Latest News and Updates

2017 Broadleaf Writers Conference, BWA Conference

Registration for BWC17 opens in two days!

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We’re almost there!

In two days, registration for the 2nd Annual Broadleaf Writers Conference will open! Join us for two days of panels, discussions, and community, September 23rd and 24th, 2017 at the Decatur Library in downtown Decatur, Georgia! Invest in your writing and become the best writer you can be!

At the Broadleaf Writers Conference you can:

  • Attend craft-focused panels featuring bestselling authors!
  • Learn the art of Page One at the First Pages critique!
  • Pitch your story during five-minute sessions with Literary Agents!
  • Join our growing community of writers, connect and learn!

Purchase an annual membership with Broadleaf Writers and save $25 off your registration!

The registration page will launch Friday, March 31st at 9:00 a.m. Sign up and reserve your spot!

 

2017 Broadleaf Writers Conference

Registration for the 2nd Annual Broadleaf Writers Conference Opens March 31st!

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The time is almost at hand! In just nine days, registration for the 2nd Annual Broadleaf Writers Conference opens! We’re lining up another all-star cast of talented writers, agents and editors to offer you all you need to refine and improve your craft, and get you on the road to publication!

Join us September 23-24, 2017, at the Decatur Library in downtown Decatur, Georgia for two days of educational sessions, packed with expertise and insight to address the questions you have about the craft of writing! Attending a writing conference is an opportunity to invest in yourself as a writer, to learn from experts, and to become a part of a community of writers that inspire, uplift and support one another!

In addition to attending sessions, you will have the opportunity to schedule a five-minute one-on-one session with an agent. We’re in the process of adding our agents, so please check back with us soon for more information!

On Saturday, we will also be presenting a First Pages Critique featuring a panel of literary agents. Once you have registered, be sure to submit your first page and take advantage of this fantastic opportunity to get your manuscript on the right path!

Once again, the talented pool of writers in the state of Georgia moves into our spotlight. Each has earned great praise for their work, and now they are ready to offer you their thoughts and energy over the course of the weekend. Check out our list of this year’s confirmed speakers!

Take the leap. Invest in yourself. Be the writer you long to be. Find new friends, new connections, and be inspired!

2017 Broadleaf Writers Conference, 2017 Writer's High Retreat

The 2017 Writer’s High Retreat

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As a writing organization, it’s a thrill to have the opportunity to work closely with another organization, group, or individual seeking to assist other writers in their efforts to work toward publication. We’re excited to be a sponsor for Mari Ann Stefanelli’s fabulous writer’s retreat, The Writer’s High.

Now in its third year, The Writer’s High Retreat will take place March 17–19 at Amicalola Falls Lodge in Dawsonville, Georgia.

Author, speaker, writing coach, and former journalist twice-nominated for the Pulitzer Prize Jedwin Smith headlines this weekend-long writing retreat. Smith will be joined by Megan Sexton, award-winning poet and co-editor of Five Points; novelist Susan Crawford, author of the thrillers The Pocket Wife and The Other Widow; multi-genre author and founder of the Atlanta Writers Conference, George Weinstein; and professional speaker, storyteller, and instructor Jeanne Hewell-Chambers, founder of the 70,273 Project, which commemorates each of the disabled people murdered by Nazis between January 1940 and August 1941.

The Writer’s High Retreat at Amicalola Falls Lodge package includes two nights’ accommodations, all retreat presentations, workshops, and events; meals included are Friday and Saturday dinner buffet, lunch buffet Saturday, and breakfast buffet Saturday and Sunday (beverages included for all meals are coffee, tea, and iced tea). Space is very limited. To register or for more information, visit www.thewritershighretreat.com.

Members of Broadleaf Writers receive a discount toward registration! Additionally, if you have, or plan to, register for The Writer’s High, we will extend to you a discounted rate on the 2017 Broadleaf Writers Conference! Don’t miss out on this fantastic retreat, which offers you both the opportunity to improve who you are as a writer and to connect with an incredible community of writers!

Fundraiser

The 2017 Fundraiser has begun!

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Hello friends! Fundraiser time is upon us again and we need your assistance to help us grow in 2017!

Now entering our second year, Broadleaf Writers is looking for the resources to secure office space, technology and supplies that will aid in our educational efforts, and the resources to fund our operation as we build toward future goals. With every dollar pledged, we gain a greater opportunity to teach the craft of writing to those looking to improve a skill they may use in both their personal and professional lives!

Any amount helps! Whether $10, $20 or more, every dollar will help us accomplish our goals of assisting individuals in their attempts to learn the craft!

We want to offer what we can in return for your generosity, and have therefore created the following levels:

With any donation of $50 or more, you will instantly receive an annual membership into Broadleaf Writers (a $40 value), and be listed as a donor on our website and in our Annual Conference Program! For a list of membership benefits, please visit our membership page.

With any donation of $100 or more, you will receive a membership, donation listing, and a critique on the first ten pages of your manuscript by one of our Conference speakers!

With any donation of $250 or more, you will receive a membership into Broadleaf Writers, you will be listed as a Sponsor of our organization or conference (your choice!), receive a ten page critique on your manuscript, AND you will be invited to all 2017 conference functions as our guest!

With any donation of $500 or more, you will receive a lifetime membership into Broadleaf Writers, invitations to future private and public functions and the opportunity to join us in an advisory capacity, as well as everything else in the above groups!

In addition to helping our educational organization grow, all donations are tax-deductible!

Thank you and we appreciate your time and attention!

2017 Broadleaf Writers Conference

The Pre-Registration Special Returns for December!

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The holidays are upon us, 2016 is winding to a close, and NaNoWriMo has completed its annual torture of writers around the world. With December now full and present, you’ve turned your attention to plans for the New Year, shopping lists for friends and family, and placing that darling pinnacle of holiday décor somewhere in a highly visible place.

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Not to be outdone by Black Friday, crowded malls, and Christmas sweaters and family portraits ripe for future parody, Broadleaf is proud to announce we are bringing back our pre-registration special for the 2017 Broadleaf Writers Conference! Now through December 31st, you can register for our annual conference, to be held September 23-24, 2017 at the Decatur Library in Decatur, Georgia! For $150 (a $50 savings over early registration and a $100 over late registration!), you will be registered for our conference and earn these important benefits:

  • First in line for agent sessions
  • An invitation to our pre-conference reception, featuring authors and agents from our guest list
  • The opportunity to offer input on panel topics
  • The opportunity to have the first ten pages of your manuscript critiqued by a panel of writers

Take advantage of this great special and register for the 2017 Broadleaf Writers Conference! Or, register a friend or loved one as a gift! Let us know your registration is a gift for a writer and we will send you a certificate of registration you can wrap or place in a stocking!

Attending a writers conference is a great opportunity for every writer to learn more about their craft, to gain and build friendships, to present their work to agents or for critique, and to become a part of a growing community of writers! Don’t miss out on this great deal!

For more information, or to register yourself or another for the 2017 Broadleaf Writers Conference, please email our Executive Director, Zachary Steele, at broadleafwriters@gmail.com!

Partners

Featured Partner: The Atlanta Writers Club

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One of the fundamental tenets of the Broadleaf Writers Association is that through community, writers gain not only in talent but in strength and confidence. As a unit, we can achieve more, we can assist one another in the dreams birthed the first day we created worlds. Our region is deep in organizations dedicated to writers, and we believe it is necessary to partner with and promote them all. The broader the community, the greater we can assist our writers. So, today we launch a feature promoting each of our partners. Please, follow the links, see what these groups are doing. Perhaps they speak to you. Perhaps they speak to a writer you know. Perhaps you will share the word, help us in our efforts to build the biggest, most diverse community of writers in existence.

Atlanta Writers ClubToday, we spotlight the Atlanta Writers Club. Founded in 1914, AWC is dedicated to teaching its members about the craft and business of writing through monthly meetings, two annual Atlanta Writers Conferences, workshops, dozens of critique groups, and other opportunities. The mission of the Atlanta Writers Club is to assist and encourage upcoming new writers; to unite for mutual benefit, promote and sponsor creative educational activities for writers, lecturers, artists, and composers; to train members to write and develop their aesthetic creative talents; to present open forums for discussion on topics of importance to those interested in the advancement of the arts; and to promote advancement of literary art throughout the region and provide an atmosphere for more intimate acquaintance among the members with the work of established Southern writers.

On November 4-5 at the Westin Atlanta Airport Hotel, the Atlanta Writers Club will host its 15th Atlanta Writers Conference. Twice each year, this conference brings to Atlanta well-respected acquisition editors from the large publishers and highly recommended literary agents, along with other industry experts, to give participants two days of education about the craft and business of writing as well as opportunities to advance their writing careers. Nearly two dozen past participants have received publishing deals and/or agent representation contracts following these conferences. Full details–including testimonials by past participants and guest editors and agents–and registration instructions are at AtlantaWritersConference.com.

Partners

Featured Partner: Tinderbox Workshop

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One of the fundamental tenets of the Broadleaf Writers Association is that through community, writers gain not only in talent but in strength and confidence. As a unit, we can achieve more, we can assist one another in the dreams birthed the first day we created worlds. Our region is deep in organizations dedicated to writers, and we believe it is necessary to partner with and promote them all. The broader the community, the greater we can assist our writers. So, today we launch a feature promoting each of our partners. Please, follow the links, see what these groups are doing. Perhaps they speak to you. Perhaps they speak to a writer you know. Perhaps you will share the word, help us in our efforts to build the biggest, most diverse community of writers in existence.
 
Today, we spotlight Tinderbox Workshop, led by award winning and bestselling author Kimberly Brock. Tinderbox Workshop is a salon-like workshop designed to help you reconnect with your creative self through awareness, movement, and an environment that encourages you to find your true north, embrace your unique voice, and discover the innate resilience of life lived from your Creative Core. For a full list of Kimberly’s workshops, visit her site at http://kimberlybrockbooks.com/events/.
 
Kimberly Brock is a writer’s greatest champion, networking and connecting one writer to another, supporting and celebrating organizations who serve writers, and the energy and vision behind the Milton Literary Festival. We are proud to partner with her in her continued efforts to support and educate writers. In addition, we are proud to help promote her great work, not the least of which includes the forthcoming Tinderbox Writers Retreat for Women.
 
Tinderbox RetreatThe First Annual Tinderbox Writers Retreat is an inspiring four-day celebration of story. Challenge your writing and find clarity for your voice in this oceanfront sanctuary for women writers… Take to the sea to write, create, make art and nourish your Creative Core! Because we all have a journey to take, a truth to speak and a story to tell!
 
This retreat was created to nurture the creative spirit of women, to celebrate our stories through the written and spoken word. We’ll spend four transformative days, writing, reading, and sharing. You’ll be challenged to explore the deeper questions about what you want to say in your writing. We will begin our days with walks on the beach, nourish ourselves while cooking together, embrace solitude when we need a quiet moment, and form friendships that will last a lifetime. Your heart and your writing will grow through workshops and intimate sessions created to transform your writing.
BWA Conference

2016 Broadleaf Writers Conference Schedule Now Available!

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The 2016 Schedule for the Broadleaf Writers Conference is now available*! Click the link for a downloadable version, or scroll below to see it now!

Saturday, September 24th

9:00 a.m. – 9:30 a.m.

Welcome and Introduction

9:45 a.m. – 10:45 a.m.

Writing With Confidence

Keynote Address, Paul Jenkins

11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.

The Southern Voice: Writing Southern Fiction

Panelists: Patti Callahan Henry, Joshilyn Jackson, Brian Panowich

Moderator: George Weinstein

 

The Butler Didn’t Do It: Keeping the Mystery in Your Work

Panelists: Shelli Johannes-Wells, Grant Jerkins, Romily Bernard

Moderator: TBD

12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.

Lunch

1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.

A Panel of Panels: The Comic Book Writer

Panelists: Paul Jenkins, Clay McLeod Chapman, James A. Moore

Moderator: Bill Blume

 

Kill Your Darlings, Over and Again: Editing Your Work

Panelists: Jessica Handler, Joshilyn Jackson, David L. Robbins, Colleen Oakley

Moderator: George Weinstein

2:15 p.m. – 3:15 p.m.

You Just Don’t Understand Me!: Writing for Teens and Children

Panelists: Romily Bernard, Shelli Johannes Wells, Clay McLeod Chapman

Moderator: Bill Blume

 

Marketing in a Digital Age: Marketing and Branding on Social Media

Panelists: Clifford Brooks III, Nicki Salcedo, Kate Sweeney

Moderator: TBD

3:30 p.m. – 4:45 p.m.

First Pages Critique

Panelists: Kristy Hunter, Kaylee Davis, Kimiko Nakamura, David L. Robbins

Moderator: Zachary Steele

 

Sunday, September 25th

9:00 a.m. – 9:10 a.m.

Welcome Back

9:15 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.

Life, the Universe, and Everything: The Elements of World Building

Panelists: Paul Jenkins, Patti Callahan Henry, James A. Moore, Brian Panowich

Moderator: Bill Blume

10:45 a.m. – 11:45 a.m.

Driving a Stake Through Clichés: Writing Original Fantasy and Horror

Panelists: James A. Moore, Shelli Johannes-Wells, Clay McLeod Chapman

Moderator: TBD

 

You Could Say That: Choosing the Right Word

Panelists: Clifford Brooks III, David L. Robbins, Kate Sweeney

Moderator: Ed Hall

12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.

Make ‘em Laugh: Injecting Humor In Your Work

Panelists: Patti Callahan Henry, Nicki Salcedo, Jessica Handler

Moderator: TBD

 

Putting Them Through Hell: Pushing Your Characters to the Brink

Panelists: Colleen Oakley, David L. Robbins, Grant Jerkins

Moderator: TBD

1:00p.m. – 2:00 p.m.

Lunch

2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.

You Don’t Say…: Writing Believable Characters and Dialogue

Panelists: Nicki Salcedo, Brian Panowich, Grant Jerkins

Moderator: David L. Robbins

 

Sad Hours Seem Long: Writing Grief and Loss for Everyone

Panelists: Jessica Handler, Kate Sweeney, Colleen Oakley

Moderator: TBD

3:15 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.

The Elevator Pitch: The 60-second Pitch

Panelists: Kristy Hunter, Kaylee Davis, Kimiko Nakamura,

Moderator: Zachary Steele

4:30 p.m. – 4:45 p.m.

Clifford Brooks III, The Fifth Movement &

Closing Remarks

*schedule subject to change

Partners

Featured Partner: The Writer’s High

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The Writers HighOne of the fundamental tenets of the Broadleaf Writers Association is that through community, writers gain not only in talent but in strength and confidence. As a unit, we can achieve more, we can assist one another in the dreams birthed the first day we created worlds. Our region is deep in organizations dedicated to writers, and we believe it is necessary to partner with and promote them all. The broader the community, the greater we can assist our writers. So, today we launch a feature promoting each of our partners. Please, follow the links, see what these groups are doing. Perhaps they speak to you. Perhaps they speak to a writer you know. Perhaps you will share the word, help us in our efforts to build the biggest, most diverse community of writers in existence.

Today, we spotlight The Writer’s High, a fantastic writer’s retreat, run by the incomparable (and super awesome!) Mari Ann Stefanelli Perusek.

Picture yourself nestled in the gorgeous North Georgia mountains, with cool breezes caressing your summer-weary skin, lodging in a beautiful resort, doing what you love––writing, refilling your creative well. Tantalizing, isn’t it? Now, add in a NYT best-selling author, two award-winning authors, and an extraordinary poet who share their writing secrets with you. Can you imagine? They’re with you ALL weekend. You’ll attend their workshops, eat delicious meals together, and enjoy relaxed conversations. Can you see yourself? Now, add in a sprinkling of fellow writers from all levels and backgrounds who are eager to learn, to experience, and to meet other writers. Your newest best friend might be the writer sitting next to you. It’s all at The Writer’s High Retreat, waiting for you. No competition. No comparisons. You need this. Your writing deserves this. Registration has been extended to September 1st. http://www.thewritershighretreat.com/

Featuring Joshilyn Jackson, Charles Clifford Brooks III, Jessica Handler, and Michael Morris, this retreat should be at the top of every writer’s wish list. Register now!

Partners

Featured Partner: The Southern Collective Experience

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One of the fundamental tenets of the Broadleaf Writers Association is that through community, writers gain not only in talent but in strength and confidence. As a unit, we can achieve more, we can assist one another in the dreams birthed the first day we created worlds. Our region is deep in organizations dedicated to writers, and we believe it is necessary to partner with and promote them all. The broader the community, the greater we can assist our writers. So, today we launch a feature promoting each of our partners. Please, follow the links, see what these groups are doing. Perhaps they speak to you. Perhaps they speak to a writer you know. Perhaps you will share the word, help us in our efforts to build the biggest, most diverse community of writers in existence.

Today, we begin with the Southern Collective Experience.

Southern Collective Experience

The Southern Collective Experience is an organization of the arts founded in 2010.   After its founder, Clifford Brooks’ first book of poetry, The Draw of Broken Eyes & Whirling Metaphysics, was published, he saw a need for increased professionalism and tight-knit feel of a family within, and around, those who shared a similar vision.  The Southern Collective Experience is a group of men and women who not only dream of being an artist, but have gained success in that endeavor.  They promote and provide personal support within their ranks to show through doing that not all of the Creative Ilk are incapable of sharing a stage.

The cardinal virtue of the Collective is to promote the arts, in all its forms, proving that integrity, high standards, and classical understanding of the past, present, and future of expression do exist.  Not only that, but they are thriving.  Innovative minds are able to balance their dreamscapes as well as their check books.

Every member holds their own responsibilities within the organization, while gaining enormous promotion for their own endeavors through social media, a magazine (The Blue Mountain Review), and an NPR radio show called Dante’s Old South.  You can find all of this and more by visiting their website, www.southerncollectiveexperince.com.

Of course, the presence of the word “Southern” isn’t meant to exclude any part of America, or the world for that matter.  Everyone is south of somewhere.  This has more to do with the couth, tact, and honor.  This is about laughter, relaxation, and mutual success while retaining absolute independence.  This is not a Utopian hope.  This is not a haughty construction of vowel and consonance sounds more akin to prayers than statements of facts.  It is what it is, and the SCE welcomes you to submit, inquire, and learn.