Speakers (Archive)
December 20, 2025
Holiday Brunch
https://opendoorcreations.com/
Website Consultation. David Corbly, has a 30-plus-year career managing technology at major university libraries. He will provide advice on building websites optimized for search engines, to help creators get discovered more readily.
November 15, 2025
Andrew Guthrie
https://www.andrewguthrieimages.com/
Developing a Narrative with Photographs.. Andrew Guthrie describes how he melds his passion for photography with his whimsical, and thoughtful writing process to develop a narrative for his nature photographs..
October 18, 2025
Mark Edward Jones
https://mejbooksllc.com/
Writing Dread: Slow Burns vs. the Big Boo Presentation that compares classic horror novels and their film adaptations, examining how suspense builds, and how sudden shocks work in film but are harder on the page.
September 20, 2025
Dee Britt
https://www.deebritt.com/
Running on Empty? Shift Your Mind and the Rest Will Follow An author of two novels in the Fireside series shares her wisdom in dealing with burnout as an author who also has a day job to pays the bills.
August 16, 2025
Taking Care of Business
Taking Care of Business. A meeting to discuss updating bylaws, the future of the OCWI writing contest, upcoming officers elections, and our participation in the Metro Library LitFest.
July 19, 2025
Shelley Stutchman
https://www.facebook.com/shelley.malicotestutchman/ Writing Journey ... Learning the Hard Way The author described her first novel, Peek-a-Boob, a memoir chronicling her breast cancer journey and the unexpected challenges, costs, and joys of publishing her first book.
June 21, 2025
David Corbly
https://opendoorcreations.com/
Website and SEO Basics 202 An in-depth look at WordPress and Wix websites and SEO settings, ranking factors, securing your site, free SEO tools from Google and Bing,
May 17, 2025
David Corbly
https://opendoorcreations.com/
Website and SEO Basics 101 The basics on writing content, optimizing SEO. SSL certification. and checking indexing for your author website.
April 19, 2025
Rich Mullins
https://richardmullins.com
The Significance of Exceptional Cover Art Exploring how authors can engage and collaborate with designers and illustrators to produce compelling cover art for their books.
March 15, 2025
Judith Rycroft
https://www.amazon.com/Perspectives-Judith-Rycroft-ebook/dp/B0B5PPLNRM
Why Poetry? Colored Leaves and Perspectives were the 2020 and 2023 winners of Oklahoma Writers Federation “Best Poetry Book” award. Judith will share her lessons and techniques from her many decades as a poet..
Feb 15, 2025
Laurel Thomas
https://writewithlaurel.com/
The Power of Emotional Setting. A writer’s coach and novelist, Laurel Thomas, explains how setting creates the structure for your reader that amplifies your characters and plot in just the right way..
January 18, 2025
Donna Rynda
https://www.oklahomaspeakers.com/donna-rynda/
How Can We Be Even Better Than We Already Are? A Before starting her own business, in 2005, Donna worked as a Training and Development Supervisor. She shares ideas for inspiration and motivation..
December 21, 2024
Marcia Preston
www.marciapreston.com
Deep Point of View Marcia Preston winner of the Mary Higgins Clark Award for her novel The Piano Man. She will describe how to create a mystery series including the growth of her Chantalene Mystery series
November 16, 2024
OCWI Annual Writing Contest
Mark Edward Jones, 2024 OCWI Contest Chair, will preside over a meeting to reveal this year's winners. You will also be treated to a sample of the winning entries.
October 19, 2024
Sonia Gensler
An introduction to Body Horror in Fiction and Film. Sonia taught literature and writing to young adults for ten years: She is the award-winning author of Ghostlight, The Dark Between, and The Revenant, all from Alfred A. Knopf/Random House Kids.
September 21, 2024
Dr. Lisa Marotta
Creativity and Madness Dr. Marotta is a clinical psychologist, registered yoga instructor, and the author of Suki and Sam, a children’s book about grief. For the past fifteen years, she studied the psychobiologies of artists at the “Creativity and Madness” New Mexico conference.
August 17, 2024
MetroLibrary Annual Litfest
Fieldtrip to the main downtown Library for a day long writers’ conference sponsors by Oklahoma City MetroLibrary System. Maurice Johnson will speak on a panel about Paths to Publishing.
July 20, 2024
Maria Polson Veres
Feature Articles and Nonfiction Veres is a content marketing writer who pays her bills with her earnings from nonfiction. Writing clients include GoodRx, Edmond Outlook, Make a Living Writing, and more. She will provide an overview of the state of nonfiction in 2024.
June 15, 2024
Trait Thompson
Restoration of the Oklahoma State Capitol
Thomas is Executive Director of the Oklahoma Historical Society (OHS). He published The Oklahoma State Capitol. The royalties go to the OHS.
May 18, 2024
Dana Tramba
Save Your Life, One Story at a Time After teaching memoir classes for over twenty years, Dana wrote and published Making Peace With the Pieces of My Life (available on Amazon).
April 20, 2024
Kelly Bristow
The Next Generation of Writers Bristow is a Language Arts teacher of English IV, Creative Writing, and Advanced Creative Writing. The speakers for this meeting are young readers and writers from Edmond Memorial High School. who help create a literary arts magazine,
March 16, 2024
Cameron Sutter
Plottr Software for Writing Sutter is a YA sci-fi/fantasy author, and software developer. In this interactive session Sutter will demonstrate how seeing a story visually changes the process for writing a book.
February 17, 2024
Robyn Conley
A Romantic Journey into Writing Join Book Doctor, Robyn Conley, as she takes us on a journey into our writing world. She'll question our definition of romance and challenge us to lead more romantic lives as writers. In a fun, interactive workshop. Robyn Conley will speak about writing, editing, and marketing your work.
January 20, 2024
Maurice Johnson
Between 1996 and 2003 Maurice authored three nationally published music related books with Mel Bay Publishing, Mix Books and Artist Pro Press. He would go on to self-publish several other books as well as nationally published articles in Realtor, and Musician Magazines.