Lit Fest - Lighthouse Writers Workshop 2026: Full Schedule

4:00pm MDT

Friday June 12, 2026 4:00pm - 6:00pm MDT

Want to write a book, but don't have a fully fleshed out concept or professional contacts in the publishing industry yet? With IP projects and other book-related content creation, publishers have ideas. They need writers to bring them to life. The same is often true for entrepreneurs, educational institutions, and businesses. Come learn about these lesser-known paths to becoming a traditionally published author, plus how these types of book deals can often be more straightforward, get you paid sooner, and potentially garner more compensation for your services.

Speakers

Rachel Werner

Faculty

Rachel Werner is the author of the kidlit FLOODS (Capstone 2022), MOVING AND GROOVING TO FILLMORE'S BEAT (Capstone 2023), and THE GLAM WORLD TOUR (Capstone 2025) as well as several new titles in Capstone's Pebble Explore series such as ADA LOVELACE CREATES AN ALGORITHM and the forthcoming... Read More →

Friday June 12, 2026 4:00pm - 6:00pm MDT
Virtual

Publishing/Career

Audience Craft Seminar

4:00pm MDT

How to Self-Publish on a Budget

Friday June 12, 2026 4:00pm - 6:00pm MDT

Lighthouse Writers Workshop

What do The Martian, The Tale of Peter Rabbit, and Fifty Shades of Grey have in common? They were all originally self-published! Traditional publishing isn't the best fit for every project or every writer. But many authors who choose to self-publish often find themselves in trouble—ripped off by dubious vanity presses that will charge tens of thousands of dollars to do what you can do for a few hundred at home. This workshop will teach you how to start your own one-person press, lay out print and e-books, get a professionally designed cover, and distribute the final product to Amazon and local bookstores.

Speakers

Ari Schneider

Faculty

Ari Schneider is a senior writer at Mountain Gazette and the author of Stolen Headstones: One Family's Forgotten Holocaust Story. He has contributed to The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Guardian, Slate, Vogue, and Playboy. His work has also appeared alongside stories b... Read More →

Friday June 12, 2026 4:00pm - 6:00pm MDT
Lighthouse Writers Workshop

Publishing/Career

Audience Craft Seminar

1:00pm MDT

Two-Day Intensive: Finish the Nonfiction Book—Everything but the Pages

Monday June 15, 2026 1:00pm - 4:00pm MDT

Lighthouse Writers Workshop

This craft seminar is about everything except the pages. We'll talk through queries, proposals, research, drafting, editing, refinement, and, most importantly, designing a project plan so you can complete your book while staying sane. You'll leave with templates and examples of what different authors use to keep on track and a project plan specific to your book. Organization is an author's best friend, and this seminar will help you set yourself up for success.

Speakers

Simone Stolzoff

Faculty

Simone Stolzoff is an author and journalist who explores big questions about work, meaning, and identity. A former design lead at the global innovation firm IDEO, he is the author of two books: The Good Enough Job and How To Not Know. His work has been featured in The New York Times... Read More →

Monday June 15, 2026 1:00pm - 4:00pm MDT
Lighthouse Writers Workshop

Publishing/Career

Audience Two-Day Intensive

1:30pm MDT

Author Branding for Introverts and Impostors (V)

Monday June 15, 2026 1:30pm - 3:30pm MDT

Virtual

Authors in traditional publishing, indie publishing, and self-publishing are all expected to do a tremendous amount of the lifting in their own promotion. This part of the job of being an author stirs lots of emotional issues for many authors. This session will explore how to identify your own brand as an author and harness the power of enthusiasm to bypass imposter syndrome and prioritize self-care while finding your audience. This course is taught by a painful introvert who manages to read as a gregarious extrovert.

Speakers

Henry Lien

Faculty

Henry Lien is a 2012 graduate of Clarion West Writers Workshop, Seattle. He is the author of the critically-acclaimed and award-winning Peasprout Chen middle grade fantasy series, which he began writing under the guidance of George R.R. Martin, Kelly Link, and Chuck Palahniuk at Clarion... Read More →

Monday June 15, 2026 1:30pm - 3:30pm MDT
Virtual

Publishing/Career

Audience Craft Seminar

1:00pm MDT

Two-Day Intensive: Finish the Nonfiction Book—Everything but the Pages

Tuesday June 16, 2026 1:00pm - 4:00pm MDT

Lighthouse Writers Workshop

Speakers

Simone Stolzoff

Faculty

Tuesday June 16, 2026 1:00pm - 4:00pm MDT
Lighthouse Writers Workshop

Publishing/Career

Audience Two-Day Intensive

1:30pm MDT

Designing Your Author Website with Style and Know-How (V)

Wednesday June 17, 2026 1:30pm - 3:30pm MDT

Virtual

Need an author website but don’t know where to start? This planning workshop covers everything you need to know to imagine and create an engaging, user-friendly author website. Learn how to design a polished, professional site that reflects your unique voice and supports your books, projects, research, and long-term creative presence online. You’ll also leave with key handouts to continue thinking through all the possibilities around your website as well as a 100-point checklist to make sure you’re covering all your logistical needs. Perfect for authors at any stage of their journey who want a polished and professional digital home.

Speakers

HR Hegnauer

Faculty

HR Hegnauer is a designer, writer, and creative professional specializing in book and web design for authors, independent publishers, and artists. As the owner of a design studio, HR has designed over 350 books, creating award-winning covers and interiors for both print and ebook... Read More →

Wednesday June 17, 2026 1:30pm - 3:30pm MDT
Virtual

Publishing/Career

Audience Craft Seminar

4:00pm MDT

Perseverance Training: Surviving the Long Haul of Writing

Wednesday June 17, 2026 4:00pm - 6:00pm MDT

Lighthouse Writers Workshop

The novel that takes twenty years, the memoir that won’t cohere, the one hundredth agent who says no thanks, or worse, just ignores you — disappointment, doubt and fear are part of the process. Of course, so is gloriousness. In this two-hour workshop, we’ll air it all out: the anxieties, the self-sabotage, the night terrors. Together we’ll examine how other writers have pushed through fear and flagging confidence, and we’ll discuss practical strategies for surviving. Bring your doubts and worries; you’ll leave with a sturdier sense of what it takes to keep going until the work is done.

Speakers

Rachel Weaver

Faculty

Rachel Weaver is the author of the novel Point of Direction, which Oprah Magazine named a Top Ten Book to Pick Up Now and which won the 2015 Willa Cather Award for Fiction. She is on the faculty at Wilkes University’s low-residency MFA program in addition to teaching Lighthouse... Read More →

Wednesday June 17, 2026 4:00pm - 6:00pm MDT
Lighthouse Writers Workshop

Publishing/Career, Multi-Genre

Audience Craft Seminar

12:00pm MDT

Lunchtime Business Panel: The Current State of Publishing—Agents and Authors Dish

Friday June 19, 2026 12:00pm - 1:00pm MDT

TBA

Panelists include: Elizabeth Copps (Copps Literary Services), Anjali Singh (The Anjali Singh Agency), Megan Posco (Posco Publicity), Jane Friedman, and Evanthia Bromiley.

Publishing has always had its share of gatekeeping, but the landscape has never looked quite like this. AI is reshaping how stories are written, sold, and evaluated; hybrid publishers are dangling legitimacy at prices that should give any writer pause; and bots, scams, and social media fraudsters are multiplying faster than anyone can track. In this candid panel, agents and authors cut through the noise — what's real, what's predatory, and how to tell the difference. Come with questions. Leave with your wallet intact.

Speakers

Evanthia Bromiley

Faculty

Evanthia Bromiley is a graduate of the Warren Wilson MFA Program for Writers and the recipient of scholarships from the Aspen Institute, a Lighthouse Fellowship, a Lisel Mueller scholarship, and Elizabeth George and Carol Houck-Smith awards. She is the 2025 Grace Paley Fellow for... Read More →

Elizabeth Copps

Agent

Elizabeth Copps is a literary agent and founder of Copps Literary Services based in Denver, Colorado. With 15 years of industry experience, Elizabeth began her publishing career in 2010 when she moved from Florida to New York City and discovered her passion through an agency internship... Read More →

Anjali Singh

Agent, The Anjali Singh Agency

Jane Friedman

Jane Friedman has spent her entire career working in the publishing industry, with a focus on business reporting and author education. Established in 2015, her newsletter The Bottom Line provides nuanced market intelligence to thousands of authors and industry professionals; her... Read More →

Megan Posco

Megan Posco is a nonfiction book publicist who founded Posco Publicity in 2022 after several years working in-house at publishers including Hachette and Harvard University Press. The books she publicizes are primarily written by journalists and academics, about issues related to criminal... Read More →

Friday June 19, 2026 12:00pm - 1:00pm MDT
TBA 3844 York Street, Denver, CO 80305

Publishing/Career, Multi-Genre