SPECIAL EVENT: Thursday, March 26 from 5:30–8:00 p.m.
“The Foreword” at The Collectors Gallery
sponsored and moderated by Michael Rank and Aimee Odette of The Island Bookshop
Join us for a wine-and-cheese reception to start the weekend at The Collectors Gallery as South Beach Shakedown bestselling author Don Bruns, Heal America: The Remarkable Life of Mary Lasker author Judy Pearson, and collaborative writer and coach Karen Kelly kick off the literary weekend with a look back and a look forward on our area and publishing overall. *Guaranteed entry to the first 40 registrants.
Enjoy lively discussions and great speakers during this day of social learning at the library!
BELOW IS OUR 2025 FRIDAY WRITERS FESTIVAL SPEAKER LINE-UP!
Our special panels will take place in the Gulf Coast Community Foundation Community Room, William H. Jervey Jr. Venice Public Library
11:00 to 11:45 a.m. Imagine Yourself a Writer: Tools and Tips for Getting Started
Michele Swift, Michael Schlesinger, Bill Glover, Ken Brennen, Diane Turner, and Jason Gallourkis reflect on a year of starting to write and edit and giving practical tips and resources for beginning and mid-process authors, moderated by Venice Theatre Publishing Course instructor Camille Cline.
Noon to 1:00 p.m. Do You Plot or Do You Write by the Seat of Your Pants?: Which Are You and Does It Make a Difference?
Award-winning author of Lest She Forget author Lisa Malice of the local Florida Gulf Coast Sisters in Crime, Tremaine: A Lakota Warrior in Roosevelt's Rough Riders author Jim Kelly, NYT bestselling author of Red Flags and Sisters in Crime member Lisa Black, and Pan in the Park author Susana Falcon will discuss the value of planning versus winging it when starting the writing process. Creating tension, pacing, and developing characters will also be discussed.
Moderated by children’s book author/illustrator Alis Sefick. Followed by a half-hour book signing.
1:30–2:30 p.m. The Impact of AI on Writing and Marketing
The Island Bookshop Founder Michael Rank, Kinzie’s Kinventions series and the Claw & Order Fairy Goose Unit detective series author Donna Boock, and When I Grow Up author Kelly Duyn go point-counterpoint on the merits and pitfalls of artificial intelligence in producing and marketing works for publication.
The Literary Spa founder Camille Cline, moderator. Followed by a half-hour book signing.
3:00 to 4:00 p.m. Celebrating Venice’s Centennial: Writing about Your Hometown
Gondolier Sun Features Editor Kim Cool, local historian and Venice: A Century on the Gulf author Larry Humes, Heart of Venice author-photographer Lee Grace Mathews, and Forgotten Florida author Clarissa Thomasson offer perspectives on celebrating Venice or any hometown in words and pictures. Followed by a half-hour book signing.