2025 Symposium

Living Your Writing Life: Ink and Inspiration

Fifteenth Annual VWC Symposium

August 2, 2025

              This year's Symposium will be in-person at the Copley Science Center at Randolph-Macon College.           The Copley Science Center is located at the corner of Calhoun and Caroline Streets in Ashland, Virginia.

We're excited to have renowned true crime author Diane Fanning as our keynote speaker. Click her name to see her biographical information.

SYMPOSIUM SCHEDULE

Begins at 9:00 AM  

Gather and mingle & Welcome in auditorium classroom (all attendees)

Session 1  (choose 1)

• "The Right Use of AI for Writers" by ML Brei
• "The Real Hunt for Red October: Writing Unclassified Accounts of Top-Secret Submarine Operations" by Henry Rausch 
• "Do Your Characters Try to Take Over? Sample Tools to Keep Them in Their Place" by Betsy Ashton
• "Writing Non-Fiction - Where Do I Even Start?" by Susan Schwartz
• "I've Finished My Manuscript. Now What?" by Rosanne Vrugtman, PhD

Session 2  (choose 1) 

• "Own Your Audience: Email Marketing Best Practices" by Emily Babbitt
• "There's No Right Way to Write" by James G. Brown
• "History with Heart: Writing Compelling Creative Nonfiction" by I. Caroline Crocker, PhD
• "Writing Credible Law Enforcement Interactions in Fiction" by Katherine Schweit
• "Four Stages of Retirement for Writers" by Abbey L. Pachter

LUNCH

Keynote Speaker, Diane Fanning

Session 3  (choose 1)

• "Write On: Fueling Your Writer's Journey" by Deidra Whitt Lovegren
• "OK, Your Poem is Good, but What Good is it?" by Richard Rose
• "History Research Methodology" by John Musgrove
• "What is This Book About?" by Robin Traywick Williams
• "Author Marketing 101" by Leslie Truex/Jenna Harte

Session 4  (choose 1)

• "Great Openings: The Importance of the First Page and How to Immediately Hook Your Audience" by Jennifer Artley
• "Inspired by True Events" by David Wessel
• "The Author-Editor Relationship: Finding Your Perfect Fit" by Elizabeth Merck
• "Transitioning Personal Journals and Letters Into Published Books" by Pat Garber
• "Media Training for Authors" by Christine Gunderson

BOOK SIGNINGS WILL TAKE PLACE FROM 4:10 - 4:30. 

BOOKS ARE ON SALE ALL DAY.

Registration begins June 15. 

Lifetime members may attend at no charge.

Registration includes access to all workshops (one from each session), the symposium booklet (available online), plus lunch.

Lunch Menu:

Lunch includes a sandwich of your choice, chips, cookie, piece of fruit,

and your choice of drink from those provided at the venue.

Sandwich choices (on the registration form) are:

Bavarian Blast (ham & cheese)
Chicken Salad
Turkey Wrap
Veggie Wrap

Lunch cannot be guaranteed for registrations received after July 31.

 

Click Here to Register!