2017 Conference Schedule
Schedule
In today's publishing climate, personal stories driven by a strong first-person voice are taking on the most important topics of our time. Meaning: your story matters more than ever.
Join us for two days exploring the art, craft, and business of creative nonfiction with authors, agents, book publishers, and editors from some of the most thoughtful magazines in America, including Esquire, Harper's, New Yorker, Paris Review, Creative Nonfiction, and more.
See the full schedule for:
Friday | Saturday | Keynote
Friday, May 26th
8 am // Check-in, Breakfast, and Opening Remarks
Pick up your conference materials and join us for hot breakfast, coffee, and tea.
9:30 am // Presentation
Personal. Public. Published.
The founding editor of Creative Nonfiction gets the conference rolling with a presentation on the power of story. // LEE GUTKIND
10:30 am // Morning Breakout Sessions
On Craft
Choose from multiple concurrent craft-based sessions focusing on:
> Characterization // CHRIS GIRMAN
> Interviewing // ANDREW CONTE
> Memory & Memoir // JAMIE BRICKHOUSE
> Research & Fact-checking // MAGGIE MESSITT & ADRIANA E. RAMIREZ
> Structure // ANJALI SACHDEVA
12 pm // Lunch Break
Explore all that downtown Pittsburgh has to offer and see why it was rated the #1 Food City in 2015 by Zagat.
1:30 pm // Afternoon Breakout Sessions
On Publishing
Choose from multiple concurrent publishing-focused sessions:
> Ask an Agent // RACHEL EKSTROM COURAGE, DAWN MICHELLE HARDY, UWE STENDER & BETH VESEL
> Book Proposals 101 // NADINE KENNEY JOHNSTONE
> Pitching Your Work // JAMES MARCUS & ILENA SILVERMAN
> Writing for the Web // TORIE BOSCH & DAN PIEPENBRING
3:15 pm // Roundtable Discussion
Engaging Your Audience, Raising Your Profile & Self-Promotion
Writers, editors, and publicists discuss everything from social media to booking your own author tour. // JAMIE BRICKHOUSE, NADINE KENNEY JOHNSTONE & MAGGIE MESSITT
5 pm // Keynote Panel
The State of the American Magazine
Friday culminates with a panel on "The State of the American Magazine" with ROBERT P. BAIRD (articles editor, ESQUIRE), CRESSIDA LEYSHON (senior editor, NEW YORKER), JAMES MARCUS (editor-in-chief, HARPER'S), DAN PIEPENBRING (web & nonfiction editor, PARIS REVIEW), and ILENA SILVERMAN (features editor, NEW YORK TIMES MAGAZINE).
7 pm // Reception
Literary Cocktail Hour & Keynote Reception
Saturday, May 27th
8 am // Breakfast
Get your day started with a hot breakfast, coffee, and tea.
9 am // Panel
Finding a Publisher that Cares About Your Book
Agents, book editors, and authors discuss their evolving publishing landscape and finding the best home for your book project. // CALLIE GARNETT, ANNE HOROWITZ, NADINE KENNEY JOHNSTONE, ADAM KEIPER & CHESTON KNAPP
10:45 am // Panels
Choose from one of the following:
Ask a Book Editor
Professional editors take your questions about everything from proposals to publication. // CALLIE GARNETT, ADAM KEIPER & CHESTON KNAPP
Ask a Magazine Editor
Professional editors take your questions about everything from pitching to publication. // ROSS ANDERSEN, ROBERT P. BAIRD, CRESSIDA LEYSHON & JAMES MARCUS
Creative Allies: The Writer-Editor Relationship
A longtime writer/editor pair discuss the give-and-take process of working together. // MAGGIE JONES & ILENA SILVERMAN
12 pm // Lunch Break
Tour the Center for Media Innovation
2 pm // Panels
Choose from one of the following:
Literary Magazines from A to Z
What are they? How do they work? And why would you want to publish in them? // HATTIE FLETCHER, CHESTON KNAPP, DAN PIEPENBRING & DINTY W. MOORE
Writing Beyond Stereotypes
Tips for crafting compelling, nuanced characters and stories. // JASWINDER BOLINA, ADRIANA E. RAMIREZ & IRA SUKRUNGRUANG
Writing about Science & Technology for a General Audience
Learn how to translate data and jargon into a compelling narrative. // ROSS ANDERSEN, TORIE BOSCH & ADAM KEIPER
What Writers Need to Know about the Law
Best practices for avoiding defamation, plagiarism, and more. // RONALD BARBER & CRIS HOEL
3:30 pm // Roundtable
The Writer as Activist: Making Your Story Matter
Writers, editors, and journalists discuss stories with the power to cause change. // JASWINDER BOLINA, JAMIE BRICKHOUSE, ANDREW CONTE, JAMES MARCUS & ADRIANA E. RAMIREZ
5 pm // Farewell
Advice & Inspiration
The presenters from CNFWC17 close with uplifting messages and their best advice for writers
Quick links:
Conference Home | Register | Schedule | Presenters | FAQs
Hotel & Travel Accommodations | Venue | Praise for Past Conferences
Questions? Contact our Events Manager, Lauren Boehm, at [email protected].
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