, often leading to self‑silencing or hesitation in sharing work. Blending writing craft strategies with DEI‑informed insight, this session helps participants understand the roots of creative doubt and develop tools to write with greater confidence, authenticity, and authority.  Writers will leave with renewed clarity about the value of their lived experience, strengthened confidence in their narrative voice, and skills to move through self‑criticism, fear, and invisibility to create work that feels truthful and unapologetically their own.

Sean McCarthy: Lost in Pace: Making Sure Your Manuscript Doesn't Go off the Rails

In this craft-oriented session, we will examine character development, plotting, structure, and transformation (using real-life examples from a couple of picture books). We will also discuss how to entice a young reader with a memorable opening, and how to keep your book on track.

10:50 - 11:50am

BREAKOUT

SESSION 2

Admin 148

Alaska Romance Writers Panel

TBA

Jenny Xu: Writing Hybrid Nonfiction

Erik Mertz: Writing Group Breakout 

 TBA

Lucas Elliot: My Road: From Passion to Publication

Have you ever wondered what it takes to make it as a traditionally published illustrator in today's market? Have you ever felt that you don't have what it takes or just feel frustrated by the process? Come and listen to Lucas Elliott's many year journey of creating, selling at local venues, visiting comic cons across the country, and selling his work at markets to finally getting an agent and illustrating an entire graphic novel that will be released in August of this year! Come and be inspired by his journey to success and hear about some of the things he learned along the way.

12:50 - 1:50pm

BREAKOUT 

SESSION 3

Maggie Cooper: Finding Your Comparable Titles

When we talk about books, we often find ourselves turning to comparisons—”for readers of X” or “Y meets Z.” In this session, we’ll unpack what comparable titles are and how they are used by agents, publishers, and booksellers. Then, we discuss strategies for writers to identify the “comps” for their book, touching on common pitfalls, frequently asked questions, and tips for making the most of comparable titles in query letters and beyond.

Erik Mertz: Memoir session

TBA

Sean McCarthy: Everything in its Right Place: An Overview of Agenting and Publishing 

BREAKOUT 

SESSION 4

Dawn Alexander: Turn that Spark into a Blaze: 7 Steps to Crafting Compelling Conflict

Jenny Xu: Working with an Editor

Whether you have a book deal or are looking ahead to working with an editor in any capacity, from developmental editing for a submission to working with a writing group, this is a talk about what to expect and ask for when being edited. We will talk about the different forms feedback can take, and how you know when you are ready to be edited—and how to make an editorial partnership as fruitful for your project as possible.

Basil Sands: Audiobooks: Getting your Story Inside People's Heads

Audiobooks have jumped tremendously in popularity over the past decade and seem to be on a every growing trajectory. Millions of readers everyday are pouring even more books into their minds by listening to them as audiobooks during times they cannot physically read, adding many more hours of reading pleasure every day. If you want to know how to get your book into the audiobook marketplace, or even how to become an audiobook narrator yourself, this session will give you the basics for how to jump in.

Kari Martindale: Writing Poems Inspired by Visual Art