The Bay Area Writers League

Fifteenth Annual Conference

The conference is over for this year. Please bookmark this page and come back in the fall to begin preparing your contest entries for 2004.

Novice Manuscript Competition
Open Manuscript Competition

B.A.W.L. has been hosting a writers conference and manuscript competition since 1989. The next conference will take place Friday, May 9 and Saturday, May 10, 2003, at the University of Houston-Clear Lake.

Topics on this page:

• Agenda
• Editor Interviews
• Location
• Parking
• Rates
• Registration
• Hotel information
• How to get more information

Basic facts

Agenda:

The conference runs from 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Friday, followed by an informal wine and cheese reception. The Saturday session runs 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Lunch both days is included.

The conferences features --

• keynote speakers who are published writers and working editors
• sessions on a variety of topics such as writing for magazines and newspapers, poetry, mystery, travel writing, and screenplays
• one-on-one meetings with editors who will discuss your work

Peggy McMillan of Peggy's Book Shop will be selling books, tapes, and CDs both days of the conference. Many authors will be on hand to autograph books. Any speaker or published author wishing to sell their books, should contact Peggy no later than May 1, 2003, either by phone 281 476 4117 or by e-mail at pmcmillan@houston.rr.com.

Confirmed Events

The following events and speakers are confirmed:

• Stacy Boyd, associate editor with Silhouette. Stacy is on the romance team, but acquires for all lines at Silhouette and Harlequin.
• Jim Minz, an acquiring editor with Tor. Jim's main interests are science fiction, fantasy, and the paranormal. Tor is the publisher of Robert Jordan's best-selling The Wheel of Time series.
• Anna Genoese, editor with TOR, interested in science fiction, fantasy, and the paranormal with a romantic subplot.
• Niani Colom, Editor-in-Chief of Genesis Press. Genesis Press, established in the early 1990s, is headquartered in Mississippi. Their most notable local author is none other than B.A.W.L.'s own earth mother B. K. Reeves with her sizzling interracial romance, My Buffalo Soldier. Ms. Colom is actively seeking manuscripts, and will be participating in the one-on-one sessions offered at the conference.
  Genesis Press publishes Fiction: Multi-cultural stories, i.e., mysteries, science fiction, adventure, etc. Non-Fiction: Multicultural autobiographies, historical-periodic (e.g., Underground Railroad) Young-Adult: Ages 9-18, and Short/long stories, which include adventure, self-help, mysteries, etc. Genesis Press also has four romance lines. Indigo: Traditional African-American love stories. Some family ties and paranormal are acceptable. (35+ age group). Indigo Vibe: Same as for Indigo but geared towards younger generation. (21-35 age group). Love Spectrum: Multicultural love stories. Some family ties and paranormal are acceptable. Indigo After Dark: erotic romance with African-American or multicultural characters.
• Carol Dennis will critique manuscripts and answer questions. Click here for details.

Friday

Editor Interviews:

Opportunities are available for one-on-one private interviews with editors. These interviews will be scheduled on a first come-first served basis until all available slots are filled.

When you register for the conference, your registration packet will contain a "ticket" for an editor interview. Immediately go to one of the interview schedulers and arrange your time.

If all the slots are filled, the editors will hold a group interview session at the end of the day.

See B.K. Reeves's suggestion for "leave behinds" that you can give to editors.

Location:

The University of Houston-Clear Lake is south of Houston and east of the Johnson Space Center. The main entrance is at 2700 Bay Area Boulevard. The conference is held in the Bayou Building. For an online map and driving directions, click here.

Parking:

Park in lot D. It's free. For an online campus map, click here.

Rates:

• $85 for both days - includes lunch and Friday evening reception
• $50 for one day - includes lunch
• $50 for both days for full-time students at accredited schools - includes lunch
• Additional $25 if you are not currently a member of B.A.W.L. Everyone who joins B.A.W.L. receives the b.a.w.l. point pen for a year and enjoys all the other privileges of membership.
• Additional $25 after May 1.
• Spouses and other guests of people who register for the conference may attend lunch for $15 per day and the Friday wine and cheese reception for $10. Please tell us at con@bawl.org no later than May 6 if you want to bring a guest.

How to register:

Use the registration form to calculate your rate.

Hotel information:

B.A.W.L. Has negotiated a special hotel rate for people attending the conference.

The University of Houston-Clear Lake is near Johnson Space Center, the Armand Bayou Nature Center, and the City of Kemah on Galveston Bay - so visitors will have plenty to do.

How to get more information

Send a self-addressed, stamped envelope to
B.A.W.L. Conference
P.O. Box 580007
Houston, Texas 77058

or e-mail con@bawl.org.

Novice Manuscript Competition
Open Manuscript Competition

B.A.W.L. Has two manuscript competition, one for novice writers and an open competition for all writers. Cash prizes are awarded (OK, it's not Lotto.) Many past winners have been published.

For contest guidelines click on the links above.

Back to the home page

B.A.W.L. is a 501(3)(c) nonprofit corporation chartered by the state of Texas.

Copyright © 2000-2003 The Bay Area Writers League, All Rights Reserved.