April 16, 2025 

Media Contacts: 
Write On The River, WriteOnTheRiver.org 
Petra Hernandez, WOTR board member, WOTRboardpetra@petrahernandez.com  
Marcine Miller, Wenatchee Valley College, Public Information Office, Executive Director,  mmiller2@wvc.edu, 509-682-6582 

Write on the River is excited to announce that after a seven-year hiatus, the conference is back and better than ever. The highly anticipated 2025 Spring Writers Conference will take place on May 16-18 at Wenatchee Valley College. This annual event offers an exceptional opportunity for authors, aspiring writers, and literary enthusiasts to hone their craft, gain industry insights, and connect with fellow storytellers. 

The Spring Writers Conference will feature a lineup of workshops and classes led by experienced professionals. Whether you’re just beginning your writing journey or looking to refine your skills, this conference provides valuable tools and inspiration. 

Highlights of this year’s conference include: 

• A 20th Anniversary and First Page Critique Party on Friday, May 16, at Watercore Cider in Wenatchee. Led by husband-and-wife team Jason Brick and Rachel Letofsky, this “He Said/She Said” style critique gives Brick, an author, and Letofsky, a literary agent, an opportunity to offer their insight and feedback on the opening scene of participants' manuscripts.  

• Pacific Northwest authors and speakers including WOTR founding member Kay Kenyon, along with other great speakers. 

• A wide range of engaging classes and workshops throughout the weekend. 

• Fearless Writing: This substantive and inspirational master class, hosted by William Kenower on Sunday, May 18, will leave attendees feeling motivated and empowered in their writing journeys. 

Two Wenatchee Valley College English professors, Ana Maria Spagna and Derek Sheffield, will also lead workshops. Spagna will present “Where Stories Converge,” about how to tell more than one story at a time, and “The Telling Part,” about modes of reflection, different ways of making sense of the past in a memoir or personal essay. Sheffield, who has been appointed Washington State’s poet laureate, will present “Nature Writing Now,” a workshop in which participants will explore both poetry and prose to discover different ways to write with surprise, complexity, and vitality. 

“Write on the River is a terrific opportunity for students to interact with fellow writers from all around the region, from dabblers to published authors,” Spagna said. “The workshops can introduce them to new genres and strategies, give them a chance to practice outside of the classroom, and generally have fun with the written word.”   

Write on the River is also providing discounted prices for Wenatchee Valley College students: a full weekend plus a critique of one page of writing during the Friday evening First Page Critique session is $40, the full three-day conference with lunch included is $20, and Saturday workshops only with lunch included is $20.  

For more information on the Spring Writers Conference, including the full schedule, speaker lineup, and registration details, visit the Write on the River website. 

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 Write on the River is a non-profit organization dedicated to fostering a vibrant literary community in Central Washington. Through workshops, events, and mentorship, we support writers of all backgrounds in developing their craft and finding their voice.  For more information contact: info@writeontheriver.org 

Wenatchee Valley College enriches North Central Washington by serving educational and cultural needs of communities and residents throughout the service area. The college is committed to diversity, equity and inclusion for all students and employees and provides high-quality transfer, liberal arts, professional/technical, basic skills and continuing education for students of diverse ethnic and economic backgrounds. Visit our website, wvc.edu. 

Wenatchee Valley College is committed to a policy of equal opportunity in employment and student enrollment. All programs are free from discrimination and harassment against any person because of race, creed, color, national or ethnic origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, the presence of any sensory, mental, or physical disability, or the use of a service animal by a person with a disability, age, parental status or families with children, marital status, religion, genetic information, honorably discharged veteran or military status or any other prohibited basis per RCW 49.60.030, 040 and other federal and state laws and regulations, or participation in the complaint process. 

The following persons have been designated to handle inquiries regarding the non-discrimination policies and Title IX compliance for both the Wenatchee and Omak campuses: 

To report discrimination or harassment: Title IX Coordinator, Human Resources, Wenatchi Hall 2322M, (509) 682-6445, title9@wvc.edu. 

To request disability accommodations: Student Access Manager, Wenatchi Hall 2131, (509) 682-6854, TTY/TTD: dial 711, sas@wvc.edu.