Writers young and old, new and experienced are invited to pick up their pens and spend a few days in downtown Mancos connecting with other writers and growing their writing skills at the Mesa Verde Writers Conference, which is now in its third year.
The dates for this year’s conference are Thursday, July 10 through Friday, July 11 in the new Commons Building, 129 W. Grand Ave., which is previously the home of the Mancos Common Press.
The price to attend the conference includes breakfast and lunch each day, as well as an “exciting schedule of workshops.” This year’s faculty hosting the workshops include January Gill O’Neil, Angie Hodapp, Lisa C. Taylor and Mark Stevens. Bios for all participating faculty can be found online at www.mesaverdewritersconference.org/2025-faculty.
In 2023, the conference sold out before the first day. According to Stevens in an article written about the conference, the 2024 conference sold out even faster, with many 2023 attendees returning.
“Again, the conference went by in a blink. More camaraderie, more sharing, more writing, more learning,” Stevens said. “So doing it again seemed like a no-brainer.”
Before the conference on Wednesday, July 9, there will be a public event and reading at Fenceline Cidery at 5 p.m.
“It’s a chance to meet our visiting faculty and hear them read,” organizers said.
On Saturday, July 12, the first Mesa Verde Literary Festival will take place. This one-day festival, “the first of its kind in this part of Colorado,” will include nearly 50 writers from Mancos and other locations across the country, such as Vermont, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Missouri, Wyoming, Utah, New Mexico and other parts of Colorado. The festival is free and open to the public.
“Already, nearly 40 authors have signed up to attend the festival to make presentations, hold readings and sit on panels to discuss various themes in their books or to share insights about the publishing business,” Stevens said. “Downtown restaurants, coffee shops, art galleries, the Mancos Community Center and outdoor patios will serve as the backdrop for readings and talks by poets, memoirists and writers of fiction and nonfiction.”
All attending writers are published, according to the Mesa Verde Writers, and the books will be available to purchase at Hand in Hand Books and Bottles at the Mancos Opera House.
Those who are interested in learning more about the conference or registering can do so online at www.mesaverdewritersconference.org. Questions can be directed to mesaverdewriters@gmail.com.
