Saturday, March 14th, 2026 |
Keynote Speaker |
New York Times Best-Selling Author, S.A. COSBY is an award-winning author of five novels, as well as the co-author of two middle grades novels (with QuestLove) published by Flatiron Press, a division of Macmillan. His work has been awarded the Macavity, the Barry, the Anthony the ITW Award (International Thriller Writers), the (Dashiell) Hammett Prize, the ALA award, and had been long listed for both the Andrew Carnegie and Steel Dagger awards. His books have landed on former President Barack Obama's Summer Reading List three times, with his last four optioned for movie or TV adaptation—including the most recent, King of Ashes, by the Obamas' own production company, for Netflix. He lives and writes in Southeastern Virginia.
Bay to Ocean Writers Conference is pleased to offer an exciting on-stage feature in the Todd Performing Arts Center this year—a conversation between bestselling Virginia novelist S. A. Cosby, and longtime ESWA member Austin Camacho, whose small press, Intrigue Publishing, published Cosby’s first thriller in 2019. In their keynote conversation, Cosby and Camacho will discuss how Cosby built one of the hottest careers in contemporary fiction from the everyday stories of life around him in the tidewaters of Mathews and Gloucester counties, Virginia, at the foot of the Chesapeake Bay.
(Photo Credit: Consociate Media)
Early Bird Rates: through January 15th, 2025 | Regular Rates: January 16th – March 14th |
*ESWA members must be logged in to the website to receive the member discount.
Thirty-One Sessions to Choose from! SPECIAL MORNING SESSION: Yoga for Writers: Mind-Body Practices to Free the Muse with Marina Pellicciotto |
FICTION: Conflict & Suspense in Fiction Create Your Character's Arc The Power and Potential of Writing Small Town and Rural LGBTQ+ Romance The Novella: A "Novel" Approach to Point of View Stage Directions or Story Work? Making Your Scenes Count POETRY: Location, Location, Location "Not in Ideas, but in Things:" Tethering the Abstract to the Concrete in Poetry Not Islands: Poetry as Remedy for Isolation Message in a Bottle: Writing the Short Personal Lyric Secular Prayer, Elegy, Recipe for Life, Ars Poetica Honoring Your Literary Lineage: From Beloved Work to New Poems NONFICTION: How to Create and Publish a Nonfiction Anthology Speculative Nonfiction 101: Memory & Meaning Tiny Truths: Writing Micro Memoir Collaborate to Create: Coauthoring Nonfiction Finding a Voice: Reporting on My Homeland and Seeking an Audience in the United States | CRAFT: Sense and Sensibility - without Sentimentality Not Just a Backdrop: Writing Place as a Lived Experience Giving Your Poetry a Voice: Tips for Readings Never Walk Alone: On Maintaining a Writing Partnershipner Revision: Uncovering the Power of Your Story
PUBLISHING & MARKETING: Command the Room: Mastering Your Personal Appearances as an Author Pulling Back the Curtain (or What is Happening to Your Submission?) The Power of Doing it Yourself: Why Authors Choose Self-Publishing: A Panel Discussion Secrets of Selling Your Children's Book Creating An Author Brand (Before Logos & Colors): What Is It and How Can It Work For You SPECIALTY: Hundreds of Stories from a Single Premise Improv Games That Help With Your Storytelling Shapeshifting: A Mythical Writing Workshop Adapt a Book into a Movie Script Finding the Abstract in Ekphrastic Poetry |
PLEASE NOTE: |
2026 Conference At-A-Glance |
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Highlights from the 2025 Bay to Ocean Writers ConferenceSaturday, March 8th, 2025 was dedicated to providing first-rate educational sessions and inspirational tips across a variety of writing genres. Featuring six tracks with thirty sessions helping writers develop their craft, edit, publish and market their writing. The 2025 conference included a keynote by Brian Turner. Click the link below to learn all about last year’s sessions. 2025 Conference Program PDF |
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