MCPHERSON, KS – MacWriters, a McPherson area writers’ support group, will host the third annual WordFest Writer’s Conference on Friday and Saturday, April 8-9, 2011. An impressive lineup of professional writers will enable participants to hone their skills on poetry, fiction, novel and magazine writing, children’s writing, writing on the environment, and film writing. A new session this year will provide authors skills for promoting their published writing with bookstores. The event is sponsored by the McPherson Museum & Arts Foundation.

Presenters constitute an impressive lineup of published authors and writing instructors. They include keynote speaker Phyllis Root, winner of the School Library Journal Best Book of the Year; PBS award-winning film writer Hayden Reiss; William Stafford experts Steven Hind and William Sheldon; and Kansas Poet Laureate Denise Low Weso.

WordFest will kick off with a 6:30-9:00 reception on Friday evening at the McPherson Museum and Arts Foundation, 1130 E Euclid Street, McPherson, Kansas. Participants are invited to register, network, share their writing during Open Mike, and enjoy the museum. Hors d’oeuvres will be available.

Saturday sessions will take place at the elegantly restored Opera House, 219 South Main Street in McPherson. Pre-registration for the full conference is $75 until March 25; late registration is $90. Participants may attend individual sessions for a $15 workshop fee. Tables are available free of charge for conference participants to display and sell their books.

Saturday morning sessions begin at 8:00 with breakfast keynote speaker, Phyllis Root on “The Poetry of Picture Books.” At 9:30 Hayden Reiss will introduce his PBS award-winning film, “William Stafford and Robert Bly: A Literary Friendship,” on the craft of writing. Reiss also captured a PBS award for his film, “Rumi: Poet of the Heart.”

The 10:45 offerings involve three workshops. A discussion of the Stafford film will be moderated by Hayden Reiss, Denise Low Weso, Steven Hind, and Pushcart Prize nominee William Sheldon. Running concurrently is a Phyllis Root session entitled, “A Few Good Words.” Root has authored 29 children’s books and serves as professor in the MFA Writing for Children program at Vermont College. A third session by science fiction novelist, Lionel Alford, Jr. will explore “Writing a Good Novel, Even if You Have No Idea How to Begin.” Alford’s workshop includes professional information for blogging one’s writing.

During lunch attendees will view the PBS film, “Every War Has Two Losers” dealing with William Stafford’s perspective on conflict. Haydn Reiss, writer and producer, will introduce the film, followed by discussion moderated by Denise Low Weso, Kansas Poet Laureate from 2007 to 2009.

Afternoon sessions will kick off at 1:45 with “The All-Stafford, All-the-Time-Channel: The Call-In Show” (metaphorically speaking). Denise Low Weso, Haydn Reiss, and Stafford experts Steven Hind and William Sheldon will lead the workshop.

Running concurrently will be a round table discussion, “How To Create (or Improve) a Writers’ Group,” led by Lionel Alford, Jr. and Betty Stanley, a creative writing teacher who focuses on memoir. The film producer and author will share networks of support through the Internet and professional collaboration. Authors Jay Bremyer and John Eberly will share experiences about their writer’s exchange and, Carla Barber, co-chair of MacWriters Group and MacFest, will discuss the power of a writing community.

Today, the marketing climate has changed, and publishers expect authors to help market their books. “Bookstores Are From Mars; Writers Are From Venus” will be led by Linda Rounds, proprietor of The Bookshelf in McPherson. Judith Robl, author of As Grandma Says, Ephemera Captured, and Garment of Praise will share her experiences working with bookstores.

Dr. Kim Stanley, Chair of Modern Languages at McPherson College, will lead the workshop, “Who Am I Today? Writing the Memoir.” A recipient of the Public Scholar Award from Kansas Humanities Council, Stanley will walk participants through choosing voices that resonate with their writing.

Dr. Bob Marrs, director of Coe College Writing Center and an expert on peer review, will lead a session on creating a community of writers that fosters an environment to support each others’ work. Marrs will read and critique manuscripts of workshop participants sent to him on or before March 30.

A final session involves an open discussion, “Q&A on Writing for Children,” with Phyllis Root, award-winning author of 45 children’s books. Root’s work captured the School Library Journal Best Book of the Year, the Minnesota Picture Book text award, and the 2003 Boston Globe Horn Book Award for picture books.

A 4:15 session will wrap up the conference with participants returning to the McPherson Museum to share their writing during an Open Mike session.

For information on WordFest 2011, contact Carla Barber, co-chair of MacWriters and director of the McPherson Museum, at (620) 241-8464 or email Carla_barber@sbcglobal.net. The schedule for WordFest can be found on the museum’s website at http://www.mcphersonmuseum.com/11.html.

The conference hotel is Best Western Holiday Manor at 2211 E. Kansas Ave., McPherson. Call the hotel at 888-841-0038 or 620-241-5343 for reservations.