WriteAngles Conference

9:45am EDT

Mastering the Three-Act Structure for Novels

Saturday October 24, 2026 9:45am - 11:00am EDT

Write a novel that grips readers from the first page and never lets go. In this workshop, you’ll master the classic three-act structure—a time-tested framework that underpins some of the most compelling stories across genres. We’ll explore the essential components of each act, from inciting incidents to climactic resolutions, and we'll analyze a few bestselling novels that have used this structure effectively.

Megan Tady is the author of Bluebird Day, a Washington Post Noteworthy Book, and Super Bloom, which was awarded an IPPY Gold medal for Best Regional Fiction in the Northeast. She runs the freelance writing and editing company Word-Lift and offers book coaching and ghostwriting. Her writing has appeared in Oprah Daily, People, L.A. Parent, Woman's Day, Writer's Digest, The Huffington Post, and Ms. Magazine, among others. Megan lives in Western Massachusetts with her family.

www.megantady.com

Workshop Leaders and Agents

Megan Tady

Workshop Leader

Megan Tady is the author of Bluebird Day, a Washington Post Noteworthy Book, and Super Bloom, which was awarded an IPPY Gold medal for Best Regional Fiction in the Northeast. She runs the freelance writing and editing company Word-Lift and offers book coaching and ghostwriting... Read More →

Saturday October 24, 2026 9:45am - 11:00am EDT

Block One, Prose

Audience Emerging Writers
Subject Poetry, Publishing, Craft, Generative, Prose, Fiction, Non-Fiction, Novel, Structure

9:45am EDT

Pathways to Publishing

Saturday October 24, 2026 9:45am - 11:00am EDT

Dining Commons - Blake Student Commons

Pathways to Publishing - Moderator: Julie Schlack. Panelists: Becky Hilliker, Samantha Kolber, Randy Zucco

While the Big Four continue to dominate the commercial publishing landscape, an exciting array of alternatives are gaining traction. Independent traditional publishers, hybrid publishers, and self-publishing providers are all enabling both agented and unagented writers to get their work out into the world. In this session, we’ll explore how each of these models work and take your questions about which approach might be best for you.

Workshop Leaders and Agents

Julie Schlack

Moderator

Julie is the author of "This All-at-Onceness" a linked essay collection named one of Kirkus Review’s 100 Best Indie Books of 2019, and of the novel "Burning and Dodging.” Her newest novel, “Whistlebrook,” will be released in late 2026. She is a regular contributor to Cognoscenti... Read More →

Samantha Kolber

Publishing Panelist, Rootstock Publishing

Rootstock Publishing () is a curated hybrid and traditional publishing house collaborating with authors—the rootstock of creative content. Rootstock’s books have won multiple awards, including, among others, the Eric Hoffer Award, the IPPY, Foreword INDIES, the IBPA Book Award... Read More →

Becky Hilliker

Köehler Books, Vice President and Executive Editor

Becky learned the power of words at the age of six, when she slid a note under her sister's door that said “I don’t love you—I don’t even like you.” That declaration moved her sister, who never tattled again. Becky coauthored the 2015 novel Sisters of Shiloh with that s... Read More →

Randy Zucco

Publishing Panelist

Randy has been a worker/owner at Collective Copies for 28 years. In that time they launched Levellers Press and several imprints. Randy has overseen the development of E-book conversion and distribution and is also a Senior Account Executive with several titles out including one of... Read More →

Saturday October 24, 2026 9:45am - 11:00am EDT
Dining Commons - Blake Student Commons 588 Longmeadow St, Longmeadow, MA 01106

Block One, Publishing

Audience All Levels
Subject Poetry, Publishing, Craft, Generative, Prose

9:45am EDT

Publishing Your Poetry

Saturday October 24, 2026 9:45am - 11:00am EDT

Whether you want to submit individual poems to journals or publish a complete manuscript, this workshop will give practical advice for presenting your best work. We'll explore how to find journals and presses that best fit your writing style, the importance of formatting, titles, and cover letters, poetry contests and the option of self-publishing. Publication involves risk-taking, so we'll also talk about dealing with rejection.

Workshop Leaders and Agents

Gail Thomas

Workshop Leader

Gail Thomas has published seven books, most recently This World. Her poems have been widely published in journals and anthologies. Among her awards are the A.V Christie award from Seven Kitchens Press for Trail of Roots, the Charlotte Mew Prize from Headmistress Press for Odd Mercy... Read More →

Saturday October 24, 2026 9:45am - 11:00am EDT

Block One, Poetry

Audience All Levels
Subject Poetry, Publishing

9:45am EDT

The Art of Memoir

Saturday October 24, 2026 9:45am - 11:00am EDT

We each have a story. How do we get our story on the page? This workshop will offer techniques to awaken personal stories through writing exercises, readings, and discussion. Open to writers who are beginning their story as well as those who are already 'on the page.'

Workshop Leaders and Agents

Celia Jeffries

Workshop Leader

Celia Jeffries is the author of the award-winning novel BLUE DESERT. Her work has appeared in numerous newspapers and literary magazines including Westview, Solstice Literary Magazine, and Puerto del Sol, as well as the anthology Beyond the Yellow Wallpaper. Jeffries holds an... Read More →

Saturday October 24, 2026 9:45am - 11:00am EDT

Block One, Memoir

Audience Emerging Writers
Subject Poetry, Publishing, Craft, Generative, Prose, Memoir, Non-Fiction

9:45am EDT

The Stories We Carry

Saturday October 24, 2026 9:45am - 11:00am EDT

"The Stories We Carry" is a workshop that explores identity and how it shapes voice, memory, and storytelling. Participants will first embrace some of the stories they have been told, and then with guided prompts, reflection and creative writing, they will reclaim their narrative, and share the stories they want to tell. This workshop is ideal for poets, memoirists, and emerging writers seeking authentic voice, cultural connection, and creative empowerment.

Workshop Leaders and Agents

Darlene Elias

Workshop Leader

Darlene Elias is a writer and poet from Western Massachusetts whose work lives at the intersection of identity, resistance, and radical imagination. She uses literature, poetry, and spoken word to elevate and affirm her experiences as part of the Puerto Rican diaspora in the United... Read More →

Saturday October 24, 2026 9:45am - 11:00am EDT

Block One, Prose

Audience Emerging Writers
Subject Poetry, Publishing, Craft, Generative, Prose, Fiction, Non-Fiction, Essay

9:45am EDT

Where Ideas Come From

Saturday October 24, 2026 9:45am - 11:00am EDT

TBA

Writers are tasked with constant invention, whether starting fresh or developing an existing project. If you’ve ever felt stuck, you may have wondered, how DO we come up with great ideas? We’re going to learn to trigger our internal geniuses––the powerful mechanism of invention that resides within each of us.

Workshop Leaders and Agents

Sarah Jane Cody

Workshop Leader

Sarah Jane Cody is a writer of surreal and magical literary fiction and nonfiction and author of the webcomic Bathrobe Gal. Her writing has appeared in The Common, Gulf Coast, Joyland, Electric Literature, The New York Times, The Cincinnati Review, and elsewhere, and has been nominated... Read More →

Saturday October 24, 2026 9:45am - 11:00am EDT
TBA

Block One, Prose/Poetry