{"id":1009,"date":"2026-04-07T18:47:28","date_gmt":"2026-04-07T18:47:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.smcm.edu\/signature-events\/?page_id=1009"},"modified":"2026-05-07T15:51:41","modified_gmt":"2026-05-07T15:51:41","slug":"lectures-talks-readings","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.smcm.edu\/signature-events\/chesapeake-writers-conference\/lectures-talks-readings\/","title":{"rendered":"Lectures, Talks, & Readings"},"content":{"rendered":"
\t\t\t

Events for 2026\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>\n

I<\/strong>n addition to the following lectures and craft talks,<\/b>\u00a0participants can enjoy\u00a0r<\/b>e<\/b>adings by our esteemed faculty,<\/b>\u00a0who will share their published and in-progress work throughout the week. A special mid-week Participant Reading also\u00a0gives workshop\u00a0<\/b>participants\u00a0an opportunity\u00a0to s<\/b>hare their own writing<\/b>. See the schedule for details.<\/p>\n

\n
\n

On Paying Attention
\nRandle Browning<\/strong><\/h3>\n

In a world dominated by screens and short-form video, what is our attention worth? We\u2019ll look at writing from some of nonfiction\u2019s closest observers of their worlds, and end with a generative writing exercise to help us access the power of our own focus and attention.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

How to Plot a Novel
\nMatt Burgess<\/strong><\/h3>\n

As a group, over the course of an hour, with much second-guessing and argument, we will plot an original novel from start to finish.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

Food and Feeling
\nJennifer Cognard-Black<\/strong><\/h3>\n

For Michelle Zauner, kimchi is grief. For Kwame Onwuachi, chicken curry is salvation. For Maya Angelou, caramel cake is healing. For Ruby Tandoh, blackberries are joy. And for Nigel Slater, peach melba is desire. In this craft talk, we\u2019ll consider how and why food writers invest certain ingredients, dishes, and foodstuffs with such strong feelings. We\u2019ll also practice how the seemingly simple act of eating can become a complex act of writing, turning the raw stuff of our own culinary emotions into all-consuming stories.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

Plotting (and Over-Plotting) in the Drafting Stages
\nJerry Gabriel<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Plot gives narratives momentum and force; what would drive the second half of Huckleberry Finn if Jim and Huck hadn\u2019t missed Cairo in the fog? But plot is not always your ally in the early stages of a work. As we draft, probably feeling overly responsible to initial ideas of the story\u2019s arc, we can ask too much of events to pull the narrative along. This impulse often results in predictable characters and stock situations\u2014or worse, dead-ends. In this hour, we\u2019ll talk about where the impulse comes from, as well as some ways it might be remedied.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

Making an Artful Life
\nCrystal Oliver<\/b><\/h3>\n

We\u2019ll begin the week considering the artful commitment to a writer\u2019s life, exploring the power of curiosity, trusting your voice and vision, and cultivating a personal \u201calgorithm\u2019 for creative fulfillment. Find and focus on what inspires you, keep a notebook, embrace your passions (even Stevie Nicks!), and prepare to make your time at this conference\u2014and your writing\u2014truly transformative.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\n

The Fragrance of Cedars and Pines: Writing as Witness
\nKaia Sand<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n
This craft talk will explore how particular conceits \u2014 metaphor, metonymy, and allegory \u2014 are deployed by writers who confront war, economic migration, authoritarianism, and inequality. How does a writer connect a reader to something they may have never experienced? The late journalist and memoirist Anthony Shadid \u201cnoticed the fragrance of cedars and pines\u201d only to learn \u201cthe actual trees had been destroyed hours before\u201d by a bomb. Such familiar details can connect a reader; in other instances, writers isolate images for their singularity, or layer stories to create a literary event distant from dangerous immediacy.\u00a0 We\u2019ll veer through poetry and memoir spanning 20th century to contemporary literature.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Events for 2026\u00a0 In addition to the following lectures and craft talks,\u00a0participants can enjoy\u00a0readings by our esteemed faculty,\u00a0who will share their published and in-progress work throughout the week. A special mid-week Participant Reading also\u00a0gives workshop\u00a0participants\u00a0an opportunity\u00a0to share their own writing. See the schedule for details. On Paying Attention Randle Browning In a world dominated by […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":269,"featured_media":1061,"parent":927,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"full-width-content","footnotes":""},"class_list":{"0":"post-1009","1":"page","2":"type-page","3":"status-publish","4":"has-post-thumbnail","6":"entry"},"acf":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.smcm.edu\/signature-events\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1009","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.smcm.edu\/signature-events\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.smcm.edu\/signature-events\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.smcm.edu\/signature-events\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/269"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.smcm.edu\/signature-events\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1009"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.smcm.edu\/signature-events\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1009\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1069,"href":"https:\/\/www.smcm.edu\/signature-events\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1009\/revisions\/1069"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.smcm.edu\/signature-events\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/927"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.smcm.edu\/signature-events\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1061"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.smcm.edu\/signature-events\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1009"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}