In the Trenches With the Writer Conference

Put together by our friends at the Evanston Writers Workshop!

For details and to register go to inthetrenches2026.com/registration.php
This is a two-day conference for writers at every development level of their craft, taking place Saturday and Sunday, November 14–15, 2026, at the Hilton Garden Inn, 1818 Maple Ave, Evanston, IL 60201. Brought to you by The Evanston Writers Workshop, a nonprofit literary organization established in 2007.
Across two days of programming, attendees can choose from more than twenty sessions covering craft, publishing, and the writing life. Highlights include a two-hour Master Class o characterization with USA Today bestselling author Jade Lee; workshops on reviving manuscripts, building worthy antagonists, and sustaining conflict with author Kat Falls; a session on interiority with literary novelist Goldie Goldbloom; and a look at the current state of children's book publishing with author and librarian Betsy Bird. Panels and workshops also cover memoir (with Jill Wine-Banks and Sherrill Bodine), worldbuilding and comedy (with Jody Lynn Nye), indie publishing, querying, submitting to literary journals, and public readings.
Writers ready to take the next step towards publishing can book one-on-one pitch appointments, in person or virtually, with literary agents and editors from Trident Media Group, Sourcebooks, Dafina/Kensington Books, Thompson Literary Agency, Talcott Notch, Neon Literary, The Purcell Agency, and Page Turner Literary Agency, among others. Agents and editors are seeking work across genres including literary and commercial fiction, mystery, thriller, horror, romance, fantasy, memoir, narrative nonfiction, and books for children and young adults.
The weekend also includes breakfasts with the speakers, the Plot Twist Cocktail Party, an on-site bookstore, and the EVIE Awards, which celebrate excellence in the Evanston writing community, and more.
Full conference passes are $150, with early-bird pricing of $130 available through September 27 ($120 for EWW members). Single-day passes are $90 ($80 for members). Student discounts and scholarships are available by contacting info@inthetrenches2026.com. Registration, the full schedule, and speaker and agent information are available at inthetrenches2026.com
The conference will be headlined by Jonathan Eig, Pulitzer Prize–winning author of King: A Life, which The New York Times called the definitive biography of Martin Luther King Jr. A Northwestern University alumnus and Chicago resident, Eig is also the author of Ali: A Life, winner of a 2018 PEN America Literary Award, and four New York Times bestsellers. His Lou Gehrig biography, Luckiest Man, is currently being adapted for film. Eig will deliver the keynote address at the Saturday evening dinner.
Register at inthetrenches2026.com/registration.php
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In the Trenches 2026 is supported in part by the City of Evanston Arts Council, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the Illinois Arts Council, with additional support from community sponsors Evanston Art Makers Outpost, Northwestern University’s Office of Neighborhood and Community Relations, and corporate sponsors Abel McCallister Abel and Hagerty Consulting.