RWR 2026
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 is our fourth year! Watch for our roster of presentations and interactive workshops where you can put pen to paper. Join us for two open mics, two writing contests, raffles, prizes, and a bunch of writers coming together right here in Rockaway Beach. It’s gonna be a great weekend!
Event Schedule
Keep scrolling for details on all workshops!
TWO Open Mic Performances at The Tiebreaker
Sign up for Open Mic
194 US-101, Rockaway Beach, OR 97136
Friday April 24 at 7 pm
Saturday April 25 at 7 pm
Workshops at Rockaway Community Church
400 S 3rd Ave, Rockaway Beach, OR 97136
Saturday April 25
8:30 am - 5 pm
Networking Breakfast and Award Ceremony at The Tie Breaker
194 US-101, Rockaway Beach, OR 97136
Sunday April 26
8:30 am - 12 pm
Friday & Saturday Open Mics
APRIL 24 & 25 | 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.
2026 WORKSHOPS
SATURDAY APRIL 25th
Workshops are at Rockaway Community Church
Check the schedule!
Please note that we have simultaneous presentations.
ROCKAWAY WRITERS RENDEZVOUS 2026
Keynote Presentation
Dr. Julie Albright
TIME & LOCATION
1:30 pm | Rockaway Community Church | Main Hall | 90 minutes
About the Keynote
The Human Story Behind the Screen: Writing Connection in Disconnected Times
In an era when we're more digitally connected than ever yet feel increasingly isolated, how do writers craft stories that truly bring people together? Digital sociologist and author Dr. Julie Albright explores how writers can bridge generational, cultural, and digital divides through authentic storytelling. This talk examines the power of place-based narratives and offers practical wisdom for creating work that fosters genuine human connection—honoring traditional voices while navigating modern platforms.
Bio
Julie M. Albright, Ph.D.
Julie Albright is a digital sociologist, author, and lecturer at USC's Viterbi School of Engineering. She is the author of Left to Their Own Devices: How Digital Natives Are Reshaping the American Dream (Prometheus Books), recognized as a Bloomberg Top 30 Book of the Year and the inspiration for the new documentary The Cost of Convenience.
Her insights on technology and society have appeared in The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and on NPR, CNN, and the Today Show, among others. She has delivered keynotes at Google, Harvard, and TEDx Boulder, and holds a Ph.D. in Sociology and Marriage and Family Therapy from USC, where she is a researcher and lecturer in the Viterbi School of Engineering.
Jon Albertson
Workshop
The Unrelated Poetic Relative
Baudelaire says poetry is less about words than it is about seeing the connections between the seemingly unrelated, and giving that words. Jon’s workshop at RWR 2026 focuses on specific tools and practices poets–and all writers–can use to individualize their writing, and distinguish it from the AI blather that permeates so much 21st century writing.
Bio
Jon Albertson is a retired English teacher and professional Renaissance Man. In the early 2000s, after grad school and his early teaching career, Jon’s writing focus shifted to poetry, publishing in online publications such as Non-Euclidian Cafe, and traditional publications such as Renaissance Magazine. Jon spent the last 20 years of his teaching career teaching AP English Lit, Poetry, and a broad smattering of literature elective classes he designed for an arts magnet school in the Portland suburbs. Today he spends his time collecting perspective by caring for his mid-century-modern home and its heirloom fruit trees and berries. He enjoys caring for mason bees, brewing cider, puttering around on old cars and in his woodshop, writing weekly essays and poetry for his blog, Live Analog (albertsonj.substack.com), playing guitar at local cafes, wineries, and galleries (jonbalbertson.bandzoogle.com), and making coffee dates with alumni and colleagues. Jon has an MA in English, focusing on Composition and Renaissance Drama.
Michael Bergmann
Workshop
IncubatorU 5-Step Methodology
The workshop introduces writers to the IncubatorU 5-Step Methodology as a practical, repeatable framework for turning creative possibility into sustained momentum. Centered on Imagine, the session begins by opening untethered pathways—free from genre, format, or feasibility—before guiding participants through Identify and Initiate to surface existing resources and design a first, accountable action. Using the circular IncubatorU model, the workshop reinforces that writing growth is not linear: Implement and Integrate bring the work into the world, absorb real feedback, and intentionally loop writers back to Imagine with greater clarity and confidence. Participants leave not just inspired, but equipped with a durable process they can revisit across projects, careers, and communities.
Bio
Michael Bergmann is the author of Innovation from the Ground Up and the creator of the IncubatorU 5-Step Methodology, a practical framework for moving ideas into action without diminishing creative ambition. With more than 30 years of experience in product creation, sustainability, and innovation leadership—including senior roles at Nike—he has led transformative work across organizations, communities, and creative practices. Bergmann’s workshops help writers and creators move from possibility to progress through structured imagination, resource awareness, and accountable next steps that extend well beyond the conference experience.
Beyond his professional work, Michael has been married for 39 years and is the father of four adult children and grandfather to five grandchildren. He and his family share life with two energetic dogs. Michael splits his time between Portland and Sunriver and makes annual trips to a remote cabin in Colorado, where he disconnects to refresh, read, and write.
Duncan Birmingham
Workshop
BRAINSTORMING YOUR HORROR SCREENPLAY
Are you horror-curious? As a comedy writer who started working in horror features a few years ago, I’ll talk about my own journey into the genre. We’ll break down why horror has proved so resilient while many other film genres have lost relevance in the movie-going landscaping. Using recent indie and studio films as examples, we’ll discuss staples of the genre and different ways horror writers are taking their projects to market (spec scripts, short stories, proof of concept short films).
Having discussed the genre, we’ll do generative exercises to help you brainstorm ideas for your own horror screenplay. I'll teach a method to use the classic two or three sentence Hollywood logline as a way to brainstorm, refine and organize the idea for your script. This working logline will act as your suitcase as you pack for your journey into the dark heart of your horror project!
Bio
Duncan Birmingham is a writer and filmmaker based in Los Angeles. His feature film debut as a writer and director "Who Invited Them" was named one of the best horror films of the year by The Hollywood Reporter and his short films have played numerous festivals including Sundance and AFI. He was the writer and executive producer of the Marc Maron IFC comedy "Maron" and has worked as a writer-producer on various shows including the Starz comedy "Blunt Talk" starring Patrick Stewart and David Fincher's "Videosyncrazy" for HBO. His short story collection "The Cult in My Garage" was published by Maudlin House press. The Los Angeles Review of Books wrote the collection "cast an unexpected spell" and "brims with wit, insight and hilarity." Ploughshares wrote the book "recalls such masters as Ring Lardner and Nathanael West."
Marc Johnson
Workshop
Writing Non-Fiction, History and Committing Journalism
Marc Johnson has worked as a broadcast journalist, an advisor to a governor, a crisis communication consultant and has published three books on American political history. His work has appeared in scholarly journals including Montana The Magazine of Western History and the California Journal of Politics and Policy. His opinion writing has appeared in the New York Times, He authors a regular Substack, writes regular newspaper columns and is currently at work on a new book.
In his workshop Johnson will discuss, among other things:
Selecting a subject
Conducting research, including utilizing primary and secondary sources
Getting organized to write
What to avoid and who to consult
Bio
Marc C. Johnson is a historian, writer, and author most recently of Mansfield and Dirksen: Bipartisan Giants in the Senate, published September 2023 by the University of Oklahoma Press.
Johnson is the author of two other University of Oklahoma Press books - Political Hell-Raiser: The Life and Times of Senator Burton K. Wheeler of Montana (2019) and Tuesday Night Massacre: Four Senate Elections and the Radicalization of the Republican Party (2021).
Johnson writes a weekly political column for the Lewiston, Idaho Tribune and a Substack on history and politics.
Before retirement in 2017, Johnson was a partner at Gallatin Public Affairs, a Pacific Northwest public affairs/issues management firm. He managed the firm’s Idaho office from June 1994 to September 2012 and served as president of the firm from January 2006 until July 2010.
Johnson served as chief of staff to four-term Idaho Governor Cecil D. Andrus from January 1991 to May 1994. As chief of staff Johnson had day-to-day management responsibility for the staff and budget of the governor’s office. He also served as the governor’s staff liaison to several state agencies including the Idaho Departments of Commerce, Transportation, Finance, and Insurance.
Before being promoted to chief of staff, Johnson served four years as press secretary to Governor Andrus. He also served as campaign press secretary for the governor’s 1986 and 1990 election bids.
Johnson has a varied mass communications background including experience in radio, television, and newspaper journalism. He has written political columns and done extensive broadcast reporting and producing. Prior to joining Governor Andrus’ campaign staff in January 1986, Johnson served as managing editor for Idaho Public Television’s award-winning Idaho Reports program, a nightly one-half hour public affairs/news program that was broadcast statewide on Idaho’s public television network.
Johnson also produced and wrote numerous documentaries and hosted political debates. Several of his programs have been aired regionally or nationally on PBS and his writing has appeared in Montana: The Magazine of Western History, the Indiana Magazine of History, the New York Times, the Washington Post, The Bulwark, California Journal of Politics and Policy, The Blue Review, and the website Zocalo Public Square.
Adam Sawyer
Workshop
The Power and Value of Vulnerability in Your Writing
We all strive to create a deep sense of connection with our readers. There might be no better way to foster authentic connectivity than through our own vulnerability. In this workshop, we will discuss the power of vulnerability in our writing and some methods for developing and employing it. We’ll also touch on things to keep in mind or consider when telling stories and conveying emotions from such personal places.
Bio
Adam Sawyer is an outdoor and travel writer, photographer, published author, guide, and public speaker based in Tillamook. In addition to authoring numerous guidebooks, his work has appeared in several local and national outlets. He facilitates conversations for Oregon Humanities, centered around recovery and grieving in nature. And his weekly Substack newsletter, Collecting Sunsets, covers a broad set of topics including grief, addiction and recovery, travel, and the regenerative powers of nature.
Lori Tobias
Workshop
Wait! Before you hit Publish...
Lori Tobias has reviewed self-published books for Blue Ink Reviews since its inception in 2010. In this workshop, she’ll share the most common and damning mistakes and missteps she sees; the simple issues that spoil an otherwise potentially promising read and the single most common problem she sees in 90 percent of the books she reviews. And, lest it should all get too overwhelmingly dismal, she’ll also talk about the winners, the rare starred reviews she’s given and what made them stand out – even above traditionally published books.
Bio
Lori Tobias is the author of Storm Beat – A Journalist Reports from the Oregon Coast, a memoir published by Oregon State University Press in 2020 and Wander, a novel published by Red Hen Press in 2016 and winner of the Nancy Pearl Literary Award. She is a career journalist, previously on staff at The Oregonian and the Rocky Mountain News. She is a columnist for Oregon Arts Watch, a reviewer for Blue Ink Reviews and freelances for The Oregonian, Homes and Gardens Colorado, Smart Cities, and others. She lives on the Oregon Coast with her husband Chan and rescues pups Gus, Lily & PennyJane.
Cheryl Wanner
Workshop
HOW TO CRAFT CHARACTERS READERS WILL LOVE
Ever read a book where you couldn’t get into the characters or, worse yet, disliked them? Chances are, the fault lies with the characters themselves, not the plotline they were created for.
Characters are the core of any story, and if readers aren’t invested, they won’t stick around to see where your plot takes them.
Great characterizations combine winning strengths with relatable flaws/fears along with past hurts/losses that must be challenged before your creations become better versions of themselves.
This workshop will explore the key elements of characterization with tips on how to craft them through deep development and the use of Show-Don’t-Tell. Also included will be how to use setting as a character.
ABOUT THE WORKSHOP PRESENTER
I’m a Young Adult author, amateur photographer, and long-time contributor to Oregon Coast Magazine. Originally from California, I relocated to Oregon in my late teens where I met and married the love of my life, raised two kids, hosted numerous foreign exchange students, and assisted in running a business.
Sydney Elliott
Workshop
Writing, Grief, and Breaking the Fourth Wall
What is grief if not love persevering? –Vision in the TV series Wandavision
Writing about grief and trauma can present pitfalls for many writers. These pitfalls can often leave your reader behind or feeling like they are on the outside peering in rather than actively engaged with your work. Graphic novels and comics, in particular, give us a way to think about how to actively bring your audience into the story by purposely breaking the third and fourth walls. These are intentional steps by the writers and illustrators to move from the page into the reader’s sphere to create a shared experience. In this workshop, we will examine the concept of the fourth wall, come up with examples, and find ways to adopt this as a technique in our own writing.
Bio
Sydney Elliott is a full-time writing instructor at Oregon State University. She has an MFA in Creative Non-fiction from Pacific Lutheran University and a Master’s in English with an emphasis in poetry. Sydney serves as the Regional President and national Publications Director for the Community College Humanities Association and is managing editor of the Community College Humanities Review. She is a published writer, poet, and essayist as well as a volunteer for the Tillamook County Search and Rescue team. Sydney is also a vocalist, animal rescue enthusiast, and currently working on a collection of essays that weave stories of rescue with her own familial trauma.
Karen Thompson-Walker
Workshop
The First Page: How to Begin Your Story
The first page of a novel or a story is the author’s chance to announce what kind of story they’re telling and to begin to teach the reader how to read it. In this workshop, we will explore what makes a thrilling first page. Focusing on novels and short stories, we will look closely at a wide variety of first pages by published authors. We’ll explore what works and what doesn’t, as well as common strategies and pitfalls.
Bio
Karen Thompson Walker is a New York Times bestselling author of three novels, most recently, The Strange Case of Jane O., which is a current Oregon Book Award finalist, and was a Belletrist Book Club Pick, a Library Reads Pick, a People “Book of the Week,” and a Powell’s Pick of the Month. Her first novel, The Age of Miracles, was a finalist for the Barnes & Noble Discover Award and was named one of the best books of the year by People, O: The Oprah Magazine, and the Financial Times. Her second novel, The Dreamers, was a finalist for the Ken Kesey Award for Fiction/Oregon Book Award and was named a best book of the year by Glamour, Real Simple, and Good Housekeeping. Her TED Talk on fear and the imagination has been viewed more than 2.5 million times. Her work has been translated into 29 languages. Walker is an associate professor of creative writing at the University of Oregon and previously worked as an editor at Simon & Schuster. She lives with her family in Portland.
Publisher's page about my latest novel, The Strange Case of Jane O
TBD
Workshop
Nik Xandir Wolf
Workshop
Songs of the People: Writing Music as a Form of Protest
Topics covered in this workshop include: History & Purpose of Protest Songs, Core Elements: Message, Voice & Form, Tone & Strategy: Urgency, Nuance & Audience, Melody, Rhythm & Accessibility, Lyrics Workshop: Drafting & Feedback, and much more.
Bio
Nik Xandir Wolf is a viral social media sensation with hundreds of millions of views on Instagram and YouTube. He is an award-winning writer, lyricist, filmmaker, and poet. He has been published in magazines both online and in print. He has published a novel, a book of poetry, and four surf themed anthologies through Kelp Press. His bestselling anthologies have received critical praise, as well as selections in Best American Mystery and Crime. He is at work on a studio album, a new novel, and a book of connected short stories.
He lives in Carmel, Ca where he surfs and teaches his two sons Jiu Jitsu. Nik is passionate about social justice and environmental conservation and has volunteered with Save Our Shores, CASA Monterey, and the Surfrider Foundation. You can find him on Instagram @nikxandirwolf.
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 The Tie Breaker 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 $25 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!