Mother Lode Book Festival in Murphys

First Weekend in May

May 3-4, 2025

The Gold Rush Writers Conference planned for 2024 was canceled. In its place, Manzanita Writers Press board members and the Mother Lode Writers Consortium are planning the Mother Lode Book Festival, with a day of workshops and writing activities, author talks and panels, and author signings, in the spring of 2025 with some of the following interests: poetry and journaling, memoir, poetry, fiction, and creating a podcast and author YouTube channel sessions. We will be celebrating Literature, Literacy, and Life at the festival.

The Mother Lode Book Festival first weekend in May 2025 will have 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. On Sunday, Calaveras Big Trees will be the place for poets and journal writers to gather and pick a favorite ancient Sequoia to commune with and write about. Present will be naturalists and docents to assist. 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

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