Steve Salmon has published three books, with a fourth on the way. That’s a significant achievement for any author, but even more so for one with cerebral palsy.
The Isthmus article “A Tale of Perseverance” notes that Salmon got his big break when he met his agent, Tina Schwartz, at the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s annual Writers’ Institute. Salmon will also attend this year’s conference, held on March 27-29 at the Madison Concourse Hotel.
In the article, Salmon calls the Writers’ Institute the highlight of his year.
“It is a chance for me to meet with other writers, with agents, publishers and booksellers,” he says. “I learn so much from everyone, and it’s my chance to get out into the world. Writing can be lonely, and I am not able to get out of the house very often.”
Salmon writes for hours every day by tapping out each word in Morse code using a special headset. It’s a slow process, and yet he has produced a children’s book, Cat’s Tail; and two novels, The Unusual Writer and Buddy Why. He is now finishing the young adult novel Just a Regular Kid Like You, along with keeping up his blog.
Dedication and passion
The Writers’ Institute offers authors tips for improving and selling their work, as well as a unique opportunity to make pitches to literary agents and publishers. Director Laurie Scheer says Salmon is a popular figure at the event, which he has attended for the last eight years.
“He is very outgoing, and everyone is very friendly and welcoming,” Scheer tells Isthmus. “He always has another writer accompanying him to help him get around and help to interpret questions and interactions. I think other writers are inspired by his dedication and passion for writing.”
For more information on the UW-Madison Writers’ Institute, contact Scheer at 608-265-3972, lscheer@dcs.wisc.edu.