The Kauai Writers Conference offers keynote talks by distinguished authors, workshops, as well as master classes, and opportunities to meet one-on-one with literary agents, editors, and other publishing experts. The events are set on Kauai’s beautiful Kalapaki Beach. The faculty is truly world-class in talent and diversity of genres, with areas of expertise ranging from fiction and poetry, to screenwriting and playwriting, to narrative nonfiction and memoir. Each faculty member was nominated and selected by their peers as being not only an extraordinary writer, but also as an outstanding teacher of writing. We believe the careful attention that went into selecting each author is unrivaled by any other writing conference.
The Kauai Writers Conference faculty includes, among many others:
JANE SMILEY: The Pulitzer Prize winning author of A Thousand Acres, as well as fifteen other works of fiction, five works of nonfiction and a series of books for young adults. She has won several awards, including the PEN Center USA Lifetime Achievement Award for Literature and is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters. The Guardian newspaper has called Smiley “America’s Tolstoy” and said that her name belongs alongside Roth, Updike and Bellow as one of the truly great chroniclers of 20th-century American life.
ALICE HOFFMAN: One of America’s most celebrated writers, Hoffman is the bestselling author of more than 30 novels, three books of short fiction, eight books for children and young adults, and published in over 100 foreign editions. Her work has been hailed by Toni Morrison and Oprah Winfrey among others, and about her latest novel, The Rules of Magic, Jodi Picoult wrote in the New York Times, “Reading an Alice Hoffman book is like falling into a deep dream where senses are heightened and love reigns supreme.”
SCOTT TUROW: Author of eleven fiction and three nonfiction books, which have been translated into more than 40 languages and sold more than 30 million copies. Award winning films have been based on several of his books. The Washington Post wrote of Scott Turow, “Thirty years after Presumed Innocent, Turow still thrills with Testimony. I can’t think of another novel in which so many givens end up being exposed… Testimony is a tour de force of collapsing perceptions.
Beyond the chance to connect with fifteen of the world’s most renowned writers, the Kauai Writers Conference provides exceptional opportunities to meet one-on-one with ten top literary agents, publishers, and editors who come to the conference specifically to find promising new writers. In addition, among our faculty are leading experts in alternative publishing channels who can help conference participants find their own unique path to publication. The combination of the sublime tropical location with the exceptional quality of our faculty has made the Kauai Writers Conference a life-changing experience for many writers.
From the opening address and blessing by revered Hawaiian kumu Sabra Kauka, through the beach-side luau with its traditional foods, and the Hawaiian slack key guitar performance, the Kauai Writers Festival is more than a writing conference that happens to be in Hawaii; it is a truly Hawaiian event. Faculty and students who have attended the Kauai Writers Conference in previous years have said it is an experience they will treasure their whole lives.
We look forward to welcoming you to the 2018 Kauai Writers Conference.
