Conference Workshop Proposal Tips

What Does the MWA Conference Committee Look for in a Conference Workshop?

By Kari Martindale, Former MWA Conference Committee Member

The committee accepts proposals from nonmembers and members alike. Do you have a topic you think is worth sharing at the conference? Whether you’re a seasoned presenter or new to presenting, here are some tips for having your proposal accepted.

The Workshop

Title and description: Give your presentation a relevant title and write a clear and concise description. What is the objective? What will attendees take away from the workshop? Will they leave with a plan? A poem draft? Inspiration? A new editing technique? A 10-step process?

Topic popularity: Is this a currently trending topic? Have attendees been requesting this topic? Is it a subject that is always relevant? Do a lot of members write in this genre?  

Freshness: Is the topic unique? How do you plan to give a fresh spin to an evergreen topic? Has this been presented at a chapter meeting within the past one to two years? We generally reject presentations that have already made their rounds among chapters.

Content: Is there a visual presentation (Google Slides, PowerPoint, etc.) to accompany the speaker? Are there handouts? We shy away from presenters who are simply speaking at an audience for 50 minutes.

Genre: Sometimes we seek specific topics or genres, such as poetry, so read the call for proposals closely.

The Presenter

Credentials: Do you have the credentials to present this topic? Make sure those credentials accompany your proposal—don’t leave us guessing! Examples of relevant credentials: Educational (MFA, MBA if it’s about the business of writing, etc.), Professional (e.g. an attorney if speaking about copyright), Platform (e.g. large count of followers if speaking about social media), or Publishing credits.

Freshness: Have you presented at a conference in the past two years? We try to select new voices to present each year, whenever possible.

Self-promotion: Avoid blatant self-promotion! We recognize that conference presentations naturally promote the speaker and their books, but a presenter must be offering value to the attendees, not merely self-promoting. We prioritize hands-on learning over personal journeys.

Other Factors

Is this related to the keynote or feature? We generally avoid presentations that will overlap with the keynote speaker. 

Are you available both days? Sometimes we need to balance presenters who can only come on one day or during specific time slots. If you’re available both days, you have a slightly better chance of being accepted.

Some factors are beyond your control. You might have a good presentation, but if we receive five proposals on character development, we can only accept one or two.

If you’re not sure if your proposal is catchy or clear, have someone else read it over before you submit it. And proofread it—especially if you’re proposing an editing talk!

Kari Martindale is a poet, spoken word artist, and teaching artist who has read at arts guilds across Maryland and performed at the White House. She has been published in a number of literary journals and anthologies, nominated for a Pushcart Prize and Best of the Net, and received honorable mention in the 2024 annual Writer’s Digest Writing Competition. Martindale recently moved to Alaska but remains on the board of Maryland Writers’ Association. She holds an MA in linguistics from George Mason University.