Writers & Illustrators of the Future Workshop Week
2024 – Day 1

Contributed by Martin Shoemaker

Writer winners hailing from four countries congregated in Los Angeles for the first day of the annual Writers of the Future workshop week. (There will be a total of eight countries represented once the Illustrators arrive.) Our international writer winners from the UK and Malaysia arrived yesterday to give them time to adjust to the time zone differences. The remaining writer winners arrived today from Canada and across the US to Los Angeles International Airport. They were met at the hotel by Joni Labaqui, Meliva Koch, John Goodwin, Emily Goodwin, Jody Lynn Nye, Rob Sawyer, and the other staff of Author Services. As these winners have been chatting online for weeks and even months, there were many happy “reunions” in the lobby.

After dinner, the winners assembled for the official opening of the workshop (and formal introductions). They were given copies of L. Ron Hubbard’s coffee-table book, which included articles of writerly advice on which the workshop was initially founded.

John Goodwin introduced himself and welcomed the winners. He laid out the structure for the week, referring to the schedule of events. He also talked about the anti-harassment policy of the Writers and Illustrators of the Future. No one is permitted to critique anyone else for their race, gender or gender expression, ethnicity, political leanings, nationality, or any other identifiable characteristic. The Contest is based on mutual respect and understanding. He introduced Emily Goodwin, who talked about publicity and other facets of the events to come. They introduced Meliva Koch, Jason Toth, and Claude Sandoz, who will be photographing and creating promotional videos throughout the week.

Then, everyone was sent off to rest up for an incredible week of learning and community. Stay tuned!