Denver Event to Focus on Military Writing

Writers with interests toward publishing military-themed works of fiction, non-fiction, and poetry are invited to the inaugural "Sangria Summit: A Military Writers' Conference" Sept. 12-14, 2012, at the Marriott City Center, Denver, Colo. The event is sponsored by Victor Ian LLC, a military media and gaming business. The business publishes Lanterloon, an eclectic lifestyle, technology, and military blog; and has a physical storefront called "Dragons and Dragoons" located in Colorado Springs, Colo.

Bloggers and brothers James and William Burns are co-founders of the event. "I have an interest in creative writing," says James Burns. "Our game store customer base is largely military. Fort Carson is right next to us. The effort to know my customer led me to Carl Prine [Until recently, the blogger at "Line of Departure"] and Isaac Cubillos. I wanted to do something to help."

Lanterloon editor Isaac Cubillos, author of the Military Reporters Stylebook and Reference Guide, is serving as the Sangria Summit conference director.

“Just as there was an explosion of successful writers after World War II who wrote about the war, there are thousands of stories to be told by a new crop of writers after 10 years of fighting the War on Terror,” says Cubillos. “Today there are many avenues available along with the traditional hard-cover book publishers."

"We hope to help in the development of a new generation of writers who could be the next Tom Clancy ('The Hunt for Red October'), Wiliam Manchester ('Goodbye, Darkness: A Memoir of the Pacific War'), or another best-selling author like Chris Kyle ('American Sniper: The Autobiography of the Most Lethal Sniper in U.S. Military History')," he says.

Cost for the 2-day conference is $225. An early bird rate of $195 is available until Sept. 9. Registration includes all agenda material, special handouts, books, and lunch on Thurs., Sept. 13 and Fri., Sept. 14. The Marriott City Center offers a group rate of $179 per night. The conference will begin with an informal reception at the Denver Press Club from 6 to 9 p.m., Sept. 12. For more event registration details, click here.

Scheduled speakers and workshop presenters include:

• Mark Coker, founder of e-publisher Smashwords.

• New York Times Best Seller author Bob Mayer, CEO of Who Dares Wins Publishing.

• New York Times Best Seller author Caitlin Rother.

• USA Today reporter and Army veteran Kelly Kennedy, author of "They Fought for Each Other: The Triumph and Tragedy of the Hardest Hit Unit in Iraq."

• John Holmes, creator of the "PowerPoint Ranger" web comic.

Additional presenters are pending. A list of speakers at the conference is maintained here. Several book agents and editors will be on hand to critique works of aspiring authors, as well. According to organizers, there will be sufficient time to meet other authors and spend time talking about writing during the conference.

A Facebook page for the event can be found here.

Friend of Red Bull Rising and fellow mil-blogger Kanani Fong ("The Kitchen Dispatch") has posted an essay regarding the how and why of writing conferences here.