The Chuckanut Writers Conference—a partnership of Village Books and Whatcom Community College’s (WCC) Community & Continuing Education program—is hosting CWC 2021 Online, a weeklong program of virtual creative writing events to June 21-27, 2021. Accomplished writers will offer keynotes, breakout sessions, craft talks, panels, and masterclasses on a variety of writing topics through Zoom. Conference faculty will present their creative work during a live virtual reading on Friday, June 25, at 6:30 p.m.
Breakout session topics include threading essays into memoir, writing letter poems, humor writing, docupoetry, inventive narrative styles, fictional memoir, managing writer’s block, evoking emotion through setting, writing great dialogue, and much more. Sessions will be taught by fiction writers Omar El Akkad, Kristen Millares Young, Erica Bauermeister, Laura Kalpakian, and Kami Westhoff; poets Anastacia-Reneé, Casandra López, and Jory Mickelson; and prose writers Tiffany Midge, Lyanda Lynn Haupt, Sonora Jha, and Priscilla Long.
Omar El Akkad, Sonora Jha, Priscilla Long, and Jory Mickelson will teach master classes on Sunday, June 27. The small-group setting of a master class offers the opportunity for in-depth exploration of a writing topic and quality engagement with conference faculty members. Master class prices vary based on class duration ($50-65).
The CWC 2021 Online conference package fee is $199 and includes admission to opening and closing keynote addresses, two craft talks, four breakout sessions, one author panel, and a live faculty reading. Package holders will also be able to register for additional breakout sessions ($20) and master classes ($50-65). For those not wishing to register for the complete conference package, à la carte pricing is available for individual breakout sessions. Participants must register in advance for all CWC 2021 Online events, including the faculty reading, which is free. Register online by calling 360.383.3200.
The goal of CWC 2021 Online is to deliver instructive and inspiring programming that nourishes creativity, fosters social connection, and promotes writers and their creative work.
About Whatcom: Whatcom Community College in Bellingham, Washington is regularly recognized as one of the top community colleges in the nation for student outcomes. The College, a destination for cybersecurity, healthcare and business studies, offers two bachelor of applied science degrees, transfer degrees, career and workforce preparation, online courses, and community education classes. For more information, visit www.whatcom.edu.