DC Author Festival 2019

DC Author Festival 2019

In partnership with the Library of Congress

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                                       Author Festival

 


Saturday, April 27, 2019
Library of Congress
James Madison Memorial Building
101 Independence Ave. SE, Washington, D.C. 20540
10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The DC Author Festival, in partnership with the Library of Congress, is a gathering for local writers to participate in workshops, discussions, social activities and professional development. 

Please register here for the event so that we know you will attend and which sessions interest you!

Signature Speaker: Michael Twitty
Mumford Room
1:30 p.m. 

Michael Twitty

The 2019 featured author will be Michael Twitty, James Beard Award winning author of The Cooking Gene: A Journey Through African-American Culinary Traditions in the Old South. Join us for an exploration of Twitty's writing about food history and African American culinary culture.

The DC Writers Project:

The DC Public Library is excited to introduce The DC Writers Project which will allow local writers to submit works of adult and young adult fiction for the Library's online collection. Stop by the DC Public Library table to learn more!

Members of DC Public Library's Studio Lab will also be on hand to help writers record writing pitches.
 

Tabling organizations include: 

Session topics and schedule:

  
Morning: Afternoon:
  • 10:30 a.m.
    • Tales from International Publishing - Learn about aspects of publishing your work in an international context. Bring your questions about copyright and intellectual property.
    • Structuring a Novel - Learn some specific strategies that help in the process of either developing your plot or analyzing whether the plot you've already developed is strong enough to make a great story. 
    • Genre Writing - Published authors from the mystery, science fiction and historical fiction genres will discuss their journeys and offer advice to attendees interested in learning about and writing in these fields.
  • 11:30 a.m.
    • I'll Do it Myself Publishing - Learn how to gain initial readers and help them spread the word about your book and pitfalls to avoid in self-publishing.
    • Mentoring your Manuscript with Pitch Wars - Pitch Wars is a mentoring program in which published/agented authors, editors or industry interns choose a writer to mentor.
  • 2:30 p.m.
    • Publishing and Marketing your First Book -  Learn about the nuts and bolts of getting your first book published and promoted through the personal stories of three successful first time writers.
    • Short Story Writing - Experienced and accomplished short story authors will provide attendees with information about the work it takes not only to write a short story, but to also get it published.
    • Write out Loud - The Inner Loop: A Literary Reading Series presents “Write Out Loud,” a workshop on reading your creative writing in a performance setting.
  • 3:30 p.m.
    • Author to Agent Relationship - Learn how authors and agents can work together to build a successful relationship before, during and after submission.
    • Small Press Publishing - Representatives from three local small press companies will provide information on publishing with a small press.
    • Reality of Writing Your First Book - Learn from two seasoned writers on the ins and outs of what it means to sit down and write a book from start to finish.