The 1st Annual
August 8-10, 2025
In Beautiful Cedaredge, Colorado
Workshops & Events
Workshops
Saturday, August 9th
GMAEC Theatre
Saturday 9:00 - 10:30am | Top 20 ways to market your book - Polly Letofsky
Marketing can run from $0 to $tratosphere, and everyone has a different market, budget, goals, and time. In this class, the presenter will outline twenty ways to market your book, all of which are either free or low cost. The workshop comes with loads of handouts to make an overwhelming topic a little more fun.
Saturday 11:00am - 12:30pm | The Power of Brevity: Crafting Compelling Flash Fiction - Nicole Rivas
Explore the art of succinct storytelling with a dive into flash fiction (1,000 words or fewer) and micro fiction (300 words or fewer). In this workshop we’ll study examples of flash fiction, use prompts, and engage in breakout writing sessions to help participants learn new techniques in crafting concise and impactful stories. Be sure to bring a notebook and your favorite writing tool!
GMAEC Art Garage
Saturday 9:00 - 10:30am | Intuitive Character Development – Pam Chiaro (PK Stuart)
In this interactive workshop, you'll learn to develop characters by "listening" to them rather than forcing them into predetermined plot points. Through guided exercises, we'll explore: Physical descriptions, strengths, weaknesses and abilities; Distinctive character quirks that create memorability; Unique character voices that assist you in writing believable dialogue; Framework for internal and external Goal, Motivation, and Conflict (GMC). You'll leave with practical techniques to develop characters who feel real, make consistent choices, and propel your narrative forward. By the end of this workshop, you'll understand how well-developed characters can lead your story in surprising and satisfying directions.
Saturday 11:00am - 12:30pm | Book Contests: An insider track to what judges look for - Sara Frances
Winning a book contest can be the best credential for the independent author. Winning can aid in reader acceptance and distribution and keep those critical aspects from becoming black holes which keep good authors from establishing a significant audience. Awards are not just good business and enhanced public relations. Awards are steppingstones toward more recognition and sales opportunities for any small- or large-press author. This workshop helps writers get a running start on how points are scored and where judges focus their eagle eyes. Story content may be king, but everything else about writing quality is equally important. Publication quality including covers and front and back matter—these all add up. Sara explains how and why the writer should compete, what details bring highest scores, and what factors are certain score killers. This is a comprehensive PDF presentation with interactive examples.
Saturday 1:30pm - 3:00pm | How to Write Your Memoir - Polly Letofsky
In this workshop, participants will talk about memoir versus autobiography versus legacy. Participants will learn how to start writing and how to organize the structure. The presenter will touch on how to talk honestly about people and not get sued(!) Other copyright considerations will be discussed. The workshop also includes fun writing exercises!
River Burch Gallery
Saturday 9:00 - 10:30am | The Art of the Essay - Christie Aschwanden
This workshop will discuss the essay as a form. We’ll study structure, arc, and literary techniques, and analyze some illustrative examples. We’ll also explore a few short exercises to put these techniques to practice. Bring a notebook and writing implement. You’ll have a chance (but won’t be required) to share your exercises with the group.
Saturday 11:00am - 12:30pm | The Soulful Poem - Wendy Videlock: Come discover how a few musical elements can give your poems surprise, depth, and memorability.
Saturday 1:30pm - 3:00pm | Non-Fiction book proposal basics - Christie Aschwanden
This workshop will take you through the fundamentals of the nonfiction book proposal. You’ll learn about the format and necessary components of a proposal and find how to research and write the various sections. You will also receive guidance on turning your book idea into a proposal to send to agents.
Sunday, August 10th
GMAEC Theatre
Sunday 9:00 - 10:30am | Make your storytelling cinematic - J. Warren Weaver
Writers can learn much from the world of screenwriting that can be easily adapted to make their story move. This workshop looks at concepts that will inject some energy into writers’ chapters and create a narrative that keeps the reader engaged from start to finish, all while effortlessly keeping them turning the page.
Sunday 11:00am - 12:30pm |Creating an Anthology: A Case Study - Sara Frances
The anthology, Unplugged Voices: 125 Tales of Art and Life from Northern New Mexico, the Four Corners and the West, has won 10 book awards and book number two is in progress. This workshop is a case study of how the anthology project came to be. Make a connection to unique western personas, each in a five-minute read. Stories abound everywhere, but the threads of nature in and of The West, its independence, resilience, creativity, and beauty, weave together in unique revelation of life and land. Sara Frances has collected and edited 125 personal narratives, told as if the tale-teller were sitting in front of you, across the kitchen table, around the campfire, on the front porch, or under the stars.
GMAEC Art Garage
Sunday 9:00 - 10:30am | Creating a story bible & timeline - Terri Benson
Terri explains what a story bible is, why a writer needs it, and what goes in it. She outlines how a timeline with the story bible keeps things straight and significantly reduces rewrites and mistakes. She presents multiple options for story bibles, emphasizing that simple is better so that a bible actually gets used. Workshop participants will learn how to keep track of contacts and sources. She shares examples of her bible and timeline format and how she uses a simple timeline format which is easy to edit, grow, and change. She also lists other sources of information on story bibles.
Sunday 11:00am - 12:30pm | Self editing for fiction writers - Cindi Myers
This workshop talks about how the draft of a writer’s novel can be polished to produce the best possible work. Cindi will provide a plan for refining the manuscript. Her plan starts with big picture issues such as theme and character development. Then she focuses on fine-tuning to really make the prose sparkle.
River Burch Gallery
Sunday 9:00 - 10:30am | The Radical Metaphor of Place – Kierstin Bridger
Image and emotion find their most magnetic pull when we explore their deepest roots and expand the boundaries that have come before. We’ll look at examples from fiction, non-fiction, and poetry to write into what we don’t know about what we know. Whether you want to energize your prose with the transformational power of poetic language or reanimate key images in your poetry work, we can express the seemingly inexpressible with the power of metaphor. Get ready to experiment with all your senses.
Sunday 11:00am - 12:30pm | Agents, Editors, & Submissions, Oh My! - Terri Benson
In this workshop Terri goes over types and names of edits, and different sorts of editors and what you can expect from each type of editor. In addition, she explains who agents are and what they do. Then she outlines how to know if you’re ready to submit to both agents and editors/publishers and how to go about it. She also touches on what happens after a writer gets accepted by one or more of these important individuals. (After the writer gets over yelling, screaming, and celebrating, that is!)
Post Symposium Virtual "BONUS" Workshops
These are post-symposium, virtual workshops. They are bonus online workshops which will be conducted by Zoom after the conclusion of the symposium. Symposium participants will be provided information about these workshops when they check in. Those participants who RSVP for these workshops during the symposium will receive an exclusive link to these informative workshops.
The Audiobook Process: What You Need to Know | Presenter Bryan Canter
Would you like to have your book professionally produced as an audiobook at a reasonable price? Would you like to expand your book’s reach into the fastest growing segment of the publishing industry? There has never been a better, more affordable time to get your book produced in audio format. You’ll learn how to manage an audiobook project from start to finish. This includes how to set up your account, prepare an audition script, manage auditions, choose a narrator/producer, and manage your account to get sales reports and access free audiobook codes for promotional purposes.
Publishing 101: Your Options in Publishing | Presenter Polly Letofsky
This workshop covers the pluses, pitfalls, and realities of the four main options to publish your book: traditional publishing, small indie presses, subsidy publishing, and true independent publishing. The presenter will also cover what costs and timelines to expect.
How to Self-Publish in Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP/Amazon) | Presenter J. Warren Weaver
Are you ready to take the plunge and publish your first book? But are you intimidated by Kindle Direct Publishing? Did you just get your rights back from a publisher and want to explore self-publishing? Publishing a novel can be intimidating, but it doesn’t have to be! The presenter will walk workshop participants through the KDP process. This how-to workshop will answer lingering questions so participants can hit the “Publish” button with confidence.
Events
Chill Switch Wines Meet & Greet | Friday at the GMAEC Art Garage
3:00 - 5:30 pm
Meet the writers and speakers participating in the Symposium. Wine & light appetizers will be available.
Free Concert | Friday Evening at the GMAEC Outdoor Stage
6:00 - 8:00 pm
Enjoy the Grand Junction Symphony Orchestra’s spirited ensemble Sinners & Saints as they entertain with a collection of drinking songs, gospel songs, and other tunes of debauchery, doctrine and fun!
A Celebration of Writing | Saturday Evening at GMAEC
7:00 - 8:00 pm
This headline event showcases our three keynote speakers — Shelly Read, Timothy C. Winegard, and Wendy Videlock. Each author will read a selection from their latest books and offer insights into how they created these works. Christie Aschwanden will moderate a conversation between the writers about creative process. This discussion will focus on the genesis of their featured creative works, where their ideas come from, how sense of place informs their writing and the ins and outs of their creative process.
A book signing will take place immediately following this event.
Bookstore
Visit the Western Colorado Popup Bookstore located in the Alpine Bank Education Center in the main Grand Mesa Arts & Events Center building. Browse and purchase signed books which are authored by featured writers, workshop presenters and local authors. Sponsored by Elevation Press of Colorado.
Hours: Saturday: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
Sunday: 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.