Call for Proposals: C.D. Wright Women Writers Conference

Call for Proposals (deadline 3/15/17) from women (including anyone who identifies as a woman) writing in any genre in any field.

The C.D. Wright Women Writers Conference invites proposals for presentations at our inaugural conference to be held November 3-4, 2017 at the University of Central Arkansas.

C.D. Wright was a nationally acclaimed poet with Arkansas roots. Inspired by her legacy, our mission is to recognize, promote, and encourage a diverse range of women writers, including any writer who identifies as female. Participants will explore opportunities, challenges, and trends specific to women writers through keynote presentations, panel discussions, craft talks, a book fair, and workshops led by contemporary authors. The conference will offer writers a space to gather for inspiration, further education, support, and networking.

General Information

Sessions will be 75 minutes and may employ a variety of formats, including panel discussions, craft talks, publishing advice, readings, or workshops. Proposals may be submitted as individuals or as pre-formed panels. Individual proposals that are accepted will be grouped into panels by the conference organizers.

To submit a proposal, please use the Proposal Submission Form. 

Conference presenters and attendees must register for the full conference. There will be opportunities to apply for needs-based scholarships that cover registration costs. 

The C.D. Wright Women Writers Conference is a space to celebrate, study, and advance the work of women writing in all genres, from journalism to mass market books, academic writing, literary endeavors, and beyond. We will address the value of adding women’s voices to the collective, cultural conversations about writing and the danger of limiting or excluding these voices. While we hope our audience will draw women from all over the country, there will be a special emphasis on women from the South. Participants’ work may focus on any subject area; however, the focus of the conference is not on those fields of study but on the writing itself.

Possible topics for proposals may include the following:

• Navigating the publishing industry as a woman

• Identifying challenges faced by women writers, particularly in the South

• Balancing writing with work, family, and social groups

• Collaborating with and mentoring other women writers

• Making space for diverse voices and perspectives

• Historicizing women writers and movements

• Writing about trauma

• Developing the writer’s craft

• Gathering sources for information and inspiration

• Finding and appealing to a target audience

• Finding trustworthy feedback

• Dealing with publisher rejection

Please go here to access the Proposal Submission Form. Proposals can be submitted through the conference website, by email:

 cdwrightconferenceATgmailDOTcom (Change AT to @ and DOT to . ), 

or by mail: 

C.D. Wright Women Writers Conference
University of Central Arkansas, Department of Writing
Thompson 306, 201 Donaghey Ave.
Conway, AR 72035.

Proposals will be accepted from November 3, 2016 to March 15, 2017. Presenters will be notified of acceptances in April. Registration will open in April.