Writers Conferences: Sewanee, Bread Loaf, Santa Barbara and More

Thousands of aspiring authors attend writer workshops and conferences held around the world every year. In fact, it's become an industry of sorts. Many of these conferences are teaching seminars geared to the craft of writing. Of these, most are sponsored by universities and colleges, attracting high-profile novelists and poets as instructors and speakers. Other conferences also act as a writers' marketplace, inviting literary agents, publishers, and editors. Networking is encouraged at these events while discouraged at the more craft-oriented conferences.

Bread Loaf Writers Conference

Founded in 1926, Bread Loaf is the granddaddy of American writer workshops and conferences. It's held on the campus of Middlebury College in Ripton, Vermont, and is definitely a craft-oriented conference. Bread Loaf attracts top speakers and instructors including the likes of Ann Beattie and Madison Smartt Bell. The Conference is also known for its distinguished alumni including Eudora Welty, Carson McCullers, and Hilma Wolitzer. For those who have the talent but may be financially challenged, scholarships and fellowships are offered for the 11-day Bread Loaf Conference.

Sewanee Writers Conference

Held annually on the campus of the University of the South, the prestigious Sewanee Conference was established through a grant from playwright Tennessee Williams' estate. Like Bread Loaf, the Conference attracts notable authors as speakers and instructors. Unlike Bread Loaf, Sewanee also invites the publishing world's top editors and literary agents. Also unlike Bread Loaf, the Sewanee Conference offers strong emphasis on dramatists due to the influence of Tennessee Williams. It also sponsors a Young Writers Conference geared to high school students.

Santa Barbara Writers Conference