
The Superstars Writing Seminars have opened recently to scholarship applications for the 2018 event held to be held in Colorado Springs, February 1-3. Though Superstars offers an optional "Craft of Writing" day before the regular seminar, and a few of the regular workshop sessions deal with the technique of writing, the bulk of the seminar is geared more to the business of writing, making this stand out from the usual writer's workshops and conferences.
I attended in 2017 as a scholarship recipient, and was immediately struck by the friendliness and inclusiveness of the group--the 'tribe' as they say--from multi-year attendees to faculty. The faculty includes luminaries in SFF--in my year: Kevin J Anderson and Rebecca Moesta, who founded and anchor the event, Jim Butcher, Dave Farland, Todd McCaffrey, Jody Lynn Nye, James A Owen, and more, as well as Kristin Nelson (founder of the Nelson Literary Agency), Claire Eddy (senior editor at Tor), Steve Feldberg from Audible, Lisa Magnum (Deseret Book), and others. The approachability of the faculty was evident throughout the multiple days of the seminar, unlike some conferences where guests are seen at presentations, signings, and possibly meals, then vanish into thin air the rest of the time, or spend BarCon (if there is one) in close conversation with peers.
As a past winner of Writers of the Future, I'd met Kevin, Rebecca, Dave, and Todd previously. Here, as at WotF, I found them extraordinarily generous in sharing both their knowledge and their time. At the time I attended, I was conflicted about a career decision I needed to make. I approached Dave Farland with my dilemma--his response, let's sit down and talk about it. And we did. I've paid for entire seminars for the opportunity of a one-on-one like that. I'm not saying that to imply that the faculty can or will spend a chunk of individual time with each of the 130 or so attendees, but to emphasize the spirit of giving that pervades at Superstars.
If you'd like to attend but can't afford the registration, consider applying now for a scholarship. The application period closes Sept. 10th. Conversely, if you'd like to donate to the scholarship fund, there's a donate button at the website. Better still, get something back and buy one of the anthologies listed on the scholarship page (plus be sure to watch for the new one out early next year, Undercurrents: An Anthology of What Lies Beneath, 'cause, well, I have a story in it).
I attended in 2017 as a scholarship recipient, and was immediately struck by the friendliness and inclusiveness of the group--the 'tribe' as they say--from multi-year attendees to faculty. The faculty includes luminaries in SFF--in my year: Kevin J Anderson and Rebecca Moesta, who founded and anchor the event, Jim Butcher, Dave Farland, Todd McCaffrey, Jody Lynn Nye, James A Owen, and more, as well as Kristin Nelson (founder of the Nelson Literary Agency), Claire Eddy (senior editor at Tor), Steve Feldberg from Audible, Lisa Magnum (Deseret Book), and others. The approachability of the faculty was evident throughout the multiple days of the seminar, unlike some conferences where guests are seen at presentations, signings, and possibly meals, then vanish into thin air the rest of the time, or spend BarCon (if there is one) in close conversation with peers.
As a past winner of Writers of the Future, I'd met Kevin, Rebecca, Dave, and Todd previously. Here, as at WotF, I found them extraordinarily generous in sharing both their knowledge and their time. At the time I attended, I was conflicted about a career decision I needed to make. I approached Dave Farland with my dilemma--his response, let's sit down and talk about it. And we did. I've paid for entire seminars for the opportunity of a one-on-one like that. I'm not saying that to imply that the faculty can or will spend a chunk of individual time with each of the 130 or so attendees, but to emphasize the spirit of giving that pervades at Superstars.
If you'd like to attend but can't afford the registration, consider applying now for a scholarship. The application period closes Sept. 10th. Conversely, if you'd like to donate to the scholarship fund, there's a donate button at the website. Better still, get something back and buy one of the anthologies listed on the scholarship page (plus be sure to watch for the new one out early next year, Undercurrents: An Anthology of What Lies Beneath, 'cause, well, I have a story in it).