We’re so excited about our upcoming conference that this blog post might be tad longer than most we post. With our registration deadline nearing, we wanted to share some extra highlights of HippoCamp: A Conference for Creative Nonfiction Writers all in one place.
This conference is an incredible value–and our early bird registration deadline is less than one month away! Here what to expect at this three-day event:
30+ speakers and panelists; 25+ sessions and panels
Saturday will be jam-packed with craft, publishing/promotion and work-life balance sessions, for attendees, by attendees. Choose from one of three 45-minute classes in each time slot, led by creative writing and publishing professionals, including:
Three all-conference panels complement the 24 break-out sessions. Saturday morning kicks off with a debut author panel where writers with newly released or forthcoming books share their road from unpublished to published, including Amy Jo Burns, Tara Caimi, Kathleen Fraizer, Lisa Jakub, and D. Watkins. Sunday morning, on our literary citizenship panel, learn how several writers are making a difference in their communities, and then hear from agents and editors, including Mackenzie Brady at New Leaf Literary & Media, Cynthia Kane from Capital Talent Agency, and Nicole Frail from Skyhorse Publishing.
Keynote speakers
Saturday evening: Lee Gutkind – founder, Creative Nonfiction – will share insights on our favorite genre in “You Can’t Make This Stuff Up.” He will sign his book of the same name after his reading and talk.
Sunday afternoon: Jane Friedman – digital media expert and former publisher of Writer’s Digest – will close out the conference; she’ll explore how today’s creative nonfiction writer must “Think Beyond the Book.”
Food and fun
Your registration includes eats and treats. Enjoy an opening night reception with appetizers and the ‘first draft’ on us, lunch buffet on Saturday, breakfast on Saturday and Sunday, and snacks and beverages during breaks. On Saturday, explore downtown Lancaster for dinner-on-your own, and on Saturday morning, take part in an optional, early-morning Central Market Meet-up and check out the largest, continuously running farmer’s market in the U.S. Breakfast topic tables, evening readings, and an open mic night round out the social activities.
Craft and query workshops – conference add-on
Arrive early to take part in one of our three optional pre-conference craft workshops: Explore the collage essay with Sarah Einstein, learn “how to save $500 on your next edit” with Allison Williams, or get moving with Jennifer Hill in “Your Body Has a Voice: Playful and Useful Movements for Writers.”
Stick around after Sunday’s keynote for an optional, add-on query workshop with publishing industry pros, including Nicole Frail from Skyhorse Publishing. Workshop registration includes lunch.
Great venue
Our home—or, where you will “camp”—for the event is the Lancaster County Convention Center and the official conference hotel is the Marriott. This building at Penn Square is amazing; part of it is a former department store, Watt & Shand.
You can find a lot more information at our conference website, but we wanted to give you a solid idea of what to expect at this three-day event. We have an impressive roster of speakers and an immense amount of talent coming to Lancaster, Pa.—and we’re anticipating a good crowd so register early as space is limited.
Sign up by May 15 to get the early bird rate of $319—an incredible value for the amount of content and extras included in the registration price.
We hope to see you this August!
The Staff of Hippocampus Magazine
