Professional Documents
Culture Documents
2009 Hawai I Writers Conference: Schedule of Events
2009 Hawai I Writers Conference: Schedule of Events
2009 Hawai I Writers Conference: Schedule of Events
presents
Schedule of Events
Thursday, September 3rd
Po‘ahā, lā 3 o Kepakemapa
4:00 pm - 6:00 pm: Registration: Pick up packets, Special Events Badges, One-on-one
Consultation tickets. (Coconut Lanai, Royal Hawaiian)
4:00 pm – 6:00 pm: No Host Attendee Get-Together. Meet and talk story with fellow
writers. (Coconut Grove, Royal Hawaiian)
8:00 am - 2:00 pm: Registration: Pick up packets, Special Events Badges, One-on-one
Consultation tickets. (Coconut Lanai, Royal Hawaiian)
8:00 am - 2:00 pm: Sign-ups: Consultations (if available) Special Events Badge
(Coconut Lanai, Royal Hawaiian)
8:00 am - 4:00 pm: Bookstore: Pick out an HWC souvenir so you can bring home fond
memories of the Conference. (Ewa, Sheraton)
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these one-on-one appointments. Please bring your paid consultation ticket with you.
(Regency Room, Royal Hawaiian)
CONFERENCE
OPENING CEREMONIES
KA WEHENA
“Voices of Hawai‘i”
9:00 am – 10:30 am: Opening Ceremonies - Ka Wehena
(Monarch Room, Royal Hawaiian)
In Hawaiian tradition, one must establish his or her desire to learn before entering a place
of learning. This is often demonstrated through a chant seeking knowledge. Join us as we
open our Conference in the Hawaiian custom with evocative traditional chant and dance
honoring Hawaiian heritage and the ‘āina, the land.
Hawai‘i is home to unique cultural traditions and history that serve as a source of deep
pride for all of our residents. In this 50th year of Hawai‘i’s statehood, our opening
ceremonies showcase the direction that our young Hawaiian artists are taking, both
honoring the traditions of the past and creating new ones.
This morning’s “Voices of Hawai‘i” program explores the art of cultural storytelling, in
music, dance, poetry and the spoken word, showcasing the unique relationship these art
forms have to Hawaiian and Pacific Island cultures.
We are both blessed and honored to have three “Voices of Hawai‘i” gracing our stage
sharing their art and their spirit.
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Coming into his own and accompanied by a passionate, unmatched love of his culture
and the power that lies within his lineage, in keeping with the fire traditions, Kanaka’ole
is blazing a new trail into the 21st century while paying homage to those who have come
before him. Kanaka’ole finds himself setting the pace, raising the bar and pushing the
standards, challenging not only himself but his contemporaries. As strong a Hawaiian as
his bloodline, Kanaka’ole delivers his oli (chants), and mele (songs), with refined
dynamics that are exclusively his own.
3) Makana, voted by Guitar Player Magazine as one of the top 3 guitarists in America,
is a rising international star based in Hawai‘i. His 5 albums have captured audiences
worldwide, showcasing a diversity of style ranging from his roots as a Hawaiian Slack
Key master to his own genre, “Slack Rock.” He has opened for iconic artists like Sting,
Santana and Elvis Costello, and toured globally to perform in world-class venues
including symphony halls, mega festivals and theatres such as the Tianjin Opera House,
Frankfurt Operaplatz, and the WOMAD Festival in England. A contributor to 2 Grammy-
nominated “Hawaiian Slack Key Kings” records, Makana is considered the “greatest
living player” (Esquire Magazine) who’s “instrumental brilliance bears comparison with
the work of such groundbreaking acoustic guitarists as John Fahey and Michael Hedges”
(Maui News). From his groundbreaking originals to his provocative arrangements that
reanimate classics, Makana is “charting a new sonic frontier with deep ties to tradition”
(National Geographic Society), “a dynamic force within the style” (New York Times).
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was discovered at the Conference by long-time HWC faculty members John Saul and
Terry Brooks.
4) Mitch Albom “Have a Little Faith” The International bestselling author of such
beloved titles as Tuesdays with Morrie and The Five People You Meet in Heaven talks
about how our faiths have the power to bring us together or drive us apart. (Monarch
Room, Royal Hawaiian)
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This track is co-presented by Sam Horn, the originator of the IDEApreneur Process, and
John Carter, #1 Internet Marketer of the Year. The IDEApreneur Process is a step-by-step
program developed by Sam Horn, which teaches entrepreneurs how to develop and
monetize equity ideas through speaking, consulting, and using the media. During the
second part of the workshop, John Carter will demonstrate how to monetize equity ideas
online through a variety of profitable e-commerce activities, including membership
websites, subscription newsletters, information products, podcasts, and webinars. The
seminar is divided into six sessions.
7) Inspiration Workshop
"Contour Writing-- Using Description as a Narrative Tool to Summon up the
Unconscious” Joe Ortiz This session will show you how you can use contour drawing,
an old painter’s trick, for calling up right-brain activity to fuel your writing. This
technique can help you reach a high creative zone in 15 seconds or less! You’ll do a
three-minute drawing exercise to show how the process can help you discover one of the
great secrets of creativity—how a rote process and intense concentration can cause your
mind to click and whir with images rising up from your creative unconscious. Then we’ll
use the same technique to do a three-minute writing exercise in which you’ll describe an
object in the room, instilling your description with intense emotion and immediacy.
Bring pen and paper and your own daring to explore the unknown. (Waianae, Sheraton)
8) General Interest: “The Poetry of Titles” Steven Taylor Goldsberry What if Men
Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus had a different title? Would it still have been a
bestseller? And the critically acclaimed film Doubt--would it have attracted a wider
audience with a snappier, less abstract title? This is a workshop for writers who
understand how true that silly old marketing adage really is: "The title is vital." Learn the
strategies for creating powerful, memorable words and phrases that will draw readers to
your work. And discuss your own lists of "optional titles" with your fellow writers.
(Waialua, Sheraton)
9) Children’s Books: “Cats and Magnets: What's Wrong with My Picture Book?”
James Rumford Sometimes you get a brilliant idea for a picture book, but you can't
make it work. What are the elements of a good picture book? We will explore answers to
this question by looking at a picture book manuscript (and its countless rejection letters)
to come up with a solution. (Oahu, Sheraton)
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the economic benefits, just as a heart attack can be an inspiration to exercise. (Monarch
Room, Royal Hawaiian)
12) All About Publishing: “The Arc of a Successful Book!” Jillian Manus This
session will provide you with the most important and applicable information to take your
book from the development of the concept to the development of the pitch, proposal, and
securing of a publisher contract. It will empower and inspire you. Bring a pen and paper.
You'll walk out with a blueprint for success! ((Monarch Room, Royal Hawaiian)
13) General Interest: “Look Who’s Talking, Part One” Ann Hood An exploration of
point of view. Who should be telling your story? Should you write it in first person?
Third person? Or try a surprising point of view? What's the difference between each point
of view and how can it inform, enrich and energize your stories? (Waianae, Sheraton)
14) Voices of Hawaii: “The Art of the Chant” Kaumakaiwa Kanaka‘ole "The Art of
the Chanter" is a presentation and panel discussion with a multi-dimensional, multi
generational family, Dr. Pualani Kanahele, her daughter and scholar Kekuhi
Keali'ikanaka'ole, and her grandson and scholar Kaumakaiwa Kanaka’ole. Together they
will discuss the art of hula and chant within their familial tradition. They will show how
oral traditions, poetry, imagery and metaphor have been passed down unbroken through
the generations, and how they, as accomplished and published literatura, have kept this
wisdom relevant to both contemporary and antiquity. (Waialua, Sheraton)
15) General Interest: “Writing Your Way: Stories and Lessons on the Path Paved
by Words” Dan Millman We writers are the gods of our own worlds. We create reality
with words in our own way. In sharing stories and lessons from forty years of writing,
sprinkled with favorite quotations and pithy wisdom, Dan offers advice and
encouragement along the winding literary path. (Monarch Room, Royal Hawaiian)
16) Screenwriting: “5 Things You Should Know About Hollywood” Diane Lake
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Whether you’re trying to sell your script to Hollywood or option your novel,
understanding how to navigate the particularly treacherous waters of filmmaking is
important. After 18 years of pitch meetings and script submissions, Diane will clue you in
to her strategies for surviving the game. (Oahu, Sheraton)
18) General Interest: “Look Who’s Talking, Part Two” Ann Hood An exploration of
dialogue in fiction and nonfiction. Through examples and discussion, we will learn when
and how to write dialogue that is both authentic and interesting to read. (Waianae,
Sheraton)
12:00 noon - 1:30 pm: Lunch Break - 12:00 awakea – Ka ‘Aina Awakea
20) All About Publishing: “Digital Publishing Outlook: The Kindle Is Just the Tip
of the Iceberg!” April Eberhardt, Catherine Fowler, Ben Sevier Two veteran agents
and a top editor brief you on the state of digital publishing today: why it is and will
continue to be such a hot topic, the key points of contention among publishers, agents,
authors, and digital book distributors, and their prognostications on what the future will
hold. (Waialua, Sheraton)
21) Voices of Hawai‘i: Bridget Gray and Kealoha "Slam Poetry and the Art of
Spokenword" The two poets will interactively demonstrate and discuss in detail the
varieties of performance poetry. Their talk will include the competitive aspects of slam,
as well as the process of taking written poetry from the page to the stage. Both presenters
will share their experience of transitioning from competitive slam poets to professional
working spokenword artists. (Waianae, Sheraton)
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2:15 pm to 2:30 pm: Break - Ho‘omalolo
24) Fiction: “Revisions” Kristin Hannah In this workshop, Kristin Hannah will talk
about a crucial link in the writing chain: revising. She will offer a hands on, step by step
process for analyzing and critiquing one's own work and provide clear strategies for
fixing manuscript problems both big and small. If you've finished a manuscript and it's
not selling, or you've completed part of a novel and don't know how to make the words
sing out, a better way to revise might be the answer. (Oahu, Sheraton)
25) All About Publishing: “Finding and Working with an Agent” Susan Crawford,
Catherine Fowler, Robert Guinsler Most major publishers will not accept proposals
from unagented authors. These three experienced agents represent a wide variety of
authors and genres, and they’ll explain just how an agent represents you and your
interests to a Publisher. (Waialua, Sheraton)
26) Children’s Books: “Meat & Potatoes: Complicated Ideas in a Picture Book”
James Rumford Some picture books are one-timers: read 'em once and on to the next.
Some books are not. They contain complicated ideas. How do you engage the child to
think without turning your picture book into a moral lesson, a science lesson or a history
lesson? (Waianae, Sheraton)
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Council. (Oahu, Sheraton)
29) All About Publishing: “To Self-Publish or Not To Self-Publish?” Roger Jellinek
An astronomical number of new titles are now published every year, and probably three
quarters of them are self-published. There are good and bad reasons to self-publish, and
there are good and bad ways to go about it. This informative session will discuss the
rationales, the many options available to you, and the tradeoffs. (Waialua, Sheraton)
30) Special Track: “IDEApreneur Workshop” Sam Horn and John Carter
Session II: Sam Horn “How Can I Crystallize My Expertise, Message or Mission into
Written Products (Books, E-Books, Special Reports, White Papers) that Make Money?”
(Waianae, Sheraton)
7:00 pm – 8:30 pm: 31) An Evening with Oscar Winners Michael Arndt and Robert
Moresco with Moderator Michael Andres Palmieri Hollywood insider, Michael
Palmieri interviews the Academy Award winning screenwriters of Little Miss Sunshine,
Crash, and Million Dollar Baby. (Monarch Room, Royal Hawaiian)
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An insider's view from behind the editor's desk on how to craft queries that get
assignments instead of rejection slips. David A. Fryxell, former editor-in-chief of Writer's
Digest magazine and Writer's Market, reveals what works and what doesn't based on his
years of experience editing everything from inflights to city magazines to how-to titles.
(Oahu, Sheraton)
33) All About Publishing: “Let’s Talk YA & Children’s Publishing” Kristin Nelson,
Sarah Sevier Why do some stories work for kids and YA, and others not? What are
publishers looking for in children’s and YA books today? An experienced agent and a
prominent children’s book editor share their experience and insight into these deceptively
“simple” genres. (Waialua, Sheraton)
34) Poetry Workshop: Steven Taylor Goldsberry Let this New Yorker poet and one
of the country’s premier writing instructors show you how to jump start your poetry and
your creativity in this workshop. (Waianae, Sheraton)
35) Special Track: “IDEApreneur Workshop” Sam Horn and John Carter
Session III: Sam Horn “How Can I Become a Topic Expert Who Gets Paid to Speak
and Consult and Who Gets Interviewed by the TV, Radio and Print Media?”
(Monarch Room, Royal Hawaiian)
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finding your subject and voice, and writing to the best of your ability. (Oahu, Sheraton)
39) Special Track: “IDEApreneur Workshop” Sam Horn and John Carter Session
IV: John Carter “How Can I Create a Subscription Membership Website that Attracts
Paying Clients from Around the World?” (Waianae, Sheraton)
40) All About Publishing: “Pitching your Book, Part One” Kristin Nelson Most
writers won’t meet their agent at a conference but will win their attention the hard way—
via a query letter. But writing a query letter is almost more difficult than writing the
novel. How does a writer boil 300-plus pages down to one pithy pitch paragraph?
(Waialua)
42) General Interest: “The Essential Toolbox: 10 Things All Writers Must Bring To
the Work Bench” Anne LeClaire It takes more than a compelling idea and a desire to
have a book published to create a manuscript that sells. In this session, Anne talks about
the ten things that a number of acclaimed authors and their editors agree must absolutely
be part of the writers arsenal. (Oahu, Sheraton)
43) All About Publishing: “Pitching your Book, Part Two” Kristin Nelson Most
writers won’t meet their agent at a conference but will win their attention the hard way—
via a query letter. But writing a query letter can be almost as difficult as writing the
novel. How does a writer boil 300-plus pages down to one pithy pitch paragraph?
(Waialua, Sheraton)
44) Special Track: “IDEApreneur Workshop” Sam Horn and John Carter
Session V: John Carter “How Can I Develop E-Commerce Activities (Podcasts,
Webinars, Tele-courses, and Video Clips that Get on YouTube) that Grow My
International Database and Generate Global Sales?” (Waianae, Sheraton)
12:00 noon – 1:30 pm: Lunch Break - 12:00 awakea – Ka ‘Aina Awakea
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learned and that if you just keep showing up and working hard, success can come when
you least expect it. (Monarch Room, Royal Hawaiian)
46) General Interest: "Jazz and Fiction" Joe Ortiz Jazz improvisation and writing
have a lot in common. Both often use a formalized structure (a song form or chord
progression in music; an outline or plotline in writing); both use variation and color to
create a rich patina. Come to this musical and spoken “show” in which Joe uses a piano
keyboard to demonstrate how jazz musicians use patterns to lock themselves into a highly
rigid structure, and how they can escape that structure to create music. This multi-
disciplined approach will show writers how facts and details can be woven into
an improvised, spontaneous narrative. Joe will use a three-minute writing exercise to
illustrate how the creative right brain yearns to escape when it is placed in a highly
structured framework, giving flight to one’s creative powers. Bring pen and paper and
the daring to discover your own narrative voice. (Waialua, Sheraton)
50) All About Publishing: “They Bought the Book—Now What?” James
Hornfischer, Georgia Hughes, Neil Nyren It can take a year to publish a book. An
agent-author and two editors take you through the trade publishing process, from editing
to production to marketing and promotion. (Waialua, Sheraton)
51) Screenwriting: “The Art of Story” Margaret South The latest gadgets like Kindle
and the iPhone and social media sites Twitter and Facebook deliver a constant stream of
information, but what does it all mean? Margaret South declares what all writers know:
A good story trumps all. After 30 years of collaborating with acclaimed writers,
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directors, producers and actors, Ms. South shares her findings on the ultimate question:
"What makes a good story?" (Oahu, Sheraton)
52) Voices of Hawai‘i: “Songwriting Now” Roslyn Catracchia In this class you will
be writing a song together as a group. After exploring different song forms and subject
matters, you’ll be picking and choosing themes, words, and phrases, ending the session
with a finished song that we will have created together. Everyone is invited, from the
beginner to the experienced songwriter. (Waianae, Sheraton)
54) Children’s Books: “I Think that I Shall Never See: Poetry and the Picture
Book” James Rumford What makes a good picture book? The answer: poetry--visual
as well as verbal. Come find out why, as we put together a picture book. (Oahu,
Sheraton)
55) All About Publishing: “Buy this Book!” Jeff Kleinman, Jamie Levine, Marcia
Markland, Neil Nyren An agent sells book projects to the Editorial Board of a
publishing house. Fast-paced, fun, and educational, this session will not only explain
how and why acquisitions are made, and how deals are arrived at, but more importantly,
it will force attendees to view their work dispassionately from the eyes of an agent and an
editor. (Candidate authors must complete a one-page description of their book, and
address it to Jeff Kleinman, and hand it into the HWC office at least one hour before the
session.) (Waialua, Sheraton)
56) Special Track: “IDEApreneur Workshop” Sam Horn and John Carter Session
VI: John Carter “How Can I Capitalize on Social Media (Twitter, Facebook,
LinkedIn,) Create iPhone Apps, and Create Passive Income Through Online Promotion?
(Waianae, Sheraton)
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6:00 pm – 10:00 pm: 57) Poetry Slam with Bridget Gray and Kealoha
This fun-filled evening starts off with two of the best spokenword artists in
the world. The poets are followed by an Open Mike Session, where
attendees can put voice to their writing in front of a crowd of fellow writers.
There will also be a Group Booksigning by your favorite authors, a no-host
bar to loosen the tongue and your fellow writers to enjoy the warm Hawaiian
evening with. (Coconut Grove, Royal Hawaiian)
58) General Interest: “The Dilemma of Debut Authors: Dealing with Ancillary
Rights” Patricia Wood Hardcover, Trade paperback, Audio Rights, Film Rights,
Foreign Rights, Literary Guild, Readers Digest Select Editions, e-books, Kindle-- these
are just a few examples of what confronts a writer when they're first published. What's a
debut author to do? Patricia has been coming to the Hawai‘i Writers Retreat and
Conference since 2005. Her debut novel Lottery has been published in 18 languages and
was short-listed for the prestigious 2008 Orange Prize for Fiction in the UK and a semi-
finalist for the 2008 VCU Cabell First Novelist Award in the US. The film rights to
Lottery have been optioned. She speaks to book clubs, high schools and colleges, plus
there are all the interviews and bookstore signings. So when does she find time to write
that next book? What are the things a new author is obligated to do and what is necessary
to keep on track? (Monarch Room, Royal Hawaiian)
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changed her life, enhanced both her creativity and her productivity, and made it, in her
mind, the first requirement for writing. (Monarch Room, Royal Hawaiian)
Will you be the next bestselling author discovered at the Conference, just as James
Rollins was? The Conference concludes as Conference Director John Tullius reads from
the winning entry. (Monarch Room, Royal Hawaiian)
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