Did you hear the news?

I can’t believe we are celebrating our third annual WriteHive conference. It seems like just yesterday we were scrambling around behind the scenes doing so many things to ensure the conference went off without a hitch. And this year, we hosted over 100 guests and presenters in over 70 panels, presentations, and workshops for over 400 attendees.

So much has changed in the last 3 years. We’ve been faced with COVID-19, increased school shootings, accelerating wars in Ukraine and other parts of the world, the threat of more oppression of our women, poor, and marginalized communities. We’ve lost, we’ve grieved, we’ve seethed in anger. So much so, that many might say we’ve become different people in the short period of time. I know I have.

WriteHive has changed too. We’ve grown from a team of few to multiple teams of many. What used to be a single conference and scholarship grew into a Discord with monthly events, a blossoming podcast (Word Nerd Café), and a mini writing retreat (WriteHive Lite). Last year, we expanded to include an anthology and silent auction. And next year, we’re expanding again to add two additional programs.

Mentorship Program

Our newest expansion, the WriteHive Mentorship Program is another way we are breaking down barriers in publishing. The program is an opportunity for writers to be matched with a mentor in the pathway of their choice (traditional, self-publishing, small press, or serialization). Mentees are matched based on the mentors’ #MSWL and embark on an eleven month journey together to fine tune their manuscript. Each mentor will be going over the mentee’s manuscript at least once for a full edit. Feedback will be given in the form of in-line feedback or edit letter. There may be some additional guidance and answering of industry questions that will be given on a mentor-by-mentor basis.  This program has been in planning for a number of years, and we are excited to finally announce this project! If you’re interested in becoming a mentor or a mentee, please check out the Mentorship Program here.

Indie Ink Awards

This new venture is something S Kaeth and I have been talking about for a few years now and it never really seemed like the right time. Something always came up, or there was something that had taken priority, but this seems like the right time. My publishing company Inked in Gray was founded on the mission of telling stories that need to be told, those gritty, visceral stories that leave you up at night pondering. 

In collaboration with Inked in Gray and Indie Story Geek, WriteHive is hosting the Indie Ink Awards – a multi-genre award ceremony dedicated to highlighting the incredible quality of YA and Adult books published by small press and self-published authors. We want to continue to uplift and celebrate our community by providing readers and authors another opportunity to share their stories with the world.

It is important to celebrate our successes. Finishing that first draft, or starting to write again after a long break IS a success. There is so much going on in the world today that it is difficult to justify feeling happy. We can feel guilty for being and wanting to be happy when so much of the world is hurting, when WE are hurting, but we must reclaim some semblance of joy. Joy builds resiliency, and if we are going to write the future we need, we must dwell sometimes in the things that build us up, bring us happiness.

Dakota Rayne

The Indie Ink Awards will begin with nominations. Starting July 2022, you will be able to nominate your favorite book in one of two categories and over 30 different awards. All voting will take place on Indie Story Geek. 

Learn more about the Indie Ink Awards and how to nominate your favorite book here.

Missed the Conference?

If you missed the conference, don’t worry! All of our pre-recorded panels will be available on our YouTube channel some time after July 1, 2022. If you’re not a subscriber, hit the subscribe button so you can be notified when those videos are available to view!

And if the panels and presentations made you want to write, consider submitting for our anthology! The theme this year is Reclaiming Joy. Submissions open July 1st as well! Submission guidelines can be found here.

Thank you

We would like to extend a very special thank you to all of our panelists and presenters. We appreciate the time taken to record panels and attend the conference. The knowledge and experiences shared with us and our attendees are invaluable.

A heartfelt thank you to all of our volunteers as well. Together they’ve dedicated hundreds of hours towards making this conference a success. I firmly believe we at WH have the greatest team of volunteers ever. We’ve accomplished so much because of their help. I’m excited for the future. If you’d like to be a part of our volunteer family, we would very much welcome you! Learn how to be a volunteer here.

If you’ve enjoyed the conference or would like to check out more of WriteHive, we highly suggest joining our main server on Discord.