Special Projects and Events

OWC sponsors two annual events:

SPRING

Sylvia Beach Spring Conference held each April at the Sylvia Beach hotel in Newport, Oregon. Each year the organization brings one speaker/teacher and one agent to the intimate venue to meet with 50 or fewer writers to study craft and marketing. Among the author presenters from the past twenty-four years were: Jean Auel, Robert Dugoni, Shannon Applegate, Mark Acito, M.K. Wren and Larry Brooks. The 2012 Spring Conference will be held April 13, 14, 15.

The 2012 conference will be the 25th anniversary of the hotel, 25th anniversary of the Oregon Writers Colony’s Spring Conference and the 100th anniversary of the hotel building. A perfect time to come celebrate with us.

SUMMER

Each August OWC celebrates Founders’ Day in Rockaway Beach, Oregon. This has become a two day event including Saturday with a class by a well-known author or agent. Saturday also includes special readings at the public library, and an open-house celebration for the writing and reading community at the Colonyhouse. This year, the Saturday celebration at Colonyhouse includes dedication of a Poetry Pole with Poet Laureate, Paulann Petersen.

Guest speakers headline the Sunday events at Rockaway City Hall. Sunday Afternoon, members present their published books during a sales fair called The Authors’ Showcase. Sunday ends with genre roundtable discussions led by regional authors in each genre. The Colonyhouse is the center of the Founders’ Day celebrations, with other meetings held at the Rockaway City Hall meeting rooms and Rockaway City Library.

In addition to the two annual events Oregon Writers Colony sponsors periodic other special events and member opportunities.