[Please forgive the cross-postings.] For Immediate Release Contact: Isolde Chapin (202) 347-4973 Washington Independent Writers Conference To Offer Help for Both Seasoned and Beginning Writers May 8 and 9 Conference To Feature More Than 20 Sessions WASHINGTON--Washington, New York and Boston writers, editors and agents will meet with aspiring writers during the Washington Independent Writers (WIW) Spring Conference here May 8 and 9. The 19th annual WIW conference, to be held at the National Press Club in downtown Washington, will offer sessions of interest to both seasoned and beginning writers. The conference will open Friday evening with a keynote address by Kitty Kelley, author of "The Royals" and celebrity biographies of Nancy Reagan, Frank Sinatra, Elizabeth Taylor and Jackie Kennedy. Kelley's talk will be followed by a book signing and buffet supper. On Saturday, literary agent Donald Maass will share his publishing know-how at a morning plenary session. Maass also will be available during the day to offer advice to fiction writers. Novelist Sharyn McCrumb will be the luncheon speaker. For an additional fee, Ellen E. M. Roberts, president of Where Books Begin in New York, will offer manuscript critiques for materials submitted in advance. Throughout Saturday, conference participants may select from among 20 specialized panels and workshops. Some sessions will be targeted to specific writing niches such as mystery, travel, children's writing, memoirs, screenplays and women. Other sessions will cover free-lance basics such as identifying markets, contracts, taxes, working with editors and self-publishing. Among the participating conference panelists will be Karen Cicero Conlon, associate editor of American Health for Women; Phyllis C. Richman, Washington Post food critic and author of "The Butter Did It"; John Gilstrap, suspense novelist and author of "Nathan's Run"; Chris Keane, screenwriter and author, "How To Write a Selling Screenplay"; Kristine A. Puopolo, editor, Viking Penguin; John Wood, articles editor, Modern Maturity; and Elliott Parker, associate professor of journalism, Central Michigan University, and founder/owner of the Internet-based Computer- Assisted Reporting and Research List (CARR-L). Early conference registration is $100 for members of WIW or the National Press Club and $150 for others. After May 1, fees will increase to $125 and $175, respectively. Manuscript critiques will cost an additional $125. Registrations are accepted by check, Visa or MasterCard and should be mailed to WIW, 733 15th Street NW, Suite 220, Washington, D.C. 20005. For additional information or to request a complete brochure, call the WIW office at (202) 347-4973. Information is also available on the World Wide Web at <http://washwriter.com> or via e-mail at <[log in to unmask]>. Washington Independent Writers was founded in 1975 to help free-lance writers, editors and journalists overcome their isolation and to provide professional and social forums for the exchange of ideas and information. As a nonprofit organization, WIW provides a variety of services and resources to its 2,000 members and plays an active role in issues that affect the independent writing profession. WIW also sponsors an Internet-based discussion and mailing list, WIW-L. To subscribe, send e-mail to <[log in to unmask]>, and in the body of the message, put just the line "subscribe WIW-L your-first-name your-last-name" (without the quotation marks). -30- ---- Online resources for film/TV studies may be found at ScreenSite http://www.tcf.ua.edu/screensite