BAY TO OCEAN WRITERS CONFERENCE 2020
 The 23rd annual BTO conference took place Saturday, March 7, 2020 at Chesapeake College in Wye Mills, Md. This event--known for its relaxed, intimate setting and accessible, professional instructors--typically sells out in advance, so it's a good idea to register early if you plan to attend. No tickets will be available at the door. Eastern Shore novelist and nonfiction author Brent Lewis will deliver the keynote. We'll have special tracks for beginning and advanced fiction this year, plus workshops focused on form in many different genres. See photos from 2019 BTO. Below is a list of sessions for 2020. Click the blue category titles to see full session summaries and speaker bios for that particular track. BTO 2020 -- Sessions |
Brent Lewis - The BTO 2020 keynote speaker, Brent Lewis, a novelist, playwright, and documentarian, will speak immediately following lunch. "5 for 10" Writing – Kenton Kilgore The Essence of Dialogue: Its Ultimate Nature - Judy Kelly Characterization from the Actor's Perspective – Gail Priest Pudgy in the Middle – Suzanne Supplee The Marathon Method of Plotting - Christie Wright Wild See full session summaries Flash Fiction: Fantastic New Forms – Tara Campbell How to Write in the Voice of the Opposite Sex – John DeDakis Crossing the Length Bridge: Short & Long Form Fiction – Kris Faatz Playing with the Page – Meg Eden How to Hook Readers: It's a Brain Thing - Laura Oliver See full session summaries
| Beyond what the "I" Can See: Point of View for Poets – Sarah Freligh Have You Ever Wanted to Write a Sonnet? – Jamie Brown On Reflection: Secrets to Revision – Jane Edna Mohler Skinny Poetry Workshop – Truth Thomas Intro to Pi-ku, a Contemporary Variation of Japanese Short Form – BLW McGrory See full session summaries Publishing, Marketing, Editing First Impressions & Editing Process – Michele Chynoweth and Judy Reveal Publishing Options – Austin Camacho Intro to the Process of Getting Pieces Published in Journals, Reviews and Magazines – Tara A. Elliott Author's 2020 Guide to Career Survival – Robert Bidinotto Building a Marketing Strategy: Where to Spend Your Time & Money – Ariele Sieling See full session summaries
Unlocking Your Voice: Spoken Word Activism – Amber Green
Writing the Family Memoir – Cheryl Somers Aubin
The "Hermit Crab" Essay: How to Use Borrowed Forms to Structure Your Work – Randon Billings Noble Using Historical Locations in Fiction & Creative Nonfiction – Andi Cumbo-Floyd Overlapping Fundamentals: Interview with a Playwright - Dylan Roche See full session summaries |
