Faculty Notes 2026

Going Virtual Again

I am grateful for WHAC’s team and the technology that enables us to go virtual again with an amazingly interactive conference. No pre-records! Everything is live. 

We will again use Obvio’s platform and easy-to-follow dashboard that interfaces with Zoom. If you have not presented workshops online and have questions, please email Marlene at mbagnull@aol.com. 

Time Zone & Schedule: Since our virtual studio is in New Jersey, we will be on Eastern Time throughout the conference. We do not expect you to be online throughout the entire conference, although you are more than welcome to attend anything that interests you.

Video recording: Except for appointments, round tables, critique groups, and small group breakouts, the conference will be videotaped. We will note on the videos that keynotes, continuing sessions, learning labs, and workshops are copyrighted in the name of the speaker. If you want the link to what you taught, email Tab Scheffler  at tlscheffler@verizon.net. Let her know whether you want the unedited version, the YouTube version where she removed copyrighted materials you have shared, or both versions. IMPORTANT – Let Tab know if you will be using anything copyrighted and about where in your presentation. To provide more learning opportunities for our conferees, we are again making the video(s) available from early/midAugust through December 31, 2026 on our secure YouTube channel. To encourage conferees to take advantage of this incredible learning opportunity, we are charging a small add-on fee of $59 that increases to $89 if they order access after the conference. We discovered last year that more video were watched when they had to pay  for access. As faculty, you will have FREE access to all the videos  from early August through the end of the year.

IMPORTANT - You will see on the waiver you will be asked to sign when you check-in, that we are asking in advance this year for permission to sell access to the videos after the conference to non-conferees. We’re hopeful a number of people will take advantage of this and that it will help cover conference expenses. We plan to price access at $159.

Keynotes

Come ready to focus on the Lord during our times of worship with Marty Goetz, live on Wednesday, pre-records during the other keynote sessions. I know you will be blessed by the messages our keynoters will bring. Keynotes are 35-40 minutes. Payment $100.

Wednesday, 2:00 and 7:00 pm
Thursday and Friday, 9:45 am and 7:00 pm
Saturday, 9:45 am and 4:45 pm
NOTE: Keynotes will begin approximately 30 minutes after the time given.
 

Learning Labs, Continuing Sessions & Workshops

Because we want WHAC to bless you spiritually and professionally (and because there is always more to learn) we hope you will take advantage of the opportunity to attend some classes. Of course, you can slip in and out of the virtual rooms. 

Important info for instructors

• A staff member in our virtual studio will make sure your room is open, will make you the co-host so you can share your screen if desired, and will assist you should there be a technical glitch.
   
• Again, if you will be using copyrighted material during your presentation, you MUST let our tech team captain, Tab Scheffler (tlscheffler@verizon.net), know so she can delete it before posting to our private YouTube channel. 
   
• If you are teaching a continuing session or learning lab and need someone to monitor the chat or have another need or question, email Laura Shaffer.
   
• We want to make the conference as interactive as possible. Please encourage participants to use the chat. You may want to allow some time during or near the close of your session for live Q&A.

Learning Labs: Instructors are welcome to take a break during their two-hour lab on Wednesday, 3:45 – 6:00 pm Eastern. We will keep the room online and unmute the conferees so they can chat if desired. Or your room monitor can create small group breakouts. They are a great way for conferees to interact. Payment $120.

Continuing Sessions: These meet five times (60 minutes each) throughout the conference (total 5 hours). Payment $300. 

Thursday & Friday, 11:15 am – 12:15 pm and 3:15 – 4:15 pm
Saturday, 11:15 am – 12:15 pm
(Again, remember we are on Eastern Time.)

Workshops: The same as last year, workshops are 50 minutes instead of 60. Please be considerate and end on time so we can stay on schedule. Payment $50.

Thursday & Friday, 2:00 – 2:50 and 5:15 – 6:05 pm
Saturday, 2:00 – 2:50 and 3:45 – 4:35 pm

Handouts

Conferees really appreciate handouts. Please email to Chris Richards at passingthequill@gmail.com by May 30. She will post them to  https://conference.writehisanswer.com/handouts. Only conferees and faculty will have access to the link. 

Mealtime Round Tables

To provide opportunities to connect with one another, we are again going to use lunch and dinner “mealtimes” for round tables. Of course, if you’re not on Eastern Time, that won’t be when you’re eating! But that’s one of the advantages of being virtual. You can grab a snack or eat a meal whenever it works for you.

We have enough rooms (laptops) for every agent and editor to use one mealtime for Q & A about your publishing house, publication, or agency. Conferees who were unable to get an appointment with you appreciate the round tables.

Authors and other pros who offer services to writers: We want to help you gain clients! If you let us know on the faculty application that you’d like to do a round table and gave us times to choose from, you’ll learn when we’ve scheduled you when I send your conference schedule on June 1.

Other faculty who would be disappointed if you didn’t get to do a round table, please let me know (mbagnull@aol.com) so I can schedule you. 

IMPORTANT – Round tables are informal Q & A’s on a topic(s) of your choice, not a presentation that require preparation since there is no payment. Please let me know your topic. See what we offered last year at https://conference.writehisanswer.com/roundtables.  

Critique Groups

The critique groups we’ve offered the last several years have been enthusiastically received. Thanks to all who volunteered to lead a group. Groups meet 4:30 – 5:10 on Thursday and Friday, 3:00 – 3:40 on Saturday. Ask conferees to paste 50-100 words into the chat box, ideally the beginning of their manuscript. No payment because no preparation is needed.
 

Panels

Thursday 1:10 – 1:55 pm 
Agents Panel
Indie Publishers Panel 

Friday 1:10 – 1:55 pm     
Book Editors Panel (traditional publishers only) 
Magazine Editors Panel

Saturday 1:15 – 1:55 pm
AI Panel – thanks to those who volunteered

No payment for serving on a panel.     

Appointments

We will be conducting group appointments again this year because the logistics of ushering individual conferees in and out of the Zoom appointments every ten minutes is not feasible. We’ve received positive feedback from editors/agents as well as the conferees. We are confident this is the most effective approach for our virtual conference. No payment for appointments.

Because the rooms (and staff and laptop computers) are limited, only agents and editors will be doing appointments. Other faculty who wanted to do appointments are encouraged to do a round table. If you did not check round tables on your faculty application and note the time(s) you are available, please email Marlene at mbagnull@aol.com. 

Appointments will be scheduled during the learning labs, workshops, and continuing sessions with no more than 3 conferees in 30-minute time blocks and a 5-minute transition between groups. 

Many conferees view appointments as the most valuable part of the conference, so thank you for making time to meet with them. 

Faculty are welcome to request appointments with 2 or 3 agents and editors. Please click here for the appointment request form and submit your request(s) by June 1. You can ignore the questions we obviously asked conferees, but please put “faculty” next to your name .

Prior to the conference, book editors and agents will receive a one sheet and first page to make the appointments as helpful as possible for you and our conferees. Periodical editors will receive a 50-100 word summary and the first page. Be watching for this via email by June 15.

Option to follow up after the conference: Based on their submission and meeting them during the group appointment, you have the option to follow-up after the conference via email, phone, Zoom, or Facetime. Book editors and agents may prefer to request a full proposal. 

Prior to the conference, you will receive the names and times of your scheduled appointments. (We may not need all the time slots you highlighted on your faculty application.) Keep in mind that conferees leave a learning lab, workshop, or continuing session to meet with you. Please do not disappoint them by being late for their appointments. And please sandwich constructive criticism between positive encouragement, but be careful not to give false hope.

From my heart: While we know platform is critical, many of our conferees are still developing in this area. If they are not a go for your house or agency because of a lack of platform, please use the appointment time to discuss their idea. We want everyone to walk away with something, even if they do not yet have a platform. Thanks for that!  

We are all pressed for time, but if you request a conferee send you a full proposal, please try your best to respond in at least three months. If your policy is that no answer within three months means you’re not interested, please make that clear to the conferee.  But as a courtesy since they spent money to come to the conference and chose to meet with you, I would really appreciate it if you would respond. I was an editorial assistant for five years, so I know the deadlines you constantly face, but most of you are also authors and know how hard it is to wait and wonder.

For more information about how our appointment system works, click on Our Appointment Process. We try really hard to help our conferees get ready to meet with you.

Father, please give us all much wisdom to know how
You would have us respond to the conferees we meet with.
And please help them hear what we’re saying,
not what they want to hear.
Give them teachable spirits and give us sensitive hearts.
 

Paid Critiques

If you are interested in doing paid critiques after the conference, your info will be posted on the website soon. (See Full Menu, Conference Details.) Conferees will send a request for a paid critique to you through our team member Laura Shaffer. We did this to avoid sharing your email address online and inviting potential spamming. Once you receive the request, you are responsible to contact the conferee and agree or not agree to do the paid critique. If you agree, the conferee will send their manuscript to you and pay you $40 for a 20-minute phone call, Zoom, or Facetime meeting that you will arrange to take place within three weeks after the conference. 

IMPORTANT: Please forgive me for not having the paid critiques page up yet. I’m doing the best I can as I battle continuing computer issues. I think you’ll get more responses and conferees will better know whom to request if I can give them a week or two after the conference to send their request to Laura Shaffer. Please email me if this does NOT work for you. 
 

Bookstore

Because collecting sales tax is getting more and more complicated, we have again decided not to offer an online bookstore of conferee and faculty titles. Instead, for the conferees, we are providing space on the Your Writing Family page to add the cover, summary, and ordering info for one of their books. For faculty, I’ve added one or more book covers along with your bio. Please let me know if you’d like a different title pictured.
 

How to Reach Us

Director
Marlene Bagnull
267-436-2503  (cell) 
mbagnull@aol.com

Appointments Coordinator
Amy Deardon
whaconferenceappointments@gmail.com

Registrar
Donna Brennan
dbrennan@epix.net
484-264-9028 (cell)

If you encounter a problem checking in on Monday/Tuesday
Donna Brennan – 484-264-9028

For tech problems DURING the conference
Ryan Shollenberger – 445-448-0067
Chris Richards - 720-530-7997
Donna Brennan – 484-264-9028

Father, thank You in advance
for all You’re going to do through this year’s conference.
I especially pray that You will bless each faculty and staff member
in special and unexpected ways.