An Excerpt from: THE HISTORY OF THE SANTA BARBARA WRITERS CONFERENCE

An excerpt from the upcoming book by Armando Nieto, Mary Conrad, and Matt Pallamary: The Santa Barbara Writers Conference Scrapbook  — Words of Wisdom from Thirty Years of Literary Excellence 1973 – 2003

The very first Santa Barbara Writers Conference took place in forty three years ago. To give a little perspective:

In 1973 the U.S. Supreme Court ruled on Roe v. Wade, gasoline cost 40 cents a gallon, Morton’s Frozen TV Dinner was 36 cents, and men’s paisley slacks went for $23.95 a pair.

In Carpinteria, California, Mary and Barnaby Conrad held the first Annual Santa Barbara Writers Conference on the grounds of Cate School with the blessings of headmaster Fred Clark.

The cost of the conference was $200, or $150 without room and board.

Held June 22^nd to June 29^th, the first conference featured speakers included Ray Bradbury, Clifton Fadiman, Ross MacDonald, Don Freeman, John Leggett, Budd Schulberg, and Jessica Mitford.

In total there were six workshop leaders and 37 students.

“Ray Bradbury showed up that first year with a sleeping bag,” Mary Conrad recalls. “Every night he bedded down with the male students and regaled them with stories. With Ray it was always stories, stories, and more stories.”

SBWC January Newsletter

ABOUT | 2016 CONFERENCE | NEWS | FOR MEDIA | RESOURCES | CONTACT June 5-10, 2016

SBWC 2016: June 5-10, Hyatt Santa Barbara Dear Writers,Registration for the 2016 Santa Barbara Writers Conference is open! The 44thAnnual SBWC will take place June 5-10, 2016.  Be sure to note your calendars. Like going back to our favorite summer camp, we’ll return to the Hyatt Santa Barbara armed with our manuscripts, laptops, and fresh ideas. Get ready to rub elbows with talented writers and workshop leaders, hear famous authors talk about their process, and feel the energy of the writing muse. And don’t forget to bring your super-sized travel mug to sip coffee into the wee hours during the pirate workshops. This year’s evening speakers will include: Rufi Thorpe(The Girls from Corona del Mar), Gayle Lynds(The Assassins), F. Paul Wilson (Aftershock), Aline Ohanesian (Orhan's Inheritance) and Monte Schulz(Crossing Eden).   The early rate is available until March 15, and registration is limited to the first 200 students.  Our 44th Year! "A most stimulating time—a glorious week!" — Eudora Welty "The best in the nation." — James A. Michener "An important and wonderful week." — Elmore Leonard "SBWC offers aspiring talents opportunities to have their work seen by professionals who can help them reach publication." — Los Angeles Times For those of you hoping to schedule a private meeting with an editor or agent this year, Advance Submission will open for registration March 1. You must be a registered student to take part in Advance Submission. More about the program can be found here.We hope you’ll join us for our fabulous 44th year! Write On! Grace Rachow and the SBWC Team “All you have to do is write one true sentence. Write the truest sentence that you know.” — Ernest Hemingway 2016 Important Dates: January 1­­- March 15: Register for the early rate of $575 March 1: Advance Submission opens (sign up to meet with an agent or editor) March 15: Last day for early registration price of $575 March 16: Regular registration begins — $650 May 1: Last day to sign up to meet with an editor or agent May 6: Last day to take advantage of our group rate at the Hyatt Santa Barbara June 5 - 10: SBWC at the Hyatt Santa Barbara! Be sure to “like” our official Facebook page, which is the best place for conference updates. You can also join our new Facebook group for fun postings from SBWC workshop leaders and students. News, Announcements & Happenings from SBWC Workshop Leaders, Students & Speakers ***If you would like your news to be included in the next SBWC e-Newsletter, please send in an email to info@sbwriters.com with the subject line NEWSLETTER.***

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THE HISTORY OF THE SANTA BARBARA WRITERS CONFERENCE

Many people newer to the SBWC are not aware of its rich literary tradition. How many know that Ray Bradbury kicked it off for thirty seven years?

Armando Nieto, a long standing staff member, Mary Conrad, one of the conference founders, and I have been collaborating for the last six months on: The Santa Barbara Writers Conference Scrapbook  -- Words of Wisdom from Thirty Years of Literary Excellence 1973 - 2003 which is the working title.

A large part of the project is driven by the thirty years of photo albums and scrapbooks that Mary has, which are all being scanned.

At the request of Queen Grace, we will be posting tidbits each Friday to share part of the treasure trove that we have been exploring.

For this first post I am sharing a program from an earlier conference to give an idea of how many famous writers have contributed.

I'd also like to invite anyone who has ever been involved with the conference to send along any memorabilia they might have.

Write On - Matt Pallamary