Conference Schedule 2020
Featuring over 50 craft talks, workshops, panels, and presentations, the Desert Nights, Rising Stars Writers Conference is eclectic, balanced, and diverse, providing comprehensive coverage of the creative writing field.
Conference sessions are about an hour long and take place throughout the day, Friday and Saturday, February 21 and 22, 2020 from 8:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.. Receptions, keynotes, and other special events take place from 5:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.. Advanced workshops take place on Thursday, February 20, 2020.
To view the full schedule and find sessions for this year's conference, use the side menu or keep reading.
You can also view individual schedules for Thursday, Friday, and Saturday.
To learn more about the conference, you can meet our faculty or register for the conference today!
View Sessions for the 2020 Conference
Friday, February 21, 2020, 3:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m., Thoren, University Club
Generative Workshop, Workshop; Poetry
Friday, February 21, 2020, 3:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m., Tooker, Old Main
Generative Workshop, Presentation, Workshop; Experimental, Poetry
Friday, February 21, 2020, 4:15 p.m. to 5:15 p.m., Heritage, University Club
Craft Talk, Presentation; Creative Nonfiction, Fiction, Memoir, Poetry
Hey, I Know You! Building Strong Characters
Michael A Stackpole, Tracey Baptiste, HelenKay Dimon, Cristina García, Jonathan Danielson
Michael A Stackpole, Tracey Baptiste, HelenKay Dimon, Cristina García, Jonathan Danielson
Friday, February 21, 2020, 4:15 p.m. to 5:15 p.m., Carson Ballroom, Old Main
Panel; Creative Nonfiction, Fiction, Mixed Genre
Friday, February 21, 2020, 4:15 p.m. to 5:15 p.m., Thoren, University Club
Generative Workshop, Presentation, Workshop; Creative Nonfiction, Essays, Horror, Memoir, Personal Essays
Writing through Food
Susan Nguyen
Susan Nguyen
Friday, February 21, 2020, 4:15 p.m. to 5:15 p.m., Basha, Old Main
Generative Workshop, Presentation, Workshop; Creative Nonfiction, Fiction, Memoir, Mixed Genre, Poetry, Short Stories
Writing while Scared
Ivelisse Rodriguez
Ivelisse Rodriguez
Friday, February 21, 2020, 4:15 p.m. to 5:15 p.m., Traditions, University Club
Generative Workshop, Presentation, Workshop; Creative Practice, Writing Life, Writing Practice, Writing Process
Human/Nonhuman
E E Hussey
E E Hussey
Friday, February 21, 2020, 4:15 p.m. to 5:15 p.m., Tooker, Old Main
Generative Workshop, Presentation, Workshop; Mixed Genre, Nature Writing, Science Fiction
Friday, February 21, 2020, 5:30 p.m. to 6:00 p.m., Carson Ballroom, Old Main
Reception;
Conference Keynote: The Third Way
Ingrid Rojas Contreras
Ingrid Rojas Contreras
Friday, February 21, 2020, 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m., Carson Ballroom, Old Main
Keynote; Feminism, Gender, Mixed Genre, Women's Studies
Saturday, February 22, 2020, 9:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m., Tooker, Old Main
Craft Talk, Generative Workshop, Presentation; Creative Practice, Visual Art, Writing Process
Theater Poetics and Unpacking
Kay Ulanday Barrett
Kay Ulanday Barrett
Saturday, February 22, 2020, 9:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m., Traditions, University Club
Discussion, Generative Workshop, Presentation, Workshop; Disability, Gender, Gender Studies, LGBTQIA, Mixed Genre, Race, Social Justice
Say It Plain
Solmaz Sharif
Solmaz Sharif
Saturday, February 22, 2020, 9:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m., Basha, Old Main
Craft Talk, Presentation, Workshop; Creative Practice, Poetry, Social Justice
Saturday, February 22, 2020, 9:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m., Thoren, University Club
Craft Talk, Generative Workshop, Presentation, Workshop; Mixed Genre
Saturday, February 22, 2020, 9:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m., Heritage, University Club
Presentation; Agents, Business of Writing, Editing, Publishing
Where to Begin: The Art of Starting Your Story
Matt Bell, Peter Twal, Sarah Viren, Justin Noga
Matt Bell, Peter Twal, Sarah Viren, Justin Noga
Saturday, February 22, 2020, 9:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m., Carson Ballroom, Old Main
Panel; Fiction, Novels, Short Stories, Writing Process
Saturday, February 22, 2020, 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Front Lawn, Old Main, 400 E Tyler Mall, Tempe, AZ 85281
Fair, Festival;
Saturday, February 22, 2020, 10:15 a.m. to 11:15 a.m., Tooker, Old Main
Generative Workshop, Performative Workshop, Workshop; Creative Practice, Experimental, Hybrid, LGBTQIA, Mixed Genre, Race, Research, Social Justice
Saturday, February 22, 2020, 10:15 a.m. to 11:15 a.m., Traditions, University Club
Discussion, Presentation; Latinx, Mixed Genre, Social Justice
Narrative and Truth: Telling Our Story
Alejandro Nodarse
Alejandro Nodarse
Saturday, February 22, 2020, 10:15 a.m. to 11:15 a.m., Thoren, University Club
Craft Talk, Generative Workshop, Lecture, Workshop; Autobiography, Creative Nonfiction, Memoir, Personal Essays
Saturday, February 22, 2020, 10:15 a.m. to 11:15 a.m., Basha, Old Main
Generative Workshop, Seminar, Workshop; Creative Nonfiction, Family History, Journalism, Memoir, Mixed Genre, Personal Essays, Research
Saturday, February 22, 2020, 10:15 a.m. to 11:15 a.m., Heritage, University Club
Craft Talk, Discussion, Presentation; Creative Nonfiction, Fiction, Mixed Genre, Romance
In Translation: The Craft of Crossing Languages
Ryka Aoki, Alberto Álvaro Ríos, Laura Tohe, Ryan Greene, Claudia Nuñez de Ibieta
Ryka Aoki, Alberto Álvaro Ríos, Laura Tohe, Ryan Greene, Claudia Nuñez de Ibieta
Saturday, February 22, 2020, 10:15 a.m. to 11:15 a.m., Carson Ballroom, Old Main
Panel; Translation, World Literature
Saturday, February 22, 2020, 11:30 a.m. to 12:15 p.m., Carson Ballroom, Old Main
Reading; Mixed Genre, Students
Beyond the Ripped Bodice: Romance Writing in the 21st Century
Romance Writers of America Phoenix, HelenKay Dimon, Cathy McDavid, Deloris Nash, Willow Sanders, Kris Tualla
Romance Writers of America Phoenix, HelenKay Dimon, Cathy McDavid, Deloris Nash, Willow Sanders, Kris Tualla
Saturday, February 22, 2020, 12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m., Front Lawn, Old Main, Arizona State University Tempe, 400 E Tyler Mall, Tempe, AZ 85281
Panel, Reading, Talk; Romance
Saturday, February 22, 2020, 1:45 p.m. to 2:45 p.m., Traditions, University Club
Workshop; Poetry
Saturday, February 22, 2020, 1:45 p.m. to 2:45 p.m., Tooker, Old Main
Collaboration, Conversation, Discussion, Generative Workshop, Workshop; Community, Creative Practice, Experimental, Fiction, Hybrid, Writing Process
Children's Storytime
Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators Arizona, Michael Hale
Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators Arizona, Michael Hale
Saturday, February 22, 2020, 1:45 p.m. to 2:05 p.m., Front Lawn, Old Main, Arizona State University Tempe, 400 E Tyler Mall, Tempe, AZ 85281
Reading; Children's Books
The Political Landscape of Creative Writing
Sherwin Bitsui, Solmaz Sharif, tanner menard
Sherwin Bitsui, Solmaz Sharif, tanner menard
Saturday, February 22, 2020, 1:45 p.m. to 2:45 p.m., Carson Ballroom, Old Main
Panel; Mixed Genre
Exile and the Literary Imagination
Cristina García
Cristina García
Saturday, February 22, 2020, 1:45 p.m. to 2:45 p.m., Heritage, University Club
Craft Talk, Talk; Human Rights, Mixed Genre