We recently learned that Preditors & Editors, one of the publishing industry's most trusted resources for writers, has recognized on its website both the Workshop and its Conference. Details about the DFW Writers' Workshop can be found in the 'Workshops' section. Information about the DFW Writers' Conference can be found in the 'Conventions & Festivals' section.

The membership of the Workshop is honored to be included in the recommendations of such a venerable organization.

The August 19^th meeting of the DFW Writers' Workshop was full of news.

A. Lee Martinez announced that his first novel, Gil's All-Fright Diner, will soon be available as an audio book for downloads to MP3 players and iPods. Additionally, a Chinese publisher has purchased the foreign rights to his first four books, which already are popular in Europe.

In other news, Kenneth E. Ingle announced that his publisher has requested a sequel his science fiction novel First Contact. Kristen Lamb has been appointed fiction editor at The Report, the newsletter of the Oklahoma Writers' Federation. Her Warriorwriters's Blog, written with Boy Mayer, was named a top website for writers by AndyShack.Com. Agent Caryn Wiseman, with the Andrea Brown Literary Agency, requested the full manuscript for Kyle White's Middle Grade science fiction novel, Attack of the Crystal Spiders.

In Workshop news, two new reference books have been added to the library, and members may now checkout library books for up to three weeks. Due to time constraints, the conference committee will no longer meet on Wednesday nights preceding the Workshop. Also, conference committee meetings have been moved to the North Richland Hills library. Please contact chairperson, Jeri Burbage, for more details.

Finally, a unique event will be held in September. Tai Chi expert, Master Wong, will teach authors how to channel their energy to make them better writers. The event costs $90 and will be held from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, September 19 in Richardson, Texas. Contact Robin Yaklin for more details.

It has long been a tradition that when a DFW Writers' Workshop member publishes a book, he or she will donate a copy to the Workshop's Trophy Room. During the August 5 meeting, four recently released titles were received, bringing the number of traditionally published books to 291. In fact, there are now so many titles written by DFWWW members that a third display case had to be added to the room. Stop by to see the impressive collection.    

Announcements from the monthly business meeting:  Gabe Guerrero has been awarded the Glenn Bavousett Fund to attend a writers' workshop. Discussion continues about integrating the monthly poetry group into the weekly read and critique sessions. The Workshop welcomed eight new members in the last week alone. To keep up with membership growth, the Workshop is moving more services, such as paying the annual dues, online.    

In other news, Rosemary Clement-Moore announced she was selected to write a monthly column about the Young Adult genre for FreshFiction.Com. The Hook 'Em Writing Contest has been officially launched, and the tote bags for the 2010 DFW Writers' Conference have arrived. They look snazzy.

Details are coming together for the 2010 DFW Writers' Conference! For the next conference we've added the Hook `em Contest, in which writers can submit the first five pages of a manuscript to compete for an agent pitch session. We've already got nine agents signed up to attend, and we're lining up some great presenters. We'll have nearly 40 breakout sessions. And New York Times bestselling author Jodi Thomas will be the keynote speaker. Our third annual installment of the conference is shaping up to a memorable event!

The conference takes place April 10 & 11, 2o10, at the City of Grapevine Convention Center.

For more details, you can visit www.dfwwritersconference.org. To register, you can click on the yellow 'Register Now' button on the right side of this page.

New York Times and USA Today best-selling author, Jodi Thomas, has agreed to be the keynote speaker at the 2010 DFW Writers' Conference. A native Texan, she is the award-winning author of several novels. We look forward to her presentation. 

Eight literary agents have also agreed to attend the event, including Anne Hawkins and Gina Panettieri who missed this year's conference due to illness. Joining them are Joshua Bilmes, Laurie McLean, Lucienne Diver, Melissa Shultz, Paul S. Levine, and Victoria Horn. More agents may be added later, but the number of pitch sessions will be limited, so early registration is recommended. 

The 2010 conference is looking to bring you more value for your registration dollars. We already offer free parking ($7 - $10 at other conferences), include the keynote luncheon (a $35 extra cost elsewhere), and the agent appointments (as high as $50 at other conferences).  As an added benefit in 2010, on-line classes, such as "How to Get the Most from Your Agent Appointment" will be offered - you guessed it, for free (a $50 to $100 extra fee elsewhere).  Join us for the best conference value in the Southwest.   

The conference will be held April 10-11, 2010 at the Grapevine Convention Center in Grapevine, Texas. Early registration starts soon. See the information box in the right hand column on this site, or get more details at www.DFWWritersConference.org.    

Bob Mayer, who keynoted our conference, posted a nice thank you to the Workshop on his blog. He praised the Workshop's professionalism. He specifically mentioned Dan Anders and Jeri Burbage, the chair and co-chair, as well as everyone else who volunteered. And he said he got a lot out of the social networking presentation by Kristen Lamb and Stephen Manning, with some additional advice from Fred Campos.

Many thanks to Bob for traveling to DFW to speak at our conference and helping to make it such a great success!

At this week's Wednesday meeting, a lot of Workshop members had good news to report from their one-on-one pitch sessions with agents at our annual conference. Members George Goldthwaite, Roy Shockey, Rhonda Hopkins, Alley Hauldren, Wes Dunham, Paul Lamarre, Paula LaRocque, Glenn Norton, Larry Enmon and Kendall Furlong all reported being asked by one of the agents to send in either a partial or a full manuscript.

And then there's Laurie Moore, who signed with agent Al Longden right there in the middle of the conference! That's a first for the DFW Writers Conference but we're sure it's not the last.

Thanks to everyone who helped put the 2009 DFW Writers Conference together, and to everyone who participated. It ran even more smoothly than last year's, and was jam-packed with great educational content for writers. We saw a lot of smiling faces!

Planning for the next one has already begun. The 2010 conference will be April 10 & 11, again at the City of Grapevine Convention Center.

Early bird registration starts now! You can register for only $125 until May 31, 2009. Click here to register.

But don't worry, walk-ins are welcome.

www.dfwwritersconference.org

Organizers of the DFW Writers Conference have released the following statement:

Current news headlines may have some of you concerned. We are monitoring news reports closely. Health officials are advising everyone to be aware of the situation and practice good hygiene, but not to be alarmed. As of 3 p.m. on Thursday, April 30, last-minute conference registrations are still coming in. The conference will proceed as planned. Hand sanitizers will be available at the convention center.