Southwest Washington Writers Conference
Supporting writers throughout Southwest Washington
About the Event
Since 2014, the Southwest Washington Writers Conference has provided writers with a craft-focused experience. Held at Centralia College, the event consists of master classes on Friday and opens on Saturday with a keynote speaker, followed by a day full of workshops. In 2024, the AAUW debuted its Evening with Authors on Friday night. This volunteer-run conference seeks to motivate, inspire, and encourage writers at all career stages.
It’s exciting for us to offer aspiring writers, published authors, and students the opportunity to learn while raising money for the Centralia College Foundation. While eager to inspire writers who attend our conference, we also strive to benefit the community. Proceeds support the conference and provide scholarships through the Centralia College Foundation.
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Jane PorterKeynote Speaker
Jane Porter is a bestselling author with 75 + published books, sixteen women's fiction, two historical romance and the rest contemporary romance. In total she has over 15 million books sold worldwide. She will be our keynoter, a workshop presenter, and one of two authors at the Evening with Authors on Friday, Sept. 12, 2025. Jane is known for her passionate, powerful stories and relatable heroines.
Find out more at: janeporter.com
Jane PorterKeynote Speaker
Jane Porter is a bestselling author with 75 + published books, sixteen women's fiction, two historical romance and the rest contemporary romance. In total she has over 15 million books sold worldwide. She will be our keynoter, a workshop presenter, and one of two authors at the Evening with Authors on Friday, Sept. 12, 2025. Jane is known for her passionate, powerful stories and relatable heroines.
Find out more at: janeporter.com
Bill KenowerMaster Class Presenter
William Kenower is the author of Fearless Writing: How to Create Boldly and Write With Confidence, Write Within Yourself: An Author’s Companion, and Everyone Has What it Takes: A Writer's Guide to the End of Self-Doubt. He is the Editor-in-Chief of Author magazine, as well as speaker and teacher. In addition to his books he’s been published in The New York Times, Edible Seattle, Writer's Digest, Parent Map, Tiferet Journal, and has been a featured blogger for the Huffington Post.
Find out more at: https://www.williamkenower.com/
Bill KenowerMaster Class Presenter
William Kenower is the author of Fearless Writing: How to Create Boldly and Write With Confidence, Write Within Yourself: An Author’s Companion, and Everyone Has What it Takes: A Writer's Guide to the End of Self-Doubt. He is the Editor-in-Chief of Author magazine, as well as speaker and teacher. In addition to his books he’s been published in The New York Times, Edible Seattle, Writer's Digest, Parent Map, Tiferet Journal, and has been a featured blogger for the Huffington Post.
Find out more at: https://www.williamkenower.com/
Miriam GershowMaster Class Presenter
Miriam Gershow is the author of Survival Tips: Stories, The Local News, and Closer. Miriam’s stories appear in The Georgia Review, Gulf Coast and Black Warrior Review. Her flash fiction appears in anthologies from Alan Squire Books, Alternating Currents, and Fractured Lit, as well as many journals, including Pithead Chapel, Had, and Variant Lit. Her creative nonfiction is featured in Salon and Craft Literary. Her stories have been listed in the 100 Distinguished Stories of The Best American Short Stories and appeared in the Robert Olen Butler Prize Stories. Her writing has been nominated for multiple Pushcart Prizes, an Independent Publisher Book Awards silver medalist, a Pencraft Awards Best Book, and she is a two-time finalist for the Oregon Book Awards’ Ken Kesey Award for Fiction.
Find out more at: https://miriamgershow.com/
Miriam GershowMaster Class Presenter
Miriam Gershow is the author of Survival Tips: Stories, The Local News, and Closer. Miriam’s stories appear in The Georgia Review, Gulf Coast and Black Warrior Review. Her flash fiction appears in anthologies from Alan Squire Books, Alternating Currents, and Fractured Lit, as well as many journals, including Pithead Chapel, Had, and Variant Lit. Her creative nonfiction is featured in Salon and Craft Literary. Her stories have been listed in the 100 Distinguished Stories of The Best American Short Stories and appeared in the Robert Olen Butler Prize Stories. Her writing has been nominated for multiple Pushcart Prizes, an Independent Publisher Book Awards silver medalist, a Pencraft Awards Best Book, and she is a two-time finalist for the Oregon Book Awards’ Ken Kesey Award for Fiction.
Find out more at: https://miriamgershow.com/
Early registration tickets will go on sale on April 1, 2025.
Fundraiser – Support and Represent SWWC
Jeff Wheeler 2023 Keynote
Scott Eagan 2024 Presenter
Attendees Walton Science Auditorium
Evening with Authors 2024 – Olivia Hawker, Garth Stein, and Matt Young
Garth Stein 2024 Keynote
Robert Dugoni and Kyle Pratt at the 2015 conference
Alan Rose 2023 Presenter
Discover Aha Moments at Our Writers Conference
Evening with Authors: Celebrate Literature in Lewis County
FAQs
Q: When do tickets go on sale?
A: Early Registration tickets will go on sale on April 1, 2025.
Q: How can I purchase tickets for the Evening with Authors event?
A: There will be an add-on option when you purchase tickets.
Q: What if I change my mind about the workshops I selected?
A: You are free to choose another class on the day of the event. However, keep in mind that handouts are printed according to the number of attendees registered.
Q: Do you have agent pitches?
A: Not at this time. Our conference is craft-focused. We aim to keep the cost affordable, and we can do so by focusing on teaching instead of paying to bring in agents and editors. This may be something we offer in the future.
Q: What’s your refund policy?
A: Tickets can be refunded up to six days before the event, not including any registration fees.
