SDWF Headliner Judith Orloff -Interview and Talk on The Genius of Empathy

SDWF Headliner Mathew Quirk – Screening of The Night Agent and Author Talkback

An Interview with Patty Lin, Author of End Credits: How I Broke Up with Hollywood

Screenwriter known for her work on Breaking Bad, Friends, Freaks and Geeks, Desperate Housewives

Better Days with Neal Allen: An Interactive Workshop on Taming Your Inner Critic

Dean Nelson Interviews Pulitzer-Prize Winning Journalist Dean Calbreath, author of The Sergeant

Who Tells Our Stories? Who Sells Our Stories? (Black Authors Speak Out)

Writing Songs for a Generation – An Interview with Dale Bozzio of Missing Persons

Centering The Margins: A Discussion on Empowering Voices

Mystery Panel – Putting the Character in Character-Driven Mysteries

Douglas A. Burton Presents the Heroines Labyrinth, a Workshop

Vamp Presents How to Perform Your Story

Writers Ink Presents Promptapalooza: Writing Prompts Galore

Quit Lit Panel: Stories About Breaking Up With Drugs and Alcohol

How to Unblock and Become a Creative Force of Nature with Marni Freedman

Getting Published: Deciding Between Self, Indie, and Hybrid

Bestselling Fantasy, Sci-Fi, Horror, and Thriller

It’s Never Too Late To Write, To Publish, To Change Genres

Middle Grade vs. YA, What’s the Difference? with Chris Baron and Lee Wind

Killer Reads: Writing about True Crimes

Diversity in KidLit: Identity and Beyond

Engaging, Gripping, and Utterly Unputdownable: How to Write a Page-Turning Novel

Hot Marketing, PR Tips For Authors

Writing About Place: How to Write The Words That Transport You

Peter Levine – A Lifetime on the Cutting Edge of Healing Trauma

Getting Personal – The Art of Writing and Publishing Creative Nonfiction with Sue William Silverman

Weaving Fact and Fiction: A Historical Fiction Panel

Immigrant Heart Poets Group Presents Poetry from Vietnam, Italy, Spain, and Venezuela

Rich Farrell Presents How to Craft a Scene

Shaking the Tree Readings: brazen. short. memoir.

Mental Health: Discussing Supermindsets, Ecotherapy, Hacks, and Naked Vitality

The Ins and Outs and Ups and Downs of Publishing

Writing About the Metaphysical and Spiritual Realms, Raising Consciousness and Other Worlds

Lucious, Biting, Revealing Memoir: The Art of Leaving Everything on the Page

Comic Books: New Ways to Write and Publish

Words Birthed From The Borders: What does it mean to be a writer along the borderlands?

KidsWrite! Awards

Join us as our amazing children, and teen poets and authors receive their certificates, cash prizes, and laptops! Come cheer on the next generation of talented writers!

2024 San Diego Writers Festival Opening Ceremony

Opening Ceremony with Taiko Drummers, Spoken Word by Gill Sotu, Awards and Welcome from Jeniffer Thompson, Marni Freedman, and Anastasia Zadeik-Hipkins

Live Music by Marie Haddad

Marie Haddad is a piano-based singer-songwriter from San Diego. Her latest release took home the award for Best Pop Album at the 2018 San Diego Music Awards. It’s been written that Marie has “a voice and lyrical landscape all her own” (San Diego Troubadour) whose voice “can hold your attention whatever she is singing” (North County Times). Her songwriting and piano style have been described as “somewhere between Kate Bush and Leonard Cohen” (San Diego Downtown News). Her songs have appeared on national television shows and movies, and music she created for a short film was awarded Best Musical Score at the 2019 48-hour Film Project, San Diego.