Rome wasn’t built in a day.

That’s what I had to remind myself on January 1 when I embarked on setting up my first writers conference. It ended up taking me five weeks to gather nearly 25 presenters for the 2016 Northern Colorado Writers Conference.

While I had been a part of the NCW Conference Creative Team for the previous five years, creating workshops and rounding up presenters wasn’t part of my job description. Fortunately, Kerrie Flanagan, founder and former director of NCW, was there to guide me through the process. Now that I’ve had a chance to sit back and take in the view of the conference, I’m ecstatic about this year’s lineup.

When in Colorado . . .

. . . it’s all about Writing the Range. Yep, y’all, we’ve gone western for this year’s theme and I’m looking forward to seeing what my Creative Team has in store for us.

What I can tell you, is that on April 22-23 attendees will be choosing from 33 different sessions with the option to add one of three Master Classes and an Agent Panel Luncheon. We have local favorites like Todd Mitchell and Laura Resau returning, but also several new-to-NCW authors such as Melanie Crowder, Laura DiSilverio, and Chuck Barrett. From fiction to nonfiction, to poets to screenwriters, there’s something for everyone.

Attendees also have the opportunity to pitch their work to an agent during roundtable pitch sessions. I’m thrilled to have four agents who will be participating in their first NCW conference and each sharing their expertise through various workshops.

This year’s keynote speaker is none other than bestselling author Grant Blackwood who has written with Tom Clancy, Clive Cussler, and James Rollins. He’s also written the successful Briggs Tanner series. Not only will Grant be delivering a keynote during Friday’s banquet dinner, he will be offering a workshop on Saturday. This is a great opportunity for attendees!

As always, there will be cocktails, networking time, and plenty of chances to meet new writers. To really shake things up, we moved the conference this year to the Fort Collins Marriott for a fresh, new venue.

Registration opens today for NCW Members and to the public on March 1. I encourage you to sign up early, especially if you want to take advantage of one of the Master Classes and the Luncheon, as space is limited for those sessions.

I’m looking forward to all the amazing things on the horizon for NCW and continuing Kerrie’s mission to support and encourage writers of all levels and genres. I hope to see you at this year’s conference!

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April Moore is Director of Northern Colorado Writers and the author of Folsom’s 93, a historical nonfiction and Bobbing for Watermelons, a women’s fiction. Her current project is a young adult novel that she plans to complete this spring. April is also a freelance editor and enjoys working with fellow writers to develop their manuscripts. Visit her at AprilJMoore.