WRMA CEREMONY WEEKEND EVENTS

2026 WRMA AWARD WEEKEND SCHEDULE

October 29 - October 31, 2026 

Claremore and Tulsa, Oklahoma

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Host Hotel: The spectacular River Spirit Casino/Resort (8330 Riverside Parkway, Tulsa, Oklahoma, 74137) will serve as our host hotel. Rooms are available for a special rate of $159 per night. Please click here to make your hotel reservation.

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Transportation: Stay tuned!

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Looking for additional things to do and places to see while visiting Claremore and Tulsa? Check out our list of Oklahoma Visitor Suggestions.

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THURSDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2026

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​MEET AND GREET  (5:00 pm - 10:00 pm) at the Will Rogers Memorial Museum, Claremore, Oklahoma (1720 West Will Rogers Boulevard, Claremore, OK 74017)

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Thursday night is the perfect night to reconnect with old friends and make new friends and memories. The wonderful Will Rogers Memorial Museum will be hosting the 2025 Meet & Greet. Celebrities in attendance will include Barry Corbin, Bruce Boxleitner, Neal McDonough, Mason Beals, and Grammy Award-winning country artist Clint Black. 

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**Due to an overwhelming response and unprecedented interest, this year's Meet & Greet will be a ticketed event. In past years, we have proudly offered this reception free to the public. However, to ensure a comfortable and meaningful experience for attendees and guests, free admission is now limited and available only to WRMA 2026 award winners, their registered guests, and our valued WRMA sponsors. The remainder of the tickets will be available by advance purchase only for $95 per ticket. This includes a catered buffet, a cash bar, and opening mingling access with guests and authors. While we will set aside enough tickets for our winners, their guests, and our sponsors, the remaining 105 tickets will sell out quickly. Reserve your space today by emailing gvcenss@aol.com. **

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We always love to display copies of the winning books, CDs, and DVDs during our Meet & Greet. We ask authors to bring a copy of your 2025 winning entry so that other attendees at this event have the opportunity to see all the winners across all the categories. If you would like to then donate your book (or CD or DVD) to be purchased for a donation during our Saturday night banquet, we'd love to take those off your hands so that you don't have to carry them home - and it all goes to a great cause!​

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We will have one bus available for transportation from the hotel to the museum for $25 (round-trip). There is limited seating on the bus so please get your reservation to us as soon as possible (you will see a place on the reservation form where you can check that you'd like to reserve a seat on the bus and include it with your banquet payment). If you are not riding the bus, you will be responsible for your own transportation to the museum in Claremore. The distance is about 35 miles, but all other events will take place at the River Spirit Hotel.

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**Please let us know if you are attending the Meet & Greet and need bus reservations by October 1st.

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FRIDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2026

CRAFT OF WRITING THE WEST CONFERENCE ​​ (8:30 am - 4:00 pm) at the River Spirit Casino Resort

(8330 Riverside Parkway, Tulsa, OK)

Conference sessions include:

Craft of Writing Dialogue: led by award-winning author Meredith Blevins

Craft of Writing a Fiction Franchise: led by New York Times bestselling author Anne Hillerman

Craft of Marketing: led by New York Times bestselling author Chris Enss

Craft of Research and University Archives: led by University of Tulsa Professors Bob Pickering and Jill Krefft

Craft of Bridging Story and Scholarship: Led by New York Times bestselling authors Kathleen & Mike Gear and award-winning author and University of Chicago professor Art Burton

Craft of Writing Characters Actors Want to Play: led by actors Barry Corbin and Bruce Boxleitner

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The event is free and open to the public.

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AN EVENING WITH WILL (7:00 - 8:30 pm at the River Spirit Casino Resort in Tulsa, OK) Barry Corbin, Bruce Boxleitner, Neal McDonough, Rob Word, and Mason Beals will read five of Will Rogers' most popular radio commentaries before a live studio audience.  The evening will be hosted by Jennifer Rogers, along with KVOO radio personalities and News at 6 anchors.

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This event is free and open to the public

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SATURDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2026

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​5:30 pm - 10 pm 

WRMA AWARD BANQUET AND CEREMONY  (held at the River Spirit Hotel in Tulsa)

You'll enjoy a delicious dinner, followed by the annual WRMA award ceremony. Award category rankings will be announced and winners will receive their medallions. A professional photographer (Joe Ownbey of Ownbey Photography) will be on hand to take photographs, and we will hold a silent auction with treasures for you to take home! You will need to purchase tickets for yourself and any guests by the date noted at the bottom of the ticket reservation form. Ticket reservation forms will be included in the winners' letter packets and you can also find the form here. We will be ready to receive your reservations following the announcement of the winners in June. Reservations are due by October 1st.

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RSVP (for Meet & Greet and Panel) to:

laurie@magnificentsam.com

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Many thanks to our 2026 WRMA Program Sponsors:

Lone Star Literary Life * RCB Bank * Visit Claremore * Wolfpack Publishing

Claremore Museum of History * INSP Network * Frontier Justice * Bariso Press

Muscogee Nation * EK2 Publishing * Deadwood History, Inc. * Chevron * Arcadia Press

Roan & Weatherford * Wild West Film Productions * River Spirit Casino Resort

Edward R. Jones * Quill Hawk Publishing * Oklahoma Arts Council

JM Davis Arms & Historical Museum * Rodeo Life Magazine

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