Registration is open for the 2026 Mesa Verde Writers Conference, a three-day event in September that will offer workshops, panels, close faculty interaction and more for writers of all levels.
There are 40 slots in total for the event.
The conference will be held at Deer Hill Expeditions, 7850 Rd. 41 in Mancos, and registration includes dinner catered by the lodge. The conference will be held Sept. 2-4.
The list of this year’s faculty includes authors Annette McGivney, Wendy J. Fox, Monica Barron, and conference co-founder and author Lisa C. Taylor of Mancos.
Workshops will be held throughout the course of the conference, allowing faculty and students to connect through the art of writing while learning from each other.
“There are things about this conference that are completely and utterly unique,” Taylor told The Journal. “As somebody who’s worked at other conferences and been to many other conferences, I can tell you, ours is a wonderful kind.”
Taylor said workshop topics include building engaging narratives and nature writing; writing dialogue; “scaffolding poems using sound, phrasing, line breaks and breath;” “notebooking for peace;” creating surprise in fiction through tension; and “freeze the moment” techniques that apply freeze-frame approaches to poetry.
Optional manuscript reviews with faculty are also available for participants who submit work in advance for in-depth feedback with the goal of being published. Past attendees have seen success. One former student developed a manuscript with faculty that was accepted for publication and another’s poetry collection went to print. A manuscript review will add an extra cost to the registration fee.
“There’s been at least a couple who have brought unfinished work to a better place and then gotten it published, both poetry and fiction,” Taylor said. “I feel like that’s pretty unique, because I’ve been to a lot of conferences and they don’t have those types of stories.”
Taylor emphasized that the small, intimate way the conference is set up allows for a unique learning experience that isn’t often found at most writing conferences. During meals, faculty and staff will eat together, allowing for spontaneous conversation around writing and other topics.
“It is awesome because you build relationships. I know some of the faculty are still in touch with students, because some of them are in touch with me,” Taylor said. “This has long-reaching effects.”
The event will have workshops that run Sept. 2-4, followed by a publishing panel with all faculty on Sept. 5. A full scholarship in memory of poet and writer Baron Wormser is available, along with partial scholarships. Taylor added that they have also applied for grants, with the hopes of helping more writers attend.
“If they say, ‘Well, $100 off would really help me,’ we’re hoping we can accommodate that because we don’t want money to be a big obstacle for people,” Taylor said.
The cost to attend the conference is $500.
The conference is a program of the Mancos Creative District. Following its completion, the second annual Mesa Verde Literary Festival will be held on Sept. 5 in downtown Mancos.
The conference was created by Taylor and author Mark Stevens, who officially launched the project in 2023.
Details and registration can be found online at www.mesaverdewriters.org. Questions and other inquiries can be directed to mesaverdewriters@gmail.com.
bduran@the-journal.com
