Conversations & Connections: Practical Advice on Writing

April 18, 2026, American University, Washington, DC

Conversations and Connections is a one-day conference organized by Barrelhouse in person at American University in Washington, DC on April 18, 2026.

  • What is Conversations and Connections?

    Conversations and Connections is a one-day writer's conference that brings together writers, editors, and publishers in a friendly, supportive environment. The conference is organized by Barrelhouse magazine, and has been held for the past 15 years in Washington DC, Pittsburgh, and Philadelphia. The April 18 conference is our 29th Conversations and Connections. All proceeds go to participating small presses and literary magazines, and to Barrelhouse, a literary nonprofit organization.

  • What do you get with your $95 registration fee?

    For your registration fee, you get the full day conference, including the featured authors reading/QA, and 3 craft workshop/panel sessions, plus your choice of choice of 1 out of our 4 featured books. Through our “partner press program,” you’ll also be able to allocate $25 to one of our participating literary magazines or small presses, each of whom is offering a different incentive — a subscription, a book, a poster, something else— for your donation. More than half your registration fee goes directly to the participating literary magazines and small presses.

  • Who should attend?

    We strive to make Conversations and Connections truly practical and valuable for all writers. If you’re just getting started and trying to figure out how this all works and where your place might be in the literary community, we’re the conference for you. If you’ve published a fair amount of work and are l0oking to re-energize your writing practice, focus on specific elements of craft, and connect with editors, publishers, and other writers who are doing the same, we’re the conference for you. All are welcome and we really strive to focus on the second part of our title: practical advice on writing!

Sign up today!

For $95 you get the full day conference (3 craft workshops or panel discussions, and our featured author reading and QA), plus 1 featured book, 1 ticket for speed dating with editors, and more lit stuff from our partner presses. See you on April 18, 2026!

Location and Logistics and Information About The Day of the Conference

Address

Ward Circle Building, Kerwin Hall
3590 Nebraska Ave NW
Washington DC 20016

Google Map:

Click here to open the map in a new window

Parking and Directions and Other Logistics:

Parking, walking directions, food and coffee, and information about what to expect on the day of the conference is available on this Google document. We’ll continue to update this doc with relevant information as we get closer to the conference.

Timing:

Check-in will begin at 8:30 on the first level of Kirwin Hall

The conference will start at 9:00

At 5:00 we’ll wrap up with a post-conference reception and hang out

A full schedule is included below (scroll down)

Featured Books!

  • februaries, by Michele Evans

    Evans, the author of the poetry collection purl, returns with februaries—a chapbook of poems inspired by her participation in the National African American Read-In (AARI) founded by the Black Caucus of the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE).

    Chronicling and preserving the achievements and contributions of ancestors Harriet Tubman, Billie Holiday, Maya Angelou, and others, februaries, a museum constructed of poignant poems diverse in form, reminds readers: Black History is American History, and it should be “celebrated, appreciated, and narrated” well beyond the annual 28-day observance.

    Poems. Yellow Arrow Publishing

  • Frontier: A Memoir and a Ghost Story

    "In open-hearted, gorgeous prose, Erica Stern makes meaning out of accident and luck, exploring medical history, religious ritual, and the ghostly multiverse that binds the two together. Vulnerable, wise, and truly a feat."

    —Julia Fine, author of The Upstairs House

    Memoir. Barrelhouse Books

  • Aliens Attack! by Dave Housley

    What would you do--really do--in an emergency of planetary proportions? How capable, ethical, and heroic would you be? In this novel about an alien invasion of earth, Housley smuggles uneasy questions like this into our brains with wry humor and cleverly intertwining narratives. Multiple perspectives from both sides of the invasion equation show us calamity from the perspectives of everyday people (and aliens) who are vulnerable, fallible, and feel refreshingly real, reflecting ourselves back to ourselves.

    — Tara Campbell, author of City of Dancing Gargoyles and TreeVolution

    Fiction. Mason Jar Press

  • Litany of Saints: A Triptych, by Diana Rojas

    “Three stories offer an intriguing look into the lives of Costa Rican characters—Ticos—as they deal with their roles in their families and society. Rojas weaves expertly between distinct stories and families, creating a network of Costa Rican experience that is equally loving and critical. She shows her readers that no homeland is perfect—not even ‘paradise.’ An engrossing debut that sees both the good and bad sides of Costa Rica.”—Kirkus Reviews

    Fiction. Arte Publico Press

What Our Attendees Say

General Schedule

All times are U.S. eastern standard time:

9:00: Welcome

9:30 — 10:30: Session 1 panel discussions and craft workshops

10:45 — 11:45: Session 2 panel discussions and craft workshops

12:00 — 2:00: Speed dating with editors; online Write-In; Lunch

2:15 — 3:45: Featured author readings and QA

4:00 — 5:00 Session 3 panel discussions and craft workshops

5:00: Post conference reception

Sessions

 Literary Magazines and Small Presses

American University’s MFA in Creative Writing Program is our host for the conference.

For more than 30 years, writers have come to American University to develop their work and exchange ideas in the District’s only creative writing MFA program.

Our graduate workshops provide a rigorous yet supportive environment where students explore a range of approaches to the art and craft of fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. As an MFA student at American University, you are free to pursue a single genre or explore several. You will acquire a deeper understanding of your own work and hone your skills in a collaborative setting. This two-year, 36-credit-hour MFA program integrates writing, literary journalism, translation, and the study of literature to prepare students for a range of career possibilities. Write, give feedback, and receive guidance from a close-knit community of respectful peers and faculty.

In the MFA program, you'll find lawyers, military veterans, musicians, teachers, and business executives who are passionate about the written word. In addition to our prestigious Visiting Writers Series, our MFA program publishes Folio, a nationally recognized literary journal sponsored by the College of Arts and Sciences at American University in Washington, DC. Since 1984, we have published original creative work by both new and established authors. For more information, contact us at lit@american.edu.

Speed Dating With Editors is a 10 minute, 1-on-1 workshop with an editor

With your registration, you get one ticket to “Speed Dating with Editors,” a 10 minute, 1-on-1 meeting with a literary magazine or small press editor where you’ll receive direct feedback about your work.

What works best?

We’ve found that the following things work best: a flash story or essay, the first few pages of a longer story or essay, or a poem.

Paper!

It's easiest for the editors if they're reading paper, so please print out and bring along copies of whatever you intend to workshop

We’ll match you up.

The logistics and timing don’t allow for you to choose the editor you’d like to work with. We’ll make sure nonfiction work is read by nonfiction editors, poetry by poetry editors, etc, but the situation doesn't allow for everybody to choose their editor. You’ll be matched up with an editor by our volunteers.

Brought to you by Barrelhouse

Conversations and Connections is organized by Barrelhouse, an all-volunteer literary nonprofit. Barrelhouse produces a biannual print magazine and manages a small press that prints several books each year. Barrelhouse also manages a vibrant website constantly updated with new poetry, prose, and essays, as well as book reviews and literary ephemera. In addition to Conversations and Connections, Barrelhouse organizes the writer’s retreat Writer Camp, and weekly online Write-Ins, a generative “together alone” writing practice.