Every Thursday since 1982, the Steamboat Springs Writers’ Group has faithfully met. They read and discuss the works of the published, unpublished and aspiring authors who attend. 

When Polly Holyoke moved back to Colorado three years ago, the group became her first circle of friends. Polly had been a professional writer for 30 years, publishing her work with Disney Hyperion and Viking Children’s Books. “Steamboat Writers helped to remind me that writing can be a joyful occupation, even if the writer isn't planning to sell their work,” she says. “People who love to write can come from all walks and stages of life. Every week this group makes me realize that we all have important stories to tell.” 

It is the group’s writing conference that extends a branch to anyone who may not come to meetings regularly. The annual event brings in seminar speakers to speak and discuss topics with attendees – and with a cap of about 35 guests, the mood is always informal and conversational. 

“Although the conference presents specific topics each year, the information and exchanges with other writers helps everyone, regardless of their writing projects. We have writers of fiction, nonfiction, memoirs and accomplished poets.The conference and the weekly meetings provide a center of social interaction among writers that is helpful, supportive, and accepting of any point of view,” says Donald Moss, who has attended nearly 24 years of conferences. 

Though the speakers and topics change from year to year, participants look forward to certain reliable aspects and activities of the conference every year. 

“I have attended the annual conference for the past 25 years,” says member Cesare Rosati. “I especially like the Five Minutes of Fame part that follows the optional Friday evening dinner. Participants are invited to read from their writings during this activity. For me it’s one of the highlights of the conference. Though I can’t recall the names of past speakers, I do remember some of the advice they have provided, such as, try to establish a routine that encourages you to write, and though not in these words, ‘sit your butt down and write,’ if you want to be a writer.”

This year’s conference date has been set for Friday, Oct. 18 and Saturday, Oct. 19, 2024. Registration, now open, costs $125 and can be found on either the Steamboat Writers’ Group website or at Steamboat Creates with this link: https://www.steamboatcreates.org/the-writers-group/. 

Meet the Speakers

In anticipation of the 2024 conference, Steamboat Magazine got in touch with this year’s speakers. Sara Megibow is a literary agent from KT Literary with 18 years of experience in publishing and representing New York Times bestselling authors. J. Eric Miller is an author and professor of creative writing at Metropolitan State University of Denver.

Steamboat Magazine: What can you tell me about your recent work?

Sara Megibow: 2024 has been an exciting year – print books are selling well and audiobook sales are through the roof! My clients are authors and I sell rights to their books to publishers like Simon & Schuster and Macmillan. One of my clients, Rebecca Roanhorse, just published the third in her epic fantasy trilogy – a book called “Mirrored Heavens” which earned four star reviews from trades like Booklist and Kirkus. And another client, Casey McQuiston, had a movie adaptation made from their book “Red, White & Royal Blue,” which has just been nominated for an Emmy. In September, my client Doan Phuong Nguyen will celebrate the release of her very sweet novel for middle grade readers, “A Two-Placed Heart,” written in verse from a big sister to her younger sister sharing stories of their original homeland in hopes that they will both remember it. 

J. Eric Miller: About a year ago, I took an upper-division creative nonfiction class into my regular teaching rotation. Since then, I've focused primarily on writing personal essays – short pieces of memoir-ish writing. Several of these have been accepted into journals such as “The Threepenny Review,” “The North Dakota Review,” and “Able Muse.” It's a natural move for me, as my fiction typically includes autobiographical elements.On a more personal level, I will add that working on these pieces of creative nonfiction has been gratifying in that they feel to gather together all the strands of my creative output into a place that feels to be centered on honesty. And there is something like relief in that, the way it almost always seems to be when we stop spinning and hiding and try, simply, to find and tell the truth.  

SM: Are there any key points from your seminar topic that you can share?

Sara Megibow: I’m very excited about the upcoming conference in Steamboat Springs – what an honor to be invited! During the conference, I will be giving two workshops and the first is called “Literary Agents 101.” The goal is to share resources with the writers who are interested in submitting their manuscript to a literary agent. Traditional publication, also called "Big 5 Publishing" or "New York publishing,” is one way to get books to readers and, typically, a writer needs a literary agent to be considered by those publishers. So, the workshop will cover how to find a literary agent, how to evaluate those agents and how to submit a manuscript to those agents. We’ll definitely leave time for Q&A too.

J. Eric Miller: Central to our discussion on the topic of “The Personal Essay” will be the concept of a 'dot', which is a small movement from a life story, sometimes just a scene, or even part of a scene, sometimes a broader stretch of time. Making the 'dot' the center of our writing endeavor – paying little or even no attention to what came before or what is to come after – we will likely find its roundness and significance. These 'dots' may then become building blocks for longer pieces – personal essays or memoirs, for example. Not only does 'dotting' make the writing of extended pieces easier, but it makes the individual moments feel more purposeful. Also, one begins to recognize different potential pathways of connection between 'dots,’ something often beyond the chronological, suggesting construction around theme and broader emotional and intellectual arcs, giving the writing a more meaningful level of cohesiveness.

SM: What’s your main piece of advice for writers looking to improve their craft?

Sara Megibow: Keep reading and keep writing! When we say “keep reading,” we mean read books in the same genre of the book that you are writing. And make sure those books have been published in the past two to three years by major New York publishers - preferably by debut authors. That’s the best way to learn what kind of stories and voices are doing well in the market today. Keep writing! Words on the page are like exercise or art – practice makes the craft better and better.

J. Eric Miller: Nothing new here, but: LESS IS MORE. Probably, we should have those letters tattooed on our typing fingers. Our desire as writers to overly explain, justify, offer judgment and so on often undercuts the work itself and removes the audience from the equation. One of the great pleasures of reading is the act of lightly guided inference. There is an intimacy in that, a kinship. It's like sharing secrets. What better bond is there than that?