BIG ARTS is the creative hub of Sanibel Island.
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During the past decade, as cell phones and tablets made their way into every jacket pocket and onto most bedside tables, you may – fairly – have subscribed to the notion that books and creative writing are dead. However, the time has come – my friend – to think again. Books are back. Writing is big, and the upcoming Sanibel Island Writers Conference is bringing some of the nation’s top authors and creative brains to the island as inspiration. Here’s the best part: You are invited. We all are. Registration is open for the 2026 Sanibel Island Writers Conference, hosted by Florida Gulf Coast University, Nov. 5 – 7, at BIG ARTS on Sanibel at the Sanibel Public Library.
Sanibel Island Writers Conference co-host Tom DeMarchi.
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In 2006, 20 years ago, FGCU instructor Tom DeMarchi hosted the first Sanibel Island Writers Conference.
“We initially conceived of this as an event where everyone from middle school students to retirees could participate,” DeMarchi said. “This year, that inclusive central idea is the same. Each day, there will be four or five workshops happening simultaneously. The diverse workshops and exercises are designed for anyone with a desire to write.”
Participants in all stages of development are invited to attend – from journal doodlers to published novelists. And, during each of the three evenings of this 20th anniversary event, acclaimed speakers will chat, participate in panel discussions – one performer will sing – and share their intricate relationships with the written word. Attendance for the three dynamic evening events is free, and registration for the daytime courses requires registration and a fee.
Jason Elek, an instructor at FGCU, serves as DeMarchi’s event co-host.
Sanibel Island Writers Conference co-host Jason Elek.
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Elek shared, “I am looking forward to the Conference being back on the island.”
Storms, COVID and hurricanes kept the event off of Sanibel for almost a decade, he added. DeMarchi said he hopes community members completely fill BIG ARTS’ 410-seat Christensen Performance Hall.
“We have filled the hall in previous years. We invite people in the area to continue the tradition of taking advantage of our free evening programming and filling the hall again,” DeMarchi implored.
Thursday: A story of finding your voice
Thursday, Nov. 5, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., The Sanibel Island Writers Conference will host An Evening of Conversation with New York Times bestselling author Tara Westover. Westover’s 2018 memoir, “Educated,” explores the writer’s struggle to pursue her desire for education, while somehow remaining loyal to her ideologically radical parents.
“I didn’t go to school. We didn’t have birth certificates. I took my first Ibuprofen at 18 and was amazed that I could be free of pain,” Westover recalled.
She said her childhood and early teens lacked any formal experience with reading, math or even socializing among people her own age.
Best-selling author Tara Westover.
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“The way I was raised was just really difficult,” Westover shared. “I felt compelled to put my story on paper because I hadn’t seen this kind of story written.”
The American author, named by TIME Magazine as one of the 100 most influential people of 2018, never received a high school diploma. She credits her brother, Tyler, with teaching her math when she was 15. Ultimately, Westover was accepted to Brigham Young University, which is a large private research university located in Provo, Utah, owned and run by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. BYU uniquely does not require a high school diploma.
“I took the S.A.T. four times,” she said about her journey to college acceptance. “The first year of college was difficult. Overwhelming. But after the first year, it got easier.”
Westover is 40 years old. She acknowledges that her writing reflects her own story; that some of her six siblings remember their childhood differently. Her forthcoming book, “Brothers and Sisters,” was announced this week by Random House. According to the publisher, “‘Brothers and Sisters’ is the story of what comes after the story – after betrayal, after forgiveness.”
The book will launch April 13. Westover said she continues to have strong relationships with several of her siblings.
“‘Brothers and Sisters’ is a really painful, technical conversation,” Westover said.
This second memoir discusses how her family handled, and side-stepped, her truth regarding brother Shawn’s (pseudonym) tendency toward anger and abuse. Word is out. Fans of “Educated” have a new book to look forward to, but a long six months to wait. Westover’s Southwest Florida fans will get to hear her discuss “Brothers and Sisters” and more on Nov. 5.
Friday: When words become music
Singer-songwriter Tift Merritt.
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Friday, Nov. 6, from 6 p.m. – 8 p.m., The Sanibel Island Writers Conference will host A Musical Performance by Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter Tift Merritt. Like fellow presenter Westover, Tift uses words to convey soulful stories.
“Short form is where I like to live,” Merritt said. “I approach songwriting with a handful of very concise sentences.”
She added that weaving words with music is special, “because music has no confines.”
Merritt was nominated for a Grammy in 2005, in the category of Best Country Album, for her album “Tambourine.” She shared that the nomination was a way for her to show her gratitude.
“These types of moments are really to help honor the people who have believed in you when they have no reason to,” Merritt said of her Grammy nomination.
However, singing, songwriting and now teaching as a practitioner-in-residence at Duke University is – for Merritt – not about awards or nominations.
“My why, is that singing is the most direct way I have to put love into the world. And I just love the creative process,” Merritt said.
Merritt said she loves being in the room with other writers. She has led songwriting workshops throughout her career, and plans to share her pre-notebook, which she describes as “the messy gathering of first thoughts,” while presenting at BIG ARTS.
Additionally, the dynamic presenter for night two of the conference shared that words are like seedlings. Seedlings are a great metaphor for how written words begin in the singular and are then cultivated into transcendent beauty.
Saturday: Writing for a healthier life
Finally, Saturday, Nov. 7, from 6 – 8 p.m., The Sanibel Island Writers Conference’s Keynote Address will be delivered by internationally recognized medical doctor, author, and public speaker Dr. Michael Greger. Greger shares that when it comes to his first book, “How Not To Die,” he did not want to write it.
Keynote speaker Dr. Michael Greger.
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“All of my research is available at www.NutritionFacts.org,” he lamented, arguing that a book was not necessary when a website contained his data free of charge. “But the publisher kept coming to me, offering to donate money from the sales of a book to the charity of my choice, and ultimately, I had to give in and write it.”
Greger became a licensed physician in 1999 – he remembers being on duty during New Year’s Eve, as the world prepared for “the virtual meltdown of Y2K that never happened.” These days, and in the decades following the early 2000’s, Greger – the researcher – became a gatherer of medical information.
“All of my work, now, involves going through publications,” Greger explained. “And, it turns out, we have tremendous power over our health and longevity.”
“How Not to Die” preceded “How Not to Diet” and “How Not to Age.” Each of these books became a New York Times bestseller.
“My next book, ‘How Not to Hurt,’ is due out in December,” Greger shared. He plans to discuss his newest book release during his keynote presentation on Sanibel. Later this year, the prolific speaker will begin a book tour – to coincide with the release of “How Not to Hurt” – during which he will visit 200 cities in a single year.
The best part of public speaking, Greger shared, “Is when people tell me that they have read my books, and how much better they’re feeling. I get to hear so much gratitude, but I always tell these folks, ‘You did it, you did all of the work.’”
Greger’s Keynote Address will mark the culmination of this year’s Sanibel Island Writers Conference.
Each evening event will conclude with a book signing. Bring your books, LPs and CDs to get personal inscriptions. FGCU’s bookstore will be on site all weekend, selling books by the presenters and featured speakers.
FGCU professor John Dufresne.
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From Nov. 5 – 7, prior to each of the three dynamic evening addresses, the conference will be bustling with in-depth writers’ workshops and sessions covering topics such as John Dufresne’s “Flash!” Writing the Very Short Story, and Tift Merritt’s intimate: Songwriting Workshop. The conference has topics to water the seedlings propagating in the minds of most writers. From poetry and memoir to Stephanie Elizondo’s: Crash Course in Travel Writing.
Presenter John Dufresne is – if you will – an OG; an original. Event founder, DeMarchi, said, “Twenty years ago, I thought, ‘Who do I know who is a great writer and a great teacher?’ John Dufresne was one of the first of a handful of names that came immediately to mind. He was part of the first conference, and he is part of the twentieth conference. He’s a member of the A-Team. As long as there’s a conference, Dufresne is invited to present.”
Dufresne shared, “Being with and working with people excited about writing and literature reminds me how lucky we are to be in the storytelling business.”
From storytelling to songwriting and the pursuit of better health, this year’s Sanibel Island Writers Conference has something for everyone.