Testimonials

“Accessibility”

“Aside from it being jam-packed with inspiration and information, I truly appreciate the time and effort spent on putting everyone at ease. It helped me overcome my own imposter/unworthiness demon. There was one sentiment from Leon's intro to accessibility that spoke to me specifically - that there would be space to recenter oneself from overwhelm. Thanks for addressing that. What a great gathering of humble, open, talented and similar-thinking minds!”

“Nice people”

“The workshops were terrific, but I think I liked the collegial atmosphere the best. Most conferences I have been to are full of jealous types! I don't know how you kept the rude people away, but well done. Keep up the good work. :-)”

“Making connections”

“SWF24 was my first experience at a writers' meeting with workshops. I found the talks and workshops informative, offering me some new ideas to think about for my writing. Even though I'm not usually very social, I did manage to meet a few fellow writers and exchange some stories, which was a nice aspect of the event. I also discovered that there's a writers' network that meets regularly in Stockholm, where I live. It’s good to know that there's a local group I can connect with moving forward. Overall, SWF24 was a worthwhile experience that provided me with some useful insights and connections."

“Camaraderie and community”

"Too many elements to list in full. I thought the camaraderie and community support were exceptional. The speakers were insightful and much of the material presented directly applicable to my work currently, or plausibly applicable in the future. All the speakers and industry experts were approachable on a personal level as well, which was phenomenal - they were good picks, every one of them."

“Quality content”

“The festival delivered what it promised: Quality sessions with generous content about writing. Can’t wait for next year!”

“Venue”

"The location Historiska and this year’s teachers. It was also great to get fed right there and not have to run around town for something to eat. And the food was excellent, too."

“Magic”

"The magic of it all: The venue including distance from super hotel was great, which is a good start. But then highly relevant topics, and interesting lecturers. I was inspired to jump 100% into writing fiction instead of/in addition to my non-fiction stuff. The mixture was great; not only of the topics, but also the variety in the formats - some lecture, some workshop, some speed-dating, some panel discussion. It kept the energy up.”

“The Venue”

“Definitely the people :) everyone I met-from attendees to faculty to the Board-was warm, open, and considerate. I also really enjoyed the venue (I gained some great insights into Viking smithing from one of the museum's historians, Love) as well as the overall structure with plenty of breaks and fika for downtime in between workshops that were neither too long nor too brief.”

“No hierarchy”

“Everyone was so open and friendly; there was no sense of hierarchy or elitism between writers at different stages of their journey, everyone was willing to engage and converse.”

“Open spirit”

“The open spirit at the festival and that it is an international audience makes the atmosphere and the discussion more open and with more views.”

“Genre mix”

"I loved the genre mix - talking to people who were doing the same thing, but yet telling totally different stories, was actually much more inspiring than I expected. I also loved the location, the mix of different agents, the fact that there were also several sessions to choose from (though choosing was tough!), and the fact that the faculty mingled with the crowd even outside of events."

”Everything”

“Everything! SWF is the best conference I've ever attended. If I had to choose just one thing, I would say the festival's key word: community. I loved how our dear Catherine opened the festival by saying that none of us are competing with each other, but that we all support each other and want the best for the people sitting next to us. So true! And it really set the standard for the rest of the festival. I felt supported, seen, motivated, and cheered on by my peers. I made new friends from all over the world."