Central Coast Writers’ Conference celebrates 40 years
Event featured 25 presenters, including bestselling authors, voice actors, and producers
– The 40th Annual Cuesta College Central Coast Writers Conference (CCWC) took place on Saturday, offering inspiration and connection for writers of all levels.
The event featured a faculty of 25 presenters, including bestselling authors, voice actors, and producers. The featured speakers brought diverse expertise to the conference.
The conference offered workshops across various genres and writing styles, interactive group sessions, and opportunities to connect with professional authors, agents, and editors.
The 9:30 a.m. sessions included historical and fan fiction writing with Melanie Senn, children’s book publishing with Heidi Shadix-Pieros and Rick Pieros, fantasy world-building with Kalyn Josephson, Jenna Elizabeth Johnson, and Shannon Price, and the use of artificial intelligence in creative writing led by Carol Baker, Terry Willey, and Catherine Hillman.
The 11 a.m. sessions included a talk by Jim Seybert, an award-winning audiobook narrator, and Margie Valine, a highly skilled voice actor, who led a session on audiobooks and narration. They discussed how writing for narration enhances audiobooks, blending storytelling with performance, and explored the growing audiobook industry, projected to reach $19.3B by 2027.
Ed Cobleigh, a bestselling author and former fighter pilot, led a session titled “Igniting Book Buzz: How to Secure Reviews That Will Sell More Books!” He discussed strategies for understanding the review ecosystem, targeting the right audience, and engaging with review platforms throughout a book’s lifecycle.
The “Memoirs: Writing to Heal” session was presented by Teresa J. Rhyne, a #1 NYT bestselling author of humorous memoirs, Katya Cengel, an award-winning author and journalist, and Brigit Binns, author of 29 cookbooks who recently published her memoir. They explored the therapeutic aspects of memoir writing and how it can heal both writers and readers through authentic sharing of experiences, often with a sense of humor.
Afternoon sessions at 1:30 p.m. covered topics such as TV movie script writing with Teena Booth, editing techniques with Eva Barrows and Lila LaBine, time management for creatives with composer Brook Munro, and the Enneagram personality system for writers with Allison Priola.
Leigh Rubin, an accomplished cartoonist celebrating the 40th anniversary of his syndicated cartoon “Rubes,” presented the keynote speech to close out the day of workshops.
Leigh Rubin, an accomplished cartoonist celebrating the 40th anniversary of his syndicated cartoon “Rubes,” presented “Connect the Dots: Illustrating to Illuminate” as the keynote speech to close out the day of workshops. This session explored the possibilities of illustrations in various formats, from chapter title pages to Instagram posts, and even creating coloring books based on one’s own stories.
Mary Witkowski, from Amazon SLO, gave a presentation on Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing’s newest product, ‘Virtual Voice,’ which allows authors to turn their ebooks into audiobooks with the click of a button. (Pictured here with Event Director Brian Schwartz).
Artificial intelligence and automation emerged as particularly hot topics at this year’s conference. Several sessions explored the impact of AI on creative writing, publishing, and audiobook production. Presenters discussed how these technologies are reshaping the industry, offering new opportunities and challenges.
The conference, recognized as the “Best Conference in the West” by Writers Magazine, was founded by Lillian Dean, Dr. Barbara George, and Connie Wambolt. Dean served as the CCWC director from 1984 to 1991. Dave Congalton led the conference from 1993 to 2005, with assistance from Charlotte Alexander. Cathe Fein Olson directed from 2006 to 2010, followed by Judy Salamacha from 2010 to 2014. Teri Bayus, a local author and screenwriter, took over as CCWC director in 2015 and served for six years, including the 2020 conference held via Zoom during the pandemic.
Event Director Brian Schwartz, who is also the past president of the Colorado Independent Publishers Association and writes the “Local Author” feature in SLO LIFE Magazine, encouraged participation, saying, “So, to those of you who might be unsure of where to go next, I encourage you to take the first step. Stepping out of your comfort zone is the key to growth and the CCWC, as many have already found, is the perfect place to find the inspiration to do so.”
