Kachemak Bay Writers’ conference named a top retreat

Poets & Writers Magazine has named the Kachemak Bay Writers Conference one of its 22 most inspiring writers retreats in the United States.

In an article in the March-April issue, 2018 keynote speaker Anthony Doerr wrote, “What I most admired about the Kachemak Bay Writers’ Conference was the closeness of the community: You can close-read a poem one hour, talk about screenplays the next, then have a drink with somebody who lives in darkness most of the winter and who cares for her neighbors in a way not too many people in the Lower 48 do anymore. If you’d like to pay more attention to the land, make a bunch of new friends with life experiences different from yours, and get away from screens for a bit, Kachemak Bay is worth a look.”

Registration is now open for the 2019 Kachemak Bay Writers’ Conference to be held June 14-18 at Land’s End Resort in Homer, Alaska and presented by Kachemak Bay Campus of Kenai Peninsula College-University of Alaska Anchorage.

The conference will feature 18 other award-winning, nationally recognized authors, editors and agents who will conduct creative writing workshops, readings, craft talks and panel presentations in creative fiction, nonfiction, poetry and the business of writing.

This year’s keynote speaker is Pulitzer Prize poet and essayist Diane Ackerman, author of “The Zookeeper’s Wife” and “A Natural History of the Senses.”

Other national and Alaskan presenting and visiting writers will be award-winning poets, essayists and novelists Kazim Ali, Martha Amore, Barrie Jean Borich, Janet Lee Carey, Richard Chiappone, Elizabeth Evans, Jamie Ford, B.J. Hollar, Erin Coughlin Hollowell, Ishmael Hope, Christian Kiefer, Nancy Lord, Rosemary McGuire, Kristin Nelson, Elena Passarello and Tess Taylor.

Presenters will explore a variety of genre and topics of interest including fiction and non-fiction, poetry, nature writing, editing, publishing, and the business of writing.

Optional activities include manuscript reviews, editor-agent consultations, receptions, a boat cruise and open “mic.”

Evening readings on June 15-17 by visiting writers will be open to the public at no charge.

A special post-conference writing workshop will be held across Kachemak Bay at Tutka Bay Lodge for conference registrants.

The conference’s early registration fee is $395 and includes meals and workshops. The deadline for “early bird’ registration is May 1.

There is a special UA admitted student rate.

Advanced registration is required. For program and registration information, visit http://writersconference.homer.alaska.edu.