Many fees for live pitches are as faraway as Mars for scores if not hundreds of working (and working-class writers( who simply don't have the money. It's like being able to attend AWP conventions- some of us,especially with one or two kids to raise and nourish, do not have the kale( to use an old American vernacular phrase which is ironic since almost anyone can raise kale, one of the world's hardiest vegetables (I can remember pulling up kale from my wife's garden one January after a twenty three inch snowfall).
And this doesn't include travel and housing expenses. And you may have a friend in the city where the pitch day is happening, but what about travel.It has become increasingly challlenging to hitchhike or stowaway on a train, plane, or bus.
Locally, in my area- The Pioneer Valley of Western Massachusetts, there is a huge writing conference being planned by a local writers organization named Straw Dog that has been around for at least ten years and has mainly older writers (50 pls). Sometimes their open mikes and reading nights and workshops resemble a geriatric ward on a field trip..
They are planning a big conference, with agents, for October. The fee is $l50.00 which includes lunch. The conference is for one day. The feature reader is the gifted poet Franny Choi, the workshop "facillitators" are local writers who have not had much work publshed.
Ive suggested it be 'sliding scale"; I have not heard back.
One Straw Dog member said, "There was a writers conference in Westport ( one of the most expensive communitiees in New Englandd,d), "and it cost three hundred and fifty dollars".
Of course she forgot to add that Westport is one of the wealthiest communities in NewEngland.
Sincerely
Ernie Briill
413-320-1807 (author of I Looked Over Jordan and OS
That was so interesting— thank you. I didn’t know that you were also an agent! Putting that info in my back pocket.
That was helpful and clear. Thank you.
Thank you Tommy for the informative insights. I especially liked the statistical analysis.
Many fees for live pitches are as faraway as Mars for scores if not hundreds of working (and working-class writers( who simply don't have the money. It's like being able to attend AWP conventions- some of us,especially with one or two kids to raise and nourish, do not have the kale( to use an old American vernacular phrase which is ironic since almost anyone can raise kale, one of the world's hardiest vegetables (I can remember pulling up kale from my wife's garden one January after a twenty three inch snowfall).
And this doesn't include travel and housing expenses. And you may have a friend in the city where the pitch day is happening, but what about travel.It has become increasingly challlenging to hitchhike or stowaway on a train, plane, or bus.
Locally, in my area- The Pioneer Valley of Western Massachusetts, there is a huge writing conference being planned by a local writers organization named Straw Dog that has been around for at least ten years and has mainly older writers (50 pls). Sometimes their open mikes and reading nights and workshops resemble a geriatric ward on a field trip..
They are planning a big conference, with agents, for October. The fee is $l50.00 which includes lunch. The conference is for one day. The feature reader is the gifted poet Franny Choi, the workshop "facillitators" are local writers who have not had much work publshed.
Ive suggested it be 'sliding scale"; I have not heard back.
One Straw Dog member said, "There was a writers conference in Westport ( one of the most expensive communitiees in New Englandd,d), "and it cost three hundred and fifty dollars".
Of course she forgot to add that Westport is one of the wealthiest communities in NewEngland.
Sincerely
Ernie Briill
413-320-1807 (author of I Looked Over Jordan and OS