The Ozarks Writers League (OWL) Conference Will Be May 2, 2026

As most of you know, I am a writer. One of the things I do to help me improve my craft is attend writing conferences. Today, I’d like to tell you about one of my upcoming conferences. It’s the most economical conference I attend, and I always learn a great deal from it. I may be partial as I do serve on the board of directors, but I think OWL offers one of the best conferences in the region.

If you are interested in writing, I would like to invite you to check out our conference. Ozarks Writers League (OWL) hosts two conferences a year. This year’s spring conference will be held at the Best Western Inn and Conference Center in Branson West, Missouri, on May 2, 2026. The conference is free for members to attend and $20.00 for guests. Membership is only $30.00 a year, so it’s money well spent for me.

If you aren't a member and would like to join, you can do so at the conference. You can learn more about our group and conference at our new website: https://ozarkswritersleague.info/. Please note it is .info, not .com.

I'm very excited because we're bringing back our art contest. Our art contest coordinator sent me the following for this post:

The OWL Art Contest is back at the Spring Conference! Members can enter up to two pieces in each of our three categories: Drawing/Painting/Paper Art, Photography, and Dimensional & Mixed Media. No entry fee, cash prizes, and plenty of room for creativity. Whether you’re a seasoned artist or just love making things, we’d be thrilled to see your work.

I plan to enter at least two categories and hope to enter all three. We'll see if my current project ends up good enough for me to publicly claim it. I'm trying something new that reminds me of my dad. It's something he enjoyed doing, and I hope to channel some his talent in that area.

In addition to our art contest, we have an amazing speaker lineup for our OWL conference.

Acclaimed children's author, David Harrison, who has published of over 100 children's books will lead a two-hour workshop.

David Harrison’s first book for children (The Boy with a Drum) was released in 1969 and sold over two million copies. The first of his long list of awards came in 1972 when he received the Christopher Award for The Book of Giant Stories. Since then, David has published over 100 original titles that have sold millions of copies. David and his wife, Sandy, live in Springfield, where an elementary school is named after him.

Then it's my turn. Yes, I'm actually speaking at this conference. My friend, Bonnie Tesh, and I are going to talk about entering short story contests from a judge's perspective. We hope to offer helpful insights and encouragement. We have both judged short story contests for many years. We've also been won quite a few, as well. Of course, we never judge a category that we have entered. Conflicts of interest are not on our bingo cards. We want everything to be fair.

Author of suspense novel, Monarch Moon, Bonnie K. Tesh was raised in the heart of the Missouri Ozarks. She is coauthor of the inspirational book, I’ll Push, You Steer; the Definitive Guide to Stumbling Through Life with Blinders On. Her work has appeared in anthologies, regional

magazines and newspapers. She has won numerous awards for her short stories, poems and essays.

Margarite Stever is an award-winning author who grew up in Asbury, a tiny Missouri town of just over 200 people. Though she now lives in a much larger city, she stays true to her roots. She

has a Bachelor of Arts Degree in English from Missouri Southern State University. She is a member of Joplin Writers’ Guild, Missouri Writers Guild, Sleuths’ Ink Mystery Writers, and serves on the boards of Ozarks Writers League and Ozarks Romance Authors. She has published two books, Sally’s Secret Legacy, and Moonbeams and Ashes. Her work has appeared in several journals, magazines, and anthologies. You can visit her website at www.margaritestever.com. Her seeds of wisdom and joy can be seen on her blog at http://ozarksmaven.com.

Greg Stout, author of 29 traditionally published books, will describe how he went about finding his publishers.

Greg’s background includes 27 years as an executive in the automotive industry and twelve years as a teacher of American history, language arts, reading, drama, film criticism and Latin in the public school system in suburban Chicago. He holds a BA in economics from the University of Kansas and a Master of Arts in education from Aurora University. Greg Stout

Greg has published 22 books on the history of American railroads, a logical outcome of having

grown up in a family of professional railroaders. His first title, Route of the Eagles, a history of the

Missouri Pacific Railroad, was released in 1995. He has also published two YA novels and five

Jackson Gamble PI mysteries. His first work of fiction, a YA novel entitled Gideon’s Ghost, was

drawn from actual experiences that took place during an extended visit with relatives in a small

town in Missouri during the mid-1960s. Greg’s mystery novel, Lost Little Girl, recently won the

prestigious Private Eye Writers Shamus Award. Keeping company with Mickey Spillane!

Retired from the day-to-day work force, Greg still writes for at least two hours every day, and his

advice to aspiring writers is, “Keep reading, keep writing, and if your dream is to one day see your

name in print, never, ever give up.” Greg resides with his wife and two cats in Cape Girardeau, Missouri.

Finally, Lia Wu, publisher and editor of Ozark Hollow Press, will provide tips for editing manuscripts and for reading publishing contracts.

Lia Wu describes herself as half-Chinese, wholly ADHD, and hopelessly nerdy. She taught middle and high school English for three years, then was called crazy when she told her students she

missed writing essays and was going back to graduate school to get her doctorate degree. Born in Kansas and raised in Missouri, Lia earned her M.A. in publishing under New York Times bestselling author Kevin J. Anderson at Western Colorado University, and she is currently a PhD candidate in English at the University of Arkansas with a focus on rhetoric and composition. Her stories “Tail-End” and “The Ties That Bind” have appeared in the anthologies Feisty Felines and Other Fantastical Familiars and Chaotic Cupids: When Love Goes Awry. Editor and publisher with Ozark Hollow Press, Lia has had the honor of working with many wonderful authors, including the Ozarks Writers League’s own Rochelle Wisoff-Fields, Stephen L. Brayton, B.L. Thoma, Nancy Hartney, and Linda Laughlin (and more forthcoming).

If you are a writer or have ever thought about writing, I highly encourage you to come to the OWL conference where you can connect with other authors and maybe learn something new. Joining this group is one of the best things I've ever done.

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Thank you for reading Ozarks Maven! If you’ve enjoyed my little seeds of wisdom and joy, please join me again next week for more Ozarks Maven.