Writers at the Beach Gather in
Rehoboth March 11-13
If it weren’t for the tragic fate that
befell two little boys, Sam and Zachary Juhlman, dozens and dozens of
writers from all over the area and well beyond would not be gathering in
Rehoboth Beach at the Atlantic Sands Hotel on March 11-13.
Maribeth Fischer, Aunt Maribeth to the late
Sam and Zachary, published author and
area resident founded The Rehoboth Beach Writers’ Guild (RBWG), in
November 2004, as a non-profit organization dedicated to the fostering of
the literary arts in Southern Coastal Delaware.
From that organization came Writers at the
Beach: Pure Sea Glass, an annual gathering of authors, agents, publishers,
songwriters, poets and more.
The Writers at the Beach conference was
first held in 2005 to provide an outlet for people involved in, or who
want to be involved in the writing/publishing industry. And, the
conference was also held to raise funds for Mitochondrial Disease
Research, the illness that claimed Maribeth Fischer’s nephews at ages 8
and 15.
Maribeth Fischer herself is a published
writer with quite a resume. This local Rehoboth resident is the author of
two published novels: The Language of Goodbye and The Life You Longed For,
not surprisingly about a family whose youngest child suffers from
Mitochondrial disease.
Since that first conference, 100% of the
proceeds from this event are donated in honor of these boys in whose name
Writers at the Beach: Pure Sea Glass was founded and in whose memories the
conference continues each year. The little known disease affects as many
as 1 in 2000 children and the conference aims to raise awareness of the
disease while giving a gathering of writers the chance to tell their own
stories, whatever they may be.
In the last three years, thanks to the
writers, agents, editors, publishers and songwriters who all
volunteer—no one is paid to teach, participate in panels or otherwise
lend their talents to the conference; and thanks to local restaurants
which provide deeply discounted author dinners; and Browseabout Books
which provides all manner of volunteer assistance, “Writers at the Beach
has donated over $35,000 to the United Mitochondrial Disease Foundation in
honor of Sam and Zach Juhlman.”
According to founder Maribeth Fischer, in
addition to raising money, Writers at the Beach is Delaware’s largest
writing conference, bringing to Rehoboth nationally-known writers from
across the U.S., as well as participants from nearly two-dozen states.
“This year, the keynote speaker will be
Jacquelyn Mitchard, author of the number one New York Times bestselling
novel, The Deep End of the Ocean—chosen as the first book for Oprah
Winfrey’s Book Club and named by USA Today in 2007 as one of the most
influential books of the past 25 years, second only to the Harry Potter
series. Mitchard, like everyone else speaking or teaching, is doing this
for free.
The conference includes classes, workshops,
conversations with authors and agents, manuscript reviews and more. Some
of the topics include: Write Brain Workout, Blogging for Writers, Deadline
Time Already? (disclaimer: workshop taught by the author of this article),
Self Publishing, Writing Beautifully About Ugly Things (nonfiction,
Narrative Poetry, The Art and Craft of Screen writing and much, much more.
The very popular author dinners are being
held this year downtown at Cultured Pearl, Fusion, Cloud 9, Fins,
and Celsius, providing an opportunity for conference attendees to
chat with the authors in a casual and social atmosphere—while taking
advantage of Rehoboth’s wonderful restaurants.
The $215 Conference fee includes coffee and
light breakfast, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday morning, full lunches on
Friday and Saturday, cocktail party on Friday evening, and access to all
workshops, readings, discussions, and conversations.
Manuscript reviews are $40 and the Saturday
night author dinners are $50.
Attendees may also send an extra donation
to Mitochondrial Research by mailing a check to Writers at the Beach, PO
Box 1326, Rehoboth Beach, DE 19971.
Writers at the Beach is a great and growing
gathering of industry professionals sharing their knowledge and insight
with wannabe writers, accomplished writers, and all manner of people
interested in the craft and writing industry. And of course, it’s a
gathering of people who want to raise awareness of the terrible disease
that took Sam and Zack way too soon.
For information on Writers at the Beach,
call 302-226-8210.
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