Desert Nights, Rising Stars Writers Conference

The Desert Nights, Rising Stars Writers Conference, sponsored by the Virginia G. Piper Center for Creative Writing at Arizona State University (ASU), will be held from October 9 to October 11 at the Memorial Union and Old Main buildings on the university’s campus in Tempe, Arizona. The theme for the 2025 conference is “Iconic Stories: Today and Tomorrow.” Programming includes craft talks, classes, generative workshops, panels, readings, and events focused on the business of writing for poets, fiction writers, creative nonfiction writers, and translators. The faculty includes poets Jan Beatty, Kimberly Blaeser, Elena Karina Byrne, Carmen Calatayud, J. Bruce Fuller, Jodie Hollander, Susan Nguyen, Octavio Quintanilla, Gabriel Ramirez, Alberto Ríos, ire’ne lara silva, and Joni Wallace; poets and fiction writers Jenny Irish, Oscar Mancinas, and Natalia Treviño; poet, fiction writer, and creative nonfiction writer Karen Brennan; poets and creative nonfiction writers KB Brookins and Brian Turner; poet and translator Cynthia Hogue; fiction writers Jonathan Danielson, Erica Soon Olsen, and Amanda Eyre Ward; and fiction and creative nonfiction writers Belinda Acosta, Matt Bell, Tara Ison, Gionni Ponce, and Joshua Wheeler. Poet, fiction writer, and creative nonfiction writer Sandra Cisneros will deliver the keynote address. Participating publishing professionals include agent Laura Strachan (Strachan Literary Agency) and editor J. Bruce Fuller (Texas Review Press). The cost of the conference is $250 with registration by July 30 or $300 with registration by September 30. Single-day passes are available for $150. A discounted rate of $135 is offered to senior citizens, Arizona educators, and active or retired military; a rate of $95 is offered to people with disabilities; and a rate of $75 is offered to students. Scholarships are available for Arizona educators and writers with financial need; submit a completed application, including a statement about your personal and professional goals, by August 1. Lodging is available at the Omni Tempe hotel at a reduced rate of $229 per night, as well as at other nearby hotels offering discounted rates. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

Accessibility accommodations include public transportation near the venue; elevators in all multilevel event spaces; accessible sidewalks, pathways, and doorways; accessible bathrooms with handrails; accessible dining halls; reserved seating in all event spaces; accessible parking; ASL interpretation; assistive listening devices; transcriptions of talks; and closed captioning for virtual programming. E-mail events manager Iliana Garcia at iliana.garcia.1@asu.edu for additional accessibility details.