FRANKLIN, NJ—On the weekend of June 2, the Rutgers Office of Summer and Winter Sessions is hosting its inaugural Writer’s Conference at the Rutgers Continuing Education Center at 300 Atrium Drive in Somerset, NJ

The conference promises to help novice and experienced writers, “polish your craft and publish your work.”

Those who register for the conference will be able to attend sessions within six tracks; creative non- fiction, the business of writing, poetry, fiction writing, writing for performance, and genre fiction.

Liz Beasley, Director of Summer and Special Projects, says these sessions *will give attendees the opportunity to attend worships with authors, network with fellow writers and meet with agents, publishers and editors.

“Signing up for the conference as soon a possible is essential as the popular sessions will fill up soon,” says Beasley.

The conference will kick off with a concert by singer, song writer, and author Janice Ian at the Victoria J. Mastrobuono Theater on Douglass Campus on June 2.

Ian will also be joining the conference as a session leader where she’ll present on writing for performance.

The conference will begin on the morning of June 3 with a keynote address from Dennis Lehane. Lehane has published thirteen award-winning novels including “Darkness, Take My Hand,” “Sacred,” “Prayers for Rain,” “The Given Day,” “Moonlight Mile,” and “Live by Night.”

Three of his novels—”Mystic River,” “Gone, Baby, Gone,” and “Shutter Island”—have been adapted into award-winning films. Lehane will also lead a smaller session on story telling on June 4th.

According to Beasley, many writers write, but don’t know how to take their writing to the next level and publish their work.

For this reason, the conference will also focus on the business of writing and will feature a “pitch slam” on Saturday as well as the the opportunity to meet with editors, publishers, and agents who writers can meet with for 15 minutes at a time.

Other noted authors in attendence include David Bianculli of NPR’s Fresh Air, Mark Doty, Rutgers professor and award winning author and poet, and Eloisa James, Shakespeare Professor at Fordham University and a New York Times bestselling author of historical romance novels.

Other local authors set to appear include Jennifer Hubbard, Jaqueline Goldfinger, and Hester Young.

The fee for the conference is $299. Rutgers staff receive a discount and Rutgers students who enroll in the conference receive a discount and can earn 1.5 credits for attending.

For more information about the conference and to register, visit http://ruwriterscon.rutgers.edu.