James River Writers Conference 2008
Schedule

FRIDAY October 10, 2008

Plenary Session 9 to 9:10 am Opening Remarks David L. Robbins

Plenary Session 9:10 to 9:30 am Literary Richmond Emyl Jenkins

Plenary Session 9:30 to 10:15 am Opening Address David Baldacci Moderator: Mark Lazenby

Plenary Session 10:45 am to noon First Pages Critique: Fiction Manuscripts Chuck Adams, Barbara Clark, Natanya Wheeler and Ken Wright Moderator: Susann B. Cokal

NOON to 1 PM – LUNCH

Concurrent Sessions 1 to 2 pm Session 1A -- How Publishers Sell Your Book: On the Shelf and on the Web Kelly Justice, Marc Leepson, Jim O'Connor, Lynda O'Connor, Andrea Sisco Moderator: Jason Tesauro Session 1B -- On Newsstands Now: Writing for Today's Magazine Market Taylor Antrim, Andrew Corsello, Kate Jacobs, Josh Robertson Moderator: Lee Gimpel Session 1C -- The Art of the Mystery Clay Chapman, Diane Mott Davidson, Emyl Jenkins Moderator: Bill Blume Session 1D -- Happy Poems: Are They Even Possible? Claudia Emerson, Elizabeth Seydel Morgan, David Wojahn Moderator: Ron Smith

Concurrent Sessions 2:15 to 3:15 pm Session 2A -- What’s My Genre -- Mass-market Fiction? Literary Fiction? Chuck Adams, Barbara Clark, Colin Fox, Shannon Ravenel Moderator: Valley Haggard Session 2B The Fun and Money of the Romance Game Mary Burton, Jenny Gardiner, Judi McCoy Moderator: Cathy Maxwell Session 2C She Goes...  Then He Goes...  And Then She Goes: The Craft of Dialogue Kirk Ellis, Charles Slack, Irene Ziegler Moderator: Clay McLeod Chapman Session 2D Mining Your Personal Experience: the Power of the Memoir Nancy Wright Beasley, Evans Hopkins, Caroline Kettlewell , Logan Ward Moderator: Stacy Hawkins Adams

Concurrent Sessions 3:30 to 4:30 pm Session 3A -- It’s All About Me and My Book: Understanding Publicity James Campbell, Jim O’Connor, Lynda O’Connor, Charles Slack Moderator: Dean King Session 3B -- An Hour with Diane Mott Davidson Diane Mott Davidson Moderator: Jann Malone Session 3C -- Getting Ready for Prime Time: Script Writing Kirk Ellis, Megan Holley, Lucas Krost Moderator: Duane Byrge

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SATURDAY, October 11, 2008 

Welcome and Announcements 9:15 to 9:20 am David L. Robbins

Plenary Session 9:20 to 10:45 am First Pages Critique: Non-fiction Proposals Jeanne Fredericks, Shannon Ravenel, Ken Wright, Charles Slack Moderator: Dean King

Concurrent Sessions 11 am to noon Session 4A -- “The End.” Now What? Working With Your Editor Chuck Adams, Colin Fox, Josh Robertson Moderator: Constance Costas   Session 4B -- Research Trails and Trials: Fiction and Non-Fiction James Campbell, Clay Chapman, Cathy Maxwell, Logan Ward Moderator: David L. Robbins Session 4C -- What’s My Line?  Morphing Life into Fiction Kate Jacobs, Emyl Jenkins, Kathleen Reid Moderator: Steve Watkins Session 4D -- Cooking the Book: Writing about Food Diane Mott Davidson, Marcel Desaulniers, Kendra Bailey Morris Moderator: Jann Malone

NOON to 1 PM – LUNCH

Concurrent Sessions 1 to 2 pm Session 5A -- Making the Most of That 15 Percent: Working with Your Agent Barbara Clark, Jeanne Fredericks, Natanya Wheeler, Ken Wright Moderator:  Virginia Pye Session 5B -- Telling the Story: Plot and Narrative Taylor Antrim, Kirk Ellis, Adriana Trigiani Moderator: Jason Tesauro Session 5C -- Breaking into Print Libby Brown, James Campbell, Josh Robertson, Andrea Sisco Moderator: Sherrie Najarian Session 5D -- Of Counsel: Legal Issues for Writers Kirk Schroder, Charles Slack, Jon Kukla, Joni Davis Moderator: Ellen Brown

Concurrent Sessions 2:15 to 3:15 pm Session 6A -- Black, White, and Gray: Bringing Your Characters to Life Taylor Antrim, Kate Jacobs, David L. Robbins Moderator:  Patty Smith Session 6B -- Pitching History to a Popular Audience Kirk Ellis, Marc Leepson, Dean King, Cathy Maxwell Moderator: Howard Owen Session 6C -- Author, Editor, Publisher, and Distributor, Too: 21st-Century Self-Publishing Nancy Wright Beasley, Libby Brown, Hugh Gouldthorpe, Andrea Sisco Moderator: Carol Roper Session 6D -- Crafting the Literary Novel Steve Watkins, Susann B. Cokal, Shannon Ravenel, Thom Didato Moderator: Virginia Pye

Plenary Session 3:30 to 4:30 pm Adriana Trigiani             Moderator: Shawna Christos

Concluding Remarks 4:30 Jason Tesauro

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