Hawaii Writers Conference shuts down after 17 years

The 17- year-old nonprofit Hawaii Writers Conference, once known as the Maui Writers Conference, is dead. The conference website has only a letter from Honolulu bankruptcy attorney Steven Guttman dated May 14 that says "We are assisting the Hawaii Writers Foundation, a Hawaii nonprofit corporation doing business as the Hawaii Writers Conference, with winding up its business operations."

According to Guttman, the conference’s directors, John and Shannon Tullius, say events and the economy forced them to decide to terminate HWF, cancelling both the retreat and conference scheduled for August 2010 and future HWF-sponsored retreats and conferences.

People who have already paid to attend the 2010 conference may lose that money since, according to Guttman, there are no assets available from which to make refunds. "However, funds may become available in the future depending on the resolution of certain financial matters," the letter said.

John Tullius filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy protection on April 29, while Shannon Tullius filed for divorce on May 5.

Past conferences have featured presenters such as Ron Howard, Sue Grafton, Mitch Albom, Dave Barry and Aaron Sorkin. Governor Linda Lingle and Hawaii business leaders have been supporters. Aspiring writers went to the conference to pitch their ideas to publishers and agents. In recent years, the event moved from Wailea to Waikiki and became a nonprofit.