TBR 2027: Full Schedule

arrow_back View All Dates

8:00am EST

The Sevens at Eight: Write-In with The 7am Novelist

Sunday January 17, 2027 8:00am - 9:00am EST

For Everyone

9:30am EST

Earned, Not Engineered: On Building Plot

Sunday January 17, 2027 9:30am - 10:30am EST

TBA

How do you create a gripping plot that nonetheless never feels imposed-- only inevitable? In this conversation, Celeste Ng and Peter Ho Davies get specific about how they've done it: Ng on structuring tension around withheld information and dramatic irony, where readers often know more than the characters do, and Davies on plotting through moral complexity and restraint, where what a character chooses not to do drives the story as much as what they do. Together, they'll dig into how plot emerges from character choices rather than external events, how to build momentum without melodrama, and how they know when a plot point is earned versus engineered. Expect a craft-focused conversation with concrete takeaways for anyone wrestling with the architecture of their own story.

Speakers

Celeste Ng

OUR MISSING HEARTS, Author

Celeste Ng is the bestselling author of the novels Everything I Never Told You, Little Fires Everywhere, and Our Missing Hearts. Her writing has been awarded the Massachusetts Book Award and fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Guggenheim Foundation, among other honors, and has been translated into more than thirty languages... Read More →

Peter Ho Davies

THE ART OF REVISION: THE LAST WORD, Author

Peter Ho Davies’ most recent books are the novel A Lie Someone Told You About Yourself, a New York Times Notable Book of the Year, and The Art of Revision: The Last Word. Other books include the novels The Fortunes, winner of the Anisfield-Wolf Award and the The Welsh Girl, lon... Read More →

Sunday January 17, 2027 9:30am - 10:30am EST
TBA

Track 1: Deep Craft

9:30am EST

Query Tip: How to Write an Excellent Query Letter

Sunday January 17, 2027 9:30am - 10:30am EST

TBA

A query letter is your one chance to entice an agent or editor into reading your manuscript. Needless to say it must be just right. But what does a perfect pitch entail? In this course, an experienced literary agent will offer tips on how (and how not) to pitch your work to increase the chances of an agent or editor requesting your manuscript.

Speakers

Amaryah Orenstein

GO Literary, Literary Agent

Amaryah Orenstein, founder and president of GO Literary, is actively seeking works that wed beautiful writing with a strong narrative and tackle big issues in engaging, accessible, and even surprising ways. Amaryah began her career at the Laura Gross Literary Agency in 2009 and, prior... Read More →

Sunday January 17, 2027 9:30am - 10:30am EST
TBA

Track 2: Pre-Pub

9:30am EST

Cover Design Case Study

Sunday January 17, 2027 9:30am - 10:30am EST

TBA

Great cover design isn't just meant to grab eyeballs— it's strategic, and a work of art in its own right. This session, led by acclaimed designer Nicole Caputo, breaks down her process behind designing a real book cover, start to finish: how the initial brief was formed, the concepts that got rejected (and why), how design choices tie to genre expectations and target readers, and the back-and-forth between author, designer, and publisher along the way. Using an actual book as the case study, she'll trace the decisions— typography, imagery, color, comp titles— that shaped the final cover, and what they reveal about how design actually gets made in publishing today. Whether you're curious about the process or hoping to advocate more effectively for your own cover, you'll leave with a much clearer sense of what goes into getting it right.

Speakers

Nicole Caputo

Catapult, VP, Creative Director

Nicole Caputo is an award-winning New York designer, artist and writer. The mission of her creative studio is to create work and products that are beautiful and timeless, that inspire an emotional connection to the viewer, and that are risk-taking and experimental when appropriate... Read More →

Sunday January 17, 2027 9:30am - 10:30am EST
TBA

Track 3: The Book Ecosystem

9:30am EST

Author Brand-Building

Sunday January 17, 2027 9:30am - 10:30am EST

TBA

Your author brand is more than a bio and a headshot — it's how readers, agents, and editors come to understand who you are and what you write. This session breaks down what author branding actually means, how to build one authentically (without feeling like a walking marketing campaign), and how to keep it consistent across your website, social media, and public presence. Whether you're just starting out or rethinking your image, you'll leave with a clearer sense of how to shape how the world sees you as a writer.

Moderators

Jenna Blum

MURDER YOUR DARLINGS, Author

Jenna Blum is the New York Times and # 1 internationally bestselling author of four novels, including Those Who Save Us, The Stormchasers, and The Lost Family; memoir Woodrow on the Bench; audiocourse “The Author at Work: The Art of Writing Fiction” and WWII podcast Th... Read More →

Speakers

Julie Gerstenblatt

THE STARGAZER OF NANTUCKET, Author

Julie Gerstenblatt is the author of Daughters of Nantucket, which won the 2024 New England Society Book Award for Fiction, and The Stargazer of Nantucket. She holds two masters degrees and a doctorate from Teachers College, Columbia University, and has taught everything from midd... Read More →

Courtney Paganelli

Levine Greenberg Rostan literary agency, Literary Agent

Courtney is an agent at Levine Greenberg Rostan Literary Agency. She enjoys reading voice-driven commercial fiction, dark psychological fiction, and heartwarming romantic comedies. She particularly gravitates towards relatable adult or young adult novels that make her swoon over budding... Read More →

Alexandra Sunshine

Kensington Books, Senior Editor

Alex Sunshine (she/hers) is a Senior Editor at Kensington Books.

Perpetua Cannistraro

Beacon Press, Publicist

Perpetua Cannistraro has worked in book publishing as a nonfiction publicist for the last decade. She promotes books on American history, race and culture, progressive education, poetry collections from poets of color, and memoir.

Sunday January 17, 2027 9:30am - 10:30am EST
TBA

Track 4: Post-Pub

9:30am EST

The Doldrums: Author Strategies When You're Between Books

Sunday January 17, 2027 9:30am - 10:30am EST

TBA

The space between finishing one book and selling (or starting) the next can feel like creative purgatory— quiet, uncertain, and easy to spiral in. This session offers real strategies for the in-between: staying productive without burning out, managing the anxiety of "what's next," keeping your visibility up without a book to promote, and using the downtime intentionally instead of just enduring it. Come find some company— and some tools — for surviving the doldrums.

Moderators

Ron MacLean

WE MIGHT AS WELL LIGHT SOMETHING ON FIRE, Author

Ron MacLean is author of the story collections Apocalypso (forthcoming 2026), We Might as Well Light Something On Fire and Why the Long Face? and the novels Blue Winnetka Skies and Headlong. MacLean’s fiction has appeared widely in magazines including GQ, Narrative, Fiction Int... Read More →

Speakers

Chip Cheek

CAPE MAY, Author

Chip Cheek is the author of the bestselling novel Cape May, which received starred reviews from Kirkus and Booklist, was an American Booksellers Association Indie Next pick and Indies Introduce selection, and has been published in six languages. His stories have appeared in The S... Read More →

Alex Marzano-Lesnevich

THE FACT OF A BODY, Author

Alex Marzano-Lesnevich is the author of The Fact of a Body: A Murder and a Memoir, which received a Lambda Literary Award, the Chautauqua Prize, the Grand Prix des Lectrices Elle, the Prix des Libraires du Quebec, and the Prix France Inter-JDD. It has been translated into 11 languages and optioned for television. Their essays appear in the 2020 and 2022 editions... Read More →

Sunday January 17, 2027 9:30am - 10:30am EST
TBA

Track 5: Big Picture

9:30am EST

Borrowed Clothes: Drawing on Folkloric Narrative Structures

Sunday January 17, 2027 9:30am - 10:30am EST

TBA

Fairy tales and ghost stories remain lively and engaging material for writers to draw on. Regardless of the genre you're working in, the language, structures, and tropes of the folkloric fantastic can serve your narrative.

Speakers

Kelly Link

THE BOOK OF LOVE, Author

Kelly Link is the author of the novel The Book of Love and five collections, including White Cat, Black Dog. She is the owner of the independent bookstore Book Moon.

Sunday January 17, 2027 9:30am - 10:30am EST
TBA

Track 6: Grab Bag

10:45am EST

Suspense, Intrigue, & Danger: What Mystery Writers Can Teach Us All

Sunday January 17, 2027 10:45am - 11:45am EST

TBA

Mystery and thriller writers are masters of tension — the art of making readers desperate to turn the page, no matter what's actually happening in the story. This session pulls back the curtain on those techniques and shows how they apply far beyond the genre: pacing reveals, planting clues (and red herrings), building dread, and structuring a plot so momentum never lets up. Whether you're writing literary fiction, romance, memoir, or anything in between, you'll leave with concrete tools for creating suspense and keeping readers hooked, page after page.

Moderators

Jenna Blum

MURDER YOUR DARLINGS, Author

Speakers

Hank Phillippi Ryan

MOTHER DAUGHTER SISTER STRANGER, Author

Hank Phillippi Ryan is the USA Today bestselling author of 17 thrillers, including The Murder List and One Wrong Word. Her newest is Mother Daughter Sister Stranger from Minotaur Books, which Lisa Scottoline calls "Riveting!" and Mary Kubica says, "readers will devour this in one... Read More →

Edwin Hill

WHAT HAPPENED NEXT, Author

Edwin Hill’s critically-acclaimed crime novels include Who To Believe and The Secrets We Share, and three novels in the Hester Thursby series. His latest thriller What Happened Next will publish in March. He has been nominated for Edgar and Agatha Awards and received starred re... Read More →

Joe Moldover

TO THE END OF RECKONING, Author

Joseph Moldover’s mystery debut, To the End of Reckoning, was published by Mysterious Press in April 2026. He is also the author of the Young Adult novels Every Moment After and Just Until. His short fiction has appeared in McSweeney’s Internet Tendency, Stonecoast Review, Mo... Read More →

Sunday January 17, 2027 10:45am - 11:45am EST
TBA

Track 1: Deep Craft

10:45am EST

I’ve Signed With an Agent; Now What?

Sunday January 17, 2027 10:45am - 11:45am EST

TBA

The offer's in, the contract's signed, and now comes the part nobody quite prepares you for. This session walks through what actually happens after signing: what to expect during the submission process, how to communicate with your agent, how much patience (and silence) is normal, and how to manage your expectations without losing your mind. Whether you're newly signed or still figuring out this relationship, you'll leave knowing what comes next — and how to be a good partner in it.

Moderators

Lauren Liebow

Aevitas Creative Management, Literary Agent

Lauren Liebow represents authors across literary and upmarket fiction as well as nonfiction. She has editorially supported award-winning authors who are New York Times bestsellers, MacDowell fellows, Fulbright Grant Awardees, and National Book Award longlisted authors, among othe... Read More →

Speakers

Weina Dai Randel

THE MASTER JEWELER, Author

Weina Dai Randel is an award-winning, internationally bestselling, Wall Street Journal bestselling author of six historical novels, including The Last Rose of Shanghai, which was optioned for a feature film; Night Angels, which was longlisted for the Massachusetts Book Awards; Th... Read More →

Laura Katz

Writers House Literary Agency, Junior Agent

Writers House is one of the largest independent literary agencies in the world, with in-house international licensing, media, contracts, and accounting teams. I joined in 2021, working first as an assistant in the contracts and accounting departments. Since 2022, I’ve supported... Read More →

Eric Smith

Neighborhood Literary, Founder + Literary Agent

With over fifteen years of experience in publishing, both at a house and an agency, Eric Smith (he/him) has worked with numerous New York Times bestselling and award-winning authors across genres and categories.

He is always looking for Middle Grade and Young Adult projects (fiction and non-fiction), adult genre-blending upmarket and literary fiction, accessible sci-fi and fantasy, high concept rom-coms, and memoir, essays, and wellness titles in the non-fiction space... Read More →

Sunday January 17, 2027 10:45am - 11:45am EST
TBA

Track 2: Pre-Pub

10:45am EST

Memoir Plus, Essay Collections, & More: The Publishing Landscape for Non-Fiction Today

Sunday January 17, 2027 10:45am - 11:45am EST

TBA

Nonfiction today goes well beyond the straightforward memoir—hybrid forms, essay collections, and "memoir plus" books that braid personal story with reporting or research are reshaping the category. This session maps the current landscape for writers working outside a single, tidy genre lane: how these projects get positioned and sold, what agents and editors are looking for right now, how to pitch a book that blends memoir with history, science, or criticism, and where essay collections fit in a tough market. Whether your book resists easy categorization or you're just figuring out how to frame it for submission, you'll leave with a clearer picture of where nonfiction publishing stands today— and how your project fits in.

Moderators

Alysia Abbott

FAIRYLAND, A MEMOIR OF MY FATHER, Author

Alysia Abbott is the author of Fairyland, A Memoir of My Father, which was a New York Times Book Review Editors' Choice, an ALA Stonewall Award winner, a winner of the Madame Figaro Prix Heroine, and a finalist for the Lambda Literary Awards. She is a recipient of grants and fellowships from the Massachusetts Cultural Council, Ragdale, and the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts... Read More →

Speakers

Maria Pinto

FEARLESS, SLEEPLESS, DEATHLESS: WHAT FUNGI TAUGHT ME ABOUT NOURISHMENT, POISON, ECOLOGY, HIDDEN HISTORIES, ZOMBIES, AND BLACK SURVIVAL, Author

Maria Pinto is a naturalist, essayist, fictioneer, and educator living in the Boston area. She teaches creative writing for various organizations, has led workshops and given lectures for mycological societies and environmental groups around the country, and leads regular fungal forays... Read More →

Mathew Rodriguez

TOUGH GUY, Author

Mathew Rodriguez is a Brooklyn-based writer whose debut memoir 'Tough Guy' is coming out in January from Abrams Books. He teaches writing and journalism at New York University and the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism. He has been a senior editor at The Atlantic and his... Read More →

Ashley Lopez

Massie McQuilkin & Altman Literary Agents, Literary Agent

Ashley Lopez is a literary agent with Massie McQuilkin & Altman Literary Agents. She received her MFA in fiction from Sarah Lawrence College and has over a decade of publishing experience. Formerly the director of foreign rights and an agent at WLA Books, she has worked on international... Read More →

Sunday January 17, 2027 10:45am - 11:45am EST
TBA

Track 3: The Book Ecosystem

10:45am EST

Show Me the Money: The Business of Being an Author

Sunday January 17, 2027 10:45am - 11:45am EST

TBA

Writing the book is one thing— figuring out how to actually make a living from it is another story. This session covers the financial realities of an author's career: advances and royalties, diversifying income through speaking, teaching, or other revenue streams, budgeting for the unpredictable nature of publishing income, and thinking like a small business owner instead of just a writer. Come for a practical, unglamorous, and essential session for any author.

Moderators

Markus Hoffmann

Regal Hoffmann & Associates LLC, Managing Director & Literary Agent

Markus Hoffmann joined Regal Literary in 2006 and was made a partner at the agency in 2014, when it became Regal Hoffmann & Associates. He studied English and Russian literature and linguistics in Munich, Moscow, and at Hertford College, Oxford, and started his career in publishing... Read More →

Speakers

Kim van Alkemade

UPSTATE, Author

Kim van Alkemade is a New York Times bestselling author of four novels whose work has been translated into eleven languages. She was born in New York City, spent her childhood in New Jersey, and attended college in Wisconsin, where she earned a doctorate in English from UW-Milwaukee. After a career teaching writing at Shippensbu... Read More →

Heather Roberts

1852 Literary (also 1852 Media - the marketing firm), Literary Agent (also a Marketing Professional)

Heather Roberts is a licensed attorney, literary agent, book marketer, and lifelong voracious reader who has built her career around helping authors navigate the business of publishing.

In 2016, she founded 1852 Media to provide strategic marketing and promotional support to authors at every stage of their careers. She later founded 1852 Literary to create more opportunities for writers seeking traditional publication while helping established authors expand their... Read More →

Sunday January 17, 2027 10:45am - 11:45am EST
TBA

Track 4: Post-Pub

10:45am EST

Please Murder My Darlings: Or, How to Make Writing Fun Again

Sunday January 17, 2027 10:45am - 11:45am EST

TBA

You’re fifty pages in and don’t know where to go next. Or you’ve written the first page — twenty-five times. Getting stuck is an inevitable part of the writing process, but working with a writing partner can help you move on better and faster than you can alone. Join authors and longtime writing partners Ilyon Woo and Rachel Kousser for a discussion of the specific strategies they’ve road-tested together to overcome writer’s block, build suspense, murder each other’s darlings, and more. We’ll share how we played with screenwriting and other techniques outside our comfort zones to reach wider audiences...starting with each other. You’ll leave with creative methods for finding and developing your writing partnership, and becoming stronger writers together.

Speakers

Rachel Kousser

ALEXANDER AT THE END OF THE WORLD: THE FORGOTTEN FINAL YEARS OF ALEXANDER THE GREAT, Author

Rachel Kousser writes and teaches about Alexander the Great, ancient iconoclasm, and the representation of gender and power in the Mediterranean world. For her work, she has received fellowships from the National Endowment of the Humanities, the Getty Research Institute, and the Center... Read More →

Ilyon Woo

MASTER SLAVE HUSBAND WIFE, Author

Ilyon Woo is the Pulitzer-Prize-winning author of Master Slave Husband Wife: An Epic Journey from Slavery to Freedom; and The Great Divorce: A Nineteenth-Century Mother’s Extraordinary Fight Against Her Husband, the Shakers, and Her Times. She and her writing partner, Rachel Kousser, met as undergraduates at Yale... Read More →

Sunday January 17, 2027 10:45am - 11:45am EST
TBA

Track 5: Big Picture

10:45am EST

Latest Tools & Technology for Writers

Sunday January 17, 2027 10:45am - 11:45am EST

TBA

From manuscript-organizating software to marketing platforms, there's a dizzying number of tools promising to make a writer's life easier. This session cuts through the noise with a practical look at what's actually useful right now — for drafting, editing, organizing research, tracking submissions, and building an audience — and what's more hype than help. Come away with a toolkit that fits how you actually work.

Sunday January 17, 2027 10:45am - 11:45am EST
TBA

Track 6: Grab Bag

12:00pm EST

Rules for Revision

Sunday January 17, 2027 12:00pm - 1:00pm EST

TBA

Every writer has their own revision rules— some useful, some superstition, some flat-out contradictory. This session digs into the "rules" that actually hold up: when to revise on the sentence level versus the structural level, how to know if a scene (or a whole draft) needs to be cut versus fixed, how much distance to take before revising, and when "kill your darlings" is good advice versus an excuse to avoid harder decisions. We'll also talk about the rules worth breaking— the ones that work for some writers and actively hurt others. You'll leave with a sharper, more personalized set of principles for revision, and the judgment to know when to follow them and when to throw them out.

Speakers

Rick Moody

HOTELS OF NORTH AMERICA, Author

Rick Moody is the author of six novels, three collections of stories, and three works of non-fiction. He writes regularly about music at Salmagundi magazine.

Sunday January 17, 2027 12:00pm - 1:00pm EST
TBA

Track 1: Deep Craft

12:00pm EST

I’ve Sold My Book; Now What?

Sunday January 17, 2027 12:00pm - 1:00pm EST

TBA

A book deal feels like the finish line — but it's really the starting gun. This session covers what happens between signing a contract and holding a finished book: the editorial process, marketing and publicity timelines, what your publisher expects from you, and how to manage the long, sometimes disorienting road to publication day. You'll leave with a clear-eyed roadmap for turning a sold manuscript into a successful launch.

Moderators

Pam Gruber

High Line Literary Collective, Literary Agent

Pam became a literary agent when she realized her favorite part of the publishing business was working closely with authors and artists, helping them to shape not only their stories, but also their careers. She got her start in publishing as an editor, working for over a decade at... Read More →

Speakers

Amy Caldwell

Maria Pinto

FEARLESS, SLEEPLESS, DEATHLESS: WHAT FUNGI TAUGHT ME ABOUT NOURISHMENT, POISON, ECOLOGY, HIDDEN HISTORIES, ZOMBIES, AND BLACK SURVIVAL, Author

Mariah Stovall

Trellis Literary Management, Literary Agent

Mariah Stovall is an agent at Trellis Literary Management, which she joined upon its founding in 2021. She previously worked at the agencies Howland Literary and Writers House and the publishers Farrar, Straus & Giroux and Gallery Books. She represents literary and upmarket fiction... Read More →

Sunday January 17, 2027 12:00pm - 1:00pm EST
TBA

Track 2: Pre-Pub

12:00pm EST

The State of Publishing: Trends, Data, and What They Mean for You

Sunday January 17, 2027 12:00pm - 1:00pm EST

TBA

Everyone has an opinion about the state of publishing — this session brings both the numbers and the stories behind them. We'll dig into the data — sales trends by genre and category, what advances actually look like right now, how debut vs. backlist performance has shifted, the real growth (and limits) of audio and independent publishing — alongside the on-the-ground observations and anecdotes that don't always show up in a spreadsheet. Panelists will share what they're actually seeing in submissions, deals, and the market day to day, cutting through industry speculation and social media doom-scrolling for a fuller, more honest picture of what's really happening in publishing right now — and what it might mean for your own career.

Moderators

Alexandra Sunshine

Kensington Books, Senior Editor

Alex Sunshine (she/hers) is a Senior Editor at Kensington Books.

Speakers

Ben White

Macmillan, Field Sales Representative

Ben White is Macmillan's sales representative in New England. He grew up in Cambridge, haunting the bookstores of Harvard Square and the stacks of the old Cambridge Public Library. His first job after college was at an independent bookstore in Brooklyn. He then spent 15 years working... Read More →

Anjali Singh

The Anjali Singh Agency, Literary Agent

Anjali Singh founded her literary agency in 2024. Before launching her own agency, she worked as an agent at Ayesha Pande Literary and as Editorial Director at Other Press, in addition to having been an international literary scout, an acquiring editor at Vintage Books, Houghton Mifflin... Read More →

Hafizah Geter

THE BLACK PERIOD: ON PERSONHOOD, RACE & ORIGIN, Author & Literary Agent

Hafizah Augustus Geter is a Nigerian American author. Her memoir, The Black Period: On Personhood, Race & Origin (Random House), won a PEN Open Book Award, and a Lammy Award in LGBTQ+ Nonfiction from Lambda Literary, and was a New Yorker Magazine Best Book, a Good Morning America... Read More →

Sunday January 17, 2027 12:00pm - 1:00pm EST
TBA

Track 3: The Book Ecosystem

12:00pm EST

Audiobook Narration

Sunday January 17, 2027 12:00pm - 1:00pm EST

TBA

How does a title actually get greenlit for audio — and what role can authors play in making it happen? This panel brings together audiobook and publishing professionals from houses including Sourcebooks and Podium for a candid look at the state of the industry. Geared toward published authors, the conversation covers how acquisition decisions get made, what makes a strong audiobook candidate, how to pitch your publisher on an audio edition, and audiobooks as a standalone publishing strategy. Leave with a clearer picture of the landscape and concrete ideas for advocating for your own work.

Moderators

Chris Ciulla

Founder and CEO, Leonardo Audio and Nor'Easter Publishing

An on-camera actor, video game and commercial voice actor, Chris has narrated over 580 audiobook titles and produced and/or directed another 100. Just this month, he received an Earphones Award from AudioFile Magazine for his performance of Elliot Ackerman’s SHEEPDOGS, and shar... Read More →

Sunday January 17, 2027 12:00pm - 1:00pm EST
TBA

Track 4: Post-Pub

12:00pm EST

Debuting Earlier vs. Later in Life

Sunday January 17, 2027 12:00pm - 1:00pm EST

TBA

There's no "right" age to publish your first book— but debuting at 25 and debuting at 55 come with genuinely different opportunities and challenges. This session explores what it's like to break into publishing at different life stages: the energy and long runway of an early debut versus the depth, patience, and life experience a later one often brings, plus the practical realities each path involves, from building a career trajectory to navigating an industry that sometimes fixates on "young voices." Whether you're an emerging writer wondering if you've waited too long, or an early-career author thinking about the decades ahead, you'll leave with a broader, more honest picture of what debuting at any age can look like.

Moderators

Eric Smith

Neighborhood Literary, Founder + Literary Agent

Speakers

Virginia Pye

MARRIAGE AND OTHER MONUMENTS, Author

Kirkus Reviews calls Marriage and Other Monuments, Virginia Pye’s fifth book, “A fascinating and audacious novel of family, marriage, and a society in flux.” She is also the author of two award-winning post-colonial historical novels set in China, River of Dust and Dreams o... Read More →

Rowan Beaird

TENDERNESS, Author

Rowan Beaird is a fiction writer whose work has appeared in The Kenyon Review, The Southern Review, and The Common, among others. She is the recipient of the Ploughshares Emerging Writer Award, and she has received scholarships from the Bread Loaf Writers’ Conference and StoryS... Read More →

Andrew Ridker

HOPE, Author

Andrew Ridker is the author of the novels Hope and The Altruists. His third novel, Everything Must Go, is forthcoming from Viking. His writing has appeared in The New York Times Magazine, The Wall Street Journal, New York Magazine, and Le Monde, among other publications. He is th... Read More →

Sunday January 17, 2027 12:00pm - 1:00pm EST
TBA

Track 5: Big Picture

12:00pm EST

The Human Journey: The One Final Actual Secret Of All Satisfying Stories

Sunday January 17, 2027 12:00pm - 1:00pm EST

TBA

So many story theories! So little time! But come on: let’s get down to basics. What does a story actually need to…well…BE a story? What even IS a story? Is your novel a story? Are you sure? Or is it, perhaps, just something story-like? This lecture will help you figure it out. Mark Cecil has teaching story structure and helping people tell their stories for years. And he can help you, too. In this session you will learn not only the basics of story, but also the elements that all stories have in common, from An Epic Quest With A Magic Ring to finding a good cup of coffee in your neighborhood. Scenes, chapters, books and even series use variations of the simple ingredients that make up the Human Journey. I can hear you saying, “But what is it? Why won’t you just tell us?” Cliffhanger! You have to come to find out.

Speakers

Mark Cecil

BUNYAN AND HENRY, Author

Mark Cecil is an author, journalist and host of The Thoughtful Bro podcast, for which he conducts interviews with an eclectic roster of Academy Award–winning and bestselling storytellers. Formerly a journalist for Reuters, he has also written for LitHub, The Millions, Writer’... Read More →

Sunday January 17, 2027 12:00pm - 1:00pm EST
TBA

Track 6: Grab Bag