What: A one-day conference connecting writers to the publishing industry
When: Saturday, April 27th, 2019, 9 am – 6 pm
Where: Smith Memorial Student Union, 1825 SW Broadway Portland, OR 97201
About the Conference
Write to Publish began as a fundraiser and open house to inform the public about the publishing program at Portland State University and the nonprofit press, Ooligan, at the heart of the program. In 2009, Write to Publish grew into a conference with the goal of demystifying the publishing industry for emerging writers. Each year, Write to Publish provides writers’ workshops, panels, vendors, and speeches hosted by authors and industry professionals, as well as raffles and writing contests with exciting prizes. These events offer emerging writers information about the state of the publishing industry and advise them on how to navigate it successfully.
This year’s Write to Publish conference theme is “A Writer’s Guide to Publishing.”
Parking
Smith Memorial Student Union is located near the Parking Structure 1 on the Portland State campus. Visitor parking rates range from $4.00 for hourly rate and $7.00 for weekend full day rate. For more information on campus parking garages and street parking, visit the Transportation and Parking Services page for Portland State University.
Food
We would like to offer a huge thank you to our amazing food donors! With these amazing donations, our conference is able to run much smoother and provide attendees with great breakfast and snack options.
Thank you to:
Bridges Café and Catering, check them out here
Dutch Bros. Coffee, check them out here
Bowery Bagels, check them out here
Vendor Fair
With the purchase of a Write to Publish conference ticket, attendees will have the opportunity to engage and connect with the participants of this year’s vendor fair. The vendor fair will feature several different local organizations and agencies from the Pacific NW area. This year’s fair will include have tables hosted by, and not limited to, The Portland Review, Portland Button Works, Inkwater Press, Typehouse Literary Magazine, Dancing Moon Press, and Ooligan Press.
Pitch to a Professional
Pitch to a Professional is an educational opportunity held during the lunch hour of the Write to Publish 2019 conference. During the session, writers will be able to pitch their manuscripts to several local agencies and publishers in order to gain valuable advice for future submissions. Each round allows the writer about five to ten minutes for an “elevator” speech outlining their potential submission. The publisher, then in turn, provides advice and feedback on how to further the success of their platform. This is a completely educational experience, and the partnered publishers are not required to acquire any of the pitches.
The Pitch to a Professional participants are:
Val Gryphin, Editor-in-Chief at Typehouse Literary Magazine
Laura Stanfill, Publisher of Forest Avenue Press
Patrick McDonald, Publisher of Overcup Press
Erika Stevens, Poetry Editor at Coffee House Press
Ari Mathae & Taylor Thompson, Acquisitions Managers at Ooligan Press
Please sign up by following the link here.
The Pitch to a Professional session will run during the lunch hour of the conference from 12 to 1 pm.