Saturday, June 14, 2008

REGISTRATION, Third floor, lobby

7:30 – 8:30 a.m.

AGENT BREAKFAST (Advance Reservations Only), Third floor, Continental Ballroom

9 – 9:10 a.m.

OPENING REMARKS, Third floor, Grand Ballroom
Speaker: Cecilia Sepp, president of WIW.

Sepp is president of WIW and an association management consultant and writer based in Silver Spring, Maryland. She joined WIW in 2004, and served as 2007 Conference Co-Chair. Sepp was elected President of WIW in 2007. She is also an active volunteer with the American Society of Association Executives and the Center for Association Leadership (ASAE & the Center), where she is currently a member of the Communication Section Council and Chair of the Gold Circle Awards program that recognizes excellence in association communications. In April 2004, Sepp launched her consulting & communications business, CS Association Services, and she launched her blog, Association Puzzle, in 2005 at www.associationpuzzle.typepad.com. She received her BA in political science, with an adjunct degree in management, from Webster University in St. Louis, MO. 

PLENARY SPEECH, Third floor, Grand Ballroom
Speaker: Peter Bowerman is the speaker, brought back by popular demand from last year’s conference.

Bowerman is the author of The Well-Fed Writer and TWFW: Back For Seconds, how-to “standards” in the lucrative field of commercial freelancing. In 1993, after a 15-year career in sales and marketing, Bowerman turned to freelance commercial writing. With no industry experience, no previous paid writing experience and no writing background, he built a commercial freelancing business in Atlanta, Georgia from fantasy to full-time in less than four months. His corporate client list has included The Coca-Cola Company, MCI, BellSouth, IBM, UPS, Holiday Inn, Cingular Wireless, DuPont, American Express, Mercedes-Benz, The Discovery Channel, Junior Achievement, Georgia-Pacific, The Cartoon Network, the CDC, The American Heart Association and many others. He has published over 250 articles and editorials, leads seminars on writing and is a professional coach on both commercial freelancing business start-up and self-publishing. In 2006, he released The Well-Fed Self-Publisher: How to Turn One Book into a Full-Time Living. This eagerly anticipated how-to guide to making your book a commercial success – minus the big publisher or hefty marketing budget – chronicles his own successful self-publishing path, where he indeed created a full-time living for more than five years (and counting).

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MORNING AGENTS PITCH SESSIONS, Room to be determined.

BREAKOUT SESSIONS

1—RESEARCH IN FOUR CENTURIES

One professional state-of-the-art librarian who is a former private detective, one writer experienced in doing 18th and 19th century research and one writer experienced in doing 20th and 21st century research.  All very well organized and full of great tips for writers of fiction and non-fiction.

Moderator: Mark Stricherz, has been a newspaper reporter in the San Francisco Bay area as well as for the New Republic.  His articles have also appeared in the Washington Post, Chicago Tribune, Weekly Standard, and Commonweal.  He is the author of the recently published Why the Democrats Are Blue: Secular Liberalism and the Decline of the People’s Party.

Tom Mann, reference librarian at the Library of Congress, is the author of The Oxford Guide to Library Research and Library Research Models, both from Oxford University Press.

Steve Vogel, a writer and military reporter with The Washington Post, is the author of THE PENTAGON: The Untold Story of the Wartime Race to Build The Pentagon and to Restore It Sixty Years Later.

Scott W. Berg, an English professor at George Mason University and author of GRAND AVENUES: The Story of Pierre Charles L’Enfant, the French Visionary Who Designed Washington, D.C.

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2—FICTION AGENTS ROUNDTABLE 

What are the hot book topics in 2008? How can you boost your chances of getting an agent to represent your project? Here's a chance to ask four top literary agents who represent fiction everything you ever wanted to know.

Moderator: Tony Outhwaite, a literary agent with the JCA Literary Agency (JCA), represents commercial and literary fiction and nonfiction books. Subject matters include American and world history, military history, politics, music, sports, popular science and economics. He is also interested in thrillers, mysteries, satire and upscale commercial fiction. JCA does not represent children’s books, gardening books, cookbooks, science fiction or fantasy. In regards to commercial and literary fiction, Outhwaite is personally drawn to books with an international flavor. From 1996 to 2002, he was the Chair of PEN American Center’s Translation Committee, where he presented translation events at major bookstores from coast to coast to raise the visibility of translators and translated works. He has also published articles on jazz, R&B, popular culture and satire in the National Review, Jazz, Chronicles, and Actuel. He recently finished writing his first book, Whistle Stop Chords: The Untold Story of the Jazz Organ Clubs of America’s Inner Cities, which will be published in the Fall of 2009.

Michelle Andelman, Associate Agent with Andrea Brown Literary Agency since 2005, represents this California-based agency in Manhattan. Having previously worked in book publicity and book-to-film, she earned her MA in English and BFA in Dramatic Writing from NYU. Michelle specializes in all categories of children's books. Some recent and representative sales include edgy, commercial, high-concept YA novel The Third Try, Simon Pulse/Simon & Schuster's lead title for Summer 2009; Spark, a contemporary fantasy of Anastasia Romanov's disappearance to Sourcebooks Jabberwocky; a fractured "Gingerbread Boy" Valentine's Day picture book to Harcourt; funny, sweet, literary chapter book Third Grade Baby and YA novel Girl in Waiting to FSG; and dystopian sf/f middle grade debut novel LAST MIDNIGHT to Hyperion/Disney. Michelle also handles adult market literary fiction and upmarket women's fiction. 

Kathleen Anderson is an award-winning editor and agent who has been working in the publishing business since 1979—first as an editor at W.W. Norton where she published DEAR AMERICA: Letters Home From Vietnam, which became an Emmy award-winning documentary, then as a senior editor at Poseidon, formerly a division of Simon & Schuster, where she published and edited Mary Gaitskill and Ursula Hegi. She is a recipient of the Tony Godwin Award, given to an outstanding American editor under 35 who is then sent to England to learn about British publishing. She was also selected to be among the first group of editorial fellows from the United States to attend the Jerusalem Book Fair. She was a founding partner of Anderson Grinberg Literary Management, Inc., then formed her own firm in 2006. She specializes in adult and young adult literary and commercial fiction, narrative nonfiction, American and European history, literary journalism, nature and travel writing, memoir, and biography. A graduate of Hampshire College in Amherst, Massachusetts, she is a member of PEN and the AAR (Association of Author’s Representatives). 

Paige Wheeler, is a founding partner of Folio Literary Management, LLC. Prior to forming Folio Literary Management, Ms. Wheeler formed Creative Media Agency (CMA) in 1997 and served as its President for nine years until she merged the company into her new venture, Folio, in 2006. Ms. Wheeler has worked as an agent in both a literary and entertainment capacity over the course of her career. Wheeler represents commercial fiction and upscale (think book club) fiction as well as women's fiction, romance (all types), mystery, thrillers, psychological suspense, and some young adult. 

Additional panelists to be announced.

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3—NONFICTION AGENTS ROUNDTABLE

No matter what kind of non-fiction you write-- biography, self-help, memoir, pop culture-- it's important to know what's selling and how you can increase your chances of getting an agent. Ask four top literary agents who represent non-fiction everything you ever wanted to know.

Moderator: Howard Yoon is the Vice President and Editorial Director of the Gail Ross Literary Agency.  He began his publishing career 15 years ago as Gail’s literary assistant.  He has served as an agent, writer, and editor on numerous fiction and non-fiction book projects.  In 2000, he was the founder and president of an online venture, AuthorsOnline, and in 2003 he co-authored a business book, Begging for Change (HarperCollins) with Robert Egger, which won the McAdams Award for Best Book on the Nonprofit Sector. As the agency’s editorial director, Yoon works closely with authors to develop their book ideas into commercial successes.  As a literary agent, he is interested in nonfiction topics ranging from current events and politics to culture to religion and history, to smart business.  He is also looking for commercial fiction by published authors. Yoon graduated from the University of Virginia with a degree in English and Religious Studies.  An avid foodie, he is a featured columnist for NPR.org’s Kitchen Window series.  He is also currently teaching a narrative nonfiction writing class in the Masters of Journalism Program at Georgetown University. 

Susan Ann Protter, a native New Yorker, has worked in the publishing industry for three decades. Over the years she has handled a variety of books including the best sellers Getting Organized and The Organized Executive by Stephanie Winston. She is the agent for Fury on Earth: The Biography of Wilhelm Reich and Inside the Mirage: America’s Fragile Partnership with Saudi Arabia by Thomas W. Lippman.  She also handles parenting and self-help books such as the classic The Teenage Body Book by Kathy McCoy, PhD and Charles Wibbelsman, MD and The Real Vitamin and Mineral Book by Shari Lieberman, PhD and Nancy Bruning. 
Protter is a member of the Association of Authors Representatives as well as an agent member of the Author’s Guild. Her agency deals with all publishers and maintains an office in Manhattan.

Lisa Hagan joined the Paraview Literary Agency in 1993 after working in the documentary film business. She has had a life-long love affair with books. Paraview Literary Agency has a history of anticipating future book trends and creating appropriate projects with its clients-- scientists, writers, and innovators from around the world. Among the first to successfully develop literary properties for a rapidly growing worldwide audience known as cultural creatives, the agency handles only nonfiction properties. Clients of the agency have had several New York Times bestsellers, including The Coming Global Superstorm by Art Bell and Whitley Strieber, A Night Without Armor by Jewel, Talking to Heaven: A Medium’s Message of Life After Death by James van Praagh, and What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Menopause: The Breakthrough Book on Natural Progesterone by John R. Lee, M.D.

Diana Finch founded the Diana Finch Literary Agency in 2003 after 18 years with Ellen Levine Literary Agency. Based in New York, she attends the Frankfurt Book Fair annually and is chair of the AAR’s International Committee. Recent titles she has handled include Armed Madhouse by Greg Palast (Dutton/Plume), The Bush Agenda by Antonia Juhasz (HarperCollins), Lipstick Jihad by Azadeh Moaveni (PublicAffairs) and the novels In Hoboken by Christian Bauman (Melville House) and Radiant Days by Michael Fitzgerald (Shoemaker&Hoard).

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BREAKOUT SESSIONS

1—WRITING FOR A GOOD CAUSE

The nonprofit sector offers opportunities for freelance writers at all levels of experience.  There are more than 7,600 charitable groups in the greater Washington area and many thousands more across the country.  These groups (known as 501(c)(3)s because of their IRS classification as tax-exempt organizations) include universities, nonprofit hospitals, think tanks, theaters, museums, and national nonprofits; all require the services of writers for their fundraising, public relations, and publications programs.  This panel’s main focus will be on writing for nonprofit fundraising offices—the market, the writing skills required, and how to break in.

Moderator:  Joseph Barbato, former president of WIW; president of Barbato Associates, a consulting firm in Alexandria, VA, whose clients include the Brookings Institution, the National Wildlife Federation, the Smithsonian Institution, and many other nonprofits.  Barbato is also a journalist and author whose books include Writing for A Good Cause and How to Write Knockout Proposals.

Chuck Anderson is Director of Corporate and Foundation Relations at the National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA), a 90-year-old organization that works to protect and enhance America's National Parks for present and future generations.  A journalist originally, Chuck has spent the past 15 years in nonprofit marketing, primarily as a fundraiser specializing in foundation and corporate giving.   Prior to NPCA, he held positions including director of institutional giving at the Brookings Institution's Metropolitan Policy Program, director of foundation support at the Land Trust Alliance, and assistant director of major gifts at The Nature Conservancy.  As a reporter in the  1980s, Chuck worked for the New Haven Register and Middletown Press (CT), among other papers, and he continues to publish occasional freelance pieces on historic preservation and other topics, most recently in the Portland Press Herald.   He is also active in local government, serving on various city-appointed commissions dealing with climate change and solid waste management in his home town of Falls Church, VA. 

Beth Duris

Additional panelists to be announced.

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2—WRITING FOR AND SELLING TO MAGAZINES

How to market your work to the variety of DC-area trade and special interest magazines, membership publications, and well-known journalistic icons.

Moderator: Ellen Ryan, managing editor of Washingtonian magazine.

Margaret Guroff is a features editor for AARP The Magazine. Previously, she edited Baltimore magazine and reported for the Howard County Times. Guroff holds an M.A. in nonfiction writing from The Writing Seminars at Johns Hopkins University, where she teaches workshops in the M.A. in Writing Program.

Virginia Myers has been a freelance writer and editor in the Washington area since she moved here as a new college graduate in 1983 and wrote a short piece for the Hill Rag. Since that time she’s held various writing and editing jobs at newspapers and magazines, and maintained a freelance career. Her work has spanned many subjects, including travel, food, recreation, parenting and education as well as weekly news writing. Currently, she is a columnist and feature writer for Bethesda Magazine, a frequent contributor to Washington Home and Garden, and editor of the Takoma Park Newsletter. She also writes for Smithsonian’s staff newspaper, the Torch.

Additional panelists to be announced.

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3—FICTION WRITING—WORKING TO WRITE, WORKING AND WRITING?

The creative demands of fiction writing is hard on the writer in many ways, especially finding the time and place to do it while there is also the need for gainful employment to support the habit of generating fictional worlds and characters.  Learn how some outstanding writers have managed to make those accommodations and succeed at both the fiction and the real world.

Moderator: John Gilstrap is the author of Six Minutes to Freedom (Citadel), Scott Free (Atria), Even Steven (Pocket), At All Costs (Warner Books) and Nathan’s Run (Warner Books). A former firefighter and EMT, he is an explosives safety expert and an environmental engineer. He has written screen adaptations for Word of Honor (by Nelson DeMille) and Young Men and Fire (by Norman Maclean). Visit his Web site at www.johngilstrap.com.

Keith Donohue is the author of The Stolen Child (Nan Talese/Doubleday, 2006), a novel using the folk legend of fairy changelings to explore issues of identity and memory.  It was published in the U.K. by Jonathan Cape and is scheduled for translation into 24 languages.  Angels of Destruction, his second novel, is scheduled for publication by Shaye Areheart Books in spring 2009.  Donohue spent  the past 20 years writing speeches, articles, and books and creating websites for national arts and cultural organizations.  He is the Director of Communications for the National Historical Publications and Records Commission, the grant-making arm of the National Archives in Washington, DC.  Before that, he was Creative Director at the Center for Arts and Culture, and from 1984 to 1998, he worked at the National Endowment for the Arts as Director of Publications.  He wrote hundreds of speeches for chairmen John Frohnmayer and Jane Alexander.  Donohue holds a Ph.D. in English from The Catholic University of America, and bachelors and masters degrees from Duquesne University. 

Additional panelists to be announced.

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4—YOU TOO CAN REVIEW, JHU CRAFT SESSION

Reviews require writing skills and knowledge of the subject, but it’s one of the best ways to combine craft with personal expertise or interest. If athletes can become sportswriters, why can’t dancers become dance critics? This session by the M.A. in Writing Program at Hopkins covers the challenges, rewards, and fundamentals of writing reviews, whether the subject is books, film, restaurants, music, art, wine, automobiles, television, or the scores of other topics that require effective, creative criticism.

Session Leader: To be announced.

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LUNCHEON, AWARDS, AND KEYNOTE SPEECH, Third floor, Grand Ballroom

Presentation of the Annual Washington Writing Awards
Presenter: Beryl Lieff Benderly, Award Chair

Keynote speech
Speaker: Larry Kirshbaum has been involved in publishing for nearly 40 years from all perspectives: as an author, publisher and agent.  After graduating from the University of Michigan in 1966, he worked as a correspondent for Newsweek and then co-authored a book with Roger Rapoport called Is the Library Burning which was published by Random House in 1970.  He worked for Random House until 1974 when he joined Warner Books as vice-president of marketing.  He remained at Warner, later called Time-Warner, for more than 30 years, spending his last 10 years as CEO and Chairman of the Time-Warner Book Group. Larry has worked with hundreds of authors—business leaders like Jack Welch, Michael Eisner, and Sandy Weill, leading non-fiction writers such as Malcolm Gladwell (The Tipping Point and Blink), literary success stories like Anita Shreve and Alice Sebold, and popular commercial writers including Nicholas Sparks, James Patterson, David Baldacci, Nelson DeMille, Sandra Brown, Michael Connelly, and Scott Turow.  Larry retired from Time-Warner at the end of 2005 to start his new career as a literary agent and founder of LJK Literary Management, LLC. Larry is an active supporter of both the PEN organization, which promotes literacy and defends writers’ rights around the world, and the creative writing program of the University of Michigan.

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AFTERNOON AGENTS PITCH SESSIONS, Room to be determined.

BREAKOUT SESSIONS

1—FUTURE FREELANCE COMMERCIAL WRITING IN THE ERA OF SOCIAL NETWORKING

Freelance commercial writing has a new importance in recent years as companies began to downsize their in-house communications departments and small businesses take greater advantage of professional writing services. A large number of books written on the subject of freelance writing make bold claims on a prosperous future for those who choose to enter the field. What is a realistic assessment of freelance writing today? What might the future hold for those who choose to enter the “freelance life?” A panel of experienced freelance writers will address these and other issues in this timely session.

Moderator: Randy Sly is President and Owner of WriteView, LLC, a commercial writing and creative communications company. A veteran communicator, who combines an extensive background in media, journalism, and technology, Sly has written for many corporations and nonprofit organizations nationally and internationally on such projects as speeches, brochures, web content, press releases, newsletters, eBooks, and ads; as well as scripts for radio, TV, film, video, and multi-image. He also has written for a number of national periodicals and served as a major contributing author and editor for the multi-volume encyclopedic series. As a media specialist, he has over 50 multi-media and film scripts and hundreds of radio/TV commercials to his credit.

Peter Bowerman is the author of The Well-Fed Writer and TWFW: Back For Seconds, how-to “standards” in the lucrative field of commercial freelancing. In 1993, after a 15-year career in sales and marketing, Bowerman turned to freelance commercial writing. With no industry experience, no previous paid writing experience and no writing background, he built a commercial freelancing business in Atlanta, Georgia from fantasy to full-time in less than four months. His corporate client list has included The Coca-Cola Company, MCI, BellSouth, IBM, UPS, Holiday Inn, Cingular Wireless, DuPont, American Express, Mercedes-Benz, The Discovery Channel, Junior Achievement, Georgia-Pacific, The Cartoon Network, the CDC, The American Heart Association and many others. He has published over 250 articles and editorials, leads seminars on writing and is a professional coach on both commercial freelancing business start-up and self-publishing. In 2006, he released The Well-Fed Self-Publisher: How to Turn One Book into a Full-Time Living. This eagerly anticipated how-to guide to making your book a commercial success – minus the big publisher or hefty marketing budget – chronicles his own successful self-publishing path, where he indeed created a full-time living for more than five years (and counting).

Howard Clare is the founder and principal of HC Creative Communications.  He brings more than 25 years of experience as a leader in the field of strategic branding and business communications. Clare assists leading businesses and organizations, including Freddie Mac, The Washington Post Company and the National Institutes of Health, through all stages of growth and development. He builds strong brands by helping clients articulate their inner personality and connect with their target market through integrated marketing communications programs. Clare’s commitment to customer-centric strategies drives results and is the reason why his work has been honored in numerous national competitions including the American Institute of Graphic Arts, Print and the International Association of Business Communicators. He is immediate past president of the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) local board. With over 650 members, IABC/Washington is the largest chapter in the United States. He also served on the board of the American Institute of Graphic Arts.

Cecilia Sepp is president of WIW and an association management consultant and writer based in Silver Spring, Maryland.  She joined WIW in 2004, and served as 2007 Conference Co-Chair.  Cecilia was elected President of WIW in 2007.  She is also an active volunteer with the American Society of Association Executives and the Center for Association Leadership (ASAE & the Center), where she is currently a member of the Communication Section Council and Chair of the Gold Circle Awards program that recognizes excellence in association communications. In April 2004, Cecilia launched her consulting & communications business, CS Association Services, and she launched her blog, Association Puzzle, in 2005 at www.associationpuzzle.typepad.com. She received her BA in political science, with an adjunct degree in management, from Webster University in St. Louis, MO. 

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2—THE FREELANCE SPEECHWRITER—PRACTICE AND PROFIT

Interested in breaking into the lucrative and rewarding practice of writing speeches for profit? If so, join this panel of talented writers who will share practical tips for those interested in becoming freelance speechwriters.  Our panelists offer you a combined total of 35 years of experience in the corporate, non-profit, and government sectors.  During this session, you’ll learn how to:

• Market your skills and cultivate new clients;
• Manage the business of speechwriting;
• Satisfy clients to grow your relationship; and
• Craft moving speeches that spur an audience to action.

Moderator:  Dr. Rosemary King is a speechwriter for the Secretary of Defense. She has also written for two Chairmen of the Joint Chiefs of Staff as well as corporate leaders.  She has taught English at the U.S. Air Force Academy and is the author of Border Confluences:  Borderland Narratives from the Mexican War to the Present (University of Arizona Press, 2004). She is currently the Vice President of WIW.

Margot Friedman, J.D., is President of Dupont Circle Communications, a full-service communications firm specializing in persuasive written products including speeches, opinion editorials, press materials, website text and email campaigns.  Margot has written for EMILY’s List, Susan G. Komen for the Cure, National Women’s Law Center, People For the American Way, Death Penalty Information Center and Trial Lawyers for Public Justice.    

Edward Moser is a free-lance and contract writer based in Alexandria. He has served as a freelance speechwriter for President George H. W. Bush, for Human Genome Sciences chairman William Haseltine, and for Vice Chairman, Federal Government CIO Council, Dan Matthews. An ex-freelance joke writer for Jay Leno's "The Tonight Show," he is the author for Random House of "The Politically Correct Guide to the Bible" and the co-author for Publications International of the "Armchair Reader: World War II." 

Eric Wertheim is a defense consultant, columnist and author specializing in naval and air force issues. He has served as a communications advisor and speechwriter for senior Air Force officials and as a consultant to a number of best-selling authors. Wertheim’s most recent book, Combat Fleets of the World, 15th edition was published in March 2007 by the Naval Institute Press.

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3—THE BUSINESS OF WRITING

A panel designed to bring you up to date on what is going on inside our industry, the most advantageous ways to set up your writing business, and introduce you to the worlds of copyright and intellectual property. 

Moderator: Alan C. Portner four-term WIW Treasurer, former newspaper executive, and president of The Assignment Desk, LLC.

Keith Blankenship

Melissa Sammons, of the Writers Guild of America, East, will speak about the resolution of the recent WGA writer’s strike.  She played a significant role in the contract settlement as a member of the formal negotiation team

Howard Yoon

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4—FINDING YOUR VOICE, JHU CRAFT SESSION

Voice and style are among the most important traits of creative writing, whether fiction or factual writing. But these craft elements are often mysterious and challenging for new or even veteran writers. Journalists or government and corporate writers, especially, can find it difficult to discover their own voice after working within the limited styles of their professions. This interactive session by the Hopkins M.A. in Writing Program will use exercises and other techniques to provide a pathway to discovering your writing voice, whether your goal is nonfiction or fiction.

Moderator: Bill Black

Novelist and poet Madeleine Mysko

Nonfiction author and freelance writer Cathy Alter

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BREAKOUT SESSIONS
4:00 – 5:15 p.m.

1—THE WELL-FED SAMPLER PLATTER WITH PETER BOWERMAN

New to "commercial" freelancing? Intrigued by the idea of writing for businesses, and for hourly rates of $50-$125 plus? Have no idea what commercial writing is? Join veteran commercial freelancer Peter Bowerman, author of The Well-Fed Writer titles, for a fun, fast-paced, hands-on session where you'll study actual commercial writing samples. You'll leave with a firm grasp on what kind of projects you'd be writing, how they come together, how you'd write them, what they pay, and the caliber of writing required to make it in this lucrative writing arena. Don't miss it!

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2—THE FUTURE OF POETRY IN A DIGITAL AGE

Poet and critic, Dana Gioia, in his essay “Disappearing Ink,” asks, “What will be the poet’s place in a society that has increasingly little use for books, little time for serious culture, little knowledge of the past, little consensus on literary value, and—even among intellectuals—little faith in poetry itself?” Published poets and editors will discuss the role of the poet in the midst of new media and explore how poetry, in comparison to other literary genres, has benefited or suffered from modes of electronic communication. Panelists will also offer advice on navigating and prioritizing the vast selection of online poetry web sites, journals, and blogs— and provide tips for submitting poems to online publications.

Moderator: Taryn Carrino, Program and Membership Coordinator for the Washington Independent Writers, holds an MFA in Poetry from New England College where she studied with distinguished poets Maxine Kumin and Gerald Stern. She currently lives in Washington, D.C. 

Sandra Beasley holds an MFA from American University. She works as an American Scholar editorial staff member and is the acting Literary Chair of the Arts Club of Washington. Her manuscript “Theories of Falling” received the 2007 New Issues Poetry Prize and will be published in the Spring of 2008. She won the 2007 New Issues Poetry Prize for her book Theories of Falling, selected by Marie Howe. Her poems have appeared in SLATE, The Believer, 32 Poems, Barrow Street, Blackbird, and the 2005 Best New Poets.
 
Parris Garnier, co-founder and editor of Not Just Air.

Greg McBride’s work appears in Bellevue Literary Review, Chautauqua Literary Journal, Connecticut Review, Gettysburg Review, Hollins Critic, Poet Lore, Southeast Review, Southern Poetry Review, and elsewhere.  His work has been nominated three times for a Pushcart Prize.  He began writing after a 30-year legal career and now edits The Innisfree Poetry Journal (www.innisfreepoetry.org), consults on transportation issues, and works as a freelance editor and consultant.  The father of three and grandfather of five, he lives in Silver Spring, Md., with his wife Lois, also a writer.  

Kim Roberts is the author of two books of poems, most recently The Kimnama (Vrzhu Press, 2007).  She edits the acclaimed online journal Beltway Poetry Quarterly, and co-edits (with five others) the Delaware Poetry Review.  Kim has been the recipient of grants from the National Endowment for the Humanities, the DC Commission on the Arts, and the Humanities Council of Washington, as well as residencies at eleven artist colonies.  She has done extensive research on DC's literary history, with a particular focus on Walt Whitman, Langston Hughes, and Zora Neale Hurston, and has published in journals beginning with every letter of the alphabet.  Her website: http://www.kimroberts.org.

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3—SCIENCE AND TECHNICAL WRITING

Description to come.

Moderator: Lester Reingold

Beryl Lieff Benderly

Brian Vastag is a freelance science and medical journalist in Washington. Formerly a staff reporter for Science News and the Journal of the American Medical Association, Vastag has written extensively about cancer, genetics, neuroscience, addiction, and health and science policy. His work has appeared in the Washington Post, U.S. News & World Report, and other outlets. In 2005, he won a media award from the College on Problems of Drug Dependence, the world’s largest academic addiction research society.

Additional panelists to be announced.

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