Save the dates! October 23-24, 2026
at the Steamboat Creates Historic Depot Arts Center
REGISTRATION IS NOW OPEN!
For online, click here: REGISTER HERE
For mail-in registration, go here:
We are proud to announce our presenters:
Rachel Weaver
Rachel Weaver’s novel Point of Direction was named a Top Ten Book To Pick Up Now by Oprah Magazine. She teaches at Wilkes University and Lighthouse Writers Workshop. Rachel’s migraine memoir, Dizzy, is newly out with West Virginia University Press and her novel, The Last Run, is forthcoming in June 2026 with Lake Union Publishing. Prior to earning her MFA in Writing and Poetics at Naropa University, Rachel worked for the Forest Service in Alaska studying bears, raptors and songbirds. She holds a CPA in Narrative Medicine from Columbia University. For more information visit https://rachelweaver.net/
Rachel will present the following workshop:
How to Craft a Compelling Memoir (2 hour craft class)
Do you have a story to tell? Not quite sure how to get started? Or are you lost in the weeds of writing it all down? Join us for this class in which we will break down all the essential elements of memoir: how to determine what to include and what to leave out, various memoir structures, how to handle point of view, how to keep the story moving, and a variety of ways to hook your reader into the story from the beginning. Open to all levels.
Jennifer Wortman
Jennifer Wortman is the author of the story collection This. This. This. Is. Love. Love. Love. (Split/Lip Press, 2019), named the Denver Westword 2020 pick for best new short-story collection, the 2019 Foreword INDIES bronze winner for short stories, and a finalist for the Colorado Book Awards and the High Plains Book Awards. Her work appears in TriQuarterly, Hayden’s Ferry Review, DIAGRAM, Electric Literature, Brevity, Best Small Fictions, W. W. Norton’s Flash Fiction America, and elsewhere, and has been cited as distinguished in Best American Short Stories. A recipient of fellowships from the NEA and MacDowell, she lives with her family in Colorado, where she teaches at Lighthouse Writers Workshop and serves as fiction editor for Colorado Review. https://jenniferwortman.com/
Jennifer will present the following workshops:
Writing Jump-Start: The Power of Obsession
In this class, we will harness the power of our obsessions. We will discuss the role of obsession in fueling our writing and sample some obsession-inspired readings. Mostly, though, we will use obsession-themed prompts to generate new work. Bring your laptop or notebook and come ready to write!
Insights from an Editor: Writing Next-Level Short Fiction
Using the lit journal submission queue as a springboard, this class will explore issues in the craft of short fiction. What problems do editors see again and again? What distinguishes a consummate story from the merely competent? How can we use this knowledge to strengthen our writing?