Tune in here for more news about the festival to be held in Sonora in 2026. Date and details: TBA. The festival website is in progress for the festival and will be accessible by December of this year. You can go to motherlodebookfestival.com for festival news in December.
Since the Gold Rush Writers Conference planned for 2024 was canceled, in its place, Manzanita Writers Press, Manzanita Writers and Poets, Sonora Writers, and the Mother Lode Writers Collective hosted the Mother Lode Book Festival, with a day of workshops and writing activities, author talks and panels, and author signings May 3 and 4, 2025, with some of the following interests: poetry and journaling, memoir, poetry, fiction, and creating a podcast and author YouTube channel sessions.
The Mother Lode Book Festival first weekend in May 2025 had a full Saturday of workshops, author speakers and panels, a poet laureate celebration with poets from many counties, and author signings in downtown Historic Murphys in Calaveras County at the Native Sons Hall at 389 Main Street.
Writing Down the Trees
On Sunday, May 4, Calaveras Big Trees was the place for poets and journal writers to gather and pick a favorite ancient Sequoia redwood to commune with and write about. Present were naturalists and docents to present a program that stimulated writing. Writings about the trees will be gathered into a volume and published, available at the Calaveras Big Trees Visitors Center and many other venues, including Yosemite retail outlets and beyond.
Stay tuned!
ARCHIVES
16th Annual Gold Rush Writers Conference
October 7, 8, 9 – 2022
We had a great conference! Fun times.
Gold Rush Writers Conference –
manzanitawp@gmail.com or
Blast from the past in October 2022
Conference-goers attend Friday picnic supper Friday, October 7, then spent an evening with Tommy Orange
Saturday Workshops all day and then an evening dinner with Ace Antonio Hall, author speaker.
Featured author is Tommy Orange, novelist, author of Pulitzer-nominated book, There There.
Sunday morning workshops – then a brunch and Sands Hall speaking on memoir and writing, followed by an alumni panel of Gold Rush Writers Conference success stories, marketing, publishing experiences – Lisa Michelle, Stephen Archer, Linda Toren, Monika Rose, and more.
https://www.goldrushwriters.com – Contact Monika manzanitawp@gmail.com and catch us on Facebook: @Manzanita Writers Press.
Hotel Leger – Photo by Kathy Boyd Fellure