Local Writers Extras

She’s back!

Our photographer extraordinaire Kelly Sime will be back for the 2023 conference to take author photos! We have been truly lucky to have Kelly at many of our Writers Conferences in the past. She is a blast and takes fabulous photos. Whether you already have a headshot or have never had one before, Kelly can take your next great author photo!

Kelly has more than 20 years of event and portrait photography experience, and her specialties are candid and photojournalistic images. If you’d like to have your photo taken, you can find Kelly near the drop-in activity tables during the conference. In just a few minutes you and Kelly can create your new professional author photo that authentically reflects your personality. Plus all photos are free! Your author photo will be available online 2-4 weeks after the conference.

You can register for the conference here. Registration isn’t required but is appreciated, and your RSVP includes both days of the conference, Nov. 3 and 4. Sessions are available on a first-come first-serve basis. We will also be hosting a Writers Conference Kickoff on Thursday, Nov. 2.

Composing music and putting pen to paper are similar creative processes. Just like listening to a playlist inspires the imagination, learning how composers write music can inspire how you approach your own writing. Melding the worlds of music composition and creative writing, Allison McIntosh will guide Writers Conference attendees though inspiring exercises. 

Allison McIntosh is a Midwest-based composer originally from the Pacific Northwest. Her music often involves influence from literature, and one of her main passions in music is writing for voice. Her first chamber opera, The Murderess, explores issues of feminism and medical autonomy through a lens of true crime. Her music also often connects her passion for music history to her interest in innovation and experimentation. McIntosh has attended festivals such as the Hot Air Music Festival, Cortona Sessions, and the Walden School, as well as many academic conferences throughout the country. Her music has been performed by many talented musicians including the Washington Masters Chorale, Landlocked Opera Company, Sputter Box Ensemble, the Meadowlark Project, and members of the Grand Teton Festival Orchestra. She enjoys interdisciplinary collaboration with institutions like the Spencer Museum of Art and the University of Kansas' School of Journalism and Mass Communications. She has seen her works performed at Boston Symphony Hall, New England Conservatory’s Jordan Hall, and the National Presbyterian Church, as well as many other venues throughout the country. McIntosh graduated with a Doctorate of Musical Arts from the University of Kansas, where she studied with Ingrid Stölzel. She also holds a Master's of Music from the New England Conservatory, where she studied with Michael Gandolfi, and a bachelor's degree from Tufts University. In addition to composing, she has a passion for education and pedagogy. She currently serves as an instructor of composition at Missouri Western State University. Outside of music, McIntosh works as an Adult Services Specialist at the Johnson County Library.

We are very pleased to announce that Allison McIntosh will teach two lectures at this year’s Writers Conference! She will facilitate a session on how to transform a text from page to screen, as well as a session on experimental composition styles inspired by musical sources.

You can register for the conference here. Registration isn’t required but is appreciated, and your RSVP includes both days of the conference, Nov. 3 and 4. Sessions are available on a first-come first-serve basis. We will also be hosting a Writers Conference Kickoff on Thursday, Nov. 2.

Journaling is a great addition to any writer’s practice—just ask Jerri Miller! She teaches about the importance of journaling in accomplishing goals, polishing writing skills, and encouraging self-compassion. We’re so excited to have Jerri Miller at the Writers Conference this year!

When the blinking cursor on the computer screen blinks one too many times without a word written, Jerri Miller finds solace in the space between the blue lines of notebook paper. The visceral feel of pen and paper allows her to be messy until the right words come. A writer, journaler, and poet, Jerri often scratches out lines before they begin to live in pixels. Journaling gave her the courage to self-publish a collection of essays that weave together her writing and running practices and led her to discover self-compassion. In addition to her essay collection, Running Through My Thoughts, she has also published a guide to creating and working toward goals with self-compassion titled, Goals, but Different, and a short story told in a relay of flash fiction pieces titled “Everything Remains,” which is published in Community Voices III as part of graduating the Written Storytelling Certificate program through Mid-Continent Public Library in partnership with Metropolitan Community College. She is currently working on a paranormal romance titled Shadow of the Light, with another essay collection and book of poetry to soon follow ̶ all of which she also plans to self-publish. When Jerri isn’t writing, she can be found tying her shoelaces for a run, paging or listening to a book, planning her next trip, framing a photograph, or researching another topic she’s found interesting. You can find her at her website, www.EverydayScribe.com.

Jerri will be facilitating two workshops: “Goals but Different: Building a Writing Practice with Self-compassion" and “The Magic of Journaling for Writers.” If you struggle with an inner writing critic and want to learn how to harness the power of journaling in your own writing practice, you won’t want to miss Jerri Miller’s sessions.

You can register for the conference here. Registration isn’t required but is appreciated, and your RSVP includes both days of the conference, Nov. 3 and 4. Sessions are available on a first-come first-serve basis. We will also be hosting a Writers Conference Kickoff on Thursday, Nov. 2.

Inspired by this year’s conference book, By the Book: Writers on Literature and the Literary Life from The New York Times Book Review, we asked Jerri a few questions to get to know her better:

1. What's in your TBR pile?

Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi

Homecoming by Kate Morton

The Fieldhouse by Robin Clifford Wood

2. What are you reading right now?

Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi

3. Do you have a favorite book you love to recommend?

I cannot select a favorite—that’s too hard, but two I often recommend are The Perfectionist’s Guide to Losing Control by Katherine Morgan Schafler for Nonfiction and Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier for fiction.

4. Do you have a favorite bookstore?

I don’t have a favorite. I love all local bookstores.

5. Answer the question you wish we had asked.

Favorite place to read? Outside, but really anywhere at anytime!

You may have met Amy Leigh Harden at last year’s Writers Conference, or maybe you attended one of the Craft of Writing book discussions this past year that she and fellow writer Amber A. Logan facilitated. If so, you know that Amy Leigh is a delightful presenter and insightful teacher. We are so excited to have Amy Leigh Harden on faculty at the 2023 Writers Conference!

Amy Leigh Harden was born and raised in Kansas City, Missouri. She is an author of historical and romantic suspense novels. Amy Leigh has a passion for dinners with friends, road trips on two lane highways, and all things much older than herself. You can find out more about Amy and her books on her website. 

We are lucky to have Amy Leigh back on faculty this year. She will teach three sessions at this year’s conference: a session on why reading books on craft is important during all stages of a writer’s career, a session on how to polish a first draft, and an interactive workshop on how to create an outline for any story. 

You can register for the conference here. Registration isn’t required but is appreciated, and your RSVP includes both days of the conference, Nov. 3 and 4. Sessions are available on a first-come first-serve basis. We will also be hosting a Writers Conference Kickoff on Thursday, Nov. 2.

Inspired by this year’s conference book, By the Book: Writers on Literature and the Literary Life from The New York Times Book Review, we asked Amy Leigh a few questions to get to know her better:

1. What's in your TBR pile? 

My TBR pile is 20 books deep ... all Golden Age mystery writers. I've been on such a mystery kick and can't get enough of those classic locked room mysteries. 

2. What are you reading right now? 

My current "read" is actually a "listen" because with school starting back up I've had more time for audiobooks. (The Doorbell Rang - Nero Wolfe by Rex Stout.) 

3. Do you have a favorite book you love to recommend? 

Best written book I've read this year is The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman. 

4. Do you have a favorite bookstore? 

Rainy Day Books! 

5. Answer the question you wish we had asked.

Kindle vs Paper vs Audiobook and why? I read in all three formats but I'm particularly loving audiobooks lately because I find it so easy to get lost in the book.

We are thrilled that Ryan Bernsten will be joining us for the 2023 Writers Conference! You may have already ‘met’ Ryan when he was in conversation with memoirist Diana Goetsch over the summer (see their conversation on writing, teaching, personal journeys in the LGBTQ+ community, and more here.) He will be presenting four sessions at the Writers Conference in November, from a session on travel writing to a session on playwriting, a lecture on persuasion through narrative essay, and a workshop on submitting work for publication.

Ryan Bernsten is a graduate of Northwestern University and Oxford's Creative Writing Master's program. He is the author of "50 States of Mind: A Journey to Rediscover American Democracy." In addition to working as a food-writing contributor for The Infatuation, Ryan has written for The Fulcrum, The Oxford Political Review, USA Today, and The Trevor Project, where he is the Senior Managing Editor. Ryan is an award-winning playwright whose plays have been performed across the US and UK. You may have seen him onstage at the Unicorn Theatre in “The Inheritance” or chatting with Helen Mirren as a Slytherin contestant on “Harry Potter: Hogwarts Tournament of Houses” on HBO Max.

You can register for the 2023 Writers Conference here. Registration isn’t required but is appreciated, and your RSVP includes both days of the conference, Nov. 3 and 4. Sessions are available on a first-come first-serve basis. We will also be hosting aWriters Conference Kickoff on Thursday, Nov. 2.

Inspired by this year’s conference book, By the Book: Writers on Literature and the Literary Life from The New York Times Book Review, we asked Ryan a few questions to get to know him better:

1. What's in your TBR pile? 

Kaikeyi: A Novel by Vaishnavi Patel

2. What are you reading right now?

Reaganland by Rick Perlstein

3. Do you have a favorite book you love to recommend? 

House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski or The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller

4. Do you have a favorite bookstore? 

Prospero's Books

5. Answer the question you wish we had asked.

If anyone's told you that you must specialize in one writing medium, they are incorrect.

The click of the keys

On the cherished typewriter

Brings all of us joy

This attempt at a haiku is inspired by an exciting announcement: Rye Lanae Boothe will bring her Magic Typewriter Surprise to the Writers Conference this year! You can go home with your own personalized short poem, printed from her very own special typewriter. Rye wants her poems to leave you “feeling connected, uplifted, held in a caring gaze and walk away with a one-of-a-kind piece of art in the process.” How cool is that?

Rye Lanae Boothe is a poet, director, and multidisciplinary artist. Her childhood was spent onstage in the KC youth theater scene. While attending a ministry school in California, she also studied acting, dance, and spoken word poetry. She has hosted for Poetic Underground KC and Paradox KC. She has produced/directed a number of immersive art experiences, most recently Gummy Vitamins: A cross disciplinary collaborative queer art show designed to nourish the community as it inspires. In 2019, her poetry chapbook "I Have a Crush on Everyone and Everyone has a Crush on Me" debuted. Her project Magic Typewriter is ongoing and is part writing, part performance, wherein Rye writes you a snapshot of your soul on her typewriter. Rye Lanae believes in making art to heal herself and heal the world. You can find her on Instagram at @rye.lanae.boothe and on her website, www.ryelanaeboothe.com.

You can find Rye and her Magic Typewriter Surprise in the open space with other drop-in activity tables for you to enjoy in-between sessions. 

You can register for the conference here. Registration isn’t required but is appreciated, and your RSVP includes both days of the conference, Nov. 3 and 4. Sessions are available on a first-come first-serve basis. We will also be hosting aWriters Conference Kickoff on Thursday, Nov. 2.

Wondering about what comes after a first draft? What about knowing when to “show” vs “tell” in your writing? Maybe you’ve read a book on craft but aren’t quite sure how to best implement what you’ve learned. Amber Logan is here to help you with your writing woes!

Amber A. Logan is a university professor, freelance editor, and author of speculative fiction living in Overland Park, KS with her husband and two children—Fox and Willow. In addition to her degrees in Psychology, Liberal Arts, and International Relations, Amber holds a PhD in Creative Writing from Anglia Ruskin University in Cambridge, England. Amber’s debut novel, The Secret Garden Of Yanagi Inn, is an adult contemporary gothic retelling of the children's classic The Secret Garden set near Kyoto, Japan. When she’s not writing, Amber enjoys trips to Japan, exploring unusual vegetarian foods, and reading Haruki Murakami.

We are thrilled that Amber will be joining us at the Writers Conference this year to offer a class called “When to Show vs Tell.” She will also join Amy Leigh Harden for two presentations: “Why (and How) to Read Books on Craft” and “What Comes After the First Draft.” Amber and Amy led craft book discussions this past year at the Central Resource Library, and they were a total success. We can’t wait to have them back at the conference this year!

You can register for the 2023 Writers Conference here. Registration isn’t required but is appreciated, and your RSVP includes both days of the conference, Nov. 3 and 4. Sessions are available on a first-come first-serve basis. We will also be hosting a Writers Conference Kickoff on Thursday, Nov. 2.

Inspired by this year’s conference book, By the Book: Writers on Literature and the Literary Life from The New York Times Book Review, we asked Amber a few questions to get to know her better:

1. What's in your TBR pile? 

My TBR pile is ever growing! Top of the pile right now are About Writing by Samuel R. Delany and Tyranny of Faith by Richard Swan. I like to be reading at least one non-fiction and one fiction book at all times.

2. What are you reading right now? 

Right now I am reading Yellowface by R.F. Kuang and absolutely loving it. I am a sucker for books about authors.

3. Do you have a favorite book you love to recommend? 

I just finished reading an ARC of Caitlin Starling's Last To Leave The Room and was absolutely swept away by it. I can tell it is my new "everyone must read this book" book.

4. Do you have a favorite bookstore?

I live within walking distance of a Half Price Books, so they probably get most of my disposable income, but I really love Rainy Day Books and Monarch Books & Gifts for their cozy vibes and helpful staff members. 

5. Answer the question you wish we had asked.

Q: Who is an underrated author more people should be reading? A: I discovered author An Yu awhile back, and she immediately became an "auto-buy" author for me. Her two novels are Braised Pork and Ghost Music, and if you love the kind of dreamlike slipstreamy vibes of Haruki Murakami, you will love them.