From conference coordinator Kathy

Hello!

 

It's been a hive of activity here at SiWC Central. Time for an update!

 

Registration and Conference Information

 

First, mark your calendars! Registration for SiWC at Home 2021 opens Wednesday, June 2 at noon Pacific time. You can find registration prices and other info on our website at siwc.ca/registration. 

 

In recognition that Covid life is still taking a toll on many people's finances and that everyone needs something to look forward to, we are once again offering a sliding scale option for full conference registration. SiWC is not-for-profit, so we set our prices to cover our costs, but last year, the generosity of those who could pay full price or more completely made up the difference for those who couldn't, so we're able to offer it again. We love our community. If you're reading this and were among last year's attendees, we were touched and honoured by your honesty, the trust you put in us, your willingess to take us up on the sliding scale if you needed to or to pay full price if you didn't, and your generosity if you were one of the people who was able to help others. You rock! 

 

Also again this year, we're partnering with WXR, the excellent folks of the Writing Excuses Retreat, to bring you pre-conference events and a WHOLE EXTRA DAY of master classes. The full Friday-Sunday SiWC conference October 22-24, including workshops, panels, keynotes, night-owl events, quiet writing spaces, and social spaces AND the pre-conference WXR events on October 18 and 19 are included in your full conference package. 

 

WXR says, "Join the Writing Excuses cast and guest instructors to connect, write, and learn during our SiWC pre-conference events from October 18th - 20th, 2021. On Monday the 18th and Tuesday the 19th, the 2021 Writing Excuses Virtual Retreat will be open from 7 AM - 10 PM Eastern for quiet writing dates, lively social hours, and collaborative learning sessions designed to boost creativity and move your writing projects forward. Then dive deeper on Wednesday, October 20th, as Writing Excuses instructors offer masterclasses in worldbuilding, character arcs, voice, and more. We hope to see you there."

 

Last year, so many of you came to the virtual reg desk to buy ALL the master classes to watch after the fact that we decided to offer an early bird package deal during pre-conference registration for all the master classes at last year's prices. Of course you can still buy classes individually to suit your needs, preferences, and budget as well. 

 

Our presenter roster has been posted on the website, and most of our master class information is up, too. We'll be adding more programming information between now and registration opening so you'll have a good idea what to expect from the conference. We will once again be recording most of the Friday-Sunday workshops and the master classes to accommodate people in different time zones and those for whom Covid life makes attending a conference in real time difficult. Recordings will be available for 30 days after the conference. (Last year, "most" meant all but one class; we expect something similar this year, subject to presenter permission.)

 

Scholarships

 

Our scholarships are all open for application now. We have several scholarships this year: for an Indigenous writer, for a Black writer, for a writer from any marginalized group, and for teen writers. Application deadlines are in early September. Information is on our website under News and Community.

 

Writing Contest

 

Our Storyteller's Award is now open to entries. This short story contest attracts entrants from all over the world and offers a $1000CAD  first prize plus publication. If you've entered before, note that there's been a change to the word limit this year. If you haven't, make this your year! Make sure you check the guidelines! https://www.siwc.ca/writing-contest/

 

More soon.

 

Kathy

 

Kathy Chung, SiWC Conference Coordinator
www.siwc.ca
@siwctweets