Join Literary Cleveland for the Inkubator Writing Conference, one of the largest free writing conferences in the country, featuring more than 40 workshops, craft talks, panel discussions, readings, and opportunities to connect with writers from across the country. As part of Beloved: Ohio Celebrates Toni Morrison, this year’s conference embraces the theme “Freedom is a Community,” inspired by Colson Whitehead’s The Underground Railroad and Toni Morrison’s call to empower others through freedom, creativity, and storytelling.
The conference begins with a free virtual Toni Morrison panel on September 9, featuring Julia Alvarez, Sasha Bonét, Honorée Fanonne Jeffers, Imani Perry, Danzy Senna, and Kevin Young, six authors who wrote introductions for the new editions of Morrison’s novels. Together, they will explore Morrison’s craft, literary influence, and enduring impact on writers today.
The in-person conference on September 11–12 at Cleveland Public Library includes more than 40 workshops and craft talks, panels with authors and literary agents, a regional book fair, Lit Fits, a writing room, and additional community programming. Featured presenters include jessica Care moore, Wilbert L. Cooper, Danielle Evans, Lincoln Michel, Maggie Su, Rachel Jamison Webster, Kevin Young, and literary agents Alia Hanna Habib, Kayla Lightner, and Dana Murphy.
The conference concludes with a keynote conversation featuring two-time Pulitzer Prize winner Colson Whitehead, author of The Underground Railroad, The Nickel Boys, and the Harlem Trilogy. In conversation with Kevin Young, Whitehead will discuss his development as a writer, the influence of Toni Morrison on his work, and the role of literature in shaping our communities.
Registration is free. Advance registration opens August 10, 2026.
