About ROOTED & WRITTEN

Rooted & Written was founded in 2019, and this year marks our fifth year of empowering writers of color and we're excited to continue the tradition.

This year, The Writers Grotto in San Francisco, California will again host Rooted & Written, the first fully-funded, tuition-free professional writing conference for writers of color in the country.

Forty Rooted & Written Fellows will be selected to attend seven days of classes, workshops, and mentoring, plus the opportunity to participate in lunchtime “Conversations” with featured literary luminaries. Rooted & Written will take place on October 27- November 2, 2024

All Rooted & Written Fellows are awarded full scholarships to the entire seven-day conference and workshops.

"This is an unprecedented opportunity for talented, emerging writers of color in the San Francisco Bay Area to access invaluable mentoring and professional development, and to begin building their body of work in a supportive literary community," said Rooted & Written co-founder Susan Kiyo Ito. "The conference not only includes workshops for the Fellows in the craft of writing, but also discussion panels of seasoned editors and agents in the literary industry to assist these emerging writers in advancing their careers."

"Our mantra is “Your Words Matter,” added Rooted & Written former Director JD Beltran. “The literary landscape is a blanket of white. The New York Times’2020 study of the literary industry discovered that 95% of the most read English-language fiction books were written by white authors—and not only are the heads of the “big five” publishing houses white, so are 85% of the people who acquire and edit books! How and when do our stories get told?”

The week kicks off with an orientation for our Fellows on Sunday, October 27, featuring keynote speakers, seminars, classes, and workshops.

The Rooted & Written 2024 Keynotes will be held virtually and are open to the public. Our keynote speakers include literary luminaries such as Susan Kiyo Ito, a celebrated writer and professor, who made a significant literary impact this year with the publication of her acclaimed memoir I Would Meet You Anywhere, will be the keynote speaker, sharing her insights on storytelling, family, and resilience. Eirinie Carson, a dynamic writer whose debut memoir The Dead are Gods has captivated readers with its raw and powerful exploration of grief and identity, will be the keynote speaker, offering her profound insights into the healing power of storytelling.

In addition, during the weekdays, Fellows will participate in craft classes led by our core faculty across various disciplines, including Fiction, Screenwriting, Poetry, Memoir/Essay/Creative Nonfiction, and Screenwriting.

On Thursday and Friday, October 31 and November 1, 2024, Rooted & Written Fellows and all conference applicants will participate in Rooted & Written 'Flash Classes'—a menu of three 60-minute courses each day, covering all genres and featuring invaluable talks by agents and editors focused on professional development.

The week will conclude on Saturday, November 2th with the "Words of Color" literary reading featuring all 40 Rooted & Written Fellows. The “Words of Color” event will be held in person and open to the public at The Writers Grotto in San Francisco as well as via Zoom.

As noted by our Rooted & Written founders, “The top priority of Rooted & Written is affording access to emerging writers of color—access to strong mentoring, to professional networks, and to the tools for building a critical community of support in the creative process. We want to equip these writers with the means to get their voices out into the world—and to provide this means at no cost. One of our past Fellows participated in our mentorship program and wrote, edited, and completed his first book with the help of our writing community, secured his first agent, and then secured not one, but two book contracts. These kinds of thrilling successes are what Rooted & Written hopes to cultivate.”

Rooted & Written was first conceptualized and founded by Salvadoran writer Roberto Lovato as a free conference by The Writers Grotto for Bay Area-based BIPOC writers, and has since evolved into a full-blown writing conference and curriculum featuring internationally renowned speakers, faculty, and seasoned professionals in the literary industry.

We look forward to meeting the new 2024 Fellows! 

MEDIA KIT