2026 Women Writing the West’s Conference Recap
By Janelle Molony
At the 2026 Women Writing the West’s Social Media Booth, I was able to capture some extraordinary wisdom, laughter, and sparkling eyes in a remarkable series of interviews that felt like mini time capsules. Each day, I presented four different questions to event attendees and invited their answers on camera. Those answers will ultimately be curated into “reels” (30-60-second videos) that will boost WWW’s social media presence and highlight its members all year.
Participants were hesitant at first, but after a few silly moments and with encouragement, stories and idea poured forth. Here are a few of my notes from that experience and a few ideas for a future volunteer who might want to try their hand at some organic marketing like this in the future.
1. The top remark I heard was that no matter where you are in the writing process, this conference is one of the most worthwhile investments participants have made to support their journey.
2. I repeatedly heard about the valuable friendships made through Women Writing the West events and of feeling “safe” and “comfortable” among the participants.
3. My “basic” questions were harder to answer than I thought they’d be. Between feeling nervous and excited to share, participants had a hard time boiling down their options to provide a short response. While I loved hearing the expanded tales and examples, I feel a sadness that the outputs are not conducive to longer interview responses. It makes me wish there were another venue or planned interview session option available where the women could talk more about their books and writing process at length.
4. Many participants were confused about where the content would be shared. The final videos will appear simultaneously on Women Writing the West’s Facebook (@WomenWritingTheWest) and Instagram (@WomenWriteWest), and on my professional author pages (@AuthorJanelleMolony). The partnership shows mutual support and expresses gratitude for the time volunteering in this role requiring some extra effort (heavy gear hauls, set up & displays, recording & editing).
If you are not yet a follower of the WWW’s pages, please take a moment to find them and subscribe. When you find those pages, you will see that two videos have already been produced and released.
5. Very few participants recorded on all three days (to maximize their involvement) or seized on the opportunity to mention their books, awards, works in progress or other pages/channels, etc. Though I did not specifically ask for this type of input (and certainly it would have been appropriate), it rarely came up. As I reflect on that, I’d like to encourage WWW members to consider every opportunity in front of the camera as one for publicity.
As much as the organization wishes to get eyes on what’s happening through your likes and shares on your personal social media channel, we’d also like to shine a light on the incredible writers we have in our midst. If we do this again at a future event, I’d suggest being more intentional about having a “pose with your book” or “tell me about your favorite writing project so far” type prompt to encourage a little more of that behavior (without going too far into a long-form interview).
Finally, I must extend a huge thank you to everyone who participated. I am in awe of the beauty and talent that overflowed at the event.
And…I have one tiny (but oh, so important) follow up request. Please be on the lookout for the videos to be released in the coming months, especially leading up to the 2027 event. And remember to click “like,” share (repost to your channels/pages), and leave a comment.
