The Maui Writers Conference is going on the road for 2008.  Due to overwhelming demand, we are moving the events this year to Oahu. 

Honolulu can offer many more opportunities for our attendees: the convenience of the flights, a variety of hotel options that can accommodate everyone's pocket book, and the closer proximity to many of our Honolulu attendees are just a few of the reasons we are taking the show on the road. 

But even more importantly than economics or convenience, we're moving to Honolulu because we believe we can make the Conference even more dynamic, more rewarding, and an even greater resource for our writers to succeed.  There is simply just so much more opportunity in the big city to offer our attendees an unmatched learning and inspirational experience.

At the same time, we have taken great strides to make sure the Retreat and the Conference both retain that special intimacy that is one of the hallmarks of the Maui Writers Conference. 

The  choice of the Outrigger Reef with its intimate feeling and beachfront location in a quiet cul-de-sac of Waikiki Beach is the perfect venue for the hands-on closeness of the Retreat.  The Embassy Suites sits directly behind the Outrigger Reef and offers spacious accommodations for larger families and those who just want to spread out their manuscript and get to work. 

If you're attending the Retreat (Friday, August 22nd - Thursday, August 28th), we highly recommend that you stay at the Outrigger Reef or the Embassy Suites to get the full effect of the Retreat that only the host hotels can offer.  Not only will all Retreat presenters be staying at these two hotels, the MWC special rates will be below anything you can find on the web or through a travel agent.  If you bundle your airfare with the room through Pleasant Holidays, the official travel provider of the Maui Writers Conference and Retreat, you will save even more money.

If you're attending the Conference only (Friday, August 29th - Monday, September 1st. FYI, the Pre-registration, Lottery and Pre-conference held on Thursday, August 28th) the best place to stay is at the Conference Host Hotel, the Ala Moana Hotel, where many of the Conference events will take place and most of the presenters will be staying.  The hotel sits just down the block from the Hawaii Conventions Center where the Maui Writers Conference will be held.  The Ala Moana Hotel is convenient, is an exceptional value, especially with the MWC discounted rates, and will be the site of Pre-Registration, The Lottery (where you can select the agents or editors you want to meet with one-on-one to discuss your book), and the Pre-Conference (a special day for Gold members only).  The Ala Moana will also be the site of the "Inspiration Area" where you can meet other writers, make friends, form writer groups, and participate in our after-hours Open Mike sessions, where you can read your work in an open forum.

We're very excited about our new venues. We've never been able to offer this kind of value for our attendees. As always, we'll do our part to make our 16th annual MWC even more dynamic than the first 15!

John Tullius
MWC Director