Conference
2026 Jackson Hole Writers Conference Schedule Overview
Subject to change. Schedule overview updated monthly.
JH Writers
P.O. Box 3871
Jackson, WY 83001
307-200-5858
Wednesday, October 21, 2026
PRE-CONFERENCE ARRIVALS & SOCIAL ACTIVITIES
Arrivals before 5:00 are invited to explore Jackson Hole and Grand Teton National Park.
4:00 – 6:00 pm – Spirits and Spice– 80 W Broadway
PUBLIC EVENT – Sip and Write generative writing time with author Maria Kelson
6:00 – 9:00 pm – Alpine House – 285 N Glenwood
PUBLIC EVENT – Written Foods | Eaten Words – Kick-off reading and open mic with conference faculty, local faculty, attendees and public
Thursday, October 22, 2026
INTENSIVE WORKSHOPS BEGIN. A FULL AFTERNOON OF EVENTS AT THE CENTER FOR THE ARTS. EVENING FACULTY READING & CONVERSATION.
Morning:
8:00 – 9:00 am – Anvil Hotel Lobby
- PUBLIC EVENT – Guided Writing Time
University of Wyoming Assistant Professor, Blake Sanz, gets your day started with a writing prompt at The Anvil.
8:30 am – Center for the Arts Theater Lobby
- Registration for intensive workshop attendees
9:00 – 12:00 – Center for the Arts & Poppy
- Intensive Workshops Day 1 for accepted applicants
Afternoon:
12:00- 1:30 – Theater Lobby
- Registration for afternoon conference attendees
- Manuscript critiques for afternoon conference attendees registered for this offering
- Lunch for all workshop participants and afternoon conference attendees
1:30-3:30 pm – Center for the Arts Theater
- Welcoming remarks by JH Writers Executive Director, Matt Daly
- Author Presentation by Nina McConigley: The Architecture of Empathy
- Editors panel with Naomi Gibbs, Ethan Nosowsky, Emily Bell, Kristina Marie Darling & Tiffany Troy
3:30 – 5:15 pm – Center for the Arts Commons and CWC classroom
Classes (led by workshop faculty)
- Commons – Turning the Page from Writer to Author: How to Build a Writing Career with Mallory O’Meara and agent Amy Bishop-Wycisk
Learn what it takes to go from writing for yourself to becoming a professional author. There is more to building a writing career than just the writing. Amy and Mallory will draw on their years of experience to teach you what it takes to plan and create a career for the long term.This class will cover creating a sustainable writing schedule, author branding, looking at writing as a business, and most importantly, when it is viable to start thinking about becoming a full time author. -
- CEC classroom – Beyond the Forest and the Trees: Layers of Landscape and Place with Claire Boyles
To capture this complexity of place, writers must describe the immediate sensory experience of the story (the trees) and the way those physical details operate on character and story tension (the forest). They must also portray, to some degree, the historical and political contexts surrounding both (the atmosphere). In exploring these layers of landscape and place, writers will learn techniques for widening the scope of their work.
Evening:
5:15 – 6:00 pm – Center for the Arts Theater Lobby
- Social hour – cash bar
6:00 – 7:30 pm – Center for the Arts Theater & Lobby
- Literary Citizenship: Faculty reading/conversation, book sale & signing with Maile Chapman, Tiffany Troy, Nina McConigley and Michelle Orange
Friday, October 23, 2026
INTENSIVE WORKSHOPS CONTINUE. A FULL AFTERNOON OF EVENTS AT THE CENTER FOR THE ARTS. A SECOND EVENING FACULTY READING & CONVERSATION.
Morning:
8:00 – 9:00 am – Anvil Hotel Lobby
- PUBLIC EVENT – Guided Writing Time
University of Wyoming Assistant Professor, Blake Sanz, gets your day started with a writing prompt at The Anvil.
9:00 – 12:00 – Center for the Arts & Poppy
- Intensive Workshops Day 2 for accepted applicants
Afternoon:
12:00- 1:30 pm – Theater Lobby
- Manuscript critiques for afternoon conference attendees registered for this offering
- Lunch for all workshop participants and afternoon conference attendees
- 1:15 – Contemporary Dance Wyoming special performance
1:30-3:30 pm – Center for the Arts Theater
- Author Presentation: Dog Days: New Challenges, New Frameworks in Mid-Career by Michelle Orange
- Agents panel with Amy Bishop-Wycisk & Kate Garrick
3:30 – 5:15 pm – Center for the Arts Commons and CWC classroom
Classes (led by workshop faculty)
- Commons – Up from the Slush Pile: Query Letters and Finding the Right Agent for Your Work with agent Kate Garrick
Queries can be a source of anxiety for writers, possessing as they seem to the power to break one’s work out or to condemn it to the purgatory of the slush pile. But a query letter isn’t otherworldly; it’s a cover letter. In this class, students will learn the basics of the querying process, from identifying the best agents for their work to writing a query letter that will grab those agents’ attention.
- CWC classroom – Craft class on voice with Maile Chapman
Evening:
5:15 – 6:00 pm – Center for the Arts Theater Lobby
- Social hour – cash bar
6:00 – 7:30 – Center for the Arts Theater & Lobby
- Literary Citizenship: Faculty reading/conversation, book sale & signing with Claire Boyles, Laura Munson, Mallory O’Meara, and Kristina Marie Darling.
Saturday, October 24, 2026
INTENSIVE WORKSHOPS CONCLUDE. A FULL AFTERNOON OF CONFERENCE ACTIVITIES AT THE CENTER FOR THE ARTS. EVENING PARTICIPANT READING & CELEBRATION.
Morning:
8:00 – 9:00 am – Anvil Hotel Lobby
- PUBLIC EVENT – Guided Writing Time
University of Wyoming Assistant Professor, Blake Sanz, gets your day started with a writing prompt at The Anvil.
9:00-10:00 am – Center for the Arts Theater Lobby
- PUBLIC EVENT – Children’s Story hour with Wyoming Arts Council 2025–2026 Native Arts Fellowship recipient Leslie Colburn.
9:00 – 12:00 – Center for the Arts & Poppy
- Intensive Workshops Day 3 for accepted applicants
Afternoon:
12:00 – 1:30 pm – Theater Lobby
- Manuscript critiques for afternoon conference attendees registered for this offering
- Lunch for all workshop participants and afternoon conference attendees
1:30 – 3:30 pm – Center for the Arts Theater
- Financial Literacy for Writers with Planning Alternatives
- Author presentation: Memory and the Lyric Essay by Kristina Marie Darling
1:30 – 3:30 pm – Center for the Arts Commons
- Editors Roundtable – ask questions and engage in one-on-one conversations with conference faculty editors
3:30 – 5:15 pm – Center for the Arts Commons and Conference Room
Classes (led by workshop faculty)
- The Art of Literary Interviews with Tiffany Troy
This craft class will focus on the art of crafting, conducting, and placing literary interviews of writers and poets. It will cover the nuts & bolts of requesting copies from publishers, connecting with writers, reading the book/ collection holistically with an eye towards structure, craft, and theme, writing up guideline questions, conducting the interview, editing the transcript, the etiquette of placement, and platforming the published interview. Ultimately, the goal is to develop literary denizens with an interest to share their love of literature with a bigger audience.
- Master the Scene & Master Creative Writing with Laura Munson
Laura believes that the scene is where narrative happens most, just like in life. “We may begin a manuscript with a theme or a central question that we want to explore by writing into it. But it’s the scene that engages the reader. We live our life in scenes. The scene is the infrastructure which holds up the theme. I actually believe that the phrase should be Show AND Tell. There is a place for both the show and the tell.” In this class, Laura will break down the craft of scene writing, while teaching where an author can weave in the tell. There will be teaching, as well as time to write, so bring your notebooks and pens. You will leave with serious craft instruction and illumination which will help keep your pen moving long after the class and conference.
Evening:
5:15 – 7:30 pm – Center for the Arts Theater Lobby
- PUBLIC EVENT – Conference attendee reading and closing celebration with appetizers and cash bar.
Sunday, October 25, 2026
9:00 – 11:00 am – Center for the Arts Commons and Conference Room
Final Class.
From Vision to Action: Creating a Business Plan for Your Writing Career with Jennifer Griffith
Jennifer has proven to be a tremendous asset to the Jackson Hole Writing Community. We often refer to her efforts as the “Jen Effect,” as she brings her enthusiasm, business acumen, and love for the craft to all our creative and organizational initiatives. Her approach to this final class brings a fresh perspective to creativity.
Final Conversation.
What now? – Casual conversations with past conference faculty and attendees about how to carry the momentum of the conference into your writing life. Katherine Standefer, Rachel Stevens, Amy Davis
Departures.