Many Are Called: A Deseret Adventure Trilogy

Ah, Writers Cantina. I first heard about this Salt Lake City event last year, but I already had plans and couldn’t make the trip in 2024. This year was different, so I booked some hotel rooms, rented a car, and bought a two-day pass to Writers Cantina 2025.

My plan was to drive from Prescott to St. George, a southern Utah city about halfway between Prescott and SLC. After some travails with my rented car – a dangling splash guard – I made it to St. George, where I was helped by a very friendly Avis employee (thank you, Michael Stewart!). I had a burger and a good night’s sleep in a run-down, Indian-owned freeway hotel.

The next day I drove to Orem, Utah, where I’d scheduled a lunch with Tanner Guzy (I blogged about that great lunch earlier). After lunch, I made the rest of the journey to SLC and check into the Plaza hotel, right across the street from Temple Square, and right next to the Church History Museum. I couldn’t ask for a better location in SLC, plus the hotel was very nice, clean, and had good parking.

I arrived at Writers Cantina Friday morning. It was held in the “Utah Cultural Celebration Center,” which caused some minor shivers, but I forged on to the registration desk. The sci-fi and fantasy gathering was relegated to the Center’s basement, and the humor was not lost on me.

There was a book swap happening and, as expected, I noted sci-fi shirts. It wasn’t just Star Wars imagery, but semi-cryptic references to more obscure things like Firefly and The Expanse. Most were stretched over round bellies and rode under bearded necks, so basically just any American street. I was, however, unprepared for the fantasy folks dressed full Renaissance Faire regalia.

Okay, I thought, probably not my people.

The military sci-fi guys were there, though, and so was a small legion of Larry Correia fans. These guys wore the standard gun-guy “gray man” uniform, and were thus instantly recognizable by someone (me) who has spent his adult life immersed in gun culture.

Ah, my people!

I won’t bore you with the contents of the various workshops. Suffice to say the fantasy authors lean toward “theater kid” personalities, while the hard sci-fi guys lean toward weaponized autism. Both were about as I expected, and all were exceedingly friendly. The panels were entertaining, especially the two I caught with the aforementioned Mr. Correia, who comes across as highly affable and self-effacing.

I learned quite a bit in the workshops, and took (for me) copious notes. Because of the types of fiction Writers Cantina promotes – as compared to my grittier, more realistic brand of adventure fiction – I didn’t find quite the opportunities for networking and promotion that I’d hoped. That’s not a complaint; Writers Cantina advertises itself as primarily an educational event for writers.

Would I go to Writers Cantina again? Maybe. The knowledge I gleaned from the workshops was certainly worth the paltry $40 (for both days) entry fee. I got to hang out in the Great Salt Lake City for a day and a couple of nights, and I simply love the Temple Square area. I got to drive through beautiful Utah and have a grand lunch with a new/old friend.

So yeah, I just might go back in 2026.