If you've been to the Port Townsend Writers' Conference before, you already know the scene: open fields, miles of beach and forested trails, morning workshops, afternoon craft lectures, evening readings, all designed to inspire you and deepen and energize your writing.

If you haven't yet attended, I'd recommend starting here for an overview. Founded in 1974 by novelist Bill Ransom, the Conference has been for 37 years at the heart of the Pacific Northwest Writing scene.

In 2010, our partners and presenters will include the Inland Center for Writers at Eastern Washington University, Western Washington University, the University of Washington, the University of Idaho, Central Washington University, the Crab Creek Review, Willow Springs, Copper Canyon Press, Amazon.com, Port Book and News, the Rainier Writers' Workshop at Pacific Lutheran University, Peninsula College, and the Richard Hugo House.

Thanks to the combined energy and sponsorships of these organzations, we will be able to offer more and deeper morning workshops, open readings, craft lectures, afternoon workshops, and freewrite sessions.

Registration will open November 9, at 9 am, and will be available online or by calling us at 360.385.3102, x131 or x117.

We're continuing to develop our afternoon workshop schedule, but as if right now, here is where we are. Please continue to check back, as more workshops are being added daily.

The morning workshop faculty members will include fiction writer Chris Abani (pictured, above), nonfiction writer Denise Chávez, poet Martín Espada, poet Dana Levin, fiction writer Micheline Aharonian Marcom, travel writer Tom Miller, nonfiction writer Bich Minh Nguyen (leading a master class), and fiction writer Ana Menéndez.

Afternoon workshop faculty members will include Wendy Call, Sam Ligon, Susan Landgraf, Susan Rich, Deborah Poe, Lana Ayers, Kelli Russell Agodon, Maya Jewell Zeller, Tamara Sellman, Sayantani Dasgupta, Kitty Hoffman, Stan Rubin, and Lindsay Wilson, with more continuing to be added.