The Sun Valley Writers’ Conference has announced its plans to hold two smaller conferences this coming July at the Sun Valley Resort. The first conference will be Saturday, July 17-Sunday, July 18 and the second conference will be Monday, July 19-Tuesday, July 20. Presentations will take place in the Sun Valley Pavilion and in open-air tents on the Pavilion lawn. Capacity and pass sales will be limited due to spaced seating in the outdoor venues. We are currently accepting donor pledges and evaluating venue capacity. If we have any passes remaining after the donor pledge period has closed in mid-May, they will be sold via a lottery system for $600 each in early June. For more information on attending, visit our Attend page.

The program for the two conferences will feature a group of approximately 20 writers who will be presenting at both events, including George Packer, Delia Owens, Daniel James Brown, Isabel Allende, John Lithgow, and Elizabeth Kolbert, among others. For a complete list of presenters, please visit our 2021 Presenters page.

For the safety of everyone involved, and under the professional guidance of our medical consultants, Dr. Jack Stapleton and Dr. Abraham Verghese, conservative COVID-19 protocols will be adhered to throughout the two conferences. Regulations of the CDC, the state of Idaho, and Blaine County/Sun Valley will apply. Face masks will be mandatory and social distancing rules will be followed in all venues. All attendees, presenters, staff, and volunteers will be asked to sign a COVID-19 waiver/consent form and provide proof of vaccination or consent to rapid testing prior to the events. You can view our COVID-19 protocols page for more information.

All Pavilion talks (seven per conference) will be broadcast to the lawn and open to the public at no charge, with advance registration and assigned seating. Self-assessment and temperature checks will be required upon entry. Additionally, for those unable to be in Sun Valley, the Pavilion talks will be streamed online.