Tom Bodett, radio personality, author and host of PBS’s America’s Historic Trails video series, will be the keynote speaker at Tacoma Community College’s 16th Annual Tacoma Writer’s Conference slated for 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. May 18 on the college’s main campus.
Other critically acclaimed and best-selling Northwest authors will cover a variety of topics including fiction, non-fiction, mystery and suspense, romance, journalism and the business of writing. The Tacoma Writer’s Conference is a one-day workshop for writers interested in pursuing professional careers. Since 1986, it has provided an opportunity for beginning writers to work with some of the Northwest’s most respected authors and editors.
Pre-registration is $50, $55 at the door and $62 with lunch. To register or to receive a brochure, call 253/566-5020 or e-mail scristao@tcc.ctc.edu. The Tacoma Writer’s Conference is a not-for-profit literary organization.
This year’s authors:
Tom Bodett: Bodett is perhaps most widely known as the spokesperson for Motel 6, with its tagline, “We’ll leave the light on for you.” Bodett’s books and audio publications include As Far As You Can Go Without A Passport, the View from the End of the Road; Small Comforts; The End of the Road; The Big Garage on Clear Shot; The Free Fall of Webster Cummings; Tom Bodett’s American Odyssey; and Williwaw! He has also been a commentator on National Public Radio, host of the PBS video series Travels on America’s Historic Trails with Tom Bodett and written for Universal Television and NBC, the Los Angeles Times, TV Guide, Reader’s Digest, Redbook, Harper’s Magazine, In a Word and Mr. Showbiz.
Stella Cameron: Cameron is a New York Times, USA Today and Washington Post best-selling, award-winning author of 50 historical and contemporary novels and novellas.
G.M. Ford: Ford is the author of Who in Hell is Wanda Fuca? He writes mysteries set in Seattle and has been nominated for both the Shamus and Anthony awards.
Richard Paul Russo: Russo is a two-time winner of the Phillip K. Dick Award for distinguished science fiction and the author of six novels and two short story collections.
David Long: Long is the author of The Daughters of Simon Lamoreaux and The Falling Boy, and has received the Rosenthal Award for Fiction from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, a National Endowment for the Arts Writing Fellowship and an O. Henry Award.
Robert Ferrigno: Ferrigno is the critically acclaimed author of six romantic thrillers set in Southern California, the most recent of which is Flinch.
Candace Robb: Robb is the author of the Owen Archer series of mysteries, set in 14th century York, which has won critical acclaim in England and Europe.
John Moe: Moe is a staff writer for Rewind, a weekly news satire show on National Public Radio. Moe has also authored several plays, and some of his short humor pieces have been featured in McSweeney’s and the upcoming Mirth of a Nation 2, a collection of contemporary humor.
Kathryn O. Galbraith: Galbraith is the author of eleven books for children. She is also an instructor at the University of Washington’s Extension Program where she teaches Introduction to Writing Children’s Books.
Leslie What: What has published articles, stories and columns and written documentary scripts and a narrative biography broadcast on KCET. She has also published a novel and a collection of short fiction, and has won awards from the Oregon Writers Colony, Story magazine and a Nebula Award for short fiction.