Regency Fiction Writers
2025 Virtual Conference
Publishing Regency Historical Fiction in the Modern World
August 21 – 23, 2025
Our three-day conference will be held live via Zoom, showcasing fabulous speakers, informative workshops, networking opportunities, our annual Silent Auction and Soirée, and much more!
Registration Opens Soon!
Please check back later, as more information will be included below as it comes available.
Keynote Speaker
This year, we are proud to announce acclaimed author Andrea Penrose as our keynote speaker.
Andrea Penrose is the USA Today bestselling author of Regency-era historical fiction, including the acclaimed Wrexford & Sloane mystery series, as well as Regency romances written under the nom de plumes Andrea Pickens and Cara Elliott. She began her writing career at age five, creating a number of Westerns lavishly illustrated with crayon drawings of horses and cowboys. However, her focus moved across the Pond after she fell in love with Regency England as a teenager on reading Pride And Prejudice. (Clearly she has a thing for Men in Boots!)
A graduate of Yale University, Andrea has been a history geek since grade school and loves nothing more than diving down research rabbits holes. When she’s not hunched over her keyboard or taking her daily plotting walks along the tidal marshes of Long Island Sound, she can be found exploring the offbeat nooks and crannies of London, along with the esoteric museums, used bookshops, Oxbridge libraries and hidden corners of England in search of arcane historical details to weave into her stories. Learn more about Andrea, her books and her research at www.andreapenrose.com
Beverly Jenkins is the recipient of the 2017 Romance Writers of America® Nora Roberts Lifetime Achievement Award, as well as the 2016 Romantic Times Reviewers’ Choice Award for historical romance. She has been nominated for the NAACP Image Award in Literature and was featured both in the documentary “Love Between the Covers” and on CBS Sunday Morning. Since the publication of Night Song in 1994, she’s been leading the charge for inclusive romance, and has been a constant darling of reviewers, fans, and her peers alike, garnering accolades for her work from the likes of The Wall Street Journal, People Magazine, Salon, Shondaland, The New York Times, and NPR. She was also named 2018 Author of the Year by the Michigan Library Association. She has 60 works in print. This is her 30th year as a published author.
Schedule
Conference Chair Cecilia Rene and her committee of volunteers are working hard to create a conference to remember. The Board of Directors and the Conference Committee are delighted to offer a wide variety of workshops and presenters and hope the attendees enjoy this year’s virtual event.
If you have any questions, please contact Cecilia Rene or Susannah Carleton.
Subject to Change
Conference Day 1
All times are EDT
4:00 pm – 4:15 pm
Conference Zoom Opens
The Conference Zoom waiting room opens at 3:45 pm.
Attendees will be let into the main “room” beginning at 4:00 pm.
Cameras and microphones will be turned off at 4:15 pm sharp.
4:15 pm – 4:30 pm
Welcome: RFW President Susannah Carleton Housekeeping Announcements – Conference Chair
4:30 pm – 5:30 pm
Workshop: Regency Scandals
Presented by: Clive Rose
5:30 pm – 5:45 pm
Break
5:45 pm – 6:45 pm
Panel: Traditional and Indie Publishing
6:45 pm – 7:00 pm
Break
7:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Meet & Greet w/ breakout rooms
Conference Day 2
All times are EDT
10:30 am – 11:00 am
Conference Zoom Opens
The Conference Zoom waiting room opens at 10:30 am.
Attendees will be let into the main “room” beginning at 10:45 am.
Cameras and microphones will be turned off at 11:00 am sharp.
11:00 am – 11:15 am
Welcome to Day 2 – President Susannah Carleton
Announcements – Conference Chair
11:15 am – 12:15 pm
Workshop: Corn Laws
Presenter: Katherine Grant
12:15 pm – 12:30 pm
Break
12:30 pm – 1:30 pm
Workshop: The Pocket: A Hidden History Of Women’s Lives
Presenter: Ariane Fennetaux
1:30 pm – 1:45 pm
Break
1:45 pm – 3:05 pm
Panel: Historical vs. Romantasy
Moderated by: Vanessa Riley
3:05 pm – 3:20 pm
Break
3:20 pm – 4:20 pm
Workshop: Jane Austen on Nature
Presenter: Mary Jane Curry
4:20 pm – 4:35 pm
Break
4:35 pm – 5:00 pm
Keynote Address: Andrea Penrose
5:00 pm – 6:00 pm
RFW Annual General Meeting – Recognition Awards (Separate Zoom link)
** All Regency Fiction Writers members are encouraged to attend. Conference registration is not required.
6:30 pm – 7:00 pm
Write & Drink
Return to the main conference Zoom link for a spirited writing session!
Conference Day 3
All times are EDT
10:15 am – 10:45 am
Conference Zoom Opens
The Conference Zoom waiting room opens at 10:15 am.
Attendees will be let into the main “room” beginning at 10:30 am.
Cameras and microphones will be turned off at 10:45 am sharp.
10:45 am – 11:00 am
Welcome to Day 3 and Announcements
11:00 am – 12:00 pm
Workshop: Black Soldiers in the British Military
Presenter: John D. Ellis
12:00 pm – 12:15 pm
Break
12:15:pm – 1:15 pm
Panel: Is Historical Romance Dead?
1:15 pm – 1:30 pm
Break
1:30 pm – 2:30 pm
Workshop: Know Your Goals for PR Success
Presenter: Terena Bell
2:30 pm – 2:45 pm
Break
2:45 pm –3:45 pm
Workshop:
3:45 pm – 4:00 pm
Break
4:00 pm – 5:00 pm
Workshop: Pretty Gentlemen: Macaroni Men and The Eighteenth-Century Fashion World Presenter: Peter McNeil:
5:00 pm – 5:15 pm
Break
5:15 pm – 5:40 pm
Keynote Address
5:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Break– Conference Zoom will be closed during this time.
8:00 pm – 10:00 pm
Soireé, Silent Auction, & Breakout Rooms
** Not Recorded **
All times given are in U.S. Eastern Time Zone (EDT).
World Clock Time Zone Converter
With presenter permission, our sessions will be recorded for registrants’ use. Any sessions not recorded will be marked as such in advance so attendees may plan to attend in person.
Conference Fees
* If you ever registered for an Academe Class, Monthly Tea, previous conference or Annual RFW Membership (or The Beau Monde), please LOGIN before attempting to register for the conference. Questions? See the FAQ.
RFW Members
Full Registration
from 12:00 am, August 1st, 2025
until 11:59 pm August 15th, 2025
$119 USD
Scholarships are available to
RFW Members.
Non RFW-Members
Full Registration
from 12:00 am, August 1st, 2025
until 11:59 pm August 15th, 2025
$219 USD
Become an RFW Member Today
for Only $75/year.
Unlock exclusive discounts and benefits while saving big on our annual conference. Join now to access the members-only price of $99 USD instead of $199 USD for non-members.
All times given are in U.S. Eastern Time Zone (EDT).
Cancellation Policy: There will be no refunds due to availability of recorded sessions for at least 90 days after.
Silent Auction
Bidding begins June 1, 2025 at 10:00am EDT on our donated items on the 32 Auctions site. You must be registered to bid. It’s free! If bidding, remember our generous donors pay for shipping, so you don’t have to.
Among our most popular items are Regency research books. In addition to research books, generous donors have provided unique gifts ranging from Regency fashion prints, Jane Austen items, to English china, to British edible delicacies. We try to keep the items British-centric or compatible with the writing of Regency-set fiction.
Indie publishing services like formatting, cover design, editing, or promotion are also highly desired. Also very popular are beta reads from our members as well as critiques from multi-published, award-winning authors.
We ask that our generous donors also agree to absorb the cost of shipping the items to U.S. winning bidders. The organization reimburses international postage.
All proceeds come back to Regency Fiction Writers in the form of Scholarships and toward making our conference affordable for all!
A Feather to Fly With —
The Emily Hendrickson Scholarship Fund
Any RFW member in good standing who has financial need and qualify can apply to have their conference fees paid through the generous contributions and fundraising efforts of the A Feather to Fly With—The Emily Hendrickson Scholarship Fund BEFORE registering, as if approved you will receive a special registration link to use instead of reimbursement.
Review the application criteria, rules, and deadlines for submission before applying. Visit the Scholarship Fund page for more information and the application.
If anyone has a question about the scholarship process, please contact RFW’s Membership Director and Coordinator for A Feather to Fly With Scholarship Fund.