Want to help create the programming for Read with Pride 2017? You can help contribute to the dialogue by building and submitting a panel for the Read with Pride conference on 11/4/17 or the Write with Pride writer workshop on 11/3/17.

In 2015 and 2016, authors and other attendees helped build the annual conference’s discussion platform by co-creating sessions. It has been a huge success, with a wide range of topics.

We’re very excited to open up panel and workshop submissions again for the 2017 conference. If you’re interested in submitting a session for either the Write with Pride workshop on November 3 or the Read with Pride conference on November 4, please review the guidelines and FAQ below. As we only have limited session spots for both days, following the below guidelines is very important and appreciated.

Submissions are due Sunday, July 23, 2017.

2017 Panel and Workshop Submission Guidelines

The purpose of Read with Pride Northwest is to celebrate the wonderful and amazing books within LGBTQIA romance fiction and genre fiction and the many vibrant voices that are part of the community!

All submissions should directly relate to that purpose. This day is all about highlighting queer romance and queer genre fiction, so panels and panelists should have a connection to this focus, whether they are authors, publishers, artists, editors, bloggers, or readers.

As this year we have two different programs:

Nov. 3, 2017: Write with Pride: A half-day writer workshop that will be held at the Seattle Public Library and will include writer-focused sessions. (Registration: Sliding Scale of $0-$30)

Nov. 4, 2017: Read with Pride Northwest: A half-day conference that includes a variety of discussions and programming related to LGBTQIA romance and genre fiction, as well as a bookfest featuring book swag and an author signing event. (Registration: Free)

Both these events are open to session submissions, but have different submission guidelines.

Write with Pride Session Guidelines

Write with Pride is a half-day workshop on November 3, 2017 that is geared towards helping writers work on their craft and learn from each other.

If you would like to submit a session for Write with Pride, please consider the below guidelines.

1- The topic should somehow focus on the craft of writing, editing, marketing, publishing, or media creation like cover art or podcasts.

2- Sessions can have 1-3 session leads. Unlike Read with Pride, these sessions should be more geared towards how to do something, and less about holding a moderated community discussion.

If you are including more than one session lead, please note our priority in the Read with Pride session guidelines below to have sessions highlight a variety of perspectives. Please take our core values of diversity, equity, and inclusion into account if you are considering multiple session leads.

3- Sessions can either be planned as a 90 minute “Deep Dive” workshop session or a 60 minute “How To” session. Both session types should include some time for participants to either practice the subject matter or, in relation to topics like cover art or podcasts which may be harder to practice individually, to include time to ask questions. When submitting your session, please let us know which session length is the best fit.

4- Write with Pride Session Leads who are published authors will have a spot available in the Read with Pride Book Festival if they wish to participate.

When submitting a Write with Pride session, please include:

• Session title
• Session description and outline of activities. (150 word max.)
• Preferred length of time: 60 minute “How To” session, 90 minute “Deep Dive” workshop, or “Either Length” if your session is flexible to go longer or shorter.
• Names of all Session Leads and biographies. For writers, please include what LGBTQIA romance and genre books they have written.
• Diversity and inclusion is very important to our mission. If your workshop includes multiple session leads, please include a brief description of how you feel that your session is sharing diverse perspectives on this topic.
• Please submit all this via email to RWP by the due date on July 23, 2017.

Read with Pride Northwest Panel Submissions

Read with Pride Northwest is a half-day conference on November 4, 2017. RWP’s programming highlights topics and discussions related to LGBTQIA romance and genre fiction, and is for readers, writers, publishers, artists, editors, bloggers, and fans.

If you would like to submit a session for Read with Pride, please consider the below guidelines.

1- A topic related to LGBTQIA romance fiction or genre fiction, like mysteries, sci-fi, fantasy, young adult, comics, historicals, etc. This also includes publishing, editing, cover art, podcasts, blogging, LGBTQIA fanfiction and fandom, and working with partners like libraries, bookstores, or organizations like RWA.

2- A submission should include 3-5 panelists, plus a moderator. (You must have a designated moderator.) The maximum is 6, including the moderator.

3- All names of the panelists must be included in the submission. (No “TBDs” for panelists or moderators will be accepted.)

4- Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion are core values of Read with Pride and its hosting partners. Submissions that reflect those core values will be prioritized during the review process.

A part of our mission is to promote engagement and a platform for dialogue across the LGBTQIA romance and genre spectrum and from various perspectives and backgrounds. Panel submissions that address that part of our mission and include diverse perspectives will be given priority.

We strongly encourage when developing your panel to consider the wide range of voices and perspectives that can contribute to your topic. This wide range includes considering race, ability, gender identity, religion, and orientation.

If you look at our 2014 panels, 2014 writer sessions, 2015 sessions, and 2016 sessions, you will see that writers of gay romance, lesbian romance, trans romance, and beyond are represented, as well as diverse groups of writers and speakers, each who bring a new perspective with them to the discussion.

Inclusion and diversity is a major part of our mission and it’s very important to start with those ideals in mind. Prioritizing inclusion of panelists who write from across the LGBTQIA romance and genre spectrum will be very appreciated.

5- Panels Sessions and topics should focus on being a platform for community dialogue. Our panels are less about marketing a book, but are really about discussion with both the panel and the audience.

6– Questions are welcome! We welcome you to contact us if you want to bounce ideas off us or if you want to check in about your panel before submitting to see how it fits with our mission. We’re happy to provide feedback or ideas. We understand our list of priorities can seem daunting, especially if you are planning your first panel, and we encourage you to ask questions.

7- Committing to Attend: It will be expected that by submitting a panel, you are making a tentative commitment to attend the event in Seattle in November 2017. If your panel is accepted and your panel is on board, at that point it will be expected that your panel will be making a firm commitment to attend the conference. (Readers get disappointed when authors drop out. Please don’t submit a panel if you’re not sure you will be able to commit.)

When submitting a panel, please include:

• Panel title
• Panel description (150 words max)
• Names of all panelists and biographies. For writers, please include what LGBTQIA romance and genre books they have written.
• Name of designated moderator
• Diversity and inclusion is very important to our mission. Please include a brief description of how you feel that your session is sharing diverse perspectives on this topic.
• Please submit all this via email to RWP by the due date.

Panel submissions are due Sunday, July 23, 2017.

Panels will be decided by early August 2017. We will send notifications out at that time, and after that, we will open up the remaining slots for 2017 Read with Pride Attending Author positions.

Read with Pride’s success has been built by the many wonderful session submissions. We hope you will join us for our fifth year, and we look forward to hearing your programming ideas!

2017 Session Submissions FAQ

How do I get on a panel? I really want to be on a panel.

Thanks for your interest! Please see the guidelines above. If you really want to be on a panel, we encourage you to reach out to other authors or potential panelists, and work with them on creating a panel submission that aligns with our mission of celebrating LGBTQIA romance and genre fiction and the many voices within it.

How many panels can I submit?

You can submit multiple, but please note that a majority of panelists will only be on one panel. We like to provide opportunities for many authors and others to participate in sharing their perspectives.

Hypothetically, if you submit three panels, and all fit really well with our 2017 program, we may go back to you and say, “Which of these panels would you like to be on?” And we would open up your slot on the other panels to another writer who has yet to participate and would be a good fit for that topic.

I see that you really value representing a variety of voices, but I only know authors that write what I write or who are similar to experience/background as me. What do I do?

There are many folks out there that can probably contribute very well to the topic you are developing. This is a great opportunity to reach out to others in the field. 🙂 Twitter is an awesome resource, for example, in doing a call-out for potential session partners.

I want to be on a panel to market my new book. Can I?

With our past events, you’ll notice that panelists are focusing on the topic, and less their specific books. We encourage participating authors to save promotions for the book festival and for sharing swag in the attendee bags and other giveaway opportunities.

I don’t want to be on a panel but I do want to be an Attending Author. How do I go about that?

Remaining attending author slots for 2017 will open up in summer 2017, after sessions are accepted. First priority for author slots are for those who are part of a panel or workshop (submission deadline July 23, 2017). We’ll be excited to open up any remaining slots after sessions are finalized so that we can include more authors who would be excited to participate in the conference.

If you are very excited to attend the conference as an official attending author, we strongly recommend considering a session submission because we cannot promise there will be remaining slots after sessions are finalized due to constraints of space for the 2017 book festival.

Are there any rules to apply to be an Attending Author.

• To apply to be an Attending Author, you must have published works that qualify as LGBTQIA romance fiction or as LGBTQIA genre fiction.
• By accepting an Attending Author slot, you are making a firm commitment to attend the Read with Pride conference and book festival on 11/4/2017.

Why the focus on romance?

We focus on LGBTQIA romance because A) it’s wonderful and should be celebrated and B) it’s often diminished and treated with derision, as if writing a story with a happy ending for LGBTQIA main characters is a bad thing. We think it’s an awesome thing, and we created this space to highlight it and the writers and readers who love it.

Have further questions? Please ask! We’ll also be happy to update this FAQ with more questions.

We hope you will come celebrate the awesomeness of LGBTQIA romance with us at the Seattle Public Library this November!