What is Writing Day?¶
Held on Sunday, Writing Day marks the official start of the conference.
Writing Day is modeled after the concept of code sprints or hackathons, which are common in open-source (OSS) conferences. Traditionally, this day has centered on collaborative work with attendees bringing a project to lead and/or contributing to someone else’s project, typically half-day or full-day sessions.
To create more ways for attendees to take part on Sunday, we are expanding Writing Day to include additional, shorter-format options such as workshops and discussions.
How to Participate in Writing Day in 2026¶
Choose from the Following Opportunities:¶
Writing Day project (half-day or full-day)
Attendees can lead a project or join and contribute to a project
New to Git and GitHub workshops
Resume writing session or portfolio review
A pre-scheduled, roundtable discussion track
More details about each activity are below. No additional sign up is required, and the full schedule will be released in the coming months. Ready to submit a Writing Day project? Click the link below.
Writing Day Schedule¶
Sunday, May 3, 9 AM-5 PM Pacific Time
Writing Day is an all-day event designed for you to join in throughout the day. Whether you want to contribute to a half-day project, join an hour-long roundtable discussion, or attend a GitHub workshop, there is an option for you.
Morning Session
Welcome and overview
Project announcements: Leads give a 2 minute summary and projects begin
GitHub workshops
Resume writing and portfolio review session
Lunch Break
Afternoon Session
Project announcements: Leads give a 2 minute summary, starting with the afternoon-only projects, and projects reconvene
GitHub workshop
Resume writing and portfolio review session
Roundtable discussion track
Exact times will be posted on our schedule page.
How to Prepare¶
Come prepared with the following tools:
Laptop, tablet, or other device
GitHub account (or an account on another git-based platform)
Text editor of your choice for coding or content creation
How to Participate in a GitHub Workshop, Resume Writing, and Roundtable Discussion¶
This is a new offering designed to create more ways for attendees to participate in Writing Day beyond traditional documentation projects. Whether you want to build technical skills, get feedback on your resume, or join a facilitated discussion, these shorter-format sessions offer something for everyone.
GitHub Workshops¶
GitHub workshops are beginner-friendly sessions held in the morning and afternoon. Each session begins with a 20-minute presentation walkthrough covering how to sign up for a GitHub account and a hands-on example, followed by 1-on-1 support from volunteer TAs.
Resume Writing and Portfolio Review¶
Bring your resume or portfolio for feedback from fellow documentarians. This session offers a space to get constructive input and tips to help you stand out in your job search or career progression.
Roundtable Discussions¶
Roundtable discussions are pre-scheduled, facilitated conversations held in the afternoon. Topics include AI in documentation, API docs, and more — check back for the full list of discussion topics as we get closer to the conference.
How to Participate in a Writing Day Project¶
Lead a Project¶
Leading a project at Writing Day is a wonderful opportunity to engage with documentarians from a variety of backgrounds, experience, and expertise. Their collective wealth of experience can help you upgrade your project documentation and create a more inclusive project. This empowers all of us to work together to create opportunities for each other and bigger, better communities.
Submit¶
If you submit your project by April 22, 2026, we will share your project in a blog post and email with our attendees before the conference.
Walk-on projects are always welcome. You are still more than welcome to bring a project the day of and announce it during the actual Writing Day.
Tips to create and lead a new project effectively:
Provide a project overview with a specific focus or goals: Your project overview is a 2 minute pitch that describes your project and clearly defines a focus area or goal.
Pre-label tasks and issues: Create a specific event label and label documentation tasks and issues. This empowers new contributors to find tasks that interest them.
Create a task filter: This helps contributors find issues more easily and see which issues have been assigned.
Clear onboarding: Ensure your README, contribution guidelines, or onboarding instructions are accurate and up to date.
Project experts: We recommend having 1-2 people leading a project. You are welcome to call for virtual reinforcements from your community. If you need additional support onboarding volunteers, the WTD staff team will share this opportunity with the community. View further information in the Call for Projects form.
Flexibility and understanding: Reminder that attendees may need additional info to be successful in onboarding to your project.
Submit your Writing Day project before the conference: Projects submitted by April 22, 2026 are featured in our pre-conference blog post and email. Many attendees have shared that their curiosity for specific projects motivated them to attend. Project submissions open in February/March.
These are suggestions and not requirements. It is perfectly valid to show up to Writing Day the day of, tell us about your project, and ask for volunteers. It has been done before and it will be done again.
Contribute to a Project¶
Writing Day is the perfect opportunity to participate and learn about new projects and technologies. You are welcome to stay with one project all day, or project hop.
Tips to contribute to a project:
Regardless of your experience level, you are welcome here. We are excited to have you. Even if you feel you lack the right skills, experiences, or have never attended an event like Writing Day before, you will be surprised at how much you can contribute.
Explore our guide to writing documentation. Our beginner’s guide is designed to help you get started and spark ideas for how you can contribute to a project.
Ask questions. If you encounter challenges with new concepts and tools, you are in a room surrounded by friendly people from diverse backgrounds and experiences. You can always ask the Welcome Wagon or Registration staff and volunteers. We will help you connect with the right person.
View the project list. Check out the projects that have been submitted in advance. This will be shared in April. Reminder that some projects are submitted day of.
Project List¶
If you are planning to contribute, review the project list before the conference.
Examples of projects you might see at the conference¶
Open-source software documentation
General documentation writing
Best practices manual (for your company, or the world)
Resume and cover letter reviews
Blog posts
Tips and tricks
Great works of fiction
Love letters
The Documentarian Manifesto
Find specific examples on the Portland Writing Day 2025 project list.
Project list¶
Incoming project information, check back here for updates closer to the conference.
Contact us¶
Email us at portland@writethedocs.org with any questions.
