{"id":423167,"date":"2026-10-09T11:00:12","date_gmt":"2026-10-09T11:00:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/423167\/"},"modified":"2026-10-09T11:00:12","modified_gmt":"2026-10-09T11:00:12","slug":"sanibel-island-writers-conference-returns-this-november-arts-entertainment-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/423167\/","title":{"rendered":"Sanibel Island Writers Conference returns this November | Arts & Entertainment"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"BIG<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

BIG ARTS is the creative hub of Sanibel Island.<\/p>\n

CASEY BRADLEY GENT COURTESY PHOTOS<\/p>\n

During the past decade, as cell phones and tablets made their way into every jacket pocket and onto most bedside tables, you may \u2013 fairly \u2013 have subscribed to the notion that books and creative writing are dead. However, the time has come \u2013 my friend \u2013 to think again. Books are back. Writing is big, and the upcoming Sanibel Island Writers Conference is bringing some of the nation\u2019s top authors and creative brains to the island as inspiration. Here\u2019s 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 \u2013 7, at BIG ARTS on Sanibel at the Sanibel Public Library.<\/p>\n

\"Sanibel<\/p>\n

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Sanibel Island Writers Conference co-host Tom DeMarchi.<\/p>\n

COURTESY PHOTO<\/p>\n

In 2006, 20 years ago, FGCU instructor Tom DeMarchi hosted the first Sanibel Island Writers Conference.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe initially conceived of this as an event where everyone from middle school students to retirees could participate,\u201d DeMarchi said. \u201cThis 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.\u201d<\/p>\n

Participants in all stages of development are invited to attend \u2013 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 \u2013 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.<\/p>\n

Jason Elek, an instructor at FGCU, serves as DeMarchi\u2019s event co-host.<\/p>\n

\"Sanibel<\/p>\n

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Sanibel Island Writers Conference co-host Jason Elek.<\/p>\n

COURTESY PHOTO<\/p>\n

Elek shared, \u201cI am looking forward to the Conference being back on the island.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\u2019 410-seat Christensen Performance Hall.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe 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,\u201d DeMarchi implored.<\/p>\n

Thursday: A story\u00a0of finding your\u00a0voice<\/p>\n

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\u2019s 2018 memoir, \u201cEducated,\u201d explores the writer\u2019s struggle to pursue her desire for education, while somehow remaining loyal to her ideologically radical parents.<\/p>\n

\u201cI didn\u2019t go to school. We didn\u2019t have birth certificates. I took my first Ibuprofen at 18 and was amazed that I could be free of pain,\u201d Westover recalled.<\/p>\n

She said her childhood and early teens lacked any formal experience with reading, math or even socializing among people her own age.<\/p>\n

\"Best-selling<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Best-selling author Tara Westover.<\/p>\n

BRIGITTE-LACOMBE \/ COURTESY PHOTO<\/p>\n

\u201cThe way I was raised was just really difficult,\u201d Westover shared. \u201cI felt compelled to put my story on paper because I hadn\u2019t seen this kind of story written.\u201d<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\u201cI took the S.A.T. four times,\u201d she said about her journey to college acceptance. \u201cThe first year of college was difficult. Overwhelming. But after the first year, it got easier.\u201d<\/p>\n

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, \u201cBrothers and Sisters,\u201d was announced this week by Random House. According to the publisher, \u201c\u2018Brothers and Sisters\u2019 is the story of what comes after the story \u2013 after betrayal, after forgiveness.\u201d<\/p>\n

The book will launch April 13. Westover said she continues to have strong relationships with several of her siblings.<\/p>\n

\u201c\u2018Brothers and Sisters\u2019 is a really painful, technical conversation,\u201d Westover said.<\/p>\n

This second memoir discusses how her family handled, and side-stepped, her truth regarding brother Shawn\u2019s (pseudonym) tendency toward anger and abuse. Word is out. Fans of \u201cEducated\u201d have a new book to look forward to, but a long six months to wait. Westover\u2019s Southwest Florida fans will get to hear her discuss \u201cBrothers and Sisters\u201d and more on Nov. 5.<\/p>\n

Friday: When words\u00a0become music<\/p>\n

\"Singer-songwriter<\/p>\n

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Singer-songwriter Tift Merritt.<\/p>\n

COURTESY PHOTO<\/p>\n

Friday, Nov. 6, from 6 p.m. \u2013 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.<\/p>\n

\u201cShort form is where I like to live,\u201d Merritt said. \u201cI approach songwriting with a handful of very concise sentences.\u201d<\/p>\n

She added that weaving words with music is special, \u201cbecause music has no confines.\u201d<\/p>\n

Merritt was nominated for a Grammy in 2005, in the category of Best Country Album, for her album \u201cTambourine.\u201d She shared that the nomination was a way for her to show her gratitude.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese types of moments are really to help honor the people who have believed in you when they have no reason to,\u201d Merritt said of her Grammy nomination.<\/p>\n

However, singing, songwriting and now teaching as a practitioner-in-residence at Duke University is \u2013 for Merritt – not about awards or nominations.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy why, is that singing is the most direct way I have to put love into the world. And I just love the creative process,\u201d Merritt said.<\/p>\n

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 \u201cthe messy gathering of first thoughts,\u201d while presenting at BIG ARTS.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Saturday: Writing for\u00a0a healthier life<\/p>\n

Finally, Saturday, Nov. 7, from 6 \u2013 8 p.m., The Sanibel Island Writers Conference\u2019s 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, \u201cHow Not To Die,\u201d he did not want to write it.<\/p>\n

\"Keynote<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Keynote speaker Dr. Michael Greger.<\/p>\n

COURTESY PHOTO<\/p>\n

\u201cAll of my research is available at www.NutritionFacts.org<\/a>,\u201d he lamented, arguing that a book was not necessary when a website contained his data free of charge. \u201cBut 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.\u201d<\/p>\n

Greger became a licensed physician in 1999 \u2013 he remembers being on duty during New Year\u2019s Eve, as the world prepared for \u201cthe virtual meltdown of Y2K that never happened.\u201d These days, and in the decades following the early 2000\u2019s, Greger \u2013 the researcher \u2013 became a gatherer of medical information.<\/p>\n

\u201cAll of my work, now, involves going through publications,\u201d Greger explained. \u201cAnd, it turns out, we have tremendous power over our health and longevity.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHow Not to Die\u201d preceded \u201cHow Not to Diet\u201d and \u201cHow Not to Age.\u201d Each of these books became a New York Times bestseller.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy next book, \u2018How Not to Hurt,\u2019 is due out in December,\u201d 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 \u201cHow Not to Hurt\u201d – during which he will visit 200 cities in a single year.<\/p>\n

The best part of public speaking, Greger shared, \u201cIs when people tell me that they have read my books, and how much better they\u2019re feeling. I get to hear so much gratitude, but I always tell these folks, \u2018You did it, you did all of the work.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Greger\u2019s Keynote Address will mark the culmination of this year\u2019s Sanibel Island Writers Conference.<\/p>\n

Each evening event will conclude with a book signing. Bring your books, LPs and CDs to get personal inscriptions. FGCU\u2019s bookstore will be on site all weekend, selling books by the presenters and featured speakers.<\/p>\n

\"FGCU<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

FGCU professor John Dufresne.<\/p>\n

COURTESY PHOTO<\/p>\n

From Nov. 5 \u2013 7, prior to each of the three dynamic evening addresses, the conference will be bustling with in-depth writers\u2019 workshops and sessions covering topics such as John Dufresne\u2019s “Flash!” Writing the Very Short Story, and Tift Merritt\u2019s 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\u2019s: Crash Course in Travel Writing.<\/p>\n

Presenter John Dufresne is \u2013 if you will \u2013 an OG; an original. Event founder, DeMarchi, said, \u201cTwenty years ago, I thought, \u2018Who do I know who is a great writer and a great teacher?\u2019 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\u2019s a member of the A-Team. As long as there\u2019s a conference, Dufresne is invited to present.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dufresne shared, \u201cBeing with and working with people excited about writing and literature reminds me how lucky we are to be in the storytelling business.\u201d<\/p>\n

From storytelling to songwriting and the pursuit of better health, this year\u2019s Sanibel Island Writers Conference has something for everyone.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"BIG ARTS is the creative hub of Sanibel Island. CASEY BRADLEY GENT COURTESY PHOTOS During the past decade,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":423168,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[15586,209,211,210,58460,9149,166819,166817,166818],"class_list":["post-423167","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-cape-coral","tag-books","tag-cape-coral","tag-cape-coral-headlines","tag-cape-coral-news","tag-creative-writing","tag-florida-gulf-coast-university","tag-memoir","tag-sanibel-island-writers-conference","tag-tara-westover"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/423167","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=423167"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/423167\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/423168"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=423167"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=423167"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=423167"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}