Registration, KyWomenWriters Radio Hour, & Shauna Morgan

July 1, 2020
The 42nd annual Kentucky Women Writers Conference has remained in its chrysalis longer than usual as we reimagined how it might look as a virtual event. So I am thrilled to announce that today we are finally beginning online registration for KyWomenWriters2020 Virtual Edition, taking place on September 10–13, 2020 (NOT Sept. 17-20 as previously announced). We feel a responsibility to encourage, lift up, and inspire women writers, and we know that all of us need connection, role models, and great teaching.
 
It’s understandable that many writers conferences around the country are cancelling, and we fully understand that online can never replicate the in-person experience of gathering with other writers. But our Board of Directors and I are nonetheless determined to make you feel welcomed and fully supported during our virtual conference, with opportunities for interacting with esteemed authors and networking with publishers who may be interested in your own work. Further, we promise a virtual conference that is not only excellent, but also the most affordable and accessible in our history.
 
We want to offer you this conference at a time when people are struggling yet still need the community and connection that women’s words provide. Because this year’s conference will be online, and because we know that some of you may be watching your expenses, we are reducing all admission fees. You’ll still find a range of options, including meetings with a New York literary agent and teacher-led workshops capped at no more than 12 participants.
 
We will hold our events using the Zoom platform. If you are unfamiliar with this easy-to-use online platform, we will forward you a guide to using Zoom, and there will be an orientation session offered before the event. All five workshops have availability, and admission to the rest of the conference—readings, crafts talks, publishing seminars, and panels—is a mere $25. Thanks to support from the University of Kentucky College of Arts & Sciences, LexArts, the Kentucky Foundation for Women, UK Libraries, and individual donors, our signature events are still free: the Sonia Sanchez Series, the Wild Women of Poetry Slam, and several others will be open for all.
 
One good preview of the conference is this week’s press release. But the pandemic has inspired an even better preview: we’re making a radio show! On Wednesday, July 8, at 7 p.m., tune in to WUKY FM91.3 (or stream online at www.uky.org) for conversations with Jami Attenberg, Mariama Lockington, Bridgett M. Davis, Erin Hosier, and Darcey Steinke. Board members Randi Ewing, Patrice Muhammad, and Ashley McGraw also participated. The episode will re-air on Sunday, July 12, at 8 p.m.
 
And I am thrilled to announce that you don’t even have to wait until September to begin workshopping. On Saturday, July 11, 10:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m., Dr. Shauna Morgan is leading a pre-conference creative writing workshop, “Renegade Poetry and Poetics: Exploring the Poetry of Dr. Evie Shockley.”

Dr. Shauna Morgan