Blog: Writing Conferences and Contests in the South Central US

This weekend in the mail I received my registration and contest entry forms for the 2012 Arkansas Writers' Conference. I guess it's that time of year to start planning which conferences to attend.

For writers there are 3 types of conferences:

Those you attend to network with other writers and learn more about the craft of writing through various panels and workshops.
Those you attend to network with your target audience (and sell your books).
And lastly, there are the conferences you attend just for fun that have little or no impact on your career.

I live in Central Arkansas, and until 2006 I didn't know that there were any writing conferences in the Arkansas area. That fall I stumbled across a link to the Ozark Creative Writers" Conference while I was browsing the web for other things. I was so excited that there was actually a writing conference in my area. When I attended the conference that October, I learned that there were actually lots of writing conferences in Arkansas and the nearby states.

So as conference season approaches, I would like to share the links for some upcoming conferences for those who may not be aware of them. All of these conferences are the first type: conferences for writers to network with other writers and hone their writing skills. And they are all in my general area: Arkansas and the nearby states. If you live in another region check Shaw Guides to see if any local conferences are listed for your area. Also, check Google. It is a wonderful resource of information, and will probably bring up a few conferences that are not listed in the Shaw Guide.

Anyway, here are a couple of upcoming conferences that people in Arkansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, Texas and Tennessee might be interested in.

OWFI – The Oklahoma Writers Federation Inc – This conference is in early May in Oklahoma City, OK. The deadline to enter contests is February 1. (That's just a couple of days away.) I've only attended this conference once because it's a long drive to Oklahoma City, but it usually has a lot of good speakers, editors and agents in attendance. I think you can still register for the conference after the contest deadline, but they limit the attendance to 4,000 people (I think that's the number), so there may not be many spots available after the contest deadline.
NFSPS – The National Federation of State Poetry Societies – The deadline to enter contests is March 15. This is a national poetry conference. The location of the conference moves each year, but you can enter the contests without attending the conference. As a member of my local poetry group, I am automatically a member of the national organization. However, for certain contests, you must be a member of the state's poetry organization to participate in that particular contest category.
SCBWI – The Arkansas branch of the Society of Children Book Writers and Illustrators will be holding their annual conference in late April. The deadline to register is March 16. I have never attended this conference, but hope to this year. As the name implies, this conference caters to writers and illustrators of children's books. The conference is usually held somewhere in Central Arkansas.
AWC – The Arkansas Writers' Conference – The deadline to enter the contests is April 15, but I think you can still register for the conference separately after that date. This is a small annual conference held in Little Rock. Quality and speakers vary from year to year. Last year, the talented Jane Friedman was the keynote speaker. The conference is held the first Friday and Saturday in June. The website has not been updated with the new contest info yet, but since I just received the brochure in the mail, I expect the website will be updated soon.
OWL – Ozark Writers League – This organization handles a contest for their November meeting. The entry deadline is September 1, and the conference is in Branson, MO in November.
OCW – Ozark Creative Writers' Conference – This annual conference is held in early October in Eureka Springs, AR. The contest deadline is usually late August. More information will be available on the website as we get closer to the event. This conference is small and the speaker quality can vary, but there are usually at least one agent and one editor who take pitches at this conference. Also, Eureka Springs is usually gorgeous in early October, so I tend to find the setting very inspirational.
WCCW – The White County Creative Writers Conference is usually Labor Day weekend with the contest deadline in July. It's a small conference in Searcy, AR and I've never attended. I always intend to try to go, but there is always something else I need to do over Labor Day weekend. I've heard the conference is small and friendly.
PRA – The Poets Roundtable of Arkansas usually holds their conference and observance of National Poetry Day in early October. The contest deadline is usually in late August or early September. Poetry Day usually consists of a speaker in the morning and announcing the contest winners after lunch. 

Obviously, this is just a small sampling of conferences in my area. If you would like to find writing conferences in your area, I would suggest you search Shaw Guides and Google for conferences near you. Also, for those looking for more information about the ekphrastic poetry contest hosted by the Arkansas Art Center, please view my previous blog for details.

Read my writing samples | Buy my poetry book | Follow me on FaceBook