The LUW Working With the Salt Lake County Libraries

The League of Utah Writers (LUW) partnered with the Salt Lake County Libraries so local authors could share with members of the broader writing community. On Saturday, August 20, 2022, the two organizations held “Local Authors & You” The Writing Conference” at the Kearns branch. This was the first time this event has been held, and I hope it will become a regular event for everyone interested in learning more about writing and the writing industry.

Jared Quan presented on networking

There are many people who are interested in writing who are not members of the LUW and this is just one event the LUW has been involved with to share the wide range of talent the organization represents. Presenters at the one-day conference included the current and past presidents of the league, recipients of the Writer of the Year, and Diamond Quill winners among others. The presentations were centers on the areas of expertise each of them had to offer. Some presenters who couldn’t attend in person held presentations and discussion via Zoom. Every presentation I saw was full of great information.

Jodi Milner covered imposter Syndrome

The attendees were also able to mingle and talk with the presenters. This gave everyone the chance to ask pointed and personal questions concerning the works they desired to create and deeper questions about the authors, the presentations, and their work. The time left everyone smiling and talking with each other after the closing panel.

A short break between sessions

This is one example of what the LUW is doing to help the larger writing community. It is a fantastic way for every League member to be involved and give back to new writers. There fun of hearing the excitement of a person as they begin to realize they can write the story they have inside them is infectious. This level of sharing is a great way to overcome our bouts of writers’ block.

John Olsen gave his insights on short stories

You don’t even have to give a presentation to be involved. Volunteers are present to share the story of the league and help attendees find out more information based on their personal interest. I had the chance of talking with several people, younger and older, who had made their way to the library from across the Salt Lake Valley to attend and were looking not just for information, but for a collective of writers they could work with. I’m sure we will see some of these people drop into our chapter meetings to learn more of what the LUW has to offer.

Johnny Worthen on some story structure

If you would like to help by volunteering, send an email to the Volunteers Chair at volunteers@leagueofutahwriters.org

If you know of local writing and author events in your area where the LUW could help out, talk with your chapter president or another board member.

A panel of guests responding to a serious question from Johnny

About the Author

Daniel Yocom is currently part of the leadership of the Infinite Monkeys Genre Writers. They have been writing articles for different outlets for over ten years. After supporting their family by being a quality assurance specialist and technical writer (mostly standard operating procedures and reports) they were able to leave the job behind at the start of 2022.