Featured Speakers:

John Mark Eberhart | Poetry, Grief and Solace: Creating Out of Darkness.
A round-table discussion on writing during difficult times. First, is it possible? Or was Wordsworth right, and must writing always come only during "emotion recollected in tranquility"? If not, how do we as writers identify work that is worth keeping when it is attached to highly emotional events in our lives? Three handouts provided for critique and analysis.

Linda Joyce | Creativity Block-Busters!
A hands-on workshop that provides writers with tools that help bust through mental clutter, remove psychological and physical barriers to writing, identify their best time for productivity, and achieve their writing goals through relaxed focus. Handouts provided.

Maril Crabtree | Creating a Sense of Place Through Flow Writing.
How do you create a sense of place that is rich with detail? Through brief writing exercises we’ll explore some ways in this hand-on session.

Theresa Hupp | Grounding Creativity in Reality: Researching Setting with Google Maps.
Google Maps and other online tools can help you research current and historical settings for both fiction and non-fiction. If place, terrain and landmarks – real or imaginary – are important in your writing, this session will provide you with information to improve your descriptions.

Mary-Lane Kamberg | Creating Laughter.
Make money making people laugh with tips and techniques for writing humor. This workshop includes practical tips to get your readers (and editors) laughing. Are you a natural comedian? Where do you get ideas? What formats inspire humor? Why is word choice important? More!

Lawrence and Suella Walsh | Creating Children’s Fiction.
Tips on how to get your writing noticed and discovering the world through the eyes of a child.

• Conference Brochure •


Registration |
Early Bird Registration is $50.00 if postmarked by June 30.
($65 if postmarked after June 30)

• Registration Form •


Questions |
info@kansascityvoices.com

Speaker Bios:
Maril Crabtree writes creative nonfiction and poetry. She has edited four anthologies of poetry and essays published by Adams Media. Her chapbook, Dancing with Elvis, was published in 2005 and a second chapbook, Moving On, was published in 2010. She is currently poetry co-editor for Kansas City Voices and a member of the Board of Directors for The Writers Place. www.marilcrabtree.com

John Mark Eberhart is the author of two poetry collections, Night Watch and Broken Time. For a decade he was Books Review Editor for The Kansas City Star. He now serves as an information specialist for Johnson County Library's Corinth Branch. Eberhart's work has appeared in New Letters, Pleiades, the Mid-America Poetry Review and many other publications. He has won dozens of academic and writing awards.

Theresa Hupp is a prize-winning author who writes novels, short stories, essays and poetry. She is also an attorney, mediator and human resources professional. Theresa is a member of the Kansas City Writers’ Group and the Oklahoma Writers Federation, Inc.

Linda Joyce is an award-winning writer born in Biloxi, Mississippi who has lived all over the United States and in Japan. She is a member of the Kansas City Writers Group, Heartland Romance Authors, Missouri Writers’ Guild where she serves as newsletter editor, vice president of Whispering Prairie Press and creative director for Kansas City Voices magazine. She is published in poetry and nonfiction. Please visit her on Facebook and www.linda-joyce.com

Mary-Lane Kamberg is a professional writer with 14 published books, including The “I Don’t Know How To Cook” Book, The I Love To Write Book, and (with Rolland Love) Homegrown in the Ozarks: Mountain Meals and Memories. Her humor pieces have appeared in The Christian Science Monitor, Kansas City Star, Johnson’s County Gazette, Best Times, and other publications. She is co-leader of the Kansas City Writers Group and a member of the Board of Directors of the Missouri Writers Guild. www.kansascitywriters.com

Lawrence and Suella Walsh are a published authors –fiction and non-fiction, editors, and conference speakers who teach writing classes, including “Writing Children’s Literature” and “Writing Mystery Fiction” at Johnson County Community College. www.walshwritingservices.com