June 9-15, 2005

mixpicks

Write About Now

by A.D. Amorosi

conference

Say you're a Philadelphia writer. What do you do? Bitch about how inconceivable it is that Jennifer Weiner gets the attention of Hollywood directors, beyond those working for Oxygen? Force yourself to blog, choosing a name indicative of local yokelness? No. You conferrrr. At least you do if you're part of the Philadelphia Writers' Conference. Founded in 1949, the PWC was built to breed camaraderie, constructive criticism and guidance amongst area scribes and, perhaps, those who loved them but found it hard to cram writerly wisdom. Fifty-six years later, the PWC expands its range for the novice and the pro who are interested in tightening their sentence structure.

This year's event, "The Writer Within," will be a three-day networking, teaching and workshopping conference, with "manuscript rap" sessions and a roundtable forum with a buffet and cake. Most of all, writers published, unpublished and unpublishable get to hear the best and brightest discuss how they did and didn't succeed: Columnists from the Philly Inquirer like Jane Eisner, op-ed chief Chris Satullo and freelancers like Jonathan Maberry will discuss getting one's ideas onto the page. Melissa Jacobs manages to dis the aforementioned Weiner and score bonus points for her own debut novel (Lexi James & the Council of Girlfriends) with her chick-lit roundtable, "Beyond Shoes: How to Write Strong Female Characters." There will be local novelists and poets whose work you've never heard of, but should. And shouldn't.

Best yet, there'll be sessions with editors and agents from Max Gartenberg Literary Agency, Running Press/Perseus Books and beyond, wherein they'll be made uncomfortable having to read your pitiable fiction while you, the needy writer, stare longingly. Better have some of that cake.

Philadelphia Writers' Conference: The Writer Within, Fri-Sun., June 10-12, 9:30 a.m.-4 p.m., $195, Holiday Inn, Independence Mall, Fourth and Arch sts., 215-677-2570, www.pwcwriters.org.