Logistics
Times, fees, accomodations, more
Times, lunch, breaks
Event sign-in starts at 8 AM both Friday and Saturday. Coffee and continental breakfast available at 8 AM both days, included in the fee. Please pre-register for Friday lunch, agent/editor Q&A sessions, contest entries, advanced manuscript critiques, critique groups, written critiques, agent/editor pitches, practice pitch sessions, and one-on-one instructor consultations. See online registration form for details»
All instructor workshops are open and you do not have to pre-register for them. Rooms will be posted on the 2nd floor of the Madison Concourse Hotel and listed on the schedule in your packet.
The fee for the special Friday networking lunch and Success Panel is $15.
Lunch on Saturday is on your own. Most break refreshments are included in the workshop fee.
In the center of Madison, lots of things to do
The Madison Concourse Hotel, the location for this year’s event, is located at One West Dayton, one block from the State Capital and our downtown square and a block away from colorful State Street with many restaurants, stores, the Overture Center for the Arts and more along the way. You can rent bikes on Capital Square. For the family, the free Henry Vilas Park Zoo is very nice, with a nifty new habitat for endangered frogs and more. We are just steps away from the UW-Madison campus. Visitmadison.com has a wealth of information about our city. Bring the family!
Fees and what you get
Early bird registration: $155 for Friday only or both Saturday and Sunday. $255 all three days. Deadline: March 20. After March 20, price goes up $25. Fee includes instruction, handout materials, morning continental breakfast Friday/Saturday, afternoon refreshments, and Sunday coffee/tea. Pitches, practice pitch sessions, other critiques, contest, and Friday luncheon extra; please see registration form. Must be enrolled for Friday or Saturday/Sunday in order to pitch or enter contest.
Continuing Education Units (CEU)
Participants earn 0.6 CEU Friday or Saturday, 0.3 on Sunday (total 1.5). A CEU is a nationally recognized way of recording your participation in noncredit professional development.
Teachers
The University of Wisconsin–Madison programs are approved toward re-licensure by the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction.
What to wear
“Dressy casual” clothes and good walking shoes are the norm. Outside, early April in Wisconsin can be anything from winter to spring, the 30s to 70s, sunny, rain, or late-season snow, so please check weather forecasts before packing.
Parking
You receive parking information with your enrollment confirmation. The Madison Concourse hotel offers an indoor parking garage. The current rate is $10 per night if you are an overnight guest. Current hourly rate is $1.50 per hour up to a maximum of $17 per day. Additional parking is available across the street at the State Street Capitol ramp (214 N. Carroll Street).
Or call 608-262-1122 for advice and maps. UW parking permits cost $13 per day. Some hotels offer free parking; some offer free shuttles to campus.
Childcare
Call the Office of Campus Child Care, 608-262-9715.
Overnight accommodations that are close—make your reservation NOW!
Lodging is on your own. We have reserved a block of rooms in two hotels:
Concourse Hotel, One West Dayton Street, 608-257-6000, $129.00 until March 18, 2013. Guest room rates are subject to applicable state and local taxes in effect at the time of check-in. Current tax rate is 14.5%. Please call the hotel directly at the number above or 800-356-8293 to make reservations. Please identify yourself as part of the UW 2013 Writers’ Institute to receive special rates.
Lowell Center, 610 Langdon St., 608-256-2621 (free parking, breakfast, pool) $89.00-105.00. Group Code is WRITER. Here is a link to the Lowell Center’s reservation page. A tip: If the convenient Lowell Center (listed above) is full the day you call, call back shortly before the conference. Rooms frequently open at the last minute as other reserved conference blocks are released to the public.
Also in the campus/downtown area:
Campus Inn & Chancellor’s Club (formerly Madison Inn), 601 Langdon St, 608-257-4391 (across the street from Lowell Center, free parking, no pool, remodeled/new).
University Inn, 441 N Frances St, 608-257-4881 (borders State St, next to State Street Brats Bar & Grill; two blocks from Pyle Center).
Inn on the Park, 608-257-8811 (located on the Capitol Square, at other end of State Street from our conference center, a leisurely 20-minute walk).
Hilton Madison Monona Terrace, 608-255-5100 (newer luxury hotel, located just off the Capitol Square, a 25-minute walk).
West of the State Street area:
BestWestern InnTowner, 608-233-8778 (five minute drive or 45-minute walk from the west side of campus; free shuttle both ways until 10 PM).
Bed-and-Breakfasts, hostels near your conference location:
Mansion Hill Inn, 608-255-3999 (10 blocks on N. Pinckney near the lake).
Madison Hostel, 141 S. Butler St, 608-441-0144 (just off the square, about 25-minute walk). The Madison Hostel welcomes nonmembers, offers private rooms. About $45/day.
Critique services after the conference
We critique throughout the year, including novels, articles, poetry, nonfiction book proposals, short stories, and screenplays. Fees vary, depending on the project. Please contact us first before sending material: Critique Services, UW-Madison Continuing Studies, 21 N Park St, Room 7348, Madison, WI 53715. Or call 608-265-3972, or e-mail Laurie Scheer at lscheer@dcs.wisc.edu. Laurie will be glad to give a quick look at a one-page synopsis or a query letter at no charge any time.
How to register
Or, register by phone, fax, or mail.
Phone: 608-262-2451 (7 AM-4:30 PM, Monday through Friday). Send your check later, or pay by MasterCard, VISA, American Express, or purchase order.
Fax: 608-265-3163 fax toll-free 1-800-741-7416. Include payment by MasterCard, VISA, American Express, Discover, or purchase order.
Mail: Pyle Center, 702 Langdon St., Dept. 102, Madison, WI 53706.
For late registration or cancellation, call 608-262-7942.
Please advise us as soon as possible if you have a disability and require accommodations. Requests are confidential. This conference is offered through a partnership between UW-Madison and UW-Extension.
Writers' Institute Cancellation Policy: If you need to cancel, you may do so without penalties until midnight on April 5th, 2013. After that time, cancellations will be assessed a $20 administrative fee. Please call 608-262-2451 or 800-725-9692 for assistance.
For more information: Contact director Laurie Scheer, 608-265-3972, or Laura Kahl, 608-262-3982.
Special thanks to: The Writer magazine and UW-Madison Anonymous Fund, for support of UW-Continuing Studies writing programs.