The 2008 WOTR opened with the keynote address from bestselling mystery author Elizabeth George and closed with the departure of more than 100 NCW writers as they made their way home, back to their own writing spaces, heads filled with new ideas, inspirations, tricks of the trade and friends in the field.

  This has always been, and will remain, one of the goals of Write on the River - to be a wellspring where the writers of NCW can come to refresh themselves. Thank you to all who attended.

  Thank you also to all our talented presenters who came and shared their knowledge and passion for the craft of writing and to all our generous sponsors who help to make this conference possible each year.

Check back soon for information about the 2009 Write on the River Conference. Any questions you may have regarding WOTR may be directed to This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Our first Writer’s Competition was a great success! Thanks to all of you who competed -- we hope to offer similar events next year. We had 47 entries, with almost half requesting individual written critiques. The number of tough choices indicated to the judges that the craft of writing is alive and well, that competition gets the creative juices flowing, and that some of our contributors are following the right road toward publication. These were the six judges, each of whom read and rated all the entries:

    •    Mike Cassidy, editor and publisher of the regional magazine, The Good Life 

    •    Patricia N. Clarke, Chelan author of many books and magazine articles for children

    •    Jefferson Robbins, entertainment editor for the Wenatchee World’s Go! Magazine

    •    Pat Rutledge, former editor and owner of A Book For All Seasons in Leavenworth

    •    Dan Sconce of Wenatchee, Pacific Northwest Writers Association winner for poetry

    •    Carin Smith, Peshastin veterinarian and widely published non-fiction author

    We are very pleased to introduce the top writers.  Judges granted an Honorable Mention to Gloria Piper Roberson of Wenatchee for “Then.” Third place award went to Cashmere’s Shannon Sims for “Release, ” and in second place was Allen Cox, from Tacoma, with “Deep River.”  We’re especially proud to announce the first place writer Rachael Lundin, a Peshastin rehab technician, guitarist, avid reader, and mother of three, who wrote “All Alone.  Please take some time to enjoy the work of each of our prize-winning local writers! 

Release by Shannon Sims

Deep River by Allen Cox

All Alone by Rachael Lundin

Then by Gloria Piper Roberson from Wenatchee

   A new writing resource is taking shape for NCW writers. The Write On the River Writing Group meets the second and fourth  Mondays of each month from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. Contact Lisa Wareham at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it to find out more!