HUNTINGTON -- As a young black writer in Huntington, Doug Brooks knows the struggle of getting heard.

Brooks is founder of VOICE (Vibes of Inner City Echoes), which has been conducting writing workshops in Huntington, writing contests and which has a Web site featuring the area's urban writers, poets and photographers.

Brooks has organized the first VOICE Writer's Conference that is set to run 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 13, at the Pullman Plaza Hotel.

Registration is $150 with a room or $100 without for the conference which will include three seminars (including a luncheon) and tickets to the evening events sponsored by Chapter's Ink.

There is also a $200 VIP package that includes the seminars, luncheon, coffee and tea service hotel room with free breakfast buffet and dinner at Coach Bobby Pruett's Steakhouse, pool and other amenities.

Featured guests will include Chuck Sambuchino an editor for Writer's Digest Books. He is the editor of two annual resource books: "Guide to Literary Agents," as well as "Screenwriter's & Playwright's Market". He also assists in editing Writer's Market (www.writersmarket.com).

He recently helmed the third edition of "Formatting & Submitting Your Manuscript."

Other guests including 30-year-veteran of the publishing business, Cherry Weiner, and Miriam Kriss, a literary agent for the Irene Goodman Agency.

Brooks, who got his novella, "The Wake Up Call: Before the Rooster's Wake," published in 2004, said he wanted to give writers a chance to gather and get great information from experts in the business.

"What I hope to do is to give writers an opportunity in this area to get published and actually have a chance to network with agents from New York and New Jersey and D.C.," Brooks said. "Chuck's out of Cincinnati and he's very resourceful and we can bring that kind of networking here in Huntington and bring a newer generation of writers to have a lot more opportunities. The main goal is for writers to be able to take their writing career to the next level.

Brooks, who has written several plays as well, said the first 20 Marshall and West Virginia State students can attend the conference for free if they e-mail him at dizwater@voicequarterly.com.

Five of those students will also get free books courtesy of Sambuchino.

Brooks said they would also like to get more areas businesses involved with the conference with sponsorships, booths and information to share with area writers.

Brooks said this is just another way for VOICE to promote writing in the area.

The group has been active with its Word Up, creative writing workshops in Huntington for junior high and high school students as well as poetry and essay contests online.

"We've been featuring plays by Norman Branch and the Positive People Association on the Web site and have three main poets up on the site being featured," Brooks said.

For more info, go online at www.voicequarterly.com.