WRITERS FESTIVAL

PANELS & SPEAKERS

Friday, March 24 at 10:30 a.m.  (REGISTRATION IS CLOSED)
All take place at the William H. Jervey, Jr. Venice Public Library, Gulf Coast Community Foundation Community Room


Venice Writers Festival came back strong in 2022 and is again featuring Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Lane DeGregory, this time as its Keynote Speaker. The Authors Committee plans a full day of writing and publishing panels packed with writers sharing their hard-won knowledge. The schedule of events is listed below.

The panels will appeal to fiction and nonfiction readers and authors wishing to hone their craft.

MORNING PANEL  10:30 - 11:30 a.m.

Getting from Idea to Publisher
Experienced, prize-winning authors offer suggestions for aspiring writers who want to know more about publishing their work.

Moderator: Former Director of Sarasota Library Systems, Nancy Pike

PANELISTS
Kim Cool, Features Editor, Venice Gondolier, and Author, Ghost Stories of Venice; Clarissa Thomasson, Author, Forgotten Florida; Lane DeGregory, Author, The Girl in the Window and Other True Tales: An Anthology with Tips for Finding, Reporting, and Writing Nonfiction Narratives; and Barbara Field, Author, The Deeper, The Bluer.

From 11:30–12:00 Authors will sign books

noon-1:30 p.m.  Enjoy lunch on your own at one of the fabulous downtown Venice eateries.


KEYNOTE  1:30 - 2:30 p.m.

How to Tell a Great Story

Lane DeGregory, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and author

AFTERNOON PANEL  2:30 - 3:30 p.m.

Writing as a Second Act
Many authors embark upon writing as a second career, with ideas coming from life and work experiences. Hear from writers who stepped into this "second act," and joined the ranks of published authors. Included on this panel is an editor with practical advice for writers.

Moderator: Beth Donofrio, Author, Champions Way

PANELISTS
Ray Sinibaldi, Author, Yankees in the Hall of Fame; Al Lyman, Author, Age Well and Feel Great; Al Curtiss, Author, 101 Leadership Lessons From Football's Greatest Coaches; and Camille Cline, Editor

3:30-4:00 Authors will sign books

Light refreshments follow the last panel from 4:00 - 5:00 p.m., with closing remarks by The Hermitage Artist Retreat nonfiction writer-in-residence, Rigoberto Gonzalez.   Also, an invitation to Saturday’s Book Fair.