For five years, writers have descended upon Washington to learn more about the literary trade, seek advice from professionals and share their work during the Pamlico Writers Conference.

On March 17-18, Arts of the Pamlico’s Turnage Theatre will be filled with “Words: Image and Story” where writers can get one-on-one time with a publisher, participate in panels, watch a poetry slam performance or participate in a slam workshop. They can learn more about journaling, self-publishing or how to write a cliff hanger and listen to a keynote address by an award-winning author.

The Pamlico Writers Conference may be small, but it draws people from across the state and out-of-state because of the quality of the conference’s offerings.

This year’s keynote address, “The ‘Soul’ Ingredient of Literary Art,” will be given by Zelda Lockhart, author of “Fifth Born,” “Cold Running Creek” and “Fifth Born II: The Hundredth Turtle” — books that have been called lyrical, poignant and powerful by reviewers. Lockhart will speak at the conference’s opening reception, which is open to the public this year.

“We are encouraging people to come to the Friday night affair since it’s free to the public, and we’re hoping more people who are readers, not necessarily writers, will come Friday night and hear the keynote and be a part of the reception,” said Doris Schneider, an author, artist and conference organizer.

A more diverse experience is written into this year’s schedule: Lockhart’s books are rooted in her life experience, and the poetry slam competition with Bull City Slam Team, out of Durham, is something with which younger generations are familiar, according Schneider.

“The poetry slam is going to be an exciting event on Saturday — kids in schools are learning (about) that,” Schneider said, adding that most slam poetry takes on social issues, but can often spill over into personal issues — like a father’s humorous poem about how he expects the prospective boyfriend to treat his daughter. “Sometimes it’s a personal thing like that, as opposed to some political or social issue.”

Drawing a more diverse, quality crowd, not necessarily larger one, is on the agenda for this year’s event.

“We aren’t growing so much in size, and I think that has never been our biggest concern. I think we’re growing in the quality of what we present and that more people come from different places to take part,” Schneider said.

The conference also dovetails with the group’s literary contest. At the opening reception, winners will be announced for competition entries in adult categories — poetry, fiction and nonfiction — and the high school categories of poetry and prose. Submissions are being accepted for all categories until March 12.

Schneider said the writers conference has evolved over the past years, and will continue to do so.

“We know more about what we’re doing, and we get more interesting ideas,” she said. “Our goal would be to grow some, but not to grow out of our space and to just keep growing in quality.”

For more information about the Pamlico Writers Conference, visit www.pamlicowritersgroup.org. For writing guidelines and submission to the competition, visit www.pamlicowritersgroup.org/event.