WriteAngles Conference: Full Schedule

9:45am EDT

Mastering the Three-Act Structure for Novels

Saturday October 24, 2026 9:45am - 11:00am EDT

Write a novel that grips readers from the first page and never lets go. In this workshop, you’ll master the classic three-act structure—a time-tested framework that underpins some of the most compelling stories across genres. We’ll explore the essential components of each act, from inciting incidents to climactic resolutions, and we'll analyze a few bestselling novels that have used this structure effectively.

Megan Tady is the author of Bluebird Day, a Washington Post Noteworthy Book, and Super Bloom, which was awarded an IPPY Gold medal for Best Regional Fiction in the Northeast. She runs the freelance writing and editing company Word-Lift and offers book coaching and ghostwriting. Her writing has appeared in Oprah Daily, People, L.A. Parent, Woman's Day, Writer's Digest, The Huffington Post, and Ms. Magazine, among others. Megan lives in Western Massachusetts with her family.

www.megantady.com

Speakers

Megan Tady

Workshop Leader

Megan Tady is the author of Bluebird Day, a Washington Post Noteworthy Book, and Super Bloom, which was awarded an IPPY Gold medal for Best Regional Fiction in the Northeast. She runs the freelance writing and editing company Word-Lift and offers book coaching and ghostwriting... Read More →

Saturday October 24, 2026 9:45am - 11:00am EDT

Block One, Prose

Audience Emerging Writers
Subject Poetry, Publishing, Craft, Generative, Prose, Fiction, Non-Fiction, Novel, Structure

9:45am EDT

The Stories We Carry

Saturday October 24, 2026 9:45am - 11:00am EDT

"The Stories We Carry" is a workshop that explores identity and how it shapes voice, memory, and storytelling. Participants will first embrace some of the stories they have been told, and then with guided prompts, reflection and creative writing, they will reclaim their narrative, and share the stories they want to tell. This workshop is ideal for poets, memoirists, and emerging writers seeking authentic voice, cultural connection, and creative empowerment.

Speakers

Darlene Elias/Gri

Workshop Leader

Saturday October 24, 2026 9:45am - 11:00am EDT

Block One, Prose

Audience Emerging Writers
Subject Poetry, Publishing, Craft, Generative, Prose, Fiction, Non-Fiction, Essay

9:45am EDT

Writing the Future: Thrutopian Fictions for a Better World

Saturday October 24, 2026 9:45am - 11:00am EDT

Imagination is essential to creating a better future. If all we see when we look into the future is dystopia, that’s what we will inevitably create. This session will demonstrate the process of writing “thrutopia”—a vision of the world we desire, and a road map for how to get there.

Speakers

Jennifer Browdy

Workshop Leader

Jennifer Browdy, PhD, has taught literature, writing and leadership for social and environmental justice at Bard College/Simon’s Rock for many years. She coined the term “purposeful memoir” and has shared her own life story and the techniques of purposeful memoir in severa... Read More →

Saturday October 24, 2026 9:45am - 11:00am EDT

Block One, Prose

Audience Emerging Writers
Subject Poetry, Publishing, Craft, Generative, Prose, Fiction

11:15am EDT

Setting: More than Meets the Eye

Saturday October 24, 2026 11:15am - 12:30pm EDT

Characters who strum ukuleles and bake fudge cakes need a setting in which those activities take place. But what else does a good story need? This workshop considers how setting grounds readers, establishes mood, heightens tension, reveals the psychology of a character, and creates a powerful narrative.

Speakers

Jennifer Jacobson

Workshop Leader

Jennifer Jacobson’s writing appears in the Master's Review, Chronogram, Linea, Switch, jubilat, (and elsewhere) with honorable mentions from Glimmer Train, Hunger Mountain, Symphony Space, and the Tennessee Williams Festival. The recipient of a Massachusetts Cultural Council... Read More →

Saturday October 24, 2026 11:15am - 12:30pm EDT

Block Two, Prose

Audience Emerging Writers
Subject Poetry, Publishing, Craft, Generative, Prose, Fiction, Non-Fiction, Setting

11:15am EDT

The Fact of the Matter: Weaving Research into Personal Narrative for Social Change

Saturday October 24, 2026 11:15am - 12:30pm EDT

Transform your personal narratives into powerful tools for advocacy. This interactive workshop teaches writers how to braid lived experience with evidence-based research and data. By grounding the “I” in historical and social contexts, you’ll learn to elevate your work, broaden your reach, and write effectively toward lasting social change.

Speakers

Amy Mackin

Workshop Leader

Amy Mackin is a writer, researcher, and advocate specializing in the intersections of neurodiversity, education, social equity, and cultural history. She is the author of Henry’s Classroom: A Special Education in American Motherhood (2025), a hybrid memoir exploring the complexities... Read More →

Saturday October 24, 2026 11:15am - 12:30pm EDT

Block Two, Prose

Subject Craft, Generative, Poetry, Prose, Non-Fiction, Essay

2:00pm EDT

Entering the Image: Ekphrastic

Saturday October 24, 2026 2:00pm - 3:15pm EDT

TBA

This generative workshop invites writers to explore the art of ekphrasis—writing that responds to or transforms a visual artwork. Participants will learn to use images as catalysts for fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. Using the Amherst Writers & Artists approach to writing, participants will have the opportunity to share their work with the group and receive feedback.

Elizabeth Levine, M.A., M.P.H., M.F.A., Straw Dog Writer’s Guild Member

Speakers

Elizabeth Levine

Workshop Leader

Elizabeth Levine, M.A., M.P.H., M.F.A., is a trilingual author, editor, poet, and Adjunct Professor of English. Finishing Line Press published her two poetry chapbooks, “The Ribbon Around the Bomb” and “God Doesn’t Live at Our House Anymore”, under her pseudonym Charlotte... Read More →

Saturday October 24, 2026 2:00pm - 3:15pm EDT
TBA

Block Three, Prose/Poetry

Subject Poetry, Publishing, Craft, Generative, Prose, Fiction, Non-Fiction

2:00pm EDT

How to Find The Story Beneath the Story: A Revision Workshop

Saturday October 24, 2026 2:00pm - 3:15pm EDT

TBA

Have you been writing your book for a long time, but still suspect there is a vital story buried underneath, one that you can't quite grasp? Using metaphor as a compass, generative revision as excavation, and form as possibility, we'll uncover the hidden architecture of your material - the deeper story that's been trying to emerge all along.

Speakers

Arya Samuelson

Workshop Leader

Arya Samuelson is a writer, editor, and somatic practitioner. She is the winner of New Ohio Review’s Nonfiction Prize, Lascaux Review’s Nonfiction Prize, and CutBank’s Montana Prize in Nonfiction awarded by Cheryl Strayed. Her essay, “I Am No Beekeeper” was selected as... Read More →

Saturday October 24, 2026 2:00pm - 3:15pm EDT
TBA

Block Three, Prose

Subject Poetry, Publishing, Craft, Generative, Prose, Fiction, Non-Fiction, Revision

2:00pm EDT

Let's Not Speculate: Avoiding Over Explaining and Infodumps in Speculative Fiction

Saturday October 24, 2026 2:00pm - 3:15pm EDT

TBA

Even in speculative fiction, some things are best left to the imagination. One of the easiest ways to kill a reader’s enjoyment of the plot is by excessively telling the reader what will happen next. This session will focus on how to avoid infodumping in fantasy, sci-fi, and horror, how to integrate worldbuilding and important details with the plot, and how to identify when and where to give your readers more/less information.

Speakers

Jackie Gamanche

Workshop Leader

Jacqueline Gamache (“Jacqui”) is a "Jacq" of all trades when it comes to writing,
doing everything but mostly working in speculative fiction. She is based in Western Massachusetts and creates stories that will remind you to stand up to monsters. She serves as the Literary Team Leader of Common Folk Artist Collective, based in North Adams, MA, and also as Editor... Read More →

Saturday October 24, 2026 2:00pm - 3:15pm EDT
TBA

Block Three, Prose

Subject Poetry, Publishing, Craft, Generative, Prose, Fiction, Speculative Fiction

3:30pm EDT

Say it on the Page: How to Craft Lively, Authentic Dialog

Saturday October 24, 2026 3:30pm - 3:45pm EDT

TBA

A craft-based workshop on writing authentic and reader-engaging dialog in your fiction and non-fiction narratives.

Speakers

Aine Greaney

Workshop Leader

Áine Greaney is an Irish-born writer who lives in Newburyport, Massachusetts. Her work has appeared in various publications, including Creative Nonfiction, Salon, The New York Times, Books Ireland and others. Her fifth book has just been published by Sea Crow Press. She teaches... Read More →

Saturday October 24, 2026 3:30pm - 3:45pm EDT
TBA

Block Four, Prose

Subject Poetry, Publishing, Craft, Generative, Prose, Fiction, Non-Fiction, Dialogue

3:30pm EDT

Writing Your Controversial Views

Saturday October 24, 2026 3:30pm - 4:45pm EDT

TBA

We will explore tiptoeing towards the topics you are scared to write about, for fear of being ostracized. Using fiction, abstraction, poetry and/or direct narrative to express your most taboo viewpoints, we will liberate your worst shadows (or the ones you choose to bring).

Speakers

Chaya Grossberg

Workshop Leader

Lifelong poet, fiction and non fiction writer. Chaya has been writing and sharing poetry for 3 decades, participating in and hosting open mics from coast to coast, NYC to San Francisco, Portland, OR, Olympia WA, and here in the Valley the most. She recently published poetry books... Read More →

Saturday October 24, 2026 3:30pm - 4:45pm EDT
TBA

Block Four, Prose/Poetry

Subject Poetry, Publishing, Craft, Generative, Prose, Fiction, Non-Fiction

5:00pm EDT

Wrap up and Open Mic!

Saturday October 24, 2026 5:00pm - 6:00pm EDT

Dining Commons - Blake Student Commons

Join us for a quick conference wrap-up and an open mic!

Bring 3 minutes of something to read! We will draw names from a hat and run the open mic until we have to walk out the door.

Saturday October 24, 2026 5:00pm - 6:00pm EDT
Dining Commons - Blake Student Commons 588 Longmeadow St, Longmeadow, MA 01106

All welcome., Open Mic