Saturday April 6

9:00 AM to 6:00 PM

Coronado Public Library | 640 Orange Ave, Coronado, CA 92118

 

SDWF 2024 Thriller of the Year: Matthew Quirk, New York Times Bestselling Author of The Night Agent. Now a hit Netflix TV show! Quirk, the hottest thriller writer in years, launches his new book, Inside Threat.

SDWF Inspirational Book of the Year: Judith Orloff: New York Times Bestselling Author, Legendary Psychiatrist, Empath, and Intuitive Teacher brings us her latest book, The Genius of Empathy (with a foreword by the Dalai Lama).

SDWF 2024 Biography of the Year: Edward Zwick, legendary Academy Award-winning and Emmy Award-winning writer, director, and producer of movies Reacher (Tom Cruise), Legends of the Fall (Brad Pitt), Glory (Denzel Washington), Shakespeare in Love (Gweneth Paltrow) and TV shows Thirtysomething and My So-Called Life, brings us Hits, Flops, and Other Illusions, his expose of his 40 years at the top of Hollywood.

SDWF Lifetime Achievement Award: Anita Moorjani: New York Times Bestselling Author and highly sought after Inspirational Speaker brings us her latest book, Sensitive is the New Strong: The Power of Empaths in an Increasingly Harsh World.

Festival Sponsors

Past Speakers
The Writers Festival Brings the Very Best to You!

The San Diego Writers Festival offers free classes from world-class instructors and a chance to meet the storytellers.
Check out our stellar line-up over the years.

Listen to The Premise Podcast

Alice Hoffman – Author – The Invisible Hour

Jeniffer is joined via Warwick’s Books by prolific writer Alice Hoffman. Hoffman is most known for her book, Practical Magic, which was made into a film of the same name. The Invisible Hour is her latest novel and she talks about how it came about. You’ll learn how...

Smith Publicity

The guests so nice, we had them twice! Because their last episode was one of our most listened to, Dan and Sandy from Smith Publicity are back. They share inside information on the publishing world and discuss the new tools and processes that have come about in the...

Sophie Mackintosh – Author – Cursed Bread

Sophie Mackintosh’s debut novel, The Water Cure, was nominated for the 2018 Man Booker Prize. Now, her latest novel, Cursed Bread, inspired by a mass poisoning that actually happened, has been nominated for the Women’s Prize for Fiction. She’s a writer who uses...

Shelby Stanger – Journalist, Speaker, Podcaster, Adventurer TEDxSanDiego Speaker

Shelby Stanger is another podcaster, author, and big adventurer. Truly. She adventures for a living pretty much. And she inspires others to find their own adventure through her journalism, podcasting, and now her book! Will to Wild was just released on June 6th and...

KishaLynn Moore Elliott – Author – TEDx speaker

Words are KishaLynn Elliot’s superpower. She uses that superpower to tell stories, educate, and inspire. She’s an author, speaker and Vice President of Operations and Evaluation at The Monarch School. She’s also a 2023 TEDx San Diego speaker on Education. She talks...

Jesse Leon – Author TEDx Speaker

Jesse Leon is a San Diegan, TED X speaker, Harvard graduate, consultant and survivor. Jeniffer speaks to him about his memoir, I’m Not Broken, and the story of his past that it covers. Jesse is the embodiment of resilience and living proof that you can come out on the...

Gina Simmons Schneider, Ph.D. – Author – Frazzlebrain

Gina Simmons Schneider, PhD, is a Psychotherapist and expert in coping skills. And she used this expertise to write a book about dealing with the common anxieties and stressors we all face in the modern world. Listen to her speak with Jeniffer and Chad...

Cecile Pin – Author – Wandering Souls

This episode comes to you via Warwick’s Books. Jeniffer speaks with the author of Wandering Souls, Cecile Pin. Her much praised debut novel was longlisted for the Women’s Prize for Fiction 2023, and she’s been compared to Joan Didion by Kirkus Review. Wandering Souls...

Madhushree Ghosh – Author – Khabaar: An Immigrant Journey of Food, Memory and Family

San Diego author, social justice activist, and Pushcart nominee Madhushree Gosh is today’s guest. She talks with Jeniffer and Chad not only about her book, Khabaar: An Immigrant Journey of Food, Memory and Family, but food and the politics around it, and politics in...

Susanna Hoffs – The Bangles, Author- This Bird Has Flown

For all you Gen X folks out there, this week's guest doesn't really need an introduction. Because she's Susanna Hoffs!  But did you know Susanna is also an author? Jeniffer talks to Susanna about her book, This Bird Has Flown, via Warwick's Books.    Author...

The Five Steps of Writing-With-Nature Julie Brams, LMFT

As an Earth-centered psychotherapist, writer, and Nature lover, I’m often asked about writing in nature. It occurred to me that this question is another perfect opportunity to shift our thinking about our relationship with the other beings we refer to as nature. Many...

CREATING A DIGITAL AUTHOR PRESS KIT: Five Things To Know by Laura Segal Stegman

We authors have it tough, don’t we? Challenges range from writers block to rejections, and there’s always something to, well, write. So when some “expert” recommends putting together a digital author press kit, many of us tune out. That’s a mistake. The media is drawn...

American Confidential, Tennessee Williams, and the Role of Place — By Deanne Stillman

American Confidential, Tennessee Williams, and the Role of Place By Deanne Stillman My books are generally place-based stories of war and peace in the real and mythological West. In my view, the personal isn’t just political, as the saying goes, it’s geographic as...

The Writer’s Kit Bag — Rules for Confident Writing by Neal Allen

1. Use strong verbs. Question every appearance of the verbs “to be,” “to do,” or “to have.”   2. Substitute an Anglo-Saxon (shorter, punchier) word for a Latinized (longer, more abstract) one, when possible.   3. Question all transitional phrases. Is it...
Words. Stories. Community.

San Diego Celebrates Storytelling 

Thank you San Diego!

We are so proud of what we have built together. We could not have accomplished all that we have without you! In 2019, our inaugural year brought out more than 1,200 people (live and in person); 2020 marked our first virtual event and was a huge success with more then 6,000 people checking in to join the fun across all four days! 2021, also virtual, brought in more than 10,000 viewers. On October 08, 2022 we were back in person at the Coronado Public Library and we are pleased to announce that more than 2,500 people came out to enjoy the festivities. 

Storytelling matters! Your story matters, which is why all of our events are FREE and open to the public. If you have joined us in previous years, you are now part of our storytelling family.

Be sure to get on our mailing list too—scroll up to sign up for future events, giveaways, and updates! 

The San Diego Writers Festival Uniting San Diego—One Story at A Time

Remembering Our Inaugural Event