A Rally of Writers takes place at the Lansing Community College Conference Services Facility at the LCC West Campus in Delta Township: 5708 Cornerstone Drive, Lansing MI 48917. More information about the conference center, including a map, can be found on the About page.
April 15, 2023
Lansing MI
Read carefully before proceeding:
Online registration is closed. There are still seats available and can be purchased in person at A Rally for Writers. Please email arallyofwriters@att.net if you have questions.
| Registration Options | Conference Only |
| Standard Registration | $113.50 |
| Student Registration | $78.50 |
Seller tables are available only to listed speakers and Rally committee members.
Questions or problems, contact the web manager at:
arallyofwriters@att.net
Conference Schedule
8:30 Registration and Coffee LCC Conference Center
9:00 Opening ● Rob Edwards
Keynote ● Bonnie Jo Campbell (free to the public)
Why you should not write a novel
10:00-11:00 Session 1
Letters represent rooms
A. Creative Practices = Creative Lifestyle ● Kevin Fitton
Research-based strategies for growing in creativity and how to incorporate those strategies into our lives.
B. Creating Collections ● Bonnie Jo Campbell
What can make a story or poetry collection more meaningful than the sum of its parts?
C. Based on a True Story ● Dedria Humphries
Photographs capture a moment, but the writer can find a story behind the image. Bring your favorite photos.
D. Got a Story to Tell? ● Masaki Takahashi
This session will be generative and for people to share. We will focus on the details to stay within the story.
11:00-11:30 Authors Alley: Break and Books
(Tables by invitation only)
11:30-12:30 Session 2
A. Scene Structure 101 ● Melissa Lucken
Feel lost in the plotting process? Need to tighten up the sagging middle? Scene structure may be what you need.
B. The First Page ● Erin Bartels
How to improve your chances of getting an agent to read the next page. (Ten people will be chosen by lottery to read their first pages; others will learn by observation.)
C. Writing a Killer Crime Novel ● Stephen Mack Jones
How time, patience, dark humor and fearless imagination can create the perfect crime–on paper.
D. Prose Poetry & Flash Fiction ● Linda Nemec Foster
Discover the exciting world of the short, short form, read several examples from noted authors, and write your own.
12:30-1:30 Feeding the Soul: Lunch & Networking
Authors Alley: Break and Books
1:30-2:30 Session 3
A. What’s Up with Agents? ● Steve Pizaks
What does an agent do? How do you get one? Do you even need one? Come get the latest on agents in the modern market.
B. Five Rivers: A Life Writing Class ● Anne-Marie Oomen
An intense session on memoir. Use the Five Rivers of life—the five senses—to tell your most important life moments.
C. Suspense with Romance ● Sylvia Hubbard
How to weave romance around suspense – making a page turning story readers will love.
D. Poetry Critique ● Masaki Takahashi, Linda Nemec Foster
Bring a short poem to read for instant, honest feedback.
(Ten people will be chosen by lottery to read; others will learn by observation.)
2:30-2:50 Authors Alley: Break and Books
2:50-3:50 Session 4
A. Write with Empathy ● Erin Bartels
Learn to employ empathy in your writing so you can confidently and compassionately tell the stories that are outside of your own realm of experience.
B. Writing for Children ● Kevin White
Connecting the Oral Tradition with Writing. The importance of storytelling for children.
C. Personal Essays ● Lev Raphael
What are the basics of an engaging personal essay, what do essay readers expect, and when you’re done, how do you go about submitting your essay for publication?
D. Books, Blogs and Getting Social ● Laura Holmes
Build your author profile and presence by using powerful online marketing tactics.
4:00 Closing: Last Words and Drawing
A Rally of Writers 