20th annual Clarksville Writers Conference to feature New York Times writer Margaret Renkl

CLARKSVILLE, TN – Twenty years ago, local patron of the arts Patricia Winn had the idea to bring together Southern writers and readers to celebrate the beauty of the written word, right here at home with the Clarksville Writers Conference.

Each year, writers come to this growing event, bringing with them the seeds of their ideas and cultivating their own gardens of words, through workshops, support and inspiration. This year’s 20th anniversary conference, themed “20 Years: Growing a Garden of Words,” is set for June 4-6.

The featured author will be author and New York Times columnist Margaret Renkl, who will receive the Patricia Winn Award for Excellence in Southern Writing. Renkl is the author of Late Migrations: A Natural History of Love and Loss (2019), Graceland, at Last: Notes on Hope and Heartache From the American South (2021) and The Comfort of Crows: A Backyard Year (2023), which won the 2024 Southern Book Prize.

She will be accompanied by her brother, Billy Renkl, illustrator of her books, who is an Austin Peay State University professor.

Also featured will be 15 other guest speakers, including literary agent Steve Hutson from California, who will be hearing 15 minutes pitches from aspiring writers.

Here are the sessions and presenters:

• “The Writer’s Odyssey: A Full-Day Journey into Storytelling” with Andrew Buckley.
• “Seeds For Your Word Gardens” with Anna Gall and Shana Thornton.
• “The Collection Journal” with Cynthia Marsh and Billy Renkl.
• “Want to talk to a Literary Agent?” with Steve Hutson.
• “The Face of a Subject: Persona in Nonfiction” with Amy Wright.
• “Writing Humor and Other Terrifying Things” with Andrew Buckley.
• “From Battlefield to Manuscript” with George R. Mauldin.
• “Writing What You Don’t Know: Why, How, and the Profound Power of Curiosity” with Rebecca Bruff.
• “Journalism: How to Write for Editors in the Digital Age” with Chris Smith.
• “Creating Not just Main but Remarkable Memorable Characters” with Joy Jordan-Lake.
• Panel: “Creating Captivating, Inspirational Books: Finding the Balance Between Prose and Collage” with Amy Wright, Cynthia Marsh, Margaret Renkl and Billy Renkl .
• “Dispelling the Myths of the FBI / What Writers Get Wrong” with Dana Ridenour.
• “Dress for the Job You Want: Creating an Author Website” with Meredith Lyons.
• “How Characters and Settings Blend to Tell a Story” Jeanne Hardt.
• Panel: “The Nuts ‘n’ Bolts: Tools to Grow Your Garden of Words” with Shana Thornton, Andrew Buckley, Brendalyn Carpenter Player, Chrissy Hicks and Steve Hutson.
• “The Ultimate 12-Step Self-help Guide for Writers & Authors” with Andrew Buckley.
• “How to Write Enforcement Characters / Crime Scenes / Fight Scenes” with Dana Ridenour.
• “When Your Setting Dazzles – and Sets Your Book Apart” with Joy Jordan-Lake.
• “From Blank Page to Published: Why a Writing Coach Could be Your Game-Changer” with Brendalyn Carpenter Player.
• “Keep the Clock Ticking: Writing Effective Action Scenes” with Meredith Lyons.
• “A Soft Sublime” with Amy Wright.
• “The Ins and Outs of Publishing and Our Choices as Authors” with Jeanne Hardt.
• “Cultivating the Creative Process: Purposeful Practices, Prompts, and Patterns for Productivity” with Rebecca Bruff.
• “Surrealism: Weeds of Creativity Gone Wild” with Chris Smith.

There will be a reception and book signing at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, June 5, at F&M Bank’s Franklin Room with the conference banquet following.

To register and see details on the authors, sessions and panels, go to the Clarksville Writers Conference website. For registration, there’s a 30% discount for K-12 teachers, students and military for the main conference fees.

Join us this year and let your creativity bloom.