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San Francisco Writers Conference

San Francisco Writers Conference

A Celebration of Craft, Commerce & Community

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SFWC Fact Sheet

The SFWC Facts

The inaugural San Francisco Writers Conference was held February 15-16, 2004, at the Sir Francis Drake Hotel in San Francisco, under the direction of Michael Larsen and Elizabeth Pomada. The 3rd through 15th conferences were held at the InterContinental Mark Hopkins Hotel. In 2019, the SFWC moved to the Hyatt Regency San Francisco at the Embarcadero.

The conference is held each President’s Day weekend in mid-February. The SFWC has expanded to a four-day event and it now starts on Thursday and ends on Sunday.
In addition to the main conference, there are pre/post in-depth classes, an exhibition hall, a YA/children’s session for students, and free open-to-the-public events.  Events in addition to the conference include the San Francisco Writing for Change and year-round writing classes held at Mechanics’ Institute.

Attendance at the main conference averages around 600 people.  There are 80-100 speakers, editors and agents who participate each year.  There are 70-80 volunteers.

The theme of the conference is A Celebration of Craft, Commerce and Community, which reflects the literary heritage of San Francisco as well as the founders’ vision of helping writers get their work published by connecting them with publishers, editors, agents and other professionals.

The San Francisco Writers Conference is a 501(c)3 non-profit corporation that donates money and services to charities that support writing. SFWC donations have gone to 426 National, BINC, the Children’s Book Project, EveryLibrary, Litquake, WNBA, Books & Booze, Project Homeless Connect, high school scholarship recipients and other organizations. SFWC management team members donate their time on many projects and can often be seen giving pro-bono speeches at writers conferences and other venues.

The conference director is Laurie McLean who is also a co-founder of the Fuse LiteraryAgency.

Barbara Santos, co-creator of the Maui Writers Conference, is marketing director. Her husband Richard Santos manages conference registration. Lissa Provost is the operations director and Linda Lee is the volunteer director and oversees the www.sfwriters.org website. Elisabeth Kauffman is the social media director.

Contact Information

SFWC Founders Mike & Elizabeth

SFWC Co-founders Mike Larsen & Elizabeth Pomada

  • Director: Laurie McLean [email protected]
  • Marketing Director/Newsletter Editor: Barbara Santos [email protected]
  • Operations Director: Lissa Provost [email protected]
  • Registration/Website Director: Richard Santos [email protected]
  • Volunteer Coordinator: Linda Lee [email protected]
  • Director of AV: Venkat Raman
  • Social Media Director: Elisabeth Kauffman
  • Indie Publishing & Tech Sponsorships: Carla King [email protected]

San Francisco Writers Foundation Advisory Board

  • Kathleen Antrim, author and radio commentator
  • Taryn Edwards, Mechanics’ Institute Library
  • Harvey Pawl, businessman

Mailing Address

San Francisco Writers Conference
P.O. Box 326 Oakley, CA 94561
Phone: 925.420.6223

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About Us

The San Francisco Writers Conference (“SFWC”) enjoys a rich literary culture. Over the course of four days in mid-February, over 500 attendees and renowned keynote authors, presenters, editors, and agents, attend SFWC, combining the best of both the traditional publishing industry with the latest technology to empower authors to publish anywhere. Situated just north of Silicon Valley, the SFWC is truly a one-of-a-kind celebration of craft, commerce, and community.

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Help Support SFWC

Thank you for your decision to support the San Francisco Writers Conference. Your donation will help us provide free programs and scholarships. The San Francisco Writers Conference, a non-profit charity 501(c)(3).

Connect With Us

Address: San Francisco Writers Conference, P.O. Box 326, Oakley, CA 94561
Phone: 1-925-420-6223
Email: [email protected]
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