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Fall Conference rotates locations each year. The last time this weekend-long event was held in the Triangle was 2016. The Triangle generally refers to Raleigh, Durham, and Chapel Hill; this area was recently named the second-best place in the country to live by U.S. News & World Report, leaping up nine spots from the previous year.
“The 2021-2022 Best Places to Live were determined based on a methodology that factored in job market, value, quality of life, desirability and net migration ratings,” read the press release. “They were determined in part using a public survey of thousands of individuals throughout the U.S. to find out what qualities they consider important in a place to live.”
For writers, that means countless independent bookstores; thriving outlets for independent journalism; top-shelf cultural offerings from the abundance of private and public universities in the area; and plenty of outdoors escapes, if that’s your thing, where you can find quiet spots to write, from Jordan Lake to the Eno River, from Umsted State Park to meandering greenways in and around the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The literary scene is jumping too, with regular events and critique groups for every taste and level of experience. When it comes to writing talent, the Triangle has an embarrassment of riches.
At the NCWN 2021 Fall Conference, NC Poet Laureate Jaki Shelton Green will give the Keynote Address. Master Classes will be led by Tyree Daye (Poetry), Marianne Gingher (Creative Nonfiction), and Mesha Maren. Along with a full day and a half of programs and sessions devoted to the craft and business of writing, there will be open mics, faculty readings, panels, meals, exhibitors, and more.
The confernece will take place at the Sheraton Imperial Hotel, technically in Durham but just off I-40 in Research Triangle Park. There is abundant parking and plenty of amenities at this recently refurbished space.
“As of this very minute, the Network is planning an in-person conference with some online options,” said NCWN Communications Director Charles Fiore. “But if the last 20 months have taught us anything, it’s that all plans are subject to change. The saftey of our attendees is our first priority.”
Registration opens on September 1 here at www.ncwriters.org.
The non-profit North Carolina Writers’ Network is the state’s oldest and largest literary arts services organization devoted to all writers at all stages of development. For additional information, visit www.ncwriters.org.