
2023 Conference Evaluation Forms
- 2023 Rappahannock Writers' Conference General Evaluation, opens a new window
- 2023 Rappahannock Writers' Conference Class Evaluation, opens a new window
Join us again next year!

Thank you to Platinum Sponsor Germanna Community College, opens a new window for supporting the 2023 Rappahannock Writers' Conference.
Additional Sponsors
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Schedule for Saturday, November 4
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Morning Keynote: 9:00-9:45am
There’s Power in Releasing Your Pen!
Presented by Kim B. Miller, Poet Laureate of Prince William County
About Kim B. Miller
Kim B. Miller uses her words to connect people to their strength. She makes empowerment touchable so you can obtain it. She’s a speaker that cultivates growth and a poet who speaks bold truths. She gets people to explore hope and knowledge.
Check out Kim's Book: My Poetry Is the Beauty You Overlook
Midday Address: 1:00-1:45pm
WE ARE THE MYTH MAKERS
Presented by New York Times bestselling author S.A. Cosby
About S. A. Cosby
S. A. Cosby is an Anthony, Barry, and Macavity Award-winning writer from Southeastern Virginia.
He is the author of the New York Times bestseller Razorblade Tears, which was recommended on Barack Obama’s Summer Reading List and named a Best Book of 2021 by NPR, the Washington Post, TIME, Roxane Gay, and more.
His novel Blacktop Wasteland won the Los Angeles Times Book Prize, was a New York Times Notable Book, and was named a best book of the year by NPR, The Guardian, and Library Journal, among others. When not writing, he is an avid hiker and chess player.
Presented by Ellie Whitney
In Sealy Auditorium
What are filter words? They’re “telling” verbs that inadvertently keep your readers at a distance from the story.
Learn to strike “filter verbs” from your writing vocabulary and draw readers inside your character’s head to experience the story simultaneously with the main character instead of being “told” about the experience.
Type: General Craft
Level: All Levels
Presented by Bill Blume
In Sealy Auditorium
Discover how to create characters readers want to journey with. Learn why some characters are just clichés and how to keep them active throughout your story.
Author Bill Blume shows how he built the cast for his Gidion Keep series and what he's gotten right (and wrong) to improve your stories.
Type: General Craft
Level: All Levels
Presented by Sarah Warburton
In Sealy Auditorium
What hooks a reader (or an agent or a publisher)? Whether you're writing a mystery, a romance, science fiction, or memoir, tension is the key to story.
We'll discuss what tension is, how it works in story, how to introduce it in your work, and how to maintain it on every page.
Type: General Craft, Advanced Craft
Level: All Levels
Presented by Lisa Swinton
In Sealy Auditorium
You're a good writer - except when you get feedback from your critique group. Or read your reviews. Or get unsolicited advice from Aunt Jane about how to improve your story. Then you want to drown your sorrows in a big plate of nachos or a tub of ice cream.
So, how do you grow a strong spine, thick skin, and fearlessly face down the mighty red pen? Come to this class and learn.
Type: General Craft
Level: All Levels