The 2015 Kanab Writers Conference will be held Friday, Oct. 23 and all day Saturday, Oct. 24, at Kanab Middle School in Kanab, Utah. In addition to featuring speakers Todd Compton, David Farland, and T.J. Mackay, the conference will have multiple breakout session with a wide variety of presenters. The registration fee for the 2015 Kanab Writers Conference is $40 online or $50 at the door. This includes lunch on Saturday.
The conference begins at 7 p.m. Friday with keynote speaker Todd Compton, author of several books, including the prize-winning biography “A Frontier Life: Jacob Hamblin, Explorer, and Indian Missionary” His presentation is open to the public free of charge. His books will be on sale in the conference book store, and he will be available to visit with the public and sign books after his keynote address.
Saturday’s keynote speaker will be David Farland. An award-winning, international best-selling author with over 50 novels in print, Farland is also a celebrated writing instructor and mentor. Many of his students have gone on to staggering literary success, including such No. 1 New York Times Bestsellers as Brandon Mull (“Fablehaven”), Brandon Sanderson (“Wheel of Time”), James Dashner (“The Maze Runner”), and Stephenie Meyer (“Twilight”).
Also on Saturday, T.J. Mackay will speak. Mackay is founder and publisher of InD’tale magazine, the highly touted publication for independently published romance authors and readers.
The 2015 Kanab Writers Conference offers something for both beginners and experienced writers. Besides the speakers, a slate of twenty breakout sessions given by eleven presenters will cover a broad range of writing topics. Presenters include Janette Rallison, Rod Miller, Tanya Parker Mills, C. David Belt, Raven Chiong, Pamela France, Doug Tiffin, Liz Adair, Lois D. Brown, Annette Lyon, and Steven J. Clark. Go to kanabwritersconference.com to read about the presenters and the classes they are teaching and to register for the conference.
There will also be a bookstore at the conference in the main hall of Kanab Middle School. All presenters’ books will be available for purchase. Any authors attending the conference can also sell their books in the bookstore. After registering, contact the conference at kanabwritersconference@gmail.com to reserve a place in the bookstore.
Teachers can earn 10 hours of re-certification credit by attending this writers’ conference.
Also, immediately following the writers’ conference on Saturday, the Kanab Arts Council is hosting a “Journey Through the Arts” (Willow) Canyon to Canyon (Lodge) Street Festival in conjunction with the Kane County Office of Tourism’s Red Rocktoberfest. The entire one-mile stretch of downtown Kanab will be filled with musicians, artists, authors, poets, and many surprises. Several conference presenters are staying for the festival.
