The 2009 Whidbey Island Writers Conference will be held Friday and Saturday, Feb. 27 and 28.

The usual three-day conference has been shortened to two days this year and conference organizers have planned an excellent program that emphasizes building the writer’s craft. Several major authors from varying genres will offer a wide choice of classes.

Editors, agents, and publishers will participate in panels and provide paid consultations for registrants throughout the conference. In all, there are 16 major presenters for the classes and programs being offered at South Whidbey locations.

Anyone who wants to learn about how to write and publish can join the more than 150 other participants and choose from the seven Fireside Chats on Friday, 15 sessions on Saturday, and seven post-conference workshops on Saturday evening.

Friday morning, the conference kicks off at Trinity Lutheran Church with keynote speaker, Philip Margolin. A retired attorney specializing in criminal defense, Margolin began writing full-time in 1996. All of his novels have been New York Times bestsellers. He has been nominated for an Edgar, for the best original paperback mystery of 1978, and has had one of his works, “The Last Innocent Man,” made into an HBO movie. “Gone, But Not Forgotten” has been sold to more than 25 foreign publishers and debuted as a mini-series in 2004.

Cost for participating Friday and Saturday is $230 for Whidbey Island Writers Association members and $265 for nonmembers. Cost for the extended Saturday evening program is $50 for conference attendees, $65 for WIWA members and $75 for nonmembers.

Visit www.writeonwhidbey.com/Conference/ or call 360-331-6714.