2026 Conference Schedule and What to Look Forward to:
Discounted Conference lodging
Navigate to the 2026 Conference Lodging page where you will receive a discount on the conference hotel fees.
Author Bookstore!
During the conference, author attendees will have the opportunity to sell their books in the AWC Bookstore. The Bookstore, which will be run by conference volunteers, will operate throughout the conference. Here’s what you need to know:
Attending AWC Member authors and conference faculty members will receive free use of the Bookstore for selling their books.
Member authors and attending faculty can receive 1 designated space at a table for Free.
All Related Bookstore Usage Fees (Non-Refundable):
Member authors and faculty members that wish to purchase more Bookstore space up to half a table only will be charged a $15 fee for the extra space.
Non-member authors will be charged a $15 fee for use of the Bookstore for selling their books.
Non-member authors can receive more space up to half a table for an extra charge of $15.
All books must be retrieved by attendees on the last day of the Bookstore (time TBD). Books will not be shipped back to authors who have left them with the AWC Bookstore.
More to come…
2026 Conference Schedule
and session descriptions
All workshop sessions are at Homewood Public Library, 1721 Oxmoor Rd, Birmingham, AL 35209
Friday, September 11
11 AM - Registration and Bookstore Opens
12:45 PM - Welcome
1 PM - Using Dream Imagery in Writing - with Miriam Calleja
2 PM - Panel Discussion: How to Write Stories People Can’t Stop Reading - with Audrey Atkins, Mary Dansak, TK Thorne - Moderated by Javacia Harris Bowser
3 PM - Creating Poetry Collections Readers Will Love - with Kwoya Fagin Maples
4 PM - What Authors Should Know about AI - with Carrie Rollwagen
5 PM - Bookstore Closes
6 - 8 PM - Wine Down Social & Open Mic
at Little Professor Bookshop, 2738 18th St South, Homewood, AL 35209
Saturday, September 12
8 AM - Registration and Bookstore Opens
8:30 AM - Welcome
9 AM - The Business of Writing - with Bob McGough
10 AM - What Comes After: Responsible Practices for the “After” Poem - with Jermaine Thompson
11 AM - Getting started as a writer? How to get published - with Catherine Hamrick
Noon - Lunch Break
2 PM - A Soulful Approach to the Creative Process - with Charlotte Donlon
3 PM - Changing the world through children’s literature - with Tanisa Moore
4 PM - Steps to Traditional Publishing: The Manuscript is Completed, What Now? - with Hallie Christensen
5 PM - AWC Annual Meeting
Sunday, September 13
8 AM - Awards Brunch with Keynote Address and Presentation of Awards Certificates
Keynote Speaker: Salaam Green, Birmingham Poet Laureate
Keynote Address: The Courage to Write Now
Awards Brunch will be held at Vulcan Park & Museum, 1701 Valley View Dr, Birmingham, AL 35209
workshop descriptions
Keynote: The Courage to Write Now – Salaam Green, Birmingham Poet Laureate
In times of uncertainty, division, and rapid change, writers are called to do more than tell stories; they are called to bear witness, preserve truth, inspire hope, and imagine new possibilities. The Courage to Write Now affirms the enduring capacity of words to illuminate, connect, and inspire change and the power of the written word in tumultuous times. Join us as we celebrate the transformative role of writers in shaping meaning and reimagining the narrative when it matters most.
Panel Discussion: How to Write Stories People Can't Stop Reading – Audrey Atkins, Mary Dansak, TK Thorne; Moderated by Javacia Harris Bowser
Whether you're crafting a novel, writing a memoir, publishing a newsletter essay, or reporting for a newspaper, the ability to tell a compelling story is what keeps readers hooked. Join writers from fiction, creative nonfiction, and journalism as they reveal the storytelling techniques that transcend genres. We’ll discuss character development, scene and suspense building and much more. No matter what you write, you'll leave with practical tools to make your work more engaging, more memorable, and impossible to put down.
Using Dream Imagery in Writing – Miriam Calleja
Dreams are portals—surreal, symbolic spaces where the conscious and subconscious blend into a conversation about our deepest desires, fears, and unspoken truths. How can we tap into this nightly resource to inform our writing and our self-knowledge? In Using Dream Imagery in Writing, you will learn different ways to access your unique dreamscapes through group reading and discussion, reflective writing, and guided exercises. You don’t need to remember your dreams in detail to attend this workshop. Bring ideas, images, and thoughts to use as starting material.
Creating Poetry Collections Readers Will Love – Kwoya Fagin Maples
A poetry collection is more than a gathering of poems—it's a reading experience. In this presentation, we'll examine how to select and strengthen poems for your manuscript, develop the themes that give your collection cohesion, and create corollaries. We'll conclude by discussing ways to create a collection that invites engagement, connects with a wider audience, and is ready for submission to presses and contests.
What Authors Should Know about AI – Carrie Rollwagen
This session explores the ethical questions writers are already grappling with: Is it okay to use AI tools in your process? What do you owe your readers, your publisher, and yourself when it comes to disclosure? What does AI mean for the future of books and the writers who create them? We'll also look at practical ways writers can use AI without using it as a substitute for the creative process. Drawing on her background as a writer, bookseller and book critic, Carrie Rollwagen brings several different perspectives to a conversation the industry is still figuring out.
The Business of Writing – Bob McGough
Writing the book is only half the battle. In 'The Business of Writing' workshop author Bob McGough offers advice for writers looking to master the art of making money from their creativity. Learn about diversification, the role of social media, the importance of marketing and branding, and a host of other related topics.
What Comes After: Responsible Practices for the "After" Poem – Jermaine Thompson
Art is a conversation between the medium, the artist, and the audience. Often in the life of a poet, we are moved by the artistic expressions of others and feel led to join the conversation through our writing. This practice is commonly known as the "after" poem. In this workshop, Jermaine Thompson will invite participants to observe the conversations that poems can have with other poems, discuss the ethics of the "after" poem, provide examples, and lead participants into writing and sharing their own.
Getting started as a writer? How to get published - Catherine Hamrick
If you want to build your professional bio as an author, pitching short pieces is a great way to begin. You’ll learn the ins and outs of submitting, from choosing literary journals to tracking your progress. You’ll also get an overview of how to pitch consumer and trade publications.
Presenter Catherine Hamrick worked as an editor and freelance writer in magazine and book publishing before pivoting to digital marketing.
A Soulful Approach to the Creative Process – Charlotte Donlon
You don't need perfect conditions to be a writer. You need permission to bring your whole, imperfect self to your creativity—along with a framework and practices that actually nourish you along the way. Alabama artists and writers have created not despite their complexity, but because of it. We'll draw on that tradition—through poems rooted in Alabama landscapes, prose that captures the texture of our places, and art born from this region's communities—as we explore what it means to live a sustainable, soulful creative life. Writer and spiritual director Charlotte Donlon will guide participants through four essential movements of the creative life: Belong, Become, Behold, and Bestow. Through contemplative practices, honest storytelling, and wisdom from artists and writers across traditions, this workshop treats all of life, not just the "good" or "easy" parts, as sacred ground for creative flourishing. This session is for all writers. People of deep faith and profound doubt are equally welcome here. No religious prescription is required—only a willingness to show up as you are. You won't leave with a productivity plan. You'll leave with something better: a deeper sense of yourself as a writer and an approach to creativity rooted in soul care and the place you inhabit.
Changing the world through children’s literature – Tanisa Moore
“If children can live it, they can read it.” Ebony Lynn Mudd
Using picture books or other genres in children’s literature is a great way to tackle hard topics such as race, sexuality, and other tough subjects. When done right, these types of books can help children develop empathy and open the door to meaningful dialogue.
Steps to Traditional Publishing: The manuscript is completed, now what? - Hallie Christensen
You've typed "The End," celebrated, and told friends your book is finished. Now what?
This workshop will guide you through the next steps on the road to traditional publication. Learn how to write a query letter that grabs attention, create a one-page synopsis that won't put agents to sleep, find your book's literary cousin (also known as comp titles), and choose and craft a one-sentence pitch that clearly communicates your story. We'll also cover how to find literary agents and some key differences between traditional publishing and self-publishing, so you can decide which path is right for you. Whether you're preparing to query your first manuscript or simply wondering how the publishing world works, you'll leave with a clearer roadmap—and hopefully a little less confusion about what comes after "The End."