COST: Registration price is now $305. Get your spot before prices go up!
WHEN: July 11 @ 9:30 am – July 13 @ 3:00 pm (PST)
WHERE: Fairfield Inn and Suites, Bremerton, WA. Special Group rates available. Book Now!
WHY: Our Three-Day Critique Workshop is an opportunity for you to submit the first 4000 words of your novel, short story, or whatever project you are working on, for critique in a group of up to 8 peers led by an industry professional. While we are always looking for ways to expand our horizons, this particular workshop still tends to focus on sci-fi & fantasy. Even if you write in other genres, you can still benefit from our workshop but please be aware that much of the material is from a SFF lens.
Our critique groups are a great way to polish up those first pages and first chapter. Submissions are due six weeks before the event via our Discord server. Discord login information can be found in your Welcome email after you register.
There will also be opportunity to pitch to an agent, as well as one-hour workshops and panel presentations on craft, querying, the publishing industry, and more. Optional casual gatherings provide opportunities to get to know other writers as well as authors, editors, and agents.
We hope you’ll join us!
REGISTRATION: Click to Register Today!
SCHOLARSHIPS are available for marginalized writers and writers in need. Please email [email protected] to apply.
SCHEDULE: click here to see the 2024 schedule for a sampling of possible panels
GROUP LEADERS & SPEAKERS
- Tor editor Claire Eddy (Group Leader – Online Only)
- Agent & author Arley Sorg (Group Leader)
- Author Jessie Kwak (Group Leader)
- Author Wendy Wagner (Group Leader)
- Author Randy Henderson (Group Leader)
- Author Daryl Gregory (Group Leader)
- Author Kendare Blake (Speaker – Saturday Only)
- Bookseller Kate Larson (Speaker – Saturday Only)
Claire Eddy is a senior editor at Tor/Forge Books and has been with the company for 30 years. She began editing science fiction and fantasy early in her career and worked with such authors as Orson Scott Card, Gordon R. Dickson, Fred Saberhagen, and Jack Vance, as well as launching the careers of Jacqueline Carey, Sara Douglass and Juliet Marillier. While she still edits these genres, she has broadened her projects to include historicals, thrillers and mysteries. On the mystery side, she has worked with Stuart Kaminksy, Carole Nelson Douglas, and Sharan Newman. She’s spent the better part of her adult life working with authors to make their stories and dreams be the best they can be, becoming that “third eye” and nudge to accomplish this feat. Return to Speakers list
Arley Sorg is an associate agent at kt literary. He is a two-time World Fantasy Award Finalist and a two-time Locus Award Finalist for his work as co-Editor-in-Chief at Fantasy Magazine. Arley is also a SFWA Solstice Award Recipient, a Space Cowboy Award Recipient, and a finalist for two Ignyte Awards. Arley is senior editor at Locus, associate editor at both Lightspeed & Nightmare, a columnist for The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, and an interviewer for Clarkesworld. He has been a guest critiquer for the Odyssey Workshop, was the week five instructor for the 2023 Clarion West workshop, and is a Guest of Honour for the 2024 in-person Can*Con, among other teaching and speaking engagements. Find him at arleysorg.com, his Twitter, Facebook, or Blue Sky. Return to Speakers list
Jessie Kwak is a science fiction author and business book ghostwriter living in Portland, Oregon. When she’s not raving about her latest favorite sci-fi series to her friends, she can be found sewing, mountain biking, or out exploring new worlds both at home and abroad. Return to Speakers list
Wendy N. Wagner is the author of The Creek Girl, forthcoming 2025 from Tor Nightfire, as well as the horror novel The Deer Kings and the gothic novella The Secret Skin. Previous work includes the SF thriller An Oath of Dogs and two novels for the Pathfinder Tales series. Her short fiction has been nominated for a Shirley Jackson award, and her short stories, poetry, and essays have appeared in more than sixty venues. She serves as the editor-in-chief of Nightmare Magazine, for which she was nominated for the Locus award, and is also the Managing/Senior/Nonfiction Editor of Lightspeed Magazine. She lives in Oregon with her very understanding family, two large cats, and a Muppet disguised as a dog. Return to Speakers list
Randy Henderson is the author of the darkly humorous urban fantasy series that includes Finn Fancy Necromancy, Bigfootloose & Finn Fancy Free, and Smells Like Finn Spirit, published by Tor (US) and Titan (UK). He is the Golden Pen Grand Prize winner of Writers of the Future for 2014, and his short fiction has appeared in numerous professional publications. Randy graduated from the Clarion West writing workshop in 2009. Randy has experience as a reader, lecturer, and panel participant on the subject of writing at events such as Cascade Writers, Norwescon, WorldCon, World Fantasy Convention, and Rainforest Writers Retreats, as well as his own independent workshops. Return to Speakers list
Daryl Gregory is a Seattle writer whose novels and short stories have been translated into a dozen languages and have won multiple awards, including the World Fantasy, Shirley Jackson, and Crawford awards, and have been nominated for the Hugo, Nebula, Edgar, and other awards. His latest novel is When We Were Real (4/2025).
His seven other novels include Revelator, Spoonbenders, and Pandemonium. Other books include the novellas The Album of Dr. Moreau and We Are All Completely Fine, and the collection Unpossible and Other Stories. He also teaches writing and is a regular instructor at the Viable Paradise Writing Workshop. Return to Speakers list
Kendare Blake is the author of several novels and short stories, most of which you can find information about via the links above. Her work is sort of dark, always violent, and features passages describing food from when she writes while hungry. She was born in July (for those of you doing book reports) in Seoul, South Korea, but doesn’t speak a lick of Korean, as she was packed off at a very early age to her adoptive parents in the United States. That might be just an excuse, though, as she is pretty bad at learning foreign languages. She enjoys the work of Milan Kundera, Caitlin R Kiernan, Bret Easton Ellis, and Richard Linklater. Return to Speakers list
Originally from Minnesota, Kate Larson purchased the Ballast Book Co. in Bremerton because she really loves the Pacific Northwest area. First stepping into the book industry in 2012, Kate worked at the Liberty Bay Books in Poulsbo for a while and agreed to manage a pop-up for Liberty Bay in 2015, which ended up being a permanent fixture on Pacific Avenue. In 2018, Kate worked at the independent bookstore Bank Square Books in Mystic, CT until she returned to Washington. With over a decade of experience in the bookselling industry, Kate can offer unique insights and help newly published authors know what to expect. Return to Speakers list
Additional speakers to be announced – watch this space for developing information
CONTACT: send questions to Zan Ross [email protected]
Note on Covid: Cascade Writers will follow all mask ordinances, requirements, and guidance from the State of Washington, Kitsap County, the City of Bremerton, and the Fairfield Inn. As of July 2024, masks are entirely optional, though we do ask that you use one if you have respiratory symptoms. If you have Covid or fever, please let us know so that we can arrange for streaming or recorded options.
