In the Trenches with the Writer 2026 Writers Conference

About this event

Don't miss Evanston's best writers event of the year! Made possible in part by the Evanston Arts Council, Illinois Arts Council, and the National Endowment for the Arts.

Pulitzer Prize–winner and NYT bestselling author Jonathan Eig will deliver the keynote address at the Saturday evening dinner.

Special guest speaker Dr. Charles Whitaker, Dean, Medill School of Journalism, will talk about "Writing and Publishing in the New Digital Era" during lunch on Saturday.

Across two days of programming, attendees can choose from more than twenty sessions covering craft, publishing, and the writing life.

Highlights include a two-hour Master Class on Characterization with USA Today bestselling author Jade Lee; workshops on reviving manuscripts, building worthy antagonists, and sustaining conflict with author Kat Falls; a session on interiority with literary novelist Goldie Goldbloom; and a look at the current state of children's book publishing with author and librarian Betsy Bird. Panels and workshops also cover memoir (with Jill Wine-Banks and Sherrill Bodine), world-building, romance (with Patricia Rosemoor), and comedy (with Jody Lynn Nye), indie publishing (with Patricia L. Stankovic), querying (with Dan Cramer), submitting to literary journals (with Tim Chapman, Anne Beall), Storytelling (with Paul McComas), editing (with Gretchen Stelter), and public readings.

Writers ready to take the next step can book one-on-one pitch appointments, in person or virtually, with literary agents and editors from Trident Media Group, Sourcebooks, Dafina/Kensington Books, Thompson Literary Agency, Talcott Notch, Neon Literary, The Purcell Agency, and Page Turner Literary Agency, among others. Agents and editors are seeking work across genres including literary and commercial fiction, mystery, thriller, horror, romance, fantasy, memoir, narrative nonfiction, and books for children and young adults.

The weekend includes breakfasts with the speakers, the Plot Twist Cocktail Party, an on-site bookstore, local lit organizations, and the EVIE Awards dinner, which celebrate excellence in the Evanston writing community.

The conference is hosted by Evanston Writers Workshop, a a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization established in 2007, a City of Evanston Affiliate Partner, and recipient of the Evanston Arts Council grant. evanstonwritersworkshop.org

You can learn more about the conference and register at: inthetrenches2026.com

The conference is at the Hilton Garden Inn, Evanston, IL. A block of discounted hotel rooms is available.