General Questions
How do I sign up to your mailing list?
To receive our emails sign up HERE.
I’d like to volunteer for the Conference. Whom do I contact?
We select our volunteers six months to a year in advance. If you would like to explore the possibility of volunteering, please visit this PAGE and fill out the volunteer form. Our volunteer coordinator will contact you after reviewing your information.
I’d like to teach or speak at the Conference. Whom do I contact?
Applications to teach at the February 2025 San Miguel Writers’ Conference and Literary Festival are now closed. To apply to teach at our February 2026 Conference, return to this website in March of 2025 to submit your proposals.
I’d like to become a Patron or make a donation to the Conference. How do I do that?
Please refer to this page about our Patron and Donation Opportunities HERE.
Where can I contact the organizer with any questions?
If you have questions about registration, purchasing individual tickets, or any other questions, please contact us through our online Contact form.
I’m like to advertise my business to the Conference’s audience. How can my business sponsor a Conference event?
If you would like to sponsor a Conference event(s), please contact us through our online Contact form.
Where can I find the handout for my class?
You will get a download link in the email with your Order Details. You can also find it under your ACCOUNT. Please note that not all instructors use a handout.
Writing Contest
Do you offer scholarships?
We have an annual writing contest. For the 2025 Conference, three writers will be awarded a “The Works” Package. More details HERE.
How do I enter the writing contest?
You can find all pertinent information and submit your entry HERE. Please note that the submission deadline is September 1, 2024 (Midnight CDT).
Registration/Tickets
Can I change my schedule?
You can swap one workshop or master class for another as long as there are seats available. Please contact us through our online Contact form and we will make the changes for you.
Do you have a waitlist?
Yes, we do have a waitlist and in most cases people who are on it get the tickets they want. Please contact us through our online online Contact form.
Can I update my personal information?
From your account dashboard you can view your recent orders, manage your shipping and billing addresses, and edit your password and account details. To view your dashboard sign in to your ACCOUNT with the email and password you provided during registration.
Is my registration/ticket transferable?
For information about transferring tickets or packages, please visit our Refund Policy for Tickets/Packages page.
What is the refund policy?
For information about our refund policy, please visit the our Refund Policy for Tickets/Packages page.
I can’t find the event and/or workshop I want to purchase a ticket for. Whom do I contact?
For various reasons you may not find certain events for sale online. Some activities, like the Keynote Round Tables, can only be purchased as part of a package. Other events, like 90-minute Workshops, may not be purchased as individual workshops until after a certain date (January). And sometimes it’s just a glitch or oversight on our part. For information about the availability of a certain ticket and/or package, please contact us through our online Contact form.
Do you offer a group rate or discount for people coming to the conference together?
We currently do not offer a discounted rate for groups. However, we do offer an Early Bard discount on packages purchased when we first launch our registration. If the Early Bard discount period has passed and you have a group interested in coming together, please contact us through our online Contact form and we’ll see if it is possible to set something up.
Can I buy physical tickets during the conference?
All tickets and packages for the Conference are e-tickets which are delivered by email after purchase. We do NOT sell tickets in a different format. All tickets must be purchased online before or during the conference.
Do you accept electronic tickets presented on a smart phone?
Yes, we accept electronic tickets. However, it is your responsibility to present the ticket(s) at the door. (Volunteers at the door will NOT search your email for you.) When you purchase a ticket you will receive an order confirmation, this is your ticket. It must be presented at the door for all the events listed on the order.
Do I have to print my tickets?
No, but if you do not know how to present your tickets on a smartphone, it is highly recommended you print them. When you purchase a ticket you will receive an order confirmation email, this is your ticket. Make sure you print the whole email.
Travel/Accomodations
Do the packages include accomodations?
Packages do not include accomodations. You must make your own arrangements.
How do I make reservations at the Conference hotel in San Miguel?
Visit the Accomodations page for information on how to make a reservation at the Hotel Real de Minas .
What are my transport options getting to the event?
Visit the Travel page for information about travel options.
What should I bring to the event?
The average temperature in February is 55°F/ 12°C to 75°F 23°C. That means it’s cool in the morning and evenings, but hot in the afternoon. You’ll want to bring a jacket and possibly a sweater for those cool temperatures, but you’ll also want something lighter for those warm afternoons. Shoes are also important. San Miguel is built on a hill with many cobblestone streets. You’ll want a pair of comfortable shoes for walking around.
Is it safe to travel to San Miguel?
San Miguel de Allende, one of the most quaint and charming towns in Mexico, is a number one tourist destination. But is it safe? News reports of crime in Mexico have many travelers wary of flying south. However, Mexico is a large country and many of these reported crimes take place in cities far from San Miguel.
Crime On A National Level
Mexico has thirty-one states and a total land area of 761,606 square miles (about three times the size of Texas). To drive from Juárez, Mexico in the north (near the Texan border) to Tapachula, Mexico in the south (near the Guatemalan border) takes over a day and a half (1,792 miles – 2884 km). With such a large country it is expected there would be a proportionate amount of crime. However, a close study of official statistics shows that most of Mexico has a modest crime rate. On average, the murder rate is 2 murders per 100,000 in most states. That’s about the same as Evansville, Indiana or Fond du Lac, Wisconsin. In Mexico City, the average is 8 per 100,000, which is low for the most populated city in the western world.
Crime On A Local Level
In spite of the recent news reports about increases in violence in Mexico, a holiday in San Miguel de Allende is safer than vacationing in some parts of the U.S. Risk in one part of a country should not preclude travel within the whole country. A news report about a murder in Manhattan wouldn’t stop most from visiting the Hamptons, which is less than two hours away from New York City. A report about a murder in Juarez, which is about 18 hours from San Miguel de Allende, shouldn’t stop tourists from coming down here.
San Miguel, where over 8,000 Canadian, British, and Americans live, is a great distance from the cartel wars and highway robberies. It is safe to travel from the airports (Leon, Queretaro, Mexico City) to San Miguel either by car, shuttle, or bus. It is safe to take day trips throughout the state of Guanajuato. Walking the streets of San Miguel during the day and in the evenings is safe. (If you feel uncomfortable in the evenings, there are taxis that can be taken for under US$3) San Miguel has a population of approximately 140,000 people, so there is some crime here (mostly pickpocketing, purse snatching, and vandalism.) However, if visitors use the same precautions that they would at home or traveling anywhere in the world, they should be fine.