RWR 2024
Event Program
WELCOME
Let’s Write! Let’s Listen! Let’s Learn! Let’s Connect!
Our goal is to foster creativity in our community. We are coming together for a weekend to celebrate and elevate the art of writing. Wherever you are in your writer journey, you are welcome here!
This year, we expanded our roster of presentations, and by your request, we worked with presenters to create interactive workshops where you can put pen to paper. We have two open mics, two writing contests, raffles, prizes, and a bunch of writers coming together right here in Rockaway Beach. It’s gonna be fun, and we have expanded a lot since last year!
Tickets are available now, space is limited, get ‘em while they’re hot!
Event Schedule
Keep scrolling for details on all workshops!
TWO Open Mic Performances at The Tiebreaker
194 US-101, Rockaway Beach, OR 97136
Friday April 26 at 7 pm
Saturday April 27 at 7 pm
Workshops at Rockaway Community Church
400 S 3rd Ave, Rockaway Beach, OR 97136
Saturday April 27
8:30 am - 5 pm
Networking Breakfast and Award Ceremony at The Lions Club
268 S Anchor St, Rockaway Beach, OR 97136
Sunday April 28
8:30 am - 12 pm
Friday & Saturday Open Mics
APRIL 26 & 27 | 7 pm | The Tiebreaker
We are kicking off the event with our first open mic night. Thank you to our friends at the Tiebreaker for hosting! This night will be open to anyone who wants to read a short story, or an excerpt from a longer piece, share their poem, perform an original song, or ???
We will continue the fun on Saturday, both nights are opportunities to share your creativity with our community.
2024 WORKSHOPS
SATURDAY APRIL 27th
Workshops are at Rockaway Community Church
Check the schedule below for times!
Please note that we have simultaneous presentations. Times are confirmed, all workshops are taking place in the lower level of Rockaway Community Chhurch
ROCKAWAY WRITERS RENDEZVOUS 2024
Keynote Presentation
Mark Yaconelli
The Healing Power of Stories
TIME & LOCATION
1:30 pm | Rockaway Community Church | Main Hall | 90 minutes
About the Workshop
“Now more than ever, we need a book and a teacher such as this.”
–Anne Lamott, New York Times bestselling author
In an increasingly fast-paced and fractured world, sharing stories can be a radical and deeply human practice for uncovering the ties that bind us to one another. Story invites us to step into the reality of another’s existence and instead of judgment feel kinship. In the pages of Between the Listening and the Telling, storyteller, author, and activist Mark Yaconelli leads readers into an enchanting meditation on the power of storytelling in our individual and collective lives. Through his work with The Hearth nonprofit, Yaconelli has served communities across the United States and the United Kingdom employing stories to bridge divisions, heal trauma, shed light on injustice, and recover hope. In this inspiring and interactive keynote, Mark Yaconelli will show how stories can heal our families, our world, and ourselves.
About Mark
Mark Yaconelli is a speaker, community-builder, and author of Between the Listening and the Telling: How Stories Can Save Us and five previous books. As founder and director of The Hearth nonprofit, Yaconelli has worked with The Ford Family Foundation, Compassion International, The Greenbelt Arts Festival, The Eli Lilly Foundation, The American Burn Association, and The Mexican-American Center of Austin, among other organizations. Yaconelli holds an MA in Spirituality from the Graduate Theological Union and received a spiritual direction diploma from San Francisco Theological Seminary. Interviews and profiles of Mark’s work have appeared in the Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, BBC Radio, and ABC World News Tonight. He and his wife have three grown children and live in Ashland, Oregon.
Learn more about Mark
VIDEO Interview: Anne Lamott Interviews Mark Yaconelli About His Newest Book
WORKSHOP 1
“Organizing and Maintaining a Helpful Writing/Critique Group”
PRESENTED BY
Kizzie Jones
TIME & LOCATION
9 am | Rockaway Community Church | Room TBD | 50 mins
Workshop Overview
How do you find or create a writing/critique group that polishes your writing project while giving you a lift of confidence? In this session, you will learn the essentials of establishing group norms and creating a safe avenue for supportive and genuine feedback.
20-year writing/critique group veteran, Kizzie Jones, will take you through all the steps!
The first 12 attendees will receive a signed complimentary anthology, Writing in Place: Prose & Poetry from the Pacific Northwest. This book was compiled by Kizzie’s writing/critique group, the Edmonds Writing Sisters.
About the Presenter
Kizzie Jones credits her successful publishing career to her critique group, The Edmonds Writing Sisters, which began over 20 years ago. Kizzie spoke recently at the Edmonds, Washington conference “Write on the Sound” about Indie Publishing and Marketing and keeps busy promoting her children’s book trilogy of Dachshund Tall Tales and her writing group’s anthology Writing in Place: Prose and Poetry from the Pacific Northwest.
FOLLOW & MORE INFO
WORKSHOP 2
“So You Want to Be a Writer”
This is a special workshop for adults and students aged 12 and up. If you are starting your exploration of the craft, this is the place to be!
PRESENTED BY
Randall Platt
TIME & LOCATION
9 am | Rockaway Community Church | Room TBD | 50 mins
Workshop Overview
A fun, creative, and interactive workshop for ages 12 and up (adults are welcome!) where mayhem often reigns, ideas are tossed about, challenged, honed, and within an hour, we will have plotted a novel, developed key characters, and created realistic motivations.
About the Presenter
Randall Platt has authored eleven historical novels for adult, middle, and young adult readers. Platt’s fiction has been awarded the Keystone State Reading Award, has three times received the WILLA (Cather) Literary Award, and twice the Will Rogers Medallion for Best Young Adult fiction. Platt has been a finalist for the PEN Center USA Literary Award. Three of Platt’s more recent novels. Liberty’s Christmas, The Girl Who Wouldn’t Die, and Professor Renoir’s Collection of Curiosities, Oddities, and Delights were finalists for the Washington State Book Award. Platt’s first novel, The Four Arrows Fe-As-Ko, was filmed by Sullivan Entertainment and released as Promise the Moon.
Platt is a sought-after speaker at writer workshops, conferences, and libraries - from workshops for at-risk kids in detention to presenting at MFA programs. Platt lives in the Puget Sound region of Washington State and curates slang for an interactive database when not writing or researching.
Platt will play anyone in a friendly handball match who shows up at a book event with gloves and eye-guards.
FOLLOW & MORE INFO
www.plattbooks.com
Or search by book title at your favorite bookshop:
Professor Renoir’s Collection of Oddities, Curiosities, and Delights
HarperCollins Children’s Books
Winner WILLA (Cather) Literary Award
Finalist Washington State Book Award
The Girl Who Wouldn’t Die
Sky Pony Press
Finalist Washington State Book Award
Incommunicado
Sky Pony Press
Scholastic pick for Teen Book Clubs
The Cornerstone
Catbird Press
WORKSHOP 3
“Self Publishing Bootcamp”
PRESENTED BY
John Daily
TIME & LOCATION
10 am | Rockaway Community Church | Room TBD | 50 mins
Workshop Overview
Ever dreamed of becoming a published author but didn't know where to start? Learn the essential steps to kickstart your publishing journey, from preparing your manuscript to choosing the right Print on Demand service. Discover how to obtain an ISBN number, order book proofs, publish under a pen name, and master the art of selecting the perfect physical size for your book. Get the information you need to choose between hard cover and paperback publications, black and white or color book interiors, and the many choices available in paper types, weights, and colors.
Follow along as I give a demonstration on how captivating book layouts and covers are designed from start to finish, giving you an introduction to the industry standard tools (including Adobe Indesign and Photoshop) you can learn to use in the future. Then you'll be guided through a step-by-step tutorial on self-publishing as a brand-new, unpublished book is submitted to Amazon's Print on Demand service live during the workshop. We will also explore other exciting publication media like eBooks, audiobooks, podcasts, and streaming videos.
No prior experience necessary. With informative demonstrations and expert guidance, unleash your creativity and release your story into the world. Don't miss out on this empowering workshop where you'll learn everything you need to know to become a self-published author!
About the Presenter
John Daily has been writing and publishing books for over 15 years. Before moving to Oregon, he taught various technology, visual arts, and critical studies classes at LTU in Chatsworth California, where he was eventually asked to help develop the university curriculum and serve on the Visual Arts Board.
John has been a technology consultant, actor, radio host, and founder of five small publishing companies including 1888 Press, J3 Media, Elysian Press, ATP (Alternative Travel Press), and UP (Unnecessary Press).
FOLLOW & MORE INFO
WORKSHOP 4
“Writing to Heal”
PRESENTED BY
Sydney Elliot
TIME & LOCATION
10 am | Rockaway Community Church | Room TBD | 50 mins
Workshop Overview
Writing can be cathartic and healing, especially in nonfiction. But exploring past trauma via writing has pitfalls, not only for the writer but also the intended audience. This workshop will explore healthy approaches to the nonfiction narrative based on research, neuroscience, and the input of authors of various genres to create a tool kit for those wanting to discover the nature of trauma and its transformative powers.
“This appears to be the final lesson for me—to appreciate someone’s embrace not as forgiveness or as an amical judgement but as an acknowledgement that, from time to time, private life becomes brutally hard for every one of us.” –Barry Lopez
About the Presenter
Sydney Elliott graduated from Pacific Lutheran University's Rainier Writing Workshop in creative nonfiction. Elliott is a published poet and writer, awarded teacher, as well as an English professor for Tillamook Bay Community College and Oregon State University. She is the editor of the Community College Humanities Review and is also the editor of Fireweed: Poetry of Oregon. Sydney also volunteers for Tillamook Search and Rescue and owns a kayak company.
FOLLOW & MORE INFO
WORKSHOP 5
“Poetry Poker with Ms. Clifton”
PRESENTED BY
David Pickering
TIME & LOCATION
11 am | Rockaway Community Church | Room TBD | 60 mins
Workshop Overview
This fun and easy workshop will be focused on generating new work!
Your writing will be informed by four cards dealt to you face-down from a deck that features lines of poetry by Lucille Clifton.
You will start by turning over your first card, reading the line and beginning your poem.
Then, at timed intervals, you will be asked to reveal each additional card as you write. This should inspire your work to take several unexpected turns. We all have unexpected lines in us that can move, surprise, and delight.
So, come to this workshop and find a few of them by playing poetry cards with your friends. The only way to lose this game is by not playing!
About the Presenter
David J.S. Pickering is a native of Rockaway Beach, and a proud graduate of Neah-Kah-Nie High School (Go Pirates!).
His first poetry collection, Jesus Comes to Me as Judy Garland, received the Airlie Prize in 2020. His poetry is published in a variety of journals including Tar River Poetry, Mantis, Fireweed, Reed Magazine, Pine Row, Raven Chronicles, and Gertrude Journal.
In 2022 David was recognized by the GLAPN as a Pacific Northwest Queer Hero. He lives with his husband in Hillsboro, Oregon.
FOLLOW & MORE INFO
WORKSHOP 6
“Write for Readers, Edit for Submission”
PRESENTED BY
Holly Lorincz (Cloud & Leaf Bookstore)
TIME & LOCATION
11 am | Rockaway Community Church | Room TBD | 50 mins
Workshop Overview
This workshop is for both fiction and non-fiction writers working on a manuscript they hope to submit for publication. The content will offer nuts-and-bolts tips on what readers will expect from your work and what agents and acquisition editors will be looking for in submissions. Lorincz will cover the basics with easy-to-apply suggestions ranging from developmental notes, editorial guidelines, and formatting requirements.
About the Presenter
Holly Lorincz the owner of Lorincz Literary Services (and Cloud and Leaf Bookstore) is an award-winning collaborative/ghostwriter, working with both authors and publishers. She has edited hundreds of manuscripts for publication, both fiction and non-fiction, and published fourteen titles, including Crown Heights, Smarth Mouth, and The Invisible Machine.
FOLLOW & MORE INFO
WORKSHOP 7
“Writing for Film: Creating Action Sequences”
PRESENTED BY
Dawn Sellers
TIME & LOCATION
11 am | Rockaway Community Church | Room TBD | 50 mins
Workshop Overview
Writing good action for screenplays involves creating dynamic, engaging sequences that capture the audience's attention and drive the story forward.
In this one-hour workshop, attendees will learn tips for writing effective action scenes using the "Show, Don't Tell" principle. By following this method, attendees will learn to write action scenes that are engaging, immersive, and effectively convey the story to the audience without using exposition as a storytelling tool.
A hands-on writing exercise will give attendees the choice of either re-writing a provided action sequence or using their own idea to write an action sequence using the methods taught in this workshop.
Follow-up discussion will be about the attendees’ experience in the hands-on exercise, any questions, and a brief time for attendees to share what they’ve written if they choose.
About the Presenter
Dawn Sellers is an award-winning writer of features and episodic screenplays. Also, a director and filmmaker, she is currently in production for her comedy pilot Almost Boston. Dawn creates female-driven stories in diverse worlds and believes storytelling can influence connection and perception.
Growing up in the Pacific Northwest, Dawn watched daytime soaps, spaghetti westerns, and sitcoms. She reads thrillers, horror, and true crime, and is always writing. After careers in healthcare, a retail and estate sale antique business, and owning a restaurant/bar, Dawn now writes full-time while living at the edge of the forest in Portland, Oregon with her writer, actor, and producer husband.
Dawn is engaged with connecting filmmakers as a founder of the Portland area nonprofit, POV Filmmakers. She has previously volunteered as chairperson of a city arts council and board secretary for the local Women in Film chapter. She enjoys experiencing life through travel, hiking, and yoga.
FOLLOW & MORE INFO
Dawn can be found on all the socials and her website,
DawnSellers.com
WORKSHOP 8
“Writing for Young Adults”
PRESENTED BY
Randall Platt
TIME & LOCATION
3 pm | Rockaway Community Church | Room TBD | 50 mins
Workshop Overview
What Are These Things Called Teens, and How Can I Possibly Write for Them?
Young adult fiction has never been bigger. How do we reach these teens? What issues are they interested in learning? What is this language they speak? What if I don’t even begin to understand who and what they are in this day and age? These are not your grandparent’s teens! They aren’t even OUR teens! But they are teens and they are reading! Let’s go find them!
About the Presenter
Randall Platt has authored eleven historical novels for adult, middle, and young adult readers. Platt’s fiction has been awarded the Keystone State Reading Award, has three times received the WILLA (Cather) Literary Award, and twice the Will Rogers Medallion for Best Young Adult fiction. Platt has been a finalist for the PEN Center USA Literary Award. Three of Platt’s more recent novels. Liberty’s Christmas, The Girl Who Wouldn’t Die, and Professor Renoir’s Collection of Curiosities, Oddities, and Delights were finalists for the Washington State Book Award. Platt’s first novel, The Four Arrows Fe-As-Ko, was filmed by Sullivan Entertainment and released as Promise the Moon.
Platt is a sought-after speaker at writer workshops, conferences, and libraries - from workshops for at-risk kids in detention to presenting at MFA programs. Platt lives in the Puget Sound region of Washington State and curates slang for an interactive database when not writing or researching.
Platt will play anyone in a friendly handball match who shows up at a book event with gloves and eye-guards.
FOLLOW & MORE INFO
www.plattbooks.com
Or search by book title at your favorite bookshop:
Professor Renoir’s Collection of Oddities, Curiosities, and Delights
HarperCollins Children’s Books
Winner WILLA (Cather) Literary Award
Finalist Washington State Book Award
The Girl Who Wouldn’t Die
Sky Pony Press
Finalist Washington State Book Award
Incommunicado
Sky Pony Press
Scholastic pick for Teen Book Clubs
The Cornerstone
Catbird Press
WORKSHOP 9
“Ethical Use of AI”
PRESENTED BY
John Daily
TIME & LOCATION
3 pm | Rockaway Community Church | Room TBD | 50 mins
Workshop Overview
Artificial Intelligence is quickly changing the landscape of the publishing industry. Join this immersive 50-minute workshop and delve into the intricate world of Artificial Intelligence alongside fellow writers. Through engaging group activities you'll actively participate in the creation of text, images, and even voice content using various AI platforms, gaining firsthand insight into their capabilities and limitations. Learn the ins and outs of selecting the right AI platform for your needs, from understanding user privacy and content ownership rights to evaluating costs and the quality of their services. Learn how to set up user accounts and start working with different AI platforms, ensuring seamless integration into your writing and publishing workflow. Then learn to master the art of crafting effective AI prompts, unlocking the full potential of AI tools for your creative projects.
Group discussions will illuminate the ethical complexities surrounding AI, empowering you to establish your own ethical boundaries in utilizing AI tools and navigate the gray areas of AI ethics with confidence. From copyright concerns to AI biases, we'll explore it all, equipping you with valuable secrets, hacks, and shortcuts for maximizing AI efficiency along the way. Then we will explore the future of AI and its potential impact on education, accessibility, and beyond.
No prior experience necessary. Don't miss your chance to harness the power of AI ethically and effectively in your writing and publishing journey.
About the Presenter
John Daily has been writing and publishing books for over 15 years. Before moving to Oregon, he taught various technology, visual arts, and critical studies classes at LTU in Chatsworth California, where he was eventually asked to help develop the university curriculum and serve on the Visual Arts Board.
John has been a technology consultant, actor, radio host, and founder of five small publishing companies including 1888 Press, J3 Media, Elysian Press, ATP (Alternative Travel Press), and UP (Unnecessary Press).
FOLLOW & MORE INFO
WORKSHOP 10
“Play Writing Basics”
PRESENTED BY
Doug Sellers
TIME & LOCATION
4 pm | Rockaway Community Church | Room TBD | 50 mins
Workshop Overview
In this workshop, a novice will learn how to format a play script and build a world in which their characters live.
Key elements include:
What type of stage, their story is intended to be told on.
Budget concerns.
Story and character development, create conflict and resolution to end their play.
Choosing the play type that fits the story they want to tell and making sure that there is a beginning, middle, and end.
Create character and storyline arcs.
Limit dialogue to only benefit the story being told.
Proper layout.
How to get your work performed.
How We’ll Do It
Create a ten-minute outline as a group, creating the world, the characters, storyline, arcs, and ending. (if time permits dialogue as well).
About the Presenter
Award-winning playwright and screenwriter. Having written over thirty scripts in the last three years, Doug is eager to help others who thought writing wasn’t for them.
Doug’s plays are now being performed in theatres throughout the United States. An actor in film and theatre for forty years, Doug has taken to writing, directing, and producing.
Doug and his award-winning screenwriter wife Dawn have started up a production company in Portland, they film SAG/AFTRA projects. They attend film festivals and are filming their first TV Pilot this March. Their company Is Broken Toe Productions. (there’s a story).
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WORKSHOP 11
“Writing As a Creative Practice”
PRESENTED BY
Isa De Quesada
TIME & LOCATION
4 pm | Rockaway Community Church | Room TBD | 50 mins
Workshop Overview
In 1978, author Ray Bradbury told a group of aspiring writers to write a hell of a lot and that it didn’t matter what the quality of the writing was, just sit in front of the typewriter and throw up every day. Yet, most writers struggle to sit in front of a blank page. To establish a “practice” that yields results is even harder to do. If this sounds familiar, then this workshop might be perfect for you.
Based on the journey of finding the motivation to get to the computer daily with ease and excitement to getting published, you will be introduced to materials and tools that can guide you on how to establish a daily sustainable writing practice and accomplishing solid revisions which will lead you to produce publishable pieces. The workshop will offer understanding of the submission process and how to implement it into your writing routine.
By the end of the workshop you will have explored the components to get you from blank page to publication and you will understand the Ten Plus One plus One Guide. The goal of this workshop is to empower you to walk away with a writing plan that utilizes creative play, focused revisions, and fits into your lifestyle.
About the Presenter
Isa de Quesada has been writing poems since she was 11 years old. She majored in Creative Writing and graduated from the University of California, Irvine where she studied with poet, Charles Wright. In the mid 80’s through the 90’s, she studied with Jack Grapes in Los Angeles and worked as an associate editor for Onthebus Literary Magazine. Her poetry and essays have been published in literary journals and magazines.
Isa retired as an English teacher in 2018 and moved to the Oregon Coast to write full time. She completed her first novel, Portrait of a Punk Life, and is currently at work on her second novel while continuing to write poetry, stories, and essays. Some of her poems can be found at www.isadequesada.com. She is assistant editor for Oregon’s Fireweed Literary Journal. She also offers editorial and coaching services for writers.
FOLLOW & MORE INFO
www.editorforwriters.com
Sunday
Awards Ceremony, Networking and Group Breakfast
DOORS AT 8:30 am - AWARDS at 10:00 am - EVENT CONCLUDES at NOON
Join us on Sunday at the Lions Club where we will announce the winners of the writing contests and draw the winning raffle tickets. You do not need to be present to win, but you must arrange pickup if you can’t attend. Please note that breakfast is a suggested donation of $10, it’s optional, but we would love to support the Lions Club as they do a lot for our community!
Exciting stuff!
Do you have your ticket?
Space is limited, get your tickets now! Tickets are just $20 which gives you access to the entire event, plus a raffle ticket where you might win one of several amazing local gift baskets. Did we mention it’s for a good cause? Probably a lot, but we mean it!