Submitted by: The Lewis County Writers Guild
The Southwest Washington Writers Conference began as the brainchild of a local writers’ group based in the Centralia/Chehalis area of Washington State.
What started in March of 2012 as a small workshop, which attracted a number of like-minded individuals, grew during the first few years. The group invited speakers who presented topics ranging from e-book publishing to mystery writing to poetry. It was during this time the idea of hosting a regional conference for and about writers was born.
2014: The first Southwest Washington Writers Conference
Organized by a tiny staff led by Julie McDonald Zander, the first annual Southwest Washington Writers Conference convened at Centralia College on September 13, 2014. The keynote speaker for the first conference was New York Times bestselling author Robert Dugoni.
2018 Conference
Fast forward to the fall of 2017 and the workshop group approached The Lewis County Writers Guild about the possibility of taking over management of the conference. After four years of dedication and hard work, the team was ready to move on to other projects.
The Guild, fully aware the Southwest Washington Writers Conference was the only conference of its kind between Portland and Tacoma, was unwilling to let such a valuable and meaningful resource vanish. The board enthusiastically voted to take over the presenting duties but with the understanding profits from the conference needed to have a more profound community impact.
In February 2018, the Lewis County Writers Guild formed a not-for-profit section of the guild in an effort to raise money to support the conference as well as to establish scholarships at Centralia College. Working with the Centralia College Foundation, The Guild outlined a goal to create annual scholarships for students interested in writing and the fine arts at the college, as well as looking to the future of building an endowed scholarship.
It is also The Guild’s long-term endeavor to grow the conference from a one-day conference to a weekend event with proceeds also going to support high school scholarships.
The fifth annual Southwest Washington Writers Conference will be held on Saturday, September 8. This year’s keynote speaker will be the USA Today bestselling author of “The One That Got Away,” Simon Wood. To view more information about the conference, click here to be directed to the conference page.
If you enjoy writing and wish to improve your skills, we invite you to sign up for the conference and join the Lewis County Writers Guild. Click here for more information about meeting times and location.
