Genre: Poetry

The 2023 Orcas Island Lit Fest was held from June 2 to June 3 at the Orcas Center in Eastsound, Washington. The festival featured panel discussions, book signings, author interviews, readings, and live music for poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction writers. Participating writers included fiction writers Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah, Garth Stein, and Kirstin Valdez Quade; and nonfiction writer Gilbert King. The cost to attend the festival was $65. Registration was rolling through June 2. Visit the website for more information.

The 2023 Wyoming Writers Conference was held from June 2 to June 4 at the Historic Plains Hotel in Cheyenne, Wyoming. The conference featured workshops in craft, marketing, and productivity for poets, fiction writers, and nonfiction writers, as well as publisher pitch sessions, roundtable critiques, and open mics. Participating writers included fiction writer Nina McConigley. Poet Matt Mason gave the keynote address. Participating publishing professionals included publisher Bernadette Soehner (5 Prince Publishing) and director of literary development Angie Hodapp (Nelson Literary Agency).

The tenth annual Chesapeake Writers’ Conference was held from June 18 to June 24 on the St. Mary’s College campus in St. Mary’s City, Maryland. The conference featured lectures, craft talks, readings, panel discussions, and daily workshops in poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction. The faculty included poet Elizabeth Arnold, fiction writer Patricia Henley, and creative nonfiction writer Angela Pelster. The cost of tuition was $800; the cost of tuition with college course credit was $1,200. Double-occupancy lodging on campus was available for $468, and single-occupancy lodging was $936.

The 2023 Chautauqua Writers’ Festival was held from June 21 to June 24 at the historic Chautauqua Institution in Chautauqua, New York. The conference featured workshops in poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction, as well as readings and panel discussions. The theme for this year’s festival was “Hope and Its Entanglements.” The faculty included poets Leila Chatti and Oliver de la Paz and fiction writer Akil Kumarasamy. The keynote speaker was nonfiction writer Joseph Osmundson. The cost of the full conference was $500; the registration deadline was June 15.