Upcoming Events
Mendocino Coast Writers’ Conference 2026 Virtual Spring Seminar Series
The Mendocino Coast Writers' Conference will be offering a virtual seminar series this spring to help raise funds for the 2026 conference! Visit https://mcwc.org/spring-generative-series to learn more and register.
Each seminar will be two hours and will include a presentation, resources, and Q&A. Registration is $40 each, $100 for any three, or $150 for all. Seminars will be hosted through Zoom and a secure link and password will be sent to registrants by email the day before the seminar. Seminars are recorded, so if you purchase a ticket to three (or all) for the discounted price, you will be emailed links to view the recordings of past events.
2026 Mendocino Coast Writers’ Conference
Registration for MCWC 2026 is now open! The 2026 Conference will be held from July 30 - August 1, 2026 in the town of Mendocino, California.
Take advantage of our early bird special of $875 for tuition through April 30. Visit our website to learn more about our workshops spanning multiple genres, including poetry, short fiction, nonfiction, novel, memoir, speculative fiction, Middle Grade/YA, hybrid, and prose. Register today at mcwc.org/2026-general-registration.
The Mendocino Coast Writers’ Conference is a vibrant gathering that offers Morning Workshops in a wide range of genres. Afternoons are packed with craft seminars, panels, one-on-one consultations, and open mics; and every evening offers an opportunity to enjoy the camaraderie and connection that make this conference, in the words of one participant, “life changing.”
Shut Up & Write!® Lake County Meets monthly at rotating locations
What We're About: Shut Up & Write! is a global community that empowers writers to overcome procrastination, silence their inner critic, and make consistent progress on their projects. Our events provide a structured and focused environment where writers can come together, set aside distractions, and achieve their writing goals.
What to Expect: A few minutes of introductions, a period of focused writing, and a final check-in to share our progress. Once you arrive, our host will lead introductions, and then everyone will write for a quiet, focused period of time. Afterward, we’ll have an optional time to chat and get to know each other. Our events are a safe space for writers to work on their craft. No one will read or critique your writing.
Unique to Lake County: Writers of all ages, levels, and genres are welcome at our events. We rotate locations to support local small businesses and reach more writers in different areas of the county. Please reach out if you wish for us to come to your area, or if you have a venue suggestion! Our meetups are always free, but we encourage you to support the venues that welcome us by making a modest purchase.
Follow us and RSVP for events HERE.
Your hosts are Georgina Marie Guardado, Lake County Poet Laureate 20-24, and Cinamon Vann, nonfiction writer and founder of the Sacramento chapter of Shut Up & Write.
Celebrations for Lake County’s 13th Poet Laureate
In-Person Inauguration Celebration Sunday, April 19, 2026, 1 pm Fore Family Tasting Room, 3924 Main St., Kelseyville, CA
Please join us to celebrate the inauguration of Lake County's 13th Poet Laureate for 2026-2028, Roy Arthur Blodgett.
With readings by the Poet Laureate candidates, Poets Laureate Emeriti, and Roy himself. Hosted by Brenda Marie Yeager, 12th Lake County Poet Laureate.
Free to attend. Fore Family generously donates their space so please buy a glass of wine if you can.
Virtual Inauguration Celebration Monday, April 20, 2026, 5 pm, Via Zoom
The virtual inauguration celebration will also feature readings by the Poet Laureate candidates, Poets Laureate Emeriti, and Roy himself. Hosted by Brenda Marie Yeager, 12th Lake County Poet Laureate. Free to attend.
The Body Chronicles: "The Craft of Caregiving" 2026 Virtual Spring Seminar Series May 1-3, 2026, Online
Join Pacific University MFA in the next installment of The Body Chronicles programing "The Craft of Caregiving" in May.
Since the early days of The Body Chronicles, we've often been talking and teaching and writing around the dramatic and necessary lives and work of caregivers. In this three-day online workshop, we bring a focus to the art and craft, labor and sacrifice, and the great gift of care. The weekend will feature facilitation from MFA alumni poets Georgina Marie Guardado, Melissa McKinstry, and NL Shompole, plus guest teachers Laura Mauldin (In Sickness and In Health) and Brian Trapp (Range of Motion). You can expect talks and workshops, readings and conversations, that bring lessons of craft to the topic of caregiving and the receiving of care.
Writers across all genres, of all identities, are welcome to register.
For more information, please contact the MFA director Scott Korb at smkorb@pacificu.edu
Details:
Friday, May 1 - Sunday, May 3, 2026 (on Zoom)
9am-5pm Pacific Time (with midday breaks)
Workshop Cost:
General Registration: $350 for the three-day course
Pacific University Community*: $175 for the three-day course
*MFA students and alumni and any other participants from within the University. To get the discount, please select “Pacific University Community” in the category section of the registration form and the discount will be applied to check out.
This programming has been made possible, in part, through contributions to the Amy Paterson ’18 Fund for Medical Narratives
Register HERE.
Reality Reimagined: Subversive Women in Speculative Fiction Thursday, May 7, 2026, 5-6 pm PT, Virtual
Celebrate the release of The Divining Season by Gwendolyn Paradice (Aunt Lute Books) and Neon Steel by Jennifer Maritza McCauley. Moderated by Georgina Marie Guardado.
Celebrating the release of The Divining Season by Gwendolyn Paradice and Neon Steel by Jennifer Maritza McCauley, this virtual event will feature a reading and panel discussion with authors Gwendolyn Paradice and Jennifer Maritza McCauley on authorship, ancestors, and more.
Learn more and reserve a spot via Eventbrite.
