Scribes by the Sea

Who cares whether or not the sun is shining? For the writing community, the real summer season launches when the Santa Barbara Writers Conference (SBWC) reconvenes on June 9-14 at the Mar Monte Hotel — right across the street from East Beach. 

I caught up with Conference Director Grace Rachow just days before the start of the festivities of the 51st SBWC were set to begin.

“Although the Santa Barbara Writers Conference took a three-year break in honor of the pandemic, the writers used their time off well, writing and publishing numerous new titles,” said Rachow. “Last year’s reunion event was a big success. This year, it’s as if we never missed a beat, people signing up are more enthusiastic than ever. Trending phrase: ‘Wow, I can’t wait!’”

I can’t wait either. What are some of the program highlights for 2024?  The best way to experience the conference is full immersion, feasting all six days on the many choices. It will change your life as a writer.

But it’s okay to start with just one or two events and see how it goes.

Before introducing the literary banquet known as SBWC to someone, I like to discover what they are writing, where they are in their career, and what they might like to get out of a writing conference. Some folks hope to attend a panel discussion or two. Or maybe try a workshop or seminar. First-timers often try a single day and get the feel of a conference that goes from 9 a.m. into the wee hours for the week. People like the options.

What are some of the new things to highlight this year?  Magical Realism 101: Stephanie Barbé Hammer, award-winning novelist and poet, will offer techniques for writers to let go of their firm grip on reality and take their writing on a journey into other realms. (Read the Independent’s Poetry Connection column introduction to Stephanie at https://bit.ly/3KpqRSF.)

Creating Memorable Characters: Dianne Dixon, novelist, TV writer, and double Emmy Award nominee, will share secrets for creating captivating characters in fiction.

Creative Nonfiction: Authors Andrea Weir Estrada and Terra Trevor will combine techniques of fiction and nonfiction to create page-turning nonfiction and memoir. 

Writers Wrangling Research: Yvette Keller will wrangle eight successful authors (Lisa Angle, Bee Bloeser, Marianne Dougherty, Hendrika deVries, Harlan Green, Paul Levine, Lorissa Rinehart, Layne Staral),and discover their tips on managing research for writing.

Book Marketing Magic: Rachel Sarah Thurston leads a team of authors on how they have mastered the promotional aspect of being an author.

One especially exciting talk: Kimberley Troutte, bestselling author of 20 books and counting. She attended SBWC in 2008 as a talented beginner on a scholarship, and she will kick off our orientation program Sunday, June 9 at 2 p.m., which is free and open to the public.

I understand there’s also a new poetry panel this year. Can you tell me about that?  In celebration of poetry in the Santa Barbara community, and in tribute to Perie Longo, who will have been teaching poetry at the Santa Barbara Writers Conference for 40 years, we’re having our first Santa Barbara Poets Laureate Panel on Sunday, June 9, from 4-5 p.m. This event will be free to the public and will focus on the positive impact of poetry on all types of writing. All eight living Santa Barbara Poets Laureate — Perie Longo (2007-2009), David Starkey (2009-2011), Paul J. Willis (2011-2013), Chryss Yost (2013-2015), Enid Osborn (2017-2019), Laure-Anne Bosselaar (2019-2021), Emma Trelles (2021-2023), and Melinda Palacio (2023-2025) — will be on stage at one time.

Monday–Friday, the 4-5 PM panel discussions walk through a range of topics: Short Story, Agents, Novels, Nonfiction, and Author Platform.

What about the evening programs (which are also open to the public for just $15 each)? Is there anyone you’re particularly looking forward to?  We have a variety of authors speaking, Antoine Wilson, Mary Otis, W. Bruce Cameron, Cathleen Schine, and Caitlin Rother. I’ve enjoyed reading all their books, and it’s so interesting to meet the humans behind the fine writing and hear what they have to say to their fellow authors.

The evening programs Monday–Thursday will open with poetry. One special author opening on Sunday night is Zohreh Ghahremani, a fascinating writer with two published novels and now a charming children’s book, Memory Garden, illustrated by her daughter, Susie Ghahremani. I love seeing authors stretch themselves into new areas of writing.

Is there any particular workshop that you personally make it a point to attend each year?  When I first attended SBWC, many years ago, I went to as many workshops as possible: fiction, humor, memoir, nonfiction … I wanted it all. I’d love to go back again and try everything again, excited and high on being around so many fellow writers.

SBWC attendance is made up of a 50-50 mix of locals and out-of-towners. About half are first timers and half have attended before. One of our attendees has been coming consistently since the 1970s.

If someone has never been to the conference before and is maybe a little nervous about it, what would you want them to know?  SBWC is a place where attendees soon learn we’re all there to help one another become better writers. Everyone starts somewhere, and we all can give one another a helping hand. The general attitude in giving feedback is honesty tempered with kindness, which is a great recipe.

Is there anything else you’d like people to know?  At SBWC, we talk about our legacy, partly because we have a storied history, but also because who we are sits squarely on the shoulders of all we have been. It’s a rare quality in a gathering of writers — and it’s worth experiencing. This conference exists because of the vision of founders Barnaby and Mary Conrad. Their ideas still shape the way things are done today.

We’re lucky and grateful to have the support of owner Monte Schulz (read an Independent interview with Monte at https://bit.ly/3ySQKrq), who came to SBWC in the 70s as a young novelist. He workshopped his chapters at SBWC, and he’s still writing novels and believing in the value of writers gathering with other writers to focus on the craft of writing.

The final component to SBWC’s long standing legacy is the army of people who create a supportive atmosphere — those who teach, those who volunteer time, those who provide funding for scholarships, and those who attend and experience the mix.  

Ray Bradbury, who spoke at SBWC over 30 times in early years, told us often that we must be in love with writing, so that the idiocy of the world will not interfere with the stories inside us. We do our best to keep this message alive.

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SBWC prices can be tailored for individual budgets and schedules, including speakers and panels for $15 each, $199 for a single day entry, and six days for $899. Santa Barbara Writers Conference takes place June 9 – 14 at the Mar Monte Hotel, 1111 East Cabrillo Blvd. See sbwriters.com.