What would you like to find?

Mary Silwance is a poet, a former English teacher, and editorial team member for Kansas City Voices. She’s passionate about the natural world and uses her voice to educate people on climate change. Her environmental activism sometimes finds its way into her work; but so does womanhood, diversity (or the lack thereof), joy, pleasure and beauty. She explores ecology from an intersection of justice and spirituality in workshops and was a recent attendee of the Bread Lo

Portia Stewart isn’t coming to the Writers Conference to teach us how to write, at least not in the conventional sense. Her sessions have nothing to do with the craft or the semantics of writing, nor do they focus on making our writing better through revision or research or collaboration. And yet, her sessions are vital to the very essence of writing in that they are all about focus, creativity, and finding the energy and drive to keep writing, even when the writing

Beth Gruver Gulley is a Kansas poet and professor who likes to get lost in the woods. She has a curious, adventuresome streak: she’s jumped from moving buses in Paraguay, visited the breeding ground for Giant Chinese Salamanders, and run more than fifty miles at a time. Beth has published five collections of poetry: “The Sticky Note Alphabet,” “Dragon Eggs,” "The Love of Ornamental Fish,” "Little Fish: Tiny Mediations on Freedom,” and “Since Corona Ruined Our Trip t

Jim Cosgrove lives in a quiet suburb of Kansas City with his wife, Jeni, their two daughters, and a handsome rescued mutt. If his name sounds familiar to you, then chances are you have some kiddos at home who love to move and groove to the music of Mr. Stinky Feet, Jim’s other alias. Having performed over 4,500 high energy shows at home and abroad, in addition to his music videos racking up 2.3 million views online, it is no wonder Jim has been decorated with a doze

Show of hands: how many of you have an author photo? How many have an author photo that you love? If you’re like me, having your photo taken isn’t exactly your favorite thing. I can think of countless other things I’d rather do than have my picture taken. But here’s the thing: when you want to put your writing into the world, people will want to see YOU. You’ll need a photo if you want to publish work online, because most places ask for a short bio and a photo. You’

We can’t have a Writers Conference without books, can we?  Sure, the conference will happen in a library, a place full of books and people who can help you find even more books. And faculty members have books that they’ve written that you can buy. But there’s something special about having one book that you know others have read (or at least skimmed) before we’re all in the same space. (There’s also something special about getting a copy of your own, for free, when