Are you a first-time attendee of the WV Writers Spring Conference?
Keep reading for a guide to planning your conference experience.
Staying overnight and/or eating meals at Cedar Lakes? You must fill out the Cedar Lakes registration form under the conference tab.
When you arrive at Cedar Lakes Conference Center, stop at the Cedar Lakes office. The office is the first building on your right as you drive in. They will give you your meal ticket and your room key.
Where do you go next? The Assembly Hall - Cedar Lakes staff can give you directions.
Check in at the registration table. You can pay at the door if you aren’t pre-registered. You’ll receive your name tag, conference program, and writer’s wall ballots. We accept cash, checks, and credit cards for registration and in the bookstore.
Are the snack and drinks free? Yes! Stop by the reception table for a cold (or hot) drink and a snack. If you’d like, feel free to bring some to share.
What is the Writer’s Wall? You can bring a one-page piece of poetry and/or prose to post anonymously to the wall (which means, naturally, that your name must not appear on it). First, see someone at the registration table. They will assign each of your entries a number. Then post it with the other entries. All attendees can vote for their favorite three entries using the ballot slip they receive at registration. The winners will be announced at the Awards Banquet on Saturday night.
What are the People's Choice sessions? On Saturday, there are sessions for prose and poetry readings. Attendees are invited to read a piece of their work less than 3 minutes. After all the pieces are read, ballots will be passed out to those present to vote on their favorites during that session. Winners will be announced at the Awards Banquet on Saturday night.
Do I have to register for the individual workshops in advance? No! Just pick them as you go. It’s a good idea to consider taking at least one workshop outside of your chosen genre for the broadened experience, and because you might find inspiration or a nugget of writing wisdom, you can apply it to your own writing.
What should I wear? Be sure to dress for warm weather, but bring a sweater and an umbrella. It’s not uncommon for it to rain on at least one of the conference days. The classrooms can also be hot or cool. Wear comfortable shoes for walking between workshops, to and from the dining hall, or taking strolls around the grounds of Cedar Lakes.
