Few events energize a writing career more than going to a writers conference or a fandom con. This year, we have a unique opportunity. Most of the conferences are virtual, which means you can attend them without having to pay for flights, restaurant meals, or hotels. Broaden your horizon each month with a virtual trip to visit a different group of your peers.
Keywordsfan: primarily for fans/readers |
This is a living list and will continue to change over time. The keywords in parentheses will help you decide if the con is right for you.
Have a con you’ve attended? Click on the star rating, then tell us why it was good for you in the comments below. (REQUEST: Put the con name at the beginning of any comment about a particular one so it’s easy for others to read through them.)
Organize your convention list with a spreadsheet template for either Excel or Google Sheets.
2021
April
-
- April 21-25 | The Muse & the Marketplace – Virtual
(live, on demand, trade, workshops)
- April 21-25 | The Muse & the Marketplace – Virtual
-
- April 23-25 | Pike’s Peak Writers Conference – Virtual
(live, trade, workshops)
- April 23-25 | Pike’s Peak Writers Conference – Virtual
-
- April 24-May 1 | Northern Colorado Writers Conference
(live, trade, workshops)
- April 24-May 1 | Northern Colorado Writers Conference
-
- April 24 – May 2 | Blue Metropolis International Literary Festival – Virtual
(live, workshops)
- April 24 – May 2 | Blue Metropolis International Literary Festival – Virtual
May
-
- May 13-15 | StoryMakers
(hybrid, trade, workshops)
- May 13-15 | StoryMakers
-
- May 14-15 | Writer Day Workshop – Virtual – San Diego
(live, trade, workshops)
- May 14-15 | Writer Day Workshop – Virtual – San Diego
-
- May 15-18 | Kachemak Bay Writers Workshop – Virtual
(live, trade, workshops)
- May 15-18 | Kachemak Bay Writers Workshop – Virtual
-
- May 20-24 | Writers Hotel Weekend – Virtual
(live, trade, workshops)
- May 20-24 | Writers Hotel Weekend – Virtual
-
- May 21-23 | StokerCon 2021 – Virtual, Horror Writers Association
(film, live, on-demand, specific [horror], trade, workshops, pitches)
- May 21-23 | StokerCon 2021 – Virtual, Horror Writers Association
-
- May 28-31 | Balticon – Virtual – Baltimore
(fan, gaming)
- May 28-31 | Balticon – Virtual – Baltimore
-
- May 30-31 | Book Con – Virtual(?)
(trade, workshops)
- May 30-31 | Book Con – Virtual(?)
June
-
- June TBD | Alice Munro Festival – Virtual
(live, trade, workshops)
- June TBD | Alice Munro Festival – Virtual
-
- June 6-12 | Bread Loaf Environmental Writers Workshop Series – Virtual
(moderated, live, scholarships, trade, workshops)
- June 6-12 | Bread Loaf Environmental Writers Workshop Series – Virtual
-
- June 12 | Writer Day Workshop – Virtual – Florida
(live, trade, workshops)
- June 12 | Writer Day Workshop – Virtual – Florida
-
- June 17-20 (in-person) & June 24-26 (online) | New York Pitch Conference
(trade, pitches)
- June 17-20 (in-person) & June 24-26 (online) | New York Pitch Conference
-
- June 18-20 | 4th Street Fantasy Convention – Virtual – Minneapolis
(fan)
- June 18-20 | 4th Street Fantasy Convention – Virtual – Minneapolis
-
- June 21-26 | Minnesota Northwoods Writers Conference – Virtual
(live, trade, workshops)
- June 21-26 | Minnesota Northwoods Writers Conference – Virtual
-
- June 27 – July 31 | New York State Summer Writers Institute – Virtual
(live, trade, workshops)
- June 27 – July 31 | New York State Summer Writers Institute – Virtual
-
- June 28 – July 10 | Thrillerfest – Virtual
(live, pitches, specific [thriller], trade, workshops)
- June 28 – July 10 | Thrillerfest – Virtual
July
-
- July 9-10 | Writer Day Workshop – Virtual – Colorado
(live, trade, workshops)
- July 9-10 | Writer Day Workshop – Virtual – Colorado
-
- July 9-11 | Imaginarium Convention – Louisville, KY
(film, hybrid, trade, workshops)
- July 9-11 | Imaginarium Convention – Louisville, KY
-
- July 14-18 | Southampton Writers Conference – Virtual, see site for application deadlines
(live, moderated, trade, workshops)
- July 14-18 | Southampton Writers Conference – Virtual, see site for application deadlines
-
- July 15-17 | 10-Minute Novelist Conference – Virtual
(live, trade, workshops)
- July 15-17 | 10-Minute Novelist Conference – Virtual
-
- July 19-24 | Port Townsend Writers Conference – Virtual
(live, trade, workshops)
- July 19-24 | Port Townsend Writers Conference – Virtual
-
- July 22-25 | Writer’s Digest Convention – New York, NY
(in-person(?), pitches, trade, workshops)
- July 22-25 | Writer’s Digest Convention – New York, NY
-
- July 28-31 | Midwest Writers Conference – Virtual
(live, trade, workshops, on-demand for a limited time)
- July 28-31 | Midwest Writers Conference – Virtual
August
-
- August 1-6 | Napa Valley Writers Conference – Napa, CA
(in-person, moderated, trade, workshops)
- August 1-6 | Napa Valley Writers Conference – Napa, CA
-
- August 5-7 | Mendocino Coast Writers Conference – Virtual, registration closes 6/30/21
(live, trade, workshops)
- August 5-7 | Mendocino Coast Writers Conference – Virtual, registration closes 6/30/21
-
- August 7 | Writer Day Workshop – Virtual – Tennessee
(live, trade, workshops)
- August 7 | Writer Day Workshop – Virtual – Tennessee
-
- August 8-21 | Bread Loaf Workshop Series – Virtual
(live, moderated, scholarships, trade, workshops)
- August 8-21 | Bread Loaf Workshop Series – Virtual
-
- August 19-22 | Killer Nashville
(in-person, specific [mystery/thriller/crime], trade, workshops)
- August 19-22 | Killer Nashville
-
- August 26-29 | Orlando Reads Books
(in-person, fan)
- August 26-29 | Orlando Reads Books
September
-
- September 10-11 | Writer Day Workshop – Virtual – Washington, D.C.
(live, trade, workshops)
- September 10-11 | Writer Day Workshop – Virtual – Washington, D.C.
-
- September 15-19 | Pacific Northwest Writers Conference – Virtual
(live, pitches, trade, workshops)
- September 15-19 | Pacific Northwest Writers Conference – Virtual
-
- September 17-19 | Agents & Editors Conference – Austin, TX
(in-person, trade, workshops)
- September 17-19 | Agents & Editors Conference – Austin, TX
October
-
- October 1-3 | Write on the Sound Workshop – Virtual
(live, trade, workshops)
- October 1-3 | Write on the Sound Workshop – Virtual
-
- October 7-9 | Horror Conclave – Las Vegas
(live, trade, workshops)
- October 7-9 | Horror Conclave – Las Vegas
-
- October 8-9 | Writer Day Workshop – Virtual – San Francisco
(live, trade, workshops)
- October 8-9 | Writer Day Workshop – Virtual – San Francisco
-
- October 9-10 | Kansas Authors Club Convention – Virtual
(hybrid, trade, workshops)
- October 9-10 | Kansas Authors Club Convention – Virtual
-
- October 15-17 | Emerald City Writers Workshop – Virtual
(live, pitches, scholarships, specific [romance], trade, workshops)
- October 15-17 | Emerald City Writers Workshop – Virtual
-
- October 18-24 | Vancouver Writers Fest – Vancouver, BC
(fan)
- October 18-24 | Vancouver Writers Fest – Vancouver, BC
-
- October 22-24 | Surrey International Writers Conference – Surrey, Canada
(in-person, trade, workshops)
- October 22-24 | Surrey International Writers Conference – Surrey, Canada
-
- October 22-24 | La Jolla Writers Conference – La Jolla, CA
(trade, workshops)
- October 22-24 | La Jolla Writers Conference – La Jolla, CA
-
- October 23-24 | Self-Publishing Advice Conference – Virtual
(live, trade, workshops)
- October 23-24 | Self-Publishing Advice Conference – Virtual
November
-
- November TBD | Romance Writers of America Conference – Virtual
(live, trade, workshops)
- November TBD | Romance Writers of America Conference – Virtual
-
- November 8-14 | Kauai Writers Conference – Kauai, Hawaii
(in-person, pitches, trade, workshops)
- November 8-14 | Kauai Writers Conference – Kauai, Hawaii
-
- November 13 | Writer Day Workshop – Virtual – North Carolina
(live, trade, workshops)
- November 13 | Writer Day Workshop – Virtual – North Carolina
December
-
- December 15-19 | DisConIII / WorldCon / World Science Fiction Convention / Hugo Awards
(in-person, fan, specific [science fiction/fantasy], some trade)
- December 15-19 | DisConIII / WorldCon / World Science Fiction Convention / Hugo Awards
2022
February 2022
-
- February 17-20 | San Francisco Writers Conference 2022
(in-person, trade, workshops)
- February 17-20 | San Francisco Writers Conference 2022
-
- February TBD| Desert Nights, Rising Stars Conference – Virtual
(live, trade, workshops)
- February TBD| Desert Nights, Rising Stars Conference – Virtual
March 2022
-
- March TBD | Sleuthfest Florida Chapter of the Mystery Writers of America
(specific [mystery], pitches, trade, workshops)
- March TBD | Sleuthfest Florida Chapter of the Mystery Writers of America
-
- March TBD | Atlanta Writing Workshop
(pitches, trade, workshops)
- March TBD | Atlanta Writing Workshop
-
- March TBD | Bay to Ocean Writers Conference
(trade, workshops)
- March TBD | Bay to Ocean Writers Conference
-
- March TBD | Association of Writers & Writing Programs Conference – Virtual(?)
(trade, workshops)
- March TBD | Association of Writers & Writing Programs Conference – Virtual(?)
April 2022
-
- April TBD | Las Vegas Writers Conference 2022
(trade, workshops, pitches)
- April TBD | Las Vegas Writers Conference 2022
-
- April TBD | Nebraska Writers Guild Conference – Virtual(?)
(trade, workshops)
- April TBD | Nebraska Writers Guild Conference – Virtual(?)
June 2022
-
- June TBD | Odyssey Fiction Writers’ Workshop, applications due in April,
(moderated, trade, workshops)
- June TBD | Odyssey Fiction Writers’ Workshop, applications due in April,
September 2022
-
- September 1-5 | ChiCon8 / WorldCon / World Science Fiction Convention / Hugo Awards
(live, trade, workshops)
- September 1-5 | ChiCon8 / WorldCon / World Science Fiction Convention / Hugo Awards