This is a lively, spirited read-and-critique session, often stretching into the wee, small hours of the morning. Students who try hard to help fellow writers often help themselves even more. If you want in-text edits, provide copies for the workshop leaders.

All writing welcome, including screenplays. Bring anything. Bring it in any state. Bring yourself in any state. Just come for a listen. Or for a snack. These are friendly pirates. You will experience a complete hero's journey in a week, if you let yourself. You'll rejoice and despair. You’ll abandon hope and find it. The only "don't" is don't hide in your room. The main "do" is to have respect for people sharing their work.

Nicholas Deitch is a writer, architect, and advocate for social justice whose fiction explores the intersection of cities, history, and human resilience. He has honed his craft, publishing short stories in Litro Magazine, Club Plum, and Santa Barbara Literary Journal. His short story “Grace Eternal” won Best Fiction at the Santa Barbara Writers Conference (2019).

Death and Life in the City of Dreams, his debut novel, is deeply influenced by his experiences in nonprofit leadership and the design of inclusive communities and urban places. Originally from Los Angeles, Nick now lives in Ventura, California, with his wife and creative partner Diana.

Rick Shaw is a retired technologist, historian, data scientist, and now, a fulltime writer. He first attended SBWC in 2005 at Westmont and has been a frequent attendee since. He has been consulting and presenting with writers at SBWC about publishing options for several years.

His short stories touch time travel, alternate histories, and dystopian worlds and can be found in anthologies by Bayonet Books and the Santa Barbara Literary Journal.  He is the author of three novels, The Tunguska Deception, Genesis Renewed, and Oaths and Odysseys