Longleaf Educational Services (501-3c)  recently announced the 11th annual Longleaf Writers Conference scheduled to take place May 11-18, 2024, in Seaside, Florida, as part of Art Week South Walton. The Longleaf Writers Conference includes a full week of intensive writing workshops, one-day seminars, agent consultations, school outreach programs and social events. The conference, which takes place at the Seaside Institute and other local venues in Seaside, Florida, provides an opportunity for beginning, intermediate, and advanced writers to celebrate writing, network, and hone their craft. Visiting authors Adam Johnson (The Orphan Master’s Son – Pulitzer Prize Winner, Fortune Smiles – National Book Award Winner) and poet Maggie Smith (Good Bones, Keep Moving, You Could Make This Place Beautiful) will each lead a seminar and a public reading while guest literary agents Anjali Singh (Ayeshe Pande Literary), Martha Wydysh (Trident Media Group), and two other agents to be named later, will offer seminars and one-on-one consultations with attendees. “We are fortunate to continue to attract high-caliber writers such as Adam Johnson and Maggie Smith,” said LWC co-founder and Creative Director Matt Bondurant (The Wettest County In The World, made into the film Lawless; The Night Swimmer; Oleander City). “And there is no other writers conference that allows you to step out of intimate workshops with national award-winning authors and agents directly onto the white sand of the Gulf of Mexico. Our writers love that, and they also appreciate the people and culture of the community.” Bondurant and conference co-founder and poet Seth Brady Tucker (Mormon Boy; We Deserve The Gods We Ask For), are joined by visiting faculty members Beth Nguyen  (Owner of A Lonely Heart, Stealing Buddha’s Dinner), Dean Bakopoulos (Summerlong, My American Unhappiness),  Vandana Khanna (Burning Like Her Own Planet, The Goddess Monologues), Melissa Ginsberg (Doll Apollo, Dear Weather Ghost), and Mark Winegardner (The Godfather Trilogy). “We started this conference with a few key goals in mind: create a personal experience for our writers, give them a beautiful place to write and discuss with great teachers and good people, and to give back to the local community,” said Tucker. The focal point of Longleaf is a public-school outreach program in which Scholars and Fellows work directly with Middle and High School writers at underserved schools in the Walton County area. Some of the students go on to read their work publicly as part of the conference alongside a headliner. Other components of the conference include the Scholars and Fellows Program for developing writers, including the Celia Baker Veteran Scholarship, and a scholarship specifically for writers from under-represented groups (URG). Participants who pay the early bird rate for the full conference tuition will be able to take part in an intensive workshop and all daily activities, including special events, receptions and some meals.  A la carte pricing is available for classes, workshops, consultations, and events, perfect for locals who want to see what the SWC has to offer, and walk-ins are welcome.  The Visiting Writer Readings are free and open to the public.  Accommodations can also be secured through the registration process by paying the all-inclusive fee. For more info, or to register, visit Longleaf Writers Conference.  https://30a.com/longleaf-writers-conference-2024/