Desert Nights, Rising Stars Writers Conference

The Desert Nights, Rising Stars Writers Conference, sponsored by the Virginia G. Piper Center for Creative Writing at Arizona State University (ASU), was held from October 10 to October 12 at the Memorial Union community center on the university’s campus in Tempe, Arizona. The theme for the 2024 conference was “Craft. Culture. Community.” Programming included craft talks, classes, generative workshops, panels, readings, and events focused on the business of writing for poets, fiction writers, nonfiction writers, and translators. The faculty included poets Francisco Aragón, Jacqueline Balderrama, Sherwin Bitsui, Kimberly M. Blaeser, Tami Haaland, Lois P. Jones, Diana Khoi Nguyen, Susan Nguyen, Cindy Juyoung Ok, Alberto Ríos, TC Tolbert, Edie Tsong, and Laura Villareal; poet and fiction writers Jenny Irish and Phillip B. Williams; fiction writers Camille Acker, Matt Bell, Debra Magpie Earling, Caroline Kim, and Ramona Reeves; creative nonfiction writer Deborah Jackson Taffa; and creative nonfiction writer and translator Sarah Viren. Poets John Murillo and Nicole Sealey delivered the keynote address. Participating publishing professionals included agent Regina Brooks (Serendipity Literary Agency) and editor Sally Ball (Four Way Books). The cost of the conference was $225 with registration by July 15 or $275 with registration by September 30. Single-day passes were available for $150. A discounted rate of $115 was offered to senior citizens, Arizona educators, active or retired military, and people with disabilities; a student rate of $75 was also offered. A conference teaching fellowship, which offered writers free registration and the opportunity to teach alongside faculty, was also available. To apply, writers submitted a curriculum vitae, a brief bio, a personal statement, and a description of a proposed class or workshop. Lodging was available at the Omni Tempe hotel at a reduced rate of $219 per night, as well as at other nearby hotels offering discounted rates. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

Accessibility accommodations include public transportation near the venue; elevators in all multilevel event spaces; accessible sidewalks, pathways, and doorways; accessible bathrooms with handrails; accessible dining halls; reserved seating in all event spaces; accessible parking; ASL interpretation; assistive listening devices; transcriptions of talks; and closed captioning for virtual programming. E-mail events manager Iliana Garcia at iliana.garcia.1@asu.edu for additional accessibility details.