The Writers\u2019 League of Texas is a professional organization dedicated to elevating the art and enterprise of writing. Its endeavors include an Annual Agents and Editors Conference, a Summer Writing Retreat, writing classes and workshops, free expert panel discussions, and more. Michael Noll took time from a hectic holiday schedule to be interviewed by email about the Writers\u2019 League of Texas.<\/p>\n

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LONE STAR LITERARY LIFE: Michael, you teach numerous workshops for the Writers’ League of Texas. How would you describe the organization?<\/strong><\/p>\n

MICHAEL NOLL: The Writers\u2019 League offers the community, inspiration, and guidance that writers so often find themselves needing. They\u2019re stuck in a manuscript and need a strategy or two to get them past it, and so they can take one of our classes. When they have finished a book and want to learn how to get it published and meet agents, they come to our Agents & Editors Conference. When they need to feel not so alone, they listen to our podcast or come to our Third Thursday event at BookPeople. And when they need community, they reach out to any of the wonderful 1,400 members they\u2019ve met at various events.<\/p>\n

\nCan you tell us a little bit of WLT\u2019s history? Who founded it? When did it start? How has it changed over the years?<\/strong><\/p>\n

It started in an Austin backyard. I\u2019m a little fuzzy on the exact origin, but I\u2019m pretty sure the backyard belonged to Sarah Bird. Since then, the Writers\u2019 League has grown from focusing on Austin to serving the entire state, with free programs at rural libraries, panel discussions in Houston and Dallas, and a traveling roadshow featuring myself and executive director Becka Oliver talking about craft and the agent search.<\/p>\n

\nHow many people are currently members of WLT?<\/strong><\/p>\n

We have around 1,400 members.<\/p>\n

\nWhat would you say are the benefits of WLT to aspiring authors?<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Writers\u2019 League offers a lot of the same benefits as an MFA program \u2014 help with craft, an introduction to the business of publishing, and a community of writers \u2014 but in a way that\u2019s easier for people juggling jobs, family, and everything else that demands our time and attention.<\/p>\n

\nIf I\u2019m a bookworm rather than an aspiring author, are there events that WLT hosts that would be of interest to me?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Our monthly Third Thursday panels at BookPeople (also available as the Writers\u2019 League of Texas podcast) and our Texas Writers events (held in rural libraries) put published authors in discussion with each other and the audience. There\u2019s talk about craft, of course, but the events are also a chance to discover great local authors and hear them talk about their work. And, these events are small and intimate. You can get books signed and actually meet the people whose characters and plots have been rattling around in your head.<\/p>\n

\nAre all of WLT\u2019s events in Austin, or what are the ways you try to reach out to the whole state?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Texas Writers sends two authors into rural libraries. Becka and I have been to Corpus Christi, Nacogdoches, Spicewood, Alpine, and El Paso in the past year; Becka presented in Beaumont; and I\u2019ll be in Marble Falls in March. Plus, our week-long Summer Writing Workshop takes place somewhere beautiful. For years, it was in Alpine. Last year it was in Nacogdoches. Who knows where it will be this summer? (Actually, we know! We just haven\u2019t told anyone yet.)<\/p>\n

Plus, in 2019 we plan to hold nearly thirty online classes, which are identical to our in-person classes except that you can take them from your favorite chair while sitting in your underwear (assuming whoever lives with you is okay with it).<\/p>\n

\nWhat does it cost to join WLT?<\/strong><\/p>\n

An individual membership is $50, with discounts for seniors, veterans, and students.<\/p>\n

\nAre there benefits to being in WLT, even if I\u2019m a published author?<\/strong><\/p>\n

We announce member news in our newsletter (circulation 5000+). We also put money in authors\u2019 pockets by paying them to teach classes and present in Texas Writes and Project WISE (our writers-in-the-schools program).<\/p>\n

\nWhat big plans does WLT have for 2019?<\/strong><\/p>\n

We\u2019re gearing up for the Agents & Editors Conference. We\u2019ll bring twenty to twenty-five agents and editors to Austin, and it\u2019s going to be an impressive group this year. We\u2019re also in the early stages of launching a couple of free events featuring some big-name authors.<\/p>\n

\nIs there any additional news that WLT would like to share with our readers?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I would encourage people to check out our Texas Writes and The Craft and Business of Writing with WLT events (the Michael and Becka presentations). They\u2019re free and statewide. And, if you\u2019d like us to come to your town, don\u2019t hesitate to let us know. People can reach out to me directly at michael@writersleague.org.<\/p>\n

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