We’re thrilled to announce that acclaimed DC-area novelist Alice McDermott will be the keynote speaker at our 2027 Washington Writers Conference!

The author of nearly a dozen novels, including The Ninth Hour, At Weddings and Wakes, After This, and the National Book Award-winning Charming Billy, McDermott is also the recipient of the John William Corrington Award for Literary Excellence, the F. Scott Fitzgerald Award for Achievement in American Literature, and the Whiting Award, among other honors. 

In conversation with venerated book critic Ron Charles, McDermott will share some of what she’s learned during her long, illustrious career. Don’t miss your chance to hear from the master firsthand — registration opens Nov. 1st!

The 2027 Washington Writers Conference happens Apr. 30-May 1, 2027, at the Hyatt Regency Bethesda, 7400 Wisconsin Ave., Bethesda, MD. Learn more here.

[Photo by Beowulf Sheehan.]