Desert Nights, Rising Stars Writers Conference

OCTOBER 16—17, 2026

TEMPE, AZ

Featuring over 25 award-winning writers, editors, agents, educators, and other internationally recognized creative writing professionals, our faculty are here to do more than expand your skill set or open new ways of thinking about your work. They're here to share their experiences, answer questions, and spend time connecting with conference attendees.

Faculty: Remica Bingham-Risher, Amber Blaeser-Wardzala, David Bowles, Regina Brooks, Lauren Camp, Amie Charney, Jonathan Danielson, Kathy Fagan, Anel I. Flores, Wendy J. Fox, Kenny Fries, Reyna Grande, Laurie Ann Guerrero, Saúl Hernández, Jenny Irish, Jen Knox, Travis Chi Wing Lau, Diana López, Oscar Mancinas, Sally Wen Mao, Sean Avery Medlin, Susan Nguyen, Karen Odden, Naomi Ortiz, Barry Pearce, Justin Petropoulos, Gionni Ponce, Alberto Ríos, Cecilia Savala, Laura Tohe, Sarah Viren, Nicole Walker

Genres Offered: Fiction, Poetry, Nonfiction

Contact: @email