Hello Fellow Writers!

Published January 20, 2022

Hello Fellow Writers!

I’m Jenny Kate, this year’s PPW Conference Director, and have I got a conference update for you! 

Our planning team is busy, busy, busy. 

We are in person, April 29 – May 1, and we are providing a virtual option.

Programming

With more than 90 workshops planned and ready to go, we have something for everyone no matter where you are in your writing career.  You can check those out here. 

We have three wonderful keynote speakers:

• Romance Author Naima Simone 
• Thriller/Noir Mystery Author and PPWC Alum Robert Crais
• Publishing Expert Jane Friedman

And two amazing Featured Authors:

• Author of the ‘Dear Writer’ Series Becca Syme
• TV Writer turned Romance Novelist, Dr. Ines Johnson 

New Venue

We are super excited to be in a brand-new venue for this year’s Pikes Peak Writers Conference. 

The staff at Colorado Springs Doubletree Hilton Hotel has been a great partner.

We spent an entire morning food tasting with Chef Steve so you’ll have the best meals ever. We can’t wait for you to try the beer-cheese soup and the braised short ribs!

The rooms are larger. The area for BarCon is amazing. 

We think you’re going to love this new conference center.

Registration is open

We have a lot of options available this year.  

1.  If you’re just up for one day: our one-day PreGame programming on Thursday has master’s classes for all levels. 

2.  If you’re up for the whole conference, our 2.5 days of programming is a wealth of information on craft, business, marketing, the writing life and more. 

• • These 2.5 days also offers the opportunity to pitch your work to an agent or editor. 
  • Or you can have your work read aloud in one of our Read and Critique Sessions.

3.  Write Drunk, Edit Sober is back for another year with our President Deb Courtney!

4.  Call all Students! This year, we are also offering a student discount for high school and college students. $40 off regular Friday-Sunday registration, or $51 off Thursday’s PreGame programming. As always, if the student is under 18, they’ll need a permission slip from a parent. And all students using the discount will be required to upload proof of student status. 

• • For those student discount coupon codes, email me at conference@pikespeakwriters.com 

5.  Finally, our virtual option. 

• • We have 24 workshops and our keynotes available for live streaming
  • That option also allows access for up to 45 days after conference
  • In-person attendees have the option of adding on the virtual option as well

We know COVID is on your mind, so here’s what we’re doing:

• To pick up your registration materials, you’ll need to provide a vaccine card OR a negative test within 48 hours. 
• We’re spacing seating in all workshops and at all meals
• In your grab bag, you’ll find a mask and hand sanitizer
• We are encouraging attendees to wear masks

We are very aware that some people will be happy with these measures and some people won’t. All COVID mitigation could change as we get closer and things develop over time. 

The bottom line for us is we haven’t been in person in two years, and we would like to be. 

We are doing everything we can to make sure this is a safe event. So please give a little grace as we are not health care professionals. We are writers. We will follow what the CDC and the Health Department for the State of Colorado advises us to do. 

Because we miss our writer buddies and want to see as many of you as possible at conference. 

If you haven’t registered yet, you can click here and register.

If you’d like to volunteer, you can email our volunteer coordinator Jessica Starkey at ppwcvolunteer@pikespeakwriters.com

If you have any questions about conference, check out our website here or feel free to email me anytime at conference@pikespeakwriters.com 

We can’t wait to see you in April!