Upcoming Events:

HippoCamp ‘In-a-Flash’ Series Presenter

Saturday August 15 2026 11-12:30pm EST

HippoCamp Minis 2026: Five CNF Writing Topics In a Flash

Prompts as Prompts: How to Pull Story from Found Objects, Artifacts & Photos with Leslie Lindsay

Props as Prompts: How to Pull Story from Found Objects, Artifacts, & Photos

Saturday, August 15th 11-12:30pm EST

Registration includes access to the recording for 30 days.

Some conferences call these fast-paced events lightning round talks. In honor of the short CNF subgenre, we call them flash sessions! These have always been a popular and fun part of our in-person HippoCamp: A Conference for Creative Nonfiction Writers and, this year, we’re once again bringing their magic online.

In our Saturday HippoCamp Minis sessions, you’ll hear from five speakers who will share bite-sized wisdom with practical takeaways on a topic they’re passionate about, all related to writing creative nonfiction.

This is ONE OF FOUR events we’re hosting the weekend of the 15-16th!

Props as Prompts: How to Pull Story from Found Objects, Artifacts, & Photos

When writers hit the wall, or otherwise burn out, they may stare at the blinking cursor, give up, and walk away. What if you took yourself on a (focused) field trip, instead? This session is aimed at delving into the physical archives, items, and places of your story. Hippocampus Magazine interviewer Leslie Lindsay shares tips from her research in writing a blended memoir about her Kentucky-born great-grandmother, Cora Bell. These tips, insights, and ‘prompts using props,’ will help you get deeper into your character, your story, and allow your intuition to surface. This session will:

cover what to research in person using found objects, maps, photographs. (hint: you’ll get into story/character if you leave your desk and go out into the world)
offer tips on allowing the subconscious to ‘do its thing’
explore how certain ‘found objects’ can act as a touchpoint on your writing desk, and/or show up as a motif in your work

Attendees will leave with ideas to revise existing (or create new!) material or deepen current work, including historical fiction, creative nonfiction, essays, and poetry.

About the speaker: Leslie A. Lindsay is the author of Speaking of Apraxia: A Parents’ Guide to Childhood Apraxia of Speech. She has contributed to the anthology, Becoming Real: Women Reclaim the Power of the Imagined Through Speculative Nonfiction. Leslie’s essays, reviews, poetry, photography, and interviews have appeared in The Millions, DIAGRAM, The Rumpus, LitHub, and On the Seawall, among others. She holds a BSN from the University of Missouri-Columbia, is a former Mayo Clinic child/adolescent psychiatric RN,and an alumna of Kenyon Writer’s Workshop. Her work has been supported by Ragdale and Vermont Studio Center and nominated for Best American Short Fiction.

FREE POP-UP PORCH PORTRAITS in Adair County, Kentucky September 17-18-19-20 2026

COME AS YOU ARE | CASUAL | FREE | YOUR HOME or DESIGNATED PLACE

Be a Part of the Story!

Show your small town charm in a series of B&W photographs captured at various places around town & country. Your complimentary photo will be printed in black & white and part of a larger exhibit, THIS IS WHERE WE LIVE at LWU.

As a thank you, all are invited to attend the closing ceremony at Lindsey Wilson University in April 2027 and take home their portrait.

September 2026 Photo Locations:

Saturday September 19th Giles Cabin | Knifley 9.30 – 11.00am
Saturday September 19th The Little Farmhouse 168 Roy Garrison Rd | Greensburg 11.15 -1.00pm
Sunday September 20th Old Gradyville Church | Columbia 9.15-11.00am
‘Pop-ups’ and ‘Pop-ins’ at various locations in town & country. May include: Trabue House, Pool Hall, Square, Lavendar Farms, libraray, etc.