February 21 – UPDATE TO OUR CLASSES SCHEDULE. On our site, the classes page, Billy Wayne Arrington was listed with only one class. We accidentally left off his second class. Billy will teach on both Friday and Saturday.
FRIDAY – Lyric Writing – If you are interested in learning the ins and outs of writing lyrics for songs. This is the class for you.
Saturday – The Script Writing class is moved to Saturday at 11:00 a.m. Room B.
Correct this on your schedule. We have corrected it on the website schedule and the printable PDF. However, the schedules we have printed for you will need to be corrected.
All information on this page is subject to change.
*Our housing is CURRENTLY in Shepherd’s Inn, which is the hotel directly beside the Training Center. You’ll see this numerous times on this page and in our newsletter page, but we find repetition is best.
CHECK-IN:
*DO NOT ARRIVE AT THE COVE EARLIER THAN 11:00 A.M. Our early bird classes begin at 1:00 p.m. on Friday.
When you arrive:
* Leave your bags in your car.
*Go to the lobby of Shepherd’s Inn and get your packet, sign your liability form, and get your nametag.
*Walk next door to the training center and take the elevator to the 3rd floor. We have the entire 3rd floor. You’ll walk off the elevator directly to our bookstore ladies. Walk past them, and the early bird classes are in the auditoriums behind the bookstore. Check your schedule for Class room A or B auditorium. (B is directly behind the first auditorium. Walk to the front and go behind the curtain. B is directly behind A. Faculty understands so walk on through. It’s not a bother.
*After early bird classes, you can retrieve your luggage and go back to Shepherd’s Inn. The Cove employees will have your room keys. IF YOU ARE ARRIVING AFTER 5 P.M. You will get your room key at Shepherd’s Inn and then go to the reception office in the training center to get your badge and packet. Should everyone be gone from Shepherd’s Inn, go directly to the Training Center. The reception office is immediately to the right as you enter the front doors.
*We will give you a small schedule when you pick up your packet, but we recommend you keep your phone handy so you can check the site. Everything you need to know is on this site.
*PRINT BEFORE YOU LEAVE HOME – We do not have printers at the Cove. If you have things you want to print, do it at home and bring it with you. We recommend you save everything to your computer or phone as a PDF, and you can easily email it to faculty if they need it. Please do not ask to print things. We cannot print.
Remember to visit our Bookstore. Only faculty books are sold at the bookstore due to a lack of space. We’re sorry, but we just don’t have the space for conferee books. However, feel free to carry your books with you and share/show them to your peers, then share a link for them to purchase.
*Appointments will be made on Friday night for the general conferees. Terri will explain how we will proceed to make appointments. We ask that you remember we are in a building, and rushing like a herd of cattle won’t do anything but bottleneck our already tight area. Be patient. There are plenty of appointments available.
*Appointments will be held in the large conference room and seating area behind the 3rd-floor elevator.
*Please do not email our liability form. Our Conference Care Team will be sure you are able to sign one at check-in. We DO NOT need this mailed to us. You will sign it on-site. It is listed at the bottom of this page.
*The weather is supposed to be very chilly and may give us a rain shower or two at night. Snow flurries are possible, but no accumulation. We do recommend you plan to dress comfortably and warmly. The rooms tend to get chilly. So be prepared.
*Unless you are staying off-campus, we ask that you do not leave the campus. If you need to leave, please let me, Terri, or our bookstore attendants know. Be sure we have a phone number to reach you and that you have my phone number or Terri’s phone number in the event of an emergency. You are an adult, and we are not responsible for you if you leave campus. But if there is an emergency, we need to know where you are so we can help.
*We encourage you to spend some downtime in the evenings on the second-floor level of Shepherds Inn. There is a huge fireplace on the main entrance level and on the second floor. Utilize that to enjoy some time getting to know your peers.
Schedule-At-A-Glance will be updated on this page closer to the conference. Until then, you can see it on the Schedule page. 
*Conference room locations: Conference Room A is directly behind the bookstore.
*Conference room B is located through Conference Room A, through the curtain, and behind Conference Room A
ARRIVE AT NO EARLIER THAN 11:00 A.M.! (NOT BEFORE)
When you arrive - FACULTY! We hope your rooms are ready. CONFEREES, YOUR ROOMS WILL NOT BE READY UNTIL 3. Please don't ask if they are ready. The Cove is turning over 100 rooms from a conference that leaves Friday morning. This takes time. Our faculty rooms are a priority, so they have time to get ready to teach.
YOUR BADGE - The Cove provides pin-on badges. We do have lanyards that you can hook to the pin if you'd like one. You can get that when you get your badge. NOW ABOUT THE POWER OF THE BADGE! If you get hungry at meal times, the power of the badge opens the dining hall meals to you. It is also your on-campus security badge. You must wear your badge at all times. The Cove volunteers are wonderful, but they are also sorta like ninjas. You don't see them. However, they see you. If you do not have your badge, do not be surprised if someone stops you and asks you to retrieve your badge. I know it's a bit frustrating, but one of the things that is a perk at the Cove is knowing that every conferee is 1) prayed over. They ask for a list so their prayer teams can begin praying for you. 2) The meals are awesome 3) The security is top-notch. They keep every conferee so safe. It's really not asking too much for you to wear your badge all the time. At the end of the conference, we will ask you to leave your lanyard and badge. There is a basket by the main doors.
SUNDAY MORNING - pack your bags and put them in your car. If you are being picked up, you may leave them safely by the fireplace on the first floor of Shepherds Inn. You must check out of your room by 10 a.m.
AND WE REMIND YOU AGAIN: When you arrive, go to the Shepherds Inn and get your name tag, then walk next door to the Training Center. It’s only a few steps, and if it is raining, there is a covered walkway. Take the elevator to the 3rd floor. Classes begin at 1:00 p.m. (NO, you do not register for classes). There will be time to check in after the Early Bird classes.
FINDING THE THIRD FLOOR - Easy peasy! Walk into the Training Center, and you will see the monster fireplace to your right, and to your left is the elevator. We try to place our banner by the elevator. Take the elevator to the 3rd floor. When you step off the elevator, you will see our bookstore. You may browse, but the store is not open for sales. They have to check in books from faculty, take inventory, and enter it into the computer. There's a lot to do to get the store ready. You will be able to make a small deposit to hold your 2026 registration if you like. This will be taken off the price when you register on the site. This is non-refundable, and if you do not respond to us when we notify you about registration opening later in the year, we will fill your slot. The funds go into our scholarship fund. You can also donate to the Bob Box early.
Both Step-Up (Classes geared more toward newer writers) and Step-Out (classes geared more toward seasoned writers) are on the 3rd floor, BEHIND OUR BOOKSTORE. Step Up classes are in the first conference room, and you continue walking past the stage to the back conference room for Step Out. Now, we can't force you to stay on a track, so you can wander between rooms for classes. Just be quiet as you do so. Our faculty is very seasoned to folks meandering in and out for appointments. It's fine and acceptable.
Our appointments and mentoring will be held in the large conference room BEHIND the elevator. There is a living room area and then the conference room. Terri will go over all that with you on Friday night. I will say, all of our faculty are awesome to meet with and chat. They all have tremendous experience - so, though we know you are just dying to spend time with BOB HOSTETLER (it goes to his head... truly it does), we have other faculty with amazing experience. Vincent is the Amazon wizard, Pepper is releasing books left and right, Edie is the social media queen, and Eva is in a race with Bob to see who has written more books! Lynette is not only a 3-million-book seller but also an agent. Billy is awesome to talk music or screenplays with. They all have superpowers. So, think through who you'd like to meet with and make a plan. My point is when the appointment time arrives to sign up...consider all our faculty. They are here for you, and they are all very knowledgeable. It's time well spent to just pick their brains. Run your idea past them. Just network.
Anyway, everything you need is on the 3rd floor.
The Eternal Feeding Trough - This is what we lovingly refer to as the place where you can always find refreshment. It is one of the amenities at the Cove. There are always drinks available and ice cream in the hallway by the dining hall. Our floor has coffee and tea. I recommend bringing a nice drinking cup with a lid (we don't want spills) so you can take advantage of the constant flow of drinks if you need them. There is also a drink station on the second-floor lobby of Shepherd's Inn. You do not have to bring water or drinks in your car. These are provided for you at these stations. NICE, HUH?
AGAIN - Clean up after yourself. Please put trash in the trash cans. I hate picking up trash, and my momma taught me that when I leave a place, it should look better than it did when I arrived. Please be neat. The Cove is beautiful, and again, their ninja staff come and go, and you rarely see them. You may look around, and your paper cup is gone. LOL.
Off-campus folks, drive to the assigned Inn to pick up your name tag, then head to the training center. If you arrive after 5 p.m., you will get your name tag at the office in the Training Center. Go in the door, make a fast right, and the office is in that little cubby.
Liability Release – You will be asked to sign a liability release form when you check in. Please do that for our event insurance.
Our bookstore will open on Friday after supper. Feel free to browse, but our staff is not ready to sell until after supper. They are checking inventory, adding it to our Square inventory, and making sure items are priced. Keep in mind that the internet can be slow at the Cove with hundreds of folks using it. That does, at times, affect how quickly our charge cards run. Don't grow frustrated with our staff; they have no control over the internet speed. Just chat with the folks next to you for a minute, and things will go through.
We are a fragrance-free conference. Please help us by leaving your perfumes and body sprays at home. Several faculty members have to carry EPI-Pens because of perfumes. Please be kind and trust that your soap in the shower will keep you fresh. Of course, use your deodorant, but skip the body sprays and perfumes. PLEASE!
The Cove has brochures with their events. Please take one. They’ll be placed throughout the building, and we want you to read about all they offer. From wonderful speakers, preachers, and even singers, they have it all. Check out their brochures and visit the Cove at other times during the year.
Keep in mind the Cove is Alcohol and Smoke-Free. If you are caught with these things, the security will ask you to leave. You must go to your car if you are a smoker. ABSOLUTELY no smoking, alcohol, or vaping is permitted inside any room or building. Please don’t put yourself in a position where you're asked to leave.
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2026 Event Liability Form
Event: The Asheville Christian Writers Conference
Date: February 27, 28 and March 1
Event location: The Cove, The Billy Graham Training Center, Asheville, NC
Participant's Name:______________________________
In signing below, I assume the risk of harm or injury that may occur to the participant as a result of participating in the above-named event or activity. I hereby release The Asheville Christian Writers Conference, Christian Devotions Ministries & The Cove (The Billy Graham Training Center, their staff and faculty, and its officers, employees, or agents, and all 501c3 connections of both from any liability, costs, and damages resulting from this individual's participation. I accept full responsibility for myself, my well-being, and my possessions while in attendance.
I also give my consent for the Asheville Christian Writers Conference, Christian Devotions Ministries & The Cove (The Billy Graham Training Center, their staff, and faculty to seek emergency treatment for me if necessary, and I agree to accept financial responsibility for the costs related to this emergency treatment.
