From conference coordinator Kathy:

April, 2019

                                       

 

Spring was a bit late coming to SiWC Central, but it's finally here. Woohoo! Trees are blossoming, people are sneezing, and we're facing the very real prospect that we're going to have to start mowing the lawn soon, which admittedly seems like a fair trade for all the flowers and the extra daylight. And we have lots of SiWC news and reminders to share, too.  

 

Our #SiWC19 roster will be revealed on our website within the next week. We'll let you know on Facebook and Twitter (@SiWCTweets) when it's up, but this is your heads-up to keep an eye out for it. I was working with the list the other day, and just looking at it got me excited about October. I hope you'll feel exactly the same way.

 

If you haven't already marked your calendar for registration opening, DO. Last year, full packages sold out in 27 hours, and we don't want you to miss out. This year, registration will open on Wednesday, June 5 at noon Pacific. 

 

Planning to stay in the conference hotel? We strongly recommend you DO NOT WAIT until you register for the conference. At last check, the hotel was already 2/3 full with conference attendees. You can get access to our group rate under Conference->venue at www.siwc.ca, or by clicking here. 

 

Exactly a year from now, we'll be basking in the Caribbean sun aboard a Royal Caribbean cruise ship at the 2nd ever SiWC at Sea. Registration is already open for this trip, and a bunch of people have signed up. We are hugely gratified that some of these are repeat attendees from 2018's SiWC at Sea. They had such a good time the first time, they're coming back. We'd love to see you there, too! It's all the fun of a Caribbean vacation combined with writing workshops, dedicated writing time, group dinners with presenters and attendees, and like-minded people to socialize with. Our presenter group for the 2020 cruise includes Beverly Jenkins, Mary Robinette Kowal, JJ Lee, and Eric Smith.  

 

Our annual writing contest, judged by our own Diana Gabaldon and Jack Whyte, is NOW OPEN. Contest rules and details are here. You have until September to polish that short story you've been working on, but you're welcome to enter now and with as many more stories as you can write between now and the deadline. Every penny of the $15 entry fee goes to support the contest and the not-for-profit SiWC. First prize is $1000 and publication. Get those entries in!

 

As ever, please email us if you have good news about your writing career. We love good news stories. So far this year, we've heard from one agent who signed a client from SiWC (something we're thrilled to say has happened every year in recent memory), and have seen new books from SiWC presenters and attendee alumni. Most recently, several SiWC peeps showed up to support Eileen Cook at her book launch for You Owe Me a Murder. Congrats to Eileen! 

 

 

And congratulations, too, to long-time SiWC friend Mary Robinette Kowal, whose novel The Calculating Stars has been nominated for a Hugo award.

 

That's it from me for the moment. Don't forget you can follow us on Facebook (Surrey International Writers' Conference) and on Twitter (@SiWCTweets) to keep up on all our news between newsletters. 

 

More soon!

 

Kathy Chung

SiWC Conference Coordinator
www.siwc.ca
@siwctweets