ASJA Writers Conference 2018 Program

S H E R ATO N N E W YO R K T I M E S

S Q U A R E

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CONFERENCE PROGRAM MAY 18 & 19 2 0 1 8

S H E R ATO N N E W YO R K T I M E S

S Q U A R E

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CONFERENCE PROGRAM MAY 18 & 19 2 0 1 8

welcome from the conference chairs

2018 CONFERENCE CHAIRS

C A R O LY N CRIST

NANCY DUNHAM

DORRI OLDS

Dear Friends, Welcome to the 47th Annual ASJA Writers Conference in New York!

This year’s conference theme is Navigate, Motivate, Captivate. We chose it because it perfectly conveys our commitment to providing the best possible offerings for writers at every stage of their career.

Carolyn Crist has designed an introductory track to assist writers as they begin to Navigate the writing world. There you’ll find such vital offerings as How To Start A Writing Group, Nuances of the Verbal Pitch, How to Turn a Nugget of An Idea into a Book Proposal, How to Find 100 (or More) Content Marketing Clients — and that’s just a taste! We’re thrilled to have The New York Times “Modern Love” Editor Dan Jones as the track’s keynote speaker.

Nancy Dunham developed Motivate, the intermediary track, to show midcareer writers how to jumpstart and reinvent their careers. Sessions on this track include Elevating Your Personal Narrative, How to Break Into Travel Writing, How to Break Into True Crime Writing, and Build Your Influence and Business. Nationally known journalist and author Katherine Reynolds Lewis (The Good News About Bad Behavior) is this track’s keynote speaker.

Dorri Olds shaped the Captivate track to guide writers toward new streams of income and even greater success. Sessions include Nailing SEO in the Age of Digital Media, The Craft of Publishing Powerful Personal Essays, Earning More by Selling Foreign Rights, How to Write for The New York Times, and two days with top Editors Who Want Your Pitches. Nationally known educator and memoirist Aimee Ross (Permanent Marker: A Memoir) is the track’s keynote speaker.

The great news is that we designed the conference so you can mix and match sessions from any track to suit your writing, business, and interests as well as experience.

Former ASJA President Randy Dotinga is back with an array of agents ready for the pitch slam.

Another highlight is the alwaysin-demand Client Connections for ASJA Professional Members designed by ASJA Board Member Wendy Helfenbaum and her team.

Once again, they have recruited an incredible lineup of editors and agents who are eager to sit down for face-to-face pitch meetings.

Whether you’re a brand-new member or a veteran, we have designed this conference with you in mind.

We look forward to seeing you.

— Carolyn Crist, Nancy Dunham, and Dorri Olds

W H AT ’ S I N S I D E

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FRIDAY SESSIONS

10

AWARDS LISTING

14

SATURDAY SESSIONS

19

SCHEDULE AT A GLANCE

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SHERATON FLOOR PLAN

28

SPEAKER BIOS

locat

friday

may 18 LO

CARNEGIE EAST Staff Office

NEW YORK FOYER 7:00am Registration and Exhibitors

CARNEGIE WEST 8:00am - 9:00am New Members Welcome 10:00am - 5:00pm Members Lounge

NEW YORK BALLROOM WEST 5:30pm - 6:30pm Pre-Awards Cocktail Hour

NEW YORK BALLROOM EAST

C AT I O N S

NEW YORK BALLROOM WEST

RIVERSIDE BALLROOM

Breakfast and Networking Breaks

7:30am F02 Parenting & Writing

NEW YORK BALLROOM EAST 9:00am General Session

LIBERTY 3 7:30am F01 Verbal Pitch 8:00am F06 The Big Book Project 10:00am F07 Long-Form Narrative 11:15am F10 How to Start a Writing Group

8:00am F04 How to ASK and GET Exactly What You Want 10:00am F09 Making Money in Your Sleep 11:15am F12 Editors Who Want Your Pitches 2:15pm F14 How to Break into Travel Writing 3:45pm F18 2018 Social Media: What’s Working and What Isn’t

2:15pm F13 Nugget of an Idea

RIVERSIDE SUITE

3:45pm F17 Road to a Published Book

7:30am F03 Polish Your Brand 8:00am F05 Boosting Your Presence 10:00am F08 Re-inventing Your Career 11:15am F11 Personal Narrative 2:15pm F15 Break Into Content Marketing 3:45pm F16 Talk About Money

6:30pm - 8:30pm Cocktail Reception and Awards Ceremony

HAVE QUESTIONS? WE’VE GOT YOUR ANSWERS.

TWEET US USING #AskmeanythingASJA 02

NEW MEMBER WELCOME

8:00am 9:00am

to

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POLISH YOUR BRAND WORKSHOP

7:30am - 8:00am

short sessions E A R LY RISERS

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NAVIGATE | BEGINNER

NUANCES OF THE VERBAL PITCH Although you may have mastered the written pitch, increasingly, writers have opportunities at conferences, via phone interviews, and Skype to verbally present their ideas. However, the amount of time to pitch an idea is often squeezed into a 5-7-minute window. How do you scale the written pitch you spent an hour on to fit this timeframe? We’ll take a look at the key elements of the verbal pitch and ask editors and agents for their input.

This workshop is for seasoned professionals who are confident with their writing but seeking to strengthen their online efforts. Scribes who are just starting out—and everyone in between—are all welcome. Attendees are encouraged to bring questions about how to better promote their brand on the web. Examples of things to discuss: your blog, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, or any of your social media accounts, and the look of your website.

You’ll receive feedback from an online marketing expert — Dorri Olds has helped ASJA writers for years with her time-saving tips and tricks for growing your online audience in the least amount of time. Learn secrets about why some writers pop up in Google searches while others do not. This fun interactive session will help you expand your online visibility.

SESSION SPEAKERS DORRI OLDS

LOTTIE JOINER

8:00am - 9:00am

SESSION SPEAKERS CANDY ARRINGTON RICHARD EISENBERG

CAPTIVATE | ADVANCED

early morning sessions

CARA BEDICK RITA ROSENKRANZ

E A R LY RISERS

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MOTIVATE | MID-CAREER

PARENTING & WRITING How do you balance making a living with raising kids? In this session with several seasoned writers and parents, panelists will give their best tips on how to write, earn decent to great money, and create/sustain a great family life.

SESSION SPEAKERS CHERYL ALKON WENDY HELFENBAUM JENNIFER L. W. FINK

ELLEN SHENG SHANNON SHELTON MILLER

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NAVIGATE | BEGINNER

HOW TO ASK AND GET EXACTLY WHAT YOU WANT Do you want to get that great book deal, pitch your story to a dream publication, or negotiate (to your ultimate advantage) a new contract or the right pricing for your work? It’s all how you ASK. Whether you need to ASK on the fly or have more time to prepare, Laura will teach you how you can ASK your way to your best life!

SESSION SPEAKER | LAURA FREDRICKS

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day 1 sessions

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F R I D AY M AY 1 8 • M E M B E R S D AY

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MOTIVATE | MID-CAREER

BOOSTING YOUR ONLINE PRESENCE FOR SUCCESS Have you Googled yourself lately? Your online presence is often your first introduction to potential editors and clients. Make sure yours is working hard for your business. This workshop provides an overview of the essential aspects of an online presence on various platforms.

KEYNOTE SPEAKER AIMEE ROSS

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SESSION SPEAKER | SUZANNE BOWNESS

9:15am - 9:45am

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CAPTIVATE | ADVANCED

THE BIG BOOK PROJECT Journalists and magazine writers may want to transition to focus on books and ghostwriting. Experienced authors will address mindset, tackling the right topic for today’s world, writing the proposal and more.

SESSION SPEAKERS SHERRY BECK PAPROCKI JANINE LATUS MILT TOBY

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PAT RYAN BEN ADAMS

PERMANENT MARKER: A MEMOIR Aimee Ross is the author of Permanent Marker: A Memoir (KiCam Projects, March 2018). She worked as a Regional Educator in the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum for ten years. In addition, she is a nationally awardwinning educator who has been a high school English teacher for the past twenty-five years. Ross completed her MFA in Creative Non-Fiction Writing at Ashland University in 2014, and her writing has been published on lifein10minutes.com, sixhens.com, as well as in Beauty around the World: A Cultural Encyclopedia (ABC-Clio, 2017); Scars: An Anthology (Et Alia Press, 2015); Today I Made a Difference: A Collection of Inspirational Stories from America’s Top Educators (Adams Media, 2009); and Teaching Tolerance magazine. @AimeeLRoss

ASJA CONFERENCE 2018 | SPEAKER BIOS BEGIN ON PG 28

OPEN 10am to 5pm

MEMBERS LOUNGE

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MOTIVATE | MID-CAREER

RE-INVENTING YOUR WRITING CAREER

10:00am - 11:00am

Morning sessions BREAK OUTS

Writers frequently say or hear “print is dead.” Not true. Print and online writing in all genres continue to evolve. Whether you’re a journalist, content marketer, or author, these experts explain how you can remain relevant and prosperous by expanding your writing specialties and evolving with the profession.

SESSION SPEAKERS DEBRA WALLACE

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NAVIGATE | BEGINNER

WELCOME BACK LONG-FORM NARRATIVE In the golden days of magazine writing, long-form narrative was king.

Thankfully, the form seems to be back, as readers are willing to spend more time diving into nuanced stories with many sources. In this craft panel, writers and editors will discuss the importance of long-form narrative in our complex age. You’ll glean advice on how to tell if your story is right for long-form structure and length, plus learn how to reach sources, pace longer pieces, and manage structure.

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DOREEN MCGETTIGAN

CAPTIVATE | ADVANCED

MAKING MONEY IN YOUR SLEEP: PASSIVE INCOME FOR WRITERS One thing hasn’t changed much in journalism: We put our hard work into a story and get paid once for it. Today, there are many new methods to reharvest our articles or adapt our skillset so we can get paid over and over again for our efforts. This panel breaks down the many ways writers can make a better living from work already completed.

SESSION SPEAKERS

SESSION SPEAKERS LAURA LAING SARI BOTTON

LILLY DANCYGER CHRISTOPHER JOHNSTON

DAMON BROWN JEANETTE HURT

ANDREA KING COLLIER

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day 1 sessions

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F R I D AY M AY 1 8 • M E M B E R S D AY

11:15am - 12:15pm

Early afternoon sessions BREAK OUTS

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MOTIVATE | MID-CAREER

ELEVATING YOUR PERSONAL NARRATIVE This workshop will include insights from Narratively ’s memoir editor about what makes a personal essay stand out among the flood of confessional anecdotes, how to identify a unique angle, and how to find your bigpicture takeaway. Then she’ll give feedback on attendees’ specific personal essay ideas.

SESSION SPEAKER | LILLY DANCYGER

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NAVIGATE | BEGINNER

HOW TO START A WRITING GROUP Are you stuck in a writing rut? For a quick way out, join up with someone else—even two people make a group. By solving another person’s writing problems, you’ll see more clearly how to fix your own. Led by Mary-Kate Mackey, the author of Write Better Right Now: The Reluctant Writer’s Guide to Confident Communication and Self-assured Style and a 17-year veteran of a nonfiction writing group, this session covers the step-by-step process for forming a critique group that can supercharge your writing— and you’ll still be friends.

SESSION SPEAKER | MARY-KATE MACKEY

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CAPTIVATE | ADVANCED

EDITORS WHO WANT YOUR PITCHES Meet editors who want your pitches! Panelists from print and online outlets include Wayne Hoffman (Tablet), Peter Catapano (The New York Times), Carolyn Malcoun (EatingWell), and Lina Zeldovich (JStor Daily). Moderator Dorri Olds asks editors to describe why pitches get a “yes” or automatic “no.” Do they prefer pitches in the body of an email or as an attachment?

Which days of the week and what times are best? You’ll learn what to include in an email subject line, how to avoid the slush pile, and how long to wait before sending a follow-up. Attendees will gain access into the mind of each editor”s personal preferences and pet peeves. You'll receive tips on the best ways to win them over and sell your articles.

SESSION SPEAKERS WAYNE HOFFMAN PETER CATAPANO CAROLYN MALCOUN

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ASJA CONFERENCE 2018 | SPEAKER BIOS BEGIN ON PG 28

LINA ZELDOVICH DORRI OLDS

12:30pm to 2:00pm

Lunch on Your Own or Lunch Networking Groups

BREAK FOR LUNCH f14

MOTIVATE | MID-CAREER

HOW TO BREAK INTO TRAVEL WRITING For writers looking to expand to new markets, this session will familiarize participants with various forms of travel writing—from news items to round-ups, reviews, and personal essays—and discuss the best ways to pitch a new publication, focus on a publication’s specialized formats, and consider often overlooked markets. In addition, we’ll cover tips on discovering the details that make a travel piece stand out, what you need to know about working with destination professionals, and finding ways to reuse your research in non-competing markets.

2:15pm - 3:30pm

SESSION SPEAKERS

afternoon sessions BREAK OUTS

CHRISTINE KOUBEK

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AMY BRECOUNT WHITE

CAPTIVATE | ADVANCED

BEYOND THE WALL: MAKING THE LEAP FROM JOURNALISM TO CONTENT MARKETING

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NAVIGATE | BEGINNER

HOW TO TURN A NUGGET OF AN IDEA INTO A BOOK PROPOSAL There is no one right way to create a book proposal, and perhaps the traditional way isn’t the best method for everyone. Leave with strategies for turning a nugget of an idea into a book proposal, an understanding of what it takes to write a traditional book proposal and insight into some non-traditional ways to create a book proposal.

Whether it’s called brand journalism or content marketing, companies need writers for their blog posts, case studies, contributed articles, and more.

Agencies, Fortune 500 companies, and others are seeking writers with the skills you have already honed as a journalist. Are you interested in a new money-making career direction? Then don’t miss this session. Journalists Christine Parizo and Court Stroud have successfully made the leap and will tell you how it's done: highlight your journalism experience, know who to target, and why this makes sense for your career. Learn the secrets about which skills you’ll need to transition from journalism to content marketing.

In addition to text-based content, did you know that content marketing for video projects is exploding? Talented writers are needed to create concepts, creative briefs, and scripts for video. Learn to earn!

SESSION SPEAKERS LISA RABASCA ROEPE LAUREN TAYLOR SHUTE

KIMBERLEY MORAN JILL CARYL WEINER

SESSION SPEAKERS CHRISTINE PARIZO

COURT STROUD

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day 1 sessions

t tweet using #ASJANY18

F R I D AY M AY 1 8 • M E M B E R S D AY

CLIEN

CTIO E N N O

NS

TC

3:45pm - 5:15pm

late afternoon sessions

2:30pm - 5:30pm

BREAK OUTS

9-MINUTE MEETINGS, FACE-TO-FACE IN A SPEED-DATING FORMAT

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NAVIGATE | BEGINNER

WHY FREELANCERS NEED TO TALK ABOUT MONEY

Be sure to stop by the ASJA Bookstore!

Great titles available from conference speakers, books by ASJA award winners, and much more!

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As children, we’re often taught not to discuss money. But that sense of privacy around money hurts freelance writers, who must often rely on word-of-mouth and the advice of others to determine rates. How are you supposed to know what rates to ask for when you don’t know what other people are charging? How are you supposed to ask for a fair rate when publications have shrinking budgets? This session will help you approach money discussions while maintaining social graces. We'll review ways to find out what publications are paying, how to create a brain trust of freelance colleagues, and how to defend the value of your work — all without feeling like a sleazeball.

SESSION SPEAKER | LISA ROWAN

ASJA CONFERENCE 2018 | SPEAKER BIOS BEGIN ON PG 28

Connect with asja online Facebook: facebook.com/ASJAinc

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LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/asja

Twitter: @ASJAhq

MOTIVATE | MID-CAREER

THE ROAD TO A PUBLISHED BOOK To publish Seduced by Mrs. Robinson: How ‘The Graduate’ Became the Touchstone of a Generation, ASJA board member Beverly Gray had to navigate past a horrendous experience with a previous publisher, motivate herself to keep going, and captivate both a new publishing house and ultimately the reading public. To help tell her unfolding story, she will feature her longtime agent, her editor at Algonquin Books, and a member of the Algonquin publicity team. All of these industry professionals were part of the process through which she re-made her writing career and produced a book that is currently generating national attention.

PRE-AWARDS

COCKTAIL HOUR 5:30pm - 6:30pm

SESSION SPEAKERS BEVERLY GRAY STUART BERNSTEIN

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AMY GASH MICHELLE BLANKENSHIP

CAPTIVATE | ADVANCED

2018 SOCIAL MEDIA: WHAT’S WORKING AND WHAT ISN’T Don’t miss Sree Sreenivasan! The most popular repeat speaker in ASJA conference history is back. Sree is a master on all things social media and he shares his latest tech tips and tricks in an entertaining interactive session geared toward what every intermediate and seasoned freelance writer needs to know about self-promotion, expanding their audience, and reaching career goals. He provides an astounding amount of cutting edge information and teaches exactly where writers should go online to find what they need in the fastest way possible.

6:30pm - 8:30pm

awards reception HOSTED BY JOANNE LIPMAN

SESSION SPEAKER | SREE SREENIVASAN

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CO N G R AU L AT I O N S TO T H E W I N N E R S

asja writing awards 2018 Congratulations to this year’s winners! Our judges worked hard to select from the abundance of great submissions. Our members are so talented!

Special thanks to the members who volunteered their time to judge.

2018 AWARDS CO-CHAIRS: JANINE LATUS AND SALLEY SHANNON, ASJA PAST PRESIDENT

ARTICLES

Business/Technology/Science: “The Blood of the Crab” by Caren Chesler, writing in Popular Mechanics.

HONORABLE MENTION:

C AT E G O R I E S O P E N T O ALL FREELANCE WRITERS

The Arlene Award for an Article that Makes a Difference: “When Hurricane Warnings Are Lost in Translation” by Terena Bell, writing in The Atlantic.

The Donald Robinson Memorial Award for Investigative Journalism: “The Watson Files” by Laura Heaton, published in ForeignPolicy.com.

ARTICLES C AT E G O R I E S O P E N O N LY T O A S J A M E M B E R S

Blog Post/Personal: “A Better Excuse than ‘The Dog Ate My Homework,’” by Martin Hirsch.

“The Uncertain Future of Puffin for Dinner” by Cheryl Katz, published in Hakai Magazine.

Excellence in Reporting: “Journey to Gunland” by Melinda Wenner Moyer, writing in Scientific American.

HONORABLE MENTION:

“Protecting Negative Heritage in Rwanda” by JoAnn Greco, published in The Pennsylvania Gazette.

First Person Experience Article or Essay: “Drinking Chai to Savannah: Reflections on Identity, Inclusion and Power in the South,” by Anjali Enjeti, writing in Longreads.

Health and Fitness: “When drinkers suffer liver disease, should getting a transplant be so hard?” by Alexandra Fleming, published in The Washington Post.

HONORABLE MENTION:

“How Anti-Choice Lawmakers Are Getting Around Roe v. Wade” by Sarika Chawla, published in Vice Tonic.

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How-to Article: “College Advice I Wish I’d Taken”

by Susan Shapiro, writing in The New York Times.

HONORABLE MENTION:

“The Special Bond of Older Dogs and Older Owners: Money-saving ‘Seniors for Seniors’ pet adoption programs are gaining popularity”

by Jen Reeder, published in PBS’s NextAvenue.org.

June Roth Award for a Medical Article: “Deserted” by Melinda Wenner Moyer, published in Women’s Health.

HONORABLE MENTION:

“After the ICU” by Kenneth Miller, writing in Prevention.

Lifestyle: “A Japanese Baseball Tour: The Healing Power of Baseball in Japan” by Todd Pitock, published in Travel & Leisure Magazine.

HONORABLE MENTION:

“Quest for Gray Ghost: Tracking the Snow Leopard in Ladakh”

by Jill Robinson, writing in The San Francisco Chronicle.

Opinion/Op-Ed: “The Wealthy Are Poised for the End of the World,” by Lara Kristen Herndon, writing in CommonEdge.org.

HONORABLE MENTION:

“A Kindness While Dying” by John Moir, published in Catamaran Literary Reader.

Profiles: “In Pursuit of Justice”

by Julia M. Klein, writing in The Pennsylvania Gazette.

HONORABLE MENTION:

“Homeland Insecurity” by Jack El-Hai, published in the Minnesota Alumni Magazine.

Trade: “When the Target of Bias is the Doctor” by Robin Warshaw, writing in AAMCNews.

BOOKS Biography/History: Through a Glass, Darkly: Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and the Quest to Solve the Greatest Mystery of All by Stefan Bechtel and Laurence Roy Stains.

Children/Young Adult Nonfiction: 50 Wacky Things Animals Do by Tricia Martineau Wagner.

HONORABLE MENTION:

The Encyclopedia of Whales, Dolphins and Porpoises by Erich Hoyt. Published by Firefly Press (US, Canada, UK).

General Nonfiction: Little Soldiers: An American Boy, A Chinese School and the Global Race to Achieve by Lenora Chu. Published

by HarperCollins Books, NYC. HONORABLE MENTION:

The Book of Noticing: Collections and Connections on the Trail by Katherine Hauswirth. Published

by Homebound Publications, Pawcatuck, CT. Memoirs/ Biography/Autobiography: At the Broken Places: A Mother and Trans Son Pick Up the Pieces

by Mary Collins. Published by Beacon Press.

Service/Self-Help: Thriftstyle: The Ultimate Bargain Shopper’s Guide to Smart Fashion

by Allison Engel, Reise Moore and Margaret Engel. Published by Imagine Books.

JUDGES: Aleigh Acerni Ana Gonzalez Ribeiro Angela Bonavoglia Angie Mangino Antonia Malchik Barbara Robertson Bethany Bradsher Bonnie Remsberg Cameron Walker Candy Schulman Caren Chesler Carol Berman Cathleen McCarthy Cheryl Katz Christine Koubek Cindy Kuzma Claire Zulkey Colleen Fliedner Dan Falk Darcy Lewis Darlene West Dean Jobb Debbie Kaplan Deborah Robson Diane Daniel Echo Garrett Elaine Gewirtz Ellen Lee Estelle Erasmus Gerry Souter Helen Wolkowicz Janet Reynolds Jennie Helderman Jennifer Armstrong Jennifer Billock Jennifer Cadoff Jennifer Nelson John Moir John Peragine

JR Brandstrader Kathleen Vyn Kelly Lynch Kim Kavin Kristin Harper Leida Snow Linda Marsa Linda Wolff Loretta Waldman Marcelle Sussman Fischler Martha Murphy Martin Hirsch Maya Kroth Mickey Goodman Milly Dawson Nancy Dunham Nancy Jackson Nicole Slaughter-Graham Pamela Toler Parul Hinzen Rachael Rifkin Randi Mazzella Randy Dotinga Richard Eisenberg Risha Gotlieb Rosemarie Ostler Sandra Gurvis Sarah Shaw Stacey Freed Stephanie Bernaba Suzanne Bowness Tish Davidson Valerie Finholm Victoria clayton Vince Beiser Vince Guerrieri Wendy L Sunshine Zuzana Prochazka Mazine Lipner

The ASJA Writing Awards will be emceed by Joanne Lipman, author of That’s What She Said: What Men Need to Know About Working Together.

Until recently, Joanne was chief content officer of publishing company Gannett, and editor-in-chief of USA TODAY and the USA TODAY NETWORK.

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award winner Conscience in Media DA P H N E CARUANA GALIZIA FROM THE FAMILY OF DAPHNE CARUANA GALIZIA For close to three decades, Daphne Caruana Galizia was Malta’s most influential and widely-read journalist.

As she drove away from her home on October 16, 2017, she was assassinated by a powerful remote-controlled bomb placed under her car seat.

Long a household name in Malta and with a growing international reputation through her work on the Panama Papers, her killing raised concerns globally about press freedom, corruption and the rule of law in Malta, a Mediterranean island that’s fast becoming a backdoor to the European Union, the eurozone and the Schengen area, of which it’s a member.

In December, three Maltese men unknown to Caruana Galizia were charged for their role in executing the crime.

None have been offered a pardon to turn state’s evidence.

The commissioners and intermediaries of what’s widelyviewed as a contract killing remain unidentified. Prominent subjects of Caruana Galizia’s reporting, who may bear responsibility for her death, have not been placed under formal investigation.

Neither has there been an inquiry into whether Caruana Galizia’s assassination could have been prevented, into whether the state bears indirect responsibility for its failure to protect her, or into its role in fostering a hostile environment for critical and independent journalism.

An attempt by an opposition MP to launch an inquiry

into the main investigative strands of Caruana Galizia’s work was defeated by the governing majority in Malta’s parliament last December.

Daphne Caruana Galizia was “the leading light of Maltese journalism” (The Guardian); “Malta’s most prominent investigative reporter” (The Washington Post); and “a one-woman Wikileaks, crusading against untransparency and corruption in Malta, an island nation famous for both” (Politico). Caruana Galizia was investigating Maltese members of government for their use of secret Panamanian companies, an Iranian-owned private bank with links to Maltese and international political figures, and the sale of Maltese passports to Russian oligarchs and strategic State assets to opaque buyers linked to the United States, Pakistan, India, China and Azerbaijan.

Daphne Caruana Galizia’s assassination was not an aberration in an otherwise normal country. Before her death, she was subjected to systematic and escalating intimidation and threats by government officials and their aides and associates. Unprotected by Malta’s institutions, including the police force, the attorneygeneral and the courts, which were systematically captured or cowed by the ruling party, and with only meek and wavering support from the country’s largest media houses, her killing became conceivable.

“THERE ARE CROOKS EVERYWHERE YOU LOOK NOW. THE SITUATION IS DESPERATE.” DA P H N E C A R U A N A G A L I Z I A’ S L A S T W R I T T E N W O R D S , O C T O B E R 1 6 , 2 0 1 7

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ASJA IS 70 YEARS OLD! In 2018, the American Society of Journalists and Authors invites its members and others to celebrate the organization’s past as we build on its foundation so that writers of future generations can benefit from the same legacy that we have inherited. ASJA was founded as the Society of Magazine Writers in 1948. This is a legacy that has led many to establish prosperous and well-respected writing careers.

ASJA’s 70th Anniversary Capital Campaign is designed to generate funds that will strengthen the ASJA Educational Foundation by making the Foundation an educational hub for all nonfiction writers—including those with emerging voices from diverse and underserved communities—providing extensive professional growth via mentoring, coaching and peer networking.

The ASJA Educational Foundation is a known resource that provides scholarships, conferences, podcasts, videocasts, virtual networking among peers and clients, and other specialized niche coursework focused on creating quality journalistic content.

PLEASE HELP FUND THE ASJA-CT EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATION. The goal of $150,000 will enable ASJA to create additional educational programs delivered through an expanded web portal.

Donations will be accepted throughout the conference and via ASJA’s website following the conference.

Brooke Stoddard, Campaign Chair | Neil O'Hara, Campaign Treasurer ASJA CHARITABLE TRUST IS AN EXEMPT ORGANIZATION AS DESCRIBED IN SECTION 501(C)(3) OF THE INTERNAL REVENUE CODE.

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locat

saturday

may 19 LO

CARNEGIE EAST Staff Office

NEW YORK FOYER 7:00am Registration and Exhibitors

CARNEGIE WEST 10:00am - 5:00pm Members Lounge

C AT I O N S

NEW YORK BALLROOM WEST

LIBERTY 3

Breakfast and Networking Breaks

8:00am

S02 Dig Deeper

10:00am

S05 Late Bloomer

NEW YORK BALLROOM EAST

11:15am

S07 New to Pitching

2:30pm

S10 Byline to Brand

9:00am

General Session

3:45pm

S13 Rat Race

1:45pm

General Session

RIVERSIDE SUITE

RIVERSIDE BALLROOM 8:00am

S03 Nailing SEO

8:00am

S01 Pitching Online

10:00am

S06 Foreign Rights

10:00am

S04 Find 100 Clients

11:15am

S09 Women’s Markets

11:15am

S08 Build Your Influence

2:30pm

S12 Write for NY Times

2:30pm

S11 Write True Crime

3:45pm

S15 Personal Essays

3:45pm

S14 Pitch Slam: Agents

4:45pm

Award Winners

HAVE QUESTIONS? WE’VE GOT YOUR ANSWERS.

TWEET US USING #AskmeanythingASJA 14

s03

8:00am - 9:00am

Morning sessions E A R LY RISERS

S01

NAVIGATE | BEGINNER

PITCHING ONLINE OUTLETS Have you considered writing for news or lifestyle sites that don’t have traditional print publications? Learn about the differences (and similarities) and how to prepare your ideas. Plus, learn about The Millennial Freelancer and the new freelance lifestyle.

SESSION SPEAKERS CAROLYN CRIST DANIELLE CORCIONE SEEMA DHAWAN

S02

LYNYA FLOYD LESLEY JANE SEYMOUR

MOTIVATE | MID-CAREER

DIG DEEPER: ASK HARD QUESTIONS Writers must dig deep to create their best stories. That’s no easy task.

Learn how ASJA member Rae Padilla Francouer and others have mastered the art as journalists and memoirists – interviewing police, convicts and sexual assault victims.

SESSION SPEAKERS RAE PADILLA FRANCOEUR MARILYN W. THOMPSON MARY SHANNON LITTLE

LISA ARMSTRONG DAN KENNEDY

CAPTIVATE | ADVANCED

NAILING SEO IN THE AGE OF DIGITAL MEDIA To survive and thrive in today’s world, whether as an independent freelance writer or for a digital media company, you need to know how to crack the Google code. Using data analytics and search engine optimization (SEO) tools, this workshop will provide members with an inside look into how digital publications incorporate SEO into titles for photos and text and choose the right words when producing content. Writers are expected to understand how SEO works—especially when pitching to any digital publication. Learn what your competition already knows about expanding an audience and moving up in Google searches. These knowledgeable SEO professionals will help you get to where you need to go.

SESSION SPEAKERS AMY KRAFT MIRAL SATTAR

DORRI OLDS

Know someone who might be eligible to join ASJA? Send them our way!

ASJA membership has its benefits: 4PROFESSIONAL PROOF YOU ARE A SEASONED WRITER 4INSIDE INFORMATION 4EXCLUSIVE PROGRAMS AND JOB LEADS 4MEMBER DISCOUNTS

Details at asja.org

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S AT U R D AY M AY 1 9 • P U B L I C D AY

10:00am - 11:00am

Late morning sessions

KEYNOTE SPEAKER DA N I E L JONES

k02 9:15am - 9:45am

MODERN LOVE, THE NEW YORK TIMES Daniel Jones has edited the “Modern Love” column in the Sunday Styles section of The New York Times since its inception in 2004. His books include Love Illuminated: Exploring Life’s Most Mystifying Subject (with the Help of 50,000 Strangers), two essay anthologies—Modern Love and The Bastard on the Couch—and the novel After Lucy, which was a finalist for the Barnes & Noble Discover Award. Jones appears weekly on the Modern Love Podcast, a joint production of WBURBoston and The New York Times, which had 20 million downloads in its first year.

He has appeared on NBC’s Today Show, CBS This Morning, ABC News, CNN and NPR, and his writing can be found in The Times, Elle, Parade, Harper’s Bazaar and elsewhere. He lives in Northampton, Massachusetts, and New York City. @danjonesnyt

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BREAK OUTS

NAVIGATE | BEGINNER

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HOW TO FIND 100 (OR MORE) POTENTIAL CONTENT MARKETING CLIENTS During this interactive workshop, you'll learn a three-step process for identifying potential content marketing clients that writers of any level from newbie to experienced can use to expand their client base. Attendees will break into small groups to work through a handout that guides them through the process. Each will leave with a personal list of potential clients.

SESSION SPEAKER | JENNIFER GOFORTH GREGORY

s05

MOTIVATE | MID-CAREER

WHY IT'S A GREAT TIME TO BE A LATE BLOOMER Breakout authors and writers will have a conversation about their reinvention mid-career and pursuing publishing dreams in your 40s, 50s, 60s and beyond. We want to push back against the idea that as we age we become invisible. We'll be talking about why today’s publishing world may be the best yet for late bloomers.

SESSION SPEAKERS ANDREA JARRELL EUGENIA KIM LAUREL DAVIS HUBER

ASJA CONFERENCE 2018 | SPEAKER BIOS BEGIN ON PG 28

ANITA DARCEL TAYLOR KATIE DEVINE

OPEN 10am to 5pm

MEMBERS LOUNGE

S06

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EARN MORE BY SELLING FOREIGN RIGHTS This unique and useful panel will help seasoned and even aspiring book authors learn about the fascinating and potentially lucrative world of selling foreign rights. Whether you want to grow your brand internationally or make more money by reselling your book in multiple territories or languages, Selling Foreign Rights is a panel with five experts who can provide tips for authors who want to sell foreign rights on their own or work more closely with their publisher or literary agent’s foreign rights department.

SESSION SPEAKERS JAN YAGER CECILIA DE LA CAMPA HANNAH BABCOCK

DANA NEWMAN BETH CONWAY

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AGE PACK L L U F $75!

ER A SAVE D ORD N YA TODA

Get audio recordings of sessions you can’t attend or ones you loved and want to revisit.

Find a writer today at: www.freelancewritersearch.com

Come to the ASJA table near registration for onsite discount pricing.

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LISTEN UP!

INTRODUCING ASJA Direct INSIDE INTEL ON GETTING PUBLISHED AND PAID WELL

Join us for the newly launched podcast that is curated and hosted

by Estelle Erasmus, a longtime ASJA member and 2017 New York City Conference Chair.

Sage advice from the following guests is online and ready for download, free of charge to ASJA members. Nonmembers can download a select group of podcasts for $24.99 in the ASJA Store.

SARI BOTTON

TYLER MOSS

Essays Editor for Longreads

Editor-in-Chief of Writer’s Digest

BETH DREHER

KYLE POPE

Features Director at Woman’s Day magazine

Editor and Publisher of the Columbia Journalism Review

MARGARET GUROF

Executive Editor of AARP

HOW TO ACCESS THE PODCASTS

1

Go to ASJA Direct (on the ASJA website, the link is under the section For Writers) and select the podcast you’d like to download.

3

2

You will be redirected to the ASJA Store.

Members must be logged in to the site in order to download the podcast for free.

There is a fee for nonmembers. Once you order the podcast, you’ll receive an email with instructions on how to download the recording.

If you have any trouble accessing the recording or finding your download, please email ASJAoffice@asja.org for technical support.

ASJA .OR G/ASJA D IR E C T

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ASJA CONFERENCE 2018

schedule at a glance MAY 18 & 19 2 0 1 8

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7:30am – 8:00am | Short Sessions Early Risers F01: Nuances of the Verbal Pitch

F02: Parenting & Writing

F03: Polish Your Brand Workshop

8:00am - 9:00am | NEW MEMBER WELCOME 8:00am – 9:00am | Early Morning Sessions Early Risers F04: How to ASK and GET Exactly What You Want

F05: Boosting Your Online Presence for Success

F06: The Big Book Project

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9:00am - 9:15am | INTRODUCTIONS 9:15am - 9:45am | KEYNOTE | Aimee Ross 10:00am – 11:00am | Morning Sessions F07: Welcome Back Long-Form Narrative

LOUNGE OPEN

F08: Re-inventing Your Writing Career

F09: Making Money in Your Sleep: Passive Income for Writers

11:00am – 12:15pm | Early Afternoon Sessions F10: How to Start a Writing Group

F11: Elevating Your Personal Narrative

F12: Editors Who Want Your Pitches

10:00am 12:15pm - 2:00pm | Lunch on Your Own or Lunch Networking Groups to

5:00pm

2:15pm – 3:30pm | Afternoon Sessions F13: How to Turn a Nugget of an Idea into a Book Proposal

F14: How to Break into Travel Writing

F15: Beyond the Wall: Making the Leap from Journalism to Content Marketing

3:45pm – 5:15pm | Late Afternoon Sessions F16: Why Freelancers Need to Talk About Money

F17: The Road to a Published Book

F18: 2018 Social Media: What’s Working and What Isn’t

CLIENT CONNECTIONS 2:30pm to 5:30pm

5:30pm - 6:30pm | Pre-Awards Cocktail Hour 6:30pm - 8:30pm | Cocktail Reception and Awards Ceremony | hosted by Joanne Lipman

8:00am to 5:30pm

SATURDAY, MAY 19 B

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8:00am – 9:00am | Early Risers S01: Pitching Online Outlets

S02: Dig Deeper: Ask Hard Questions

S03: Nailing SEO in the Age of Digital Media

9:00am - 10:00am | KEYNOTE | Daniel Jones 10:00am – 11:00am | Morning Sessions S04: How to Find 100 (or More) Potential Content Marketing Clients

S06: Earn More by Selling Foreign Rights

11:15am – 12:15pm | Early Afternoon Sessions

LOUNGE OPEN 10:00am to 5:00pm

S05: Why It's a Great Time to Be a Late Bloomer

S07: New to Pitching or Publishing?

S08: Build Your Influence and Business

S09: Pitch Slam: Breaking into Women’s Markets

12:15pm - 1:30pm | Lunch on Your Own or Lunch Networking Groups 1:45pm - 2:30pm | KEYNOTE | Katherine Reynolds Lewis 2:30pm – 3:30pm | Afternoon Sessions S10: From Byline to Brand

S11: Breaking into True Crime Writing

S12: How to Write for The New York Times

3:45pm – 5:15pm | Late Afternoon Sessions S13: More Than the Rat Race

S14: Pitch Slam: Agents

4:45pm - 5:15pm | ASJA Award Winners 5:20pm - 5:30pm | Closing Remarks

S15: The Craft of Publishing Powerful Personal Essays

S H E R ATO N N E W YO R K T I M E S

S Q U A R E

H O T E L

floor plan Riverside Ballroom

NEW YORK BALLROOM

side river suite

New York Foyer av

carnegie east

carnegie west elevators elevators

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811 7TH AVENUE 53RD STREET, NEW YORK, NY 10019 call

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(212) 581-1000 | visit sheratonnewyork.com

S U P P O RT T H E A S J A

EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATION Officers of the ASJA Charitable Trust include Sherry Beck Paprocki, president; Milt Toby, vice president; and Howard Baldwin, treasurer.

The ASJA Educational Foundation, founded in 2010, brought ASJA’s longstanding educational outreach under the umbrella of the ASJA Charitable Trust, a 501c3 organization. Dedicated to offering programming and services to all nonfiction writers, ASJA-EF draws on professional writers and editors to offer conferences, seminars, mentoring, and other informational sources to all writers.

Contribute to the ASJA Educational Foundation at asja.org/About/Educational-Foundation

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S AT U R D AY M AY 1 9 • P U B L I C D AY

s08

11:15am - 12:15pm

Early afternoon sessions BREAK OUTS

MOTIVATE | MID-CAREER

BUILD YOUR INFLUENCE AND BUSINESS Twitter is an often overlooked source of work and exposure for professional writers. Learn best practices for becoming an active force on this effective social network, get more work, and build your fan base, too!

SESSION SPEAKER | LINSEY KNERL

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NAVIGATE | BEGINNER

NEW TO PITCHING OR PUBLISHING? Writers often say, “I can’t pitch to that outlet. I don’t have enough experience. I’m not published.” This panel will break down the myths of pitching and show new or never-published writers how to pitch effectively and build clips for their portfolio. The information in this panel will include how to craft a pitch, where to send your pitch and how to proceed if your pitch is accepted or rejected.

SESSION SPEAKERS RUDRI BHATT PATEL SHARON VAN EPPS

JENN MORSON JEN SIMON

s09

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PITCH SLAM: BREAKING INTO WOMEN’S MARKETS Five assigning editors from prestigious women’s markets will share their best tips. Attendees will learn exactly what each editor is looking for, including specifics on how they want to receive pitches — pasted into the email body or attached, and which days and times are best and worst for pitching. During the slow torture of waiting for an editor’s reply, we worry that our pitch didn’t stand out or got lost in a spam folder. You’ll learn each publication’s follow-up preferences, lead time and when it is okay to try another market. You’ll leave armed with specifics and personal connections. Attendees: Bring a pitch to read and panelists will provide feedback as time allows.

MODERATOR | SHERRY AMATENSTEIN

SESSION SPEAKERS MOLLY SIMMS, O Magazine BETH DREHER, Woman’s Day JESS GROSE, Lenny Letter

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ASJA CONFERENCE 2018 | SPEAKER BIOS BEGIN ON PG 28

CARI ROMM, New York Magazine’s “The Cut” JEANNIE RALSTON, Next Tribe

12:30pm to 2:00pm

Lunch on Your Own or Lunch Networking Groups

BREAK FOR LUNCH

KEYNOTE SPEAKER K AT H E R I N E REYNOLDS LEWIS

k03 1:45pm - 2:30pm

THE GOOD NEWS ABOUT BAD BEHAVIOR

Support the

Katherine Reynolds Lewis is an award-winning independent journalist, author and speaker based in the Washington, D.C., area. Her book, The Good News About Bad Behavior (PublicAffairs, April 2018), grew out of her school discipline story for Mother Jones that became the magazine’s most-read piece ever. Katherine contributes to The Atlantic, Fortune magazine, USA Today’s magazine group, The Washington Post and Working Mother magazine.

Her byline has also appeared in Bloomberg Businessweek, MSN Money, Money, The New York Times, Parade, Slate, and The Washington Post Magazine. In two decades as a journalist, Katherine’s work has won recognition from the Society of American Business Editors and Writers, the Society of Professional Journalists and the Chicago Headline Club. She has received fellowships from the Logan Nonfiction Program at the Carey Institute for Global Good, the National Press Foundation, the Poynter Institute/Association of Opinion Journalists and the University of Maryland’s Casey Journalism Center.

Residencies include Moulin à Nef, Ragdale and the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts. @KatherineLewis

WRITERS EMERGENCY ASSISTANCE FUND

so it will be there for you if you ever need it. Learn more at: asja.org/weaf Officers of the ASJA Charitable Trust include Janine Latus and Milton Toby

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S AT U R D AY M AY 1 9 • P U B L I C D AY

s11

MOTIVATE | MID-CAREER

BREAKING INTO TRUE CRIME WRITING Cold case, hot book: Learn how to captivate publishers and readers by writing about true crime. This session will offer insight into finding a gripping topic, locating sources, gathering information and writing in a compelling manner. We’ll also discuss the nitty-gritty of finding an agent, working with a publisher and publicizing your work.

SESSION SPEAKERS BLAINE PARDOE VICTORIA HESTER

DEAN JOBB RANDY DOTINGA

2:30pm - 3:30pm

afternoon sessions BREAK OUTS

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HOW TO WRITE FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES

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NAVIGATE | BEGINNER

FROM BYLINE TO BRAND As writers, we’re often the ones interviewing sources but rarely consider being a source as a form of marketing our work. Although we often shun “exposure” as a form of compensation, exposure as a marketing tactic can help build your platform and make you more desirable to editors. This workshop will lead attendees through the process of building a marketing plan for themselves.

SESSION SPEAKER | MEGY KARYDES

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Want to write for the Gray Lady? Sure you do! Take it from someone who’s been doing that since 1990. Caitlin Kelly can explain what The New York Times editors want most, what they want least, and how to win that byline you covet. Kelly, a full-time freelancer in Tarrytown, NY, has worked with more than a dozen editors there and published more than 50 stories in The Times — in real estate, homes, travel, culture, special sections, regional editions, business and sports. She had five dress-page stories in Bizday within a year (and she’ll explain Timesian terminology like “dress page”). Her stories have consistently become some of the day’s most-read and most-emailed. This lively session will offer insights into how the editors at The Times think and what they expect from every writer and every story.

SESSION SPEAKER | CAITLIN KELLY

ASJA CONFERENCE 2018 | SPEAKER BIOS BEGIN ON PG 28

s15

3:45pm - 5:15pm

LATE afternoon sessions BREAK OUTS

S13

NAVIGATE | BEGINNER

MORE THAN THE RAT RACE Freelancing in the digital age is a tricky business that promises flexibility and freedom but often delivers stress and fatigue. In this session, attendees will learn how to avoid burnout and find balance in an always plugged-in, busy world. Attendees will walk away with practical strategies to achieve not only a flourishing career but a flourishing life.

CAPTIVATE | ADVANCED

THE CRAFT OF PUBLISHING POWERFUL PERSONAL ESSAYS In this combination session/workshop, participants (who should come prepared to write) will learn or enhance the craft of writing powerful personal essays, including how to build an arc, powerful openings and resonant endings, and getting an editor's interest with provocative titles.

The second part of this workshop will include specific editing/writing exercises to generate ideas and grab your reader’s attention instantly.

Afterward, we will provide on-the-spot assessments of your essay’s opening line and discuss today’s top markets for essays.

SESSION SPEAKERS ESTELLE ERASMUS

CANDY SCHULMAN

SESSION SPEAKER | HILARY SUTTON

S14

MOTIVATE | MID-CAREER

PITCH SLAM: AGENTS Here’s your chance to pitch your book to top literary agents and get instant feedback while making crucial connections. Be prepared with a snappy 90-second summary of your non-fiction book pitch and get ready for your big moment at the microphone!

SESSION SPEAKERS RANDY DOTINGA BETH VESEL

LEIGH EISENMAN ALBERT LAFARGE

S16 ASJA AWARD WINNERS 4:45Pm – 5:15pm JACK EL-HAI

Meet this year’s ASJA Award Winners celebrated during Friday night's ceremony and hear the stories behind their successes. Former ASJA President and past ASJA award winner Jack El-Hai will lead the conversation and wrap the conference with this inspiring session.

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2018 A S J A

Ben Adams

Ben Adams an Executive Editor at PublicAffairs Books.

Works he’s published include the New York Times bestseller The Phenomenon by Rick Ankiel, Garry Kasparov’s Winter is Coming, David Sax’s The Revenge of Analog, and Peter Pomerantsev’s Nothing is True and Everything is Possible. Other authors he has worked with include Gregg Easterbrook, Anya Kamenetz, Katherine Lewis, Juan Williams, and Martin Seligman. In his career, Ben has acquired and published books in a wide variety of categories, including sports, science, current affairs, economics, history, food, humor, memoir and more.

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Cheryl Alkon

Cheryl Alkon has covered health, medicine, wellness, parenting, and business for publications including EverydayHealth.com, Quest magazine, and USA Today.

She is the author of Balancing Pregnancy With Pre-Existing Diabetes: Healthy Mom, Healthy Baby and lives with her family in Massachusetts. @sherapynyc

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Sherry Amatenstein

Sherry Amatenstein is a former magazine editor and author of four books, including the anthology, HOW DOES THAT MAKE YOU FEEL? True Confessions from Both Sides of the Therapy Couch. She has written for many publications, including Washington Post, New York, Playboy, Vox, Reader’s Digest, Woman’s Day and Dame. @Lyrehca ____________________________________________________________________________________________

Lisa Armstrong

Lisa Armstrong is an award-winning journalist with credits in The New York Times, The Atlantic, The Intercept, The Daily Beast, and The New Yorker. She has reported from several countries, including Sierra Leone, Kenya, the Philippines, and Haiti. She reports on juvenile incarceration and is an associate professor at the CUNY Graduate School of Journalism. @LisaArmstrong _____________________________________________________________________________________________

Candy Arrington

Candy Arrington speaks and writes on challenging topics.

Her ability to provide practical applications and use stories to get her message across elicits audience connection.

Candy enjoys teaching writers to optimize their message to reach readers and hone their ideas to spark the interest of editors, agents, and publishers. @CandyArrington

W R I T E R S

C O N F E R E N C E

Hannah Babcock

Hannah Babcock is assistant manager of Subsidiary Rights for New York-based Abrams publishing company. Previously she was assistant scout for Baker Literary Scouting. _____________________________________________________________________________________________

Sherry Beck Paprocki

ASJA President Sherry Beck Paprocki is an award-winning journalist and author. Her company, R.S. Rock Media, Inc., creates print and digital products for clients. Paprocki was recently named one of Folio’s 2018 Top Women in Media in the motivator category. @sherrypaprocki _____________________________________________________________________________________________

Cara Bedick

Cara Bedick is a Senior Editor at Touchstone, where she acquires and edits non-fiction titles with a focus on health and wellness, lifestyle, self-help, business, parenting, education, and science. Spring 2018 titles include Preschool Clues by Angela C. Santomero, M.A. and illustrated memoir Many Love by Sophie Johnson. @CaraBedick

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Stuart Bernstein

Stuart Bernstein runs Stuart Bernstein Representation for Artists, a literary and lecture agency based in New York City. A former bookseller, Bernstein has represented writers, translators, artists and photographers. Agency authors with recent and forthcoming books include Julia Alvarez, Diana Beresford-Kroeger, Mark Beauregard, Beverly Gray and Cherríe Moraga. @agentStB _____________________________________________________________________________________________

Rudri Bhatt Patel

Rudri Bhatt Patel is a lawyer turned writer and editor.

She is the co-founder and editor of The Sunlight Press and on staff at Literary Mama. Her work has appeared in The Washington Post, ESPN, Saveur, Brain, Child Magazine, Role Reboot, Mothers Always Write, and Parent.Co. She is currently working on a memoir on the Hindu culture. @beingrudri _____________________________________________________________________________________________

Michelle Blankenship

Michelle Blankenship worked 16 years as a publicist at John Wiley & Sons, Picador USA, Harcourt, and Bloomsbury. Her former in-house authors included Günter Grass, Jesmyn Ward, Umberto Eco, Kaye Gibbons, Roger Angell, Emma Donoghue, Mohsin Hamid, and Ursula K. Le Guin. She founded Blankenship Public Relations in April 2013. @IAmMBlankenship

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speaker bios Sari Botton

Sari Botton is a writer living in Kingston, New York.

She's the essays editor for Longreads, and edited of the award-winning anthology Goodbye to All That: Writers on Loving and Leaving NY and its New York Timesbestselling follow-up, Never Can Say Goodbye: Writers on Their Unshakable Love for NY. @saribotton

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Suzanne (Sue) Bowness

Suzanne (Sue) Bowness is a Toronto-based writer/editor with 17 years of experience. She has written for national publications and organizations in the higher education, technology, and business sectors. With a PhD in English and focus on nineteenth-century Canadian magazines, Sue teaches writing in a one-year post-graduate writing program she helped to create at Humber College in Toronto. @codeword

Peter Catapano

Peter Catapano, opinion editor at The New York Times, develops and edited series The Stone, Home Fires, and Anxiety. Currently he is the editor for the Disability column.

His books include Modern Ethics in 77 Arguments: A Stone Reader, and The Stone Reader: Modern Philosophy in 133 Arguments. @petercatapano

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Beth Conway

Beth Conway is the foreign and subsidiary rights manager at Sounds True Inc. She has worked in bookselling and publishing for close to 20 years and is based in Brooklyn, New York. She has experience with international rights and sales for HarperCollins Australia and, in the United States, at Sterling Publishing. @Bethsta

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Amy Brecount White

Amy Brecount White’s travel pieces — covering everything from plein air painting festivals to whale watching — have appeared in The Washington Post, Arlington magazine, Bethesda magazine, and Chesapeake Views. She’s focused mostly on mid-Atlantic travel but plans to expand her wanderings now that she’s an empty nester. @amybrecountwhit _____________________________________________________________________________________________

Damon Brown

Damon Brown is a former ASJA board member and author of several books, most recently The Ultimate Bite-Sized Entrepreneur, the latest in his self-published best-selling series. Damon also writes a daily online column for Inc. Magazine. He focuses on helping solopreneurs and side hustlers through his popular self-guided bootcamp at JoinDamon.me. @browndamon _____________________________________________________________________________________________

Jill Caryl Weiner

Jill Caryl Weiner is a journalist and author. She’s written articles and essays for The New York Times and New York Magazine among other publications and websites.

Her best-selling memory book for new parents, When We Became Three, led to her new book, When We Became Four, which welcomes baby #2. @JillCarylWeiner

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ASJA CONFERENCE 2018

Danielle Corcione

Danielle Corcione is a freelance journalist based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Their work has appeared in Teen Vogue, Esquire, Playboy, Vice, and more. They are the founder of The Millennial Freelancer. To learn more about their work, visit @decorcione

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Carolyn Crist

Carolyn Crist is a freelance journalist who covers health, medicine, business and technology. She worked as a staff reporter for three daily newspapers and now writes for Reuters, Men’s Health, Wired and others. She teaches journalism at the University of Georgia and co-owns a printing and framing studio in Georgia. @cristcarolyn

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Lilly Dancyger

Lilly Dancyger is the memoir editor of Narratively and an instructor of personal essay writing at Catapult.

Her personal essays have appeared in The Rumpus, Psychology Today, The Washington Post, and more. She is currently at work on her first book, an illustrated memoir about her father’s art and addiction. @lillydancyger

2018 A S J A

Anita Darcel Taylor

Anita Darcel Taylor’s essay “Summer Storm” was nominated for a Pushcart Prize. “By My Own Hand” was featured in the Massachusetts General Hospital symposiums. Her essay, published in the Bellevue Literary Review’s Landscapes of the Mind, was highlighted in The New York Times. She received an MFA from Bennington College. @AnitaDTaylor

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W R I T E R S

C O N F E R E N C E

Randy Dotinga

Former ASJA president Randy Dotinga is a former newspaper reporter and has been a full-time freelance writer since 1999. He specializes in health/medicine, politics, history, and the odd and unusual. Dotinga has written for dozens of publications from the L.A. Times to U.S. News & World Report, and he’s a longtime book critic with The Christian Science Monitor. @rdotinga

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Laurel Davis Huber

Laurel Davis Huber grew up in Rhode Island and Oklahoma and graduated from Smith College. Her debut novel, The Velveteen Daughter, won the 2017 David J. Langum, Sr. Prize for American Historical Fiction. Library Journal’s starred review calls the book “a masterpiece.”

She author now lives in New Jersey. @huber_laurel

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Beth Dreher

Beth Dreher is Features Director at Woman’s Day magazine, a publication that reaches millions of readers each month. A veteran of the media industry, Dreher crafts compelling, inspiring stories and essays that capture the attention of a diverse audience. Her writing appears in BuzzFeed, Reader's Digest and Runner’s World. @bethdreher10 _____________________________________________________________________________________________

Cecilia de la Campa

Cecilia de la Campa is the executive director of global licensing and domestic partnerships at Writers House, a New York City-based literary agency. She focuses on children’s and young-adult books for global licensing and oversees the complete list of authors and titles for domestic rights channels, including audio, theater, film & television, and educational reprinting. @CdelaCampa

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Nancy Dunham

Nancy Dunham is a freelance writer whose clients include People magazine, AARP, Automotive News, USA Today, MoneyTalksNews/MSN, Woman’s World, A&E Real Crime blog and other national publications.

Dunham was a newspaper reporter, magazine editor and publisher. She is also a founding board member of the Association of Healthcare Journalists and lives in Alexandria, Va. @NancyDWrites

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Katie Devine

Katie Devine has worked on the publishing side of beauty and fashion magazines for fifteen years.

She recently completed a sabbatical spent traveling, moving across the country and writing two books, a memoir and a novel. Her work has appeared on Huffington Post, Role Reboot and The Manifest-Station, among others. @katiejdevine

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Richard Eisenberg

Richard Eisenberg is managing editor of PBS’ Nextavenue.org, a site for people 50+, and editor of its oney and Work channels. He writes book reviews for People magazine and freelances for numerous outlets.

He is author of How to Avoid a Midlife Financial Crisis and The Money Book of Personal Finance. @richieis315

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Seema Dhawan

Seema Dhawan is a journalist and media strategist.

She has contributed to publications including USA Today, WestJet Airline’s magazine, and Huffington Post Alberta, where she was one of three founding editors.

Seema has used her digital media expertise to help clients increase revenue and readership. @seemaddhawan

Leigh Eisenman

Leigh Eisenman is an agent with Hannigan Salky Getzler, where she has worked since 2015. She represents and is actively seeking writers of literary and upmarket commercial fiction and nonfiction authors in food, health/ wellness, pop culture, animals, humor, and illustrated books of all stripes.

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speaker bios Jack El-Hai

Former ASJA president and past ASJA award winner Jack El-Hai writes about medicine, science, and history.

His books include The Nazi and the Psychiatrist and The Lobotomist, and he has contributed more than 600 articles and essays to The Atlantic, GQ, Scientific American Mind, Discover, Wired, and other publications. @Jack El-Hai

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Estelle Erasmus

Estelle Erasmus is an award-winning journalist, writing coach and former magazine editor-in-chief. She was the ASJA NYC 2017 conference chair, hosts the ASJA Direct podcast, and teaches pitching and personal essay writing for Writer’s Digest. Her essays have been published in The New York Times, The Washington Post, Salon, Brain, Child and more. @EstelleSErasmus

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Jennifer L.W. Fink

Jennifer L.W. Fink is a writer, editor, podcaster and mother of four boys. Her writing has appeared in The Washington Post, Parents, Boys’ Life, FOX News, U. S. News and World Report and Parade. Jennifer is also the creator of BuildingBoys.net and a member of ASJA’s board of directors.] @jlwf _____________________________________________________________________________________________

Jennifer Goforth Gregory

Jennifer Goforth Gregory has written professionally for more than 20 years and specializes in content marketing writing. Her clients include IBM, Adobe, Samsung, Verizon, Salesforce, AT&T, and Allstate.

She also writes a popular blog for content marketing writers, The Content Marketing Writer. @ByJenGregory

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Beverly Gray

Beverly Gray authored two showbiz biographies, Roger Corman: Blood-Sucking Vampires, Flesh-Eating Cockroaches, and Driller Killers and Ron Howard: From Mayberry to the Moon … and Beyond. To commemorate the film’s 50th anniversary, Algonquin recently published Beverly’s Seduced by Mrs. Robinson: How ‘The Graduate’ Became the Touchstone of a Generation. @Bev_Movieland _____________________________________________________________________________________________

Jessica Grose

Jessica Grose is the editor of Lenny Letter, an email newsletter and website. She also writes about women’s issues, family, culture, and grizzly bears.

She was named one of LinkedIn’s Next Wave top professionals 35 and under in 2016. She is the author of two novels, Soulmates and Sad Desk Salad. @JessGrose

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Lynya Floyd

Lynya Floyd is the health director at Family Circle and has been an editor at Glamour, Essence, Sevetion, Heart & Soul, Parenting and more. She’s also a life coach and wellness expert who has been on The Today Show, The Dr. Oz Show, Fox News, The Doctors, NPR and more. @LynyaFloyd

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Wendy Helfenbaum

Wendy Helfenbaum, an ASJA Board Member, is a Montreal-based writer, TV producer, and mother of one.

She is adamant about taking six weeks off every summer for unplugged family time, and never brings a laptop on vacation. @WendyHelfenbaum

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Laura Fredricks

Laura Fredricks, JD, is the billion dollar A$K maker powerhouse and CEO and founder of THE A$K©. For more than 27 years, she has advised nonprofits and businesses on how to A$K for money … and more of it. She has written five books, including THE A$K© and her latest book: THE ASK: For Business, For Philanthropy, and EveryDay Living. @EXPERTonTHEASK _____________________________________________________________________________________________

Amy Gash

Amy Gash is an executive editor at Algonquin Books.

Bestselling and award-winning books she has worked on include Ariel Sabar’s My Father's Paradise, Richard Louv’s Last Child in the Woods, B.A. Shapiro's The Art Forger, Empire of Deception by Dean Jobb and Seduced by Mrs. Robinson by Beverly Gray.

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ASJA CONFERENCE 2018

Victoria R. Hester

Victoria R. Hester is an award-winning and accomplished author of three true crime books with a concentration on cold cases. A registered nurse by night and author and investigator by day, she co-authors with her father, making them the only father-daughter duo writing in the true crime genre. @trentonzmommy

2018 A S J A

Wayne Hoffman

Wayne Hoffman, executive editor at Tablet Magazine, also oversees Tablet’s Life & Religion section. He served as managing editor at The Forward and Billboard. His novels include An Older Man, Hard, and Sweet Like Sugar. His work has appeared in anthologies and The Washington Post, Village Voice, The Nation, The Forward, and The Advocate. _____________________________________________________________________________________________

Jeanette Hurt

Jeanette Hurt is an award-winning journalist and author of nine culinary and drink books, most recently Drink Like a Woman on the history of the female bartender. She has written about spirits, wine, and food for The Kitchn, Wine Enthusiast, and Esquire and has done extensive recipe development and ghostwriting. @ByJeanetteHurt

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Andrea Jarrell

Andrea Jarrell’s debut memoir I’m the One Who Got Away was named one of the best books of 2017 by Kirkus Reviews and nominated for the National Book Critics Circle Award. Her essays have appeared in The New York Times “Modern Love” column, Harper’s Bazaar, Literary Hub, among many other publications. @AndreaJarrell

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Dean Jobb

Dean Jobb is a creative nonfiction faculty member at the University of King’s College in Halifax, Nova Scotia. He has written seven books and appeared in major publications in Canada, the U.S. and Britain. His latest book, Empire of Deception, was the Chicago Writers Association Book of the Year and won the Crime Writers of Canada Award for true crime. @DeanJobb

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Christopher Johnston

Christopher Johnston has published more than 3,000 articles in numerous regional and national publications, including American Theatre, Christian Science Monitor, History Magazine and Scientific American. His book, Shattering Silences: Strategies to Prevent Sexual Assault, Heal Survivors, and Bring Assailants to Justice (Skyhorse) was published on May 1. @seechriswrite

W R I T E R S

C O N F E R E N C E

Lottie Joiner

Lottie Joiner is the editor of The Crisis magazine, the official publication of the NAACP, and a board member of the American Society of Journalists and Authors. She is an award-winning journalist who covers social justice, civil rights, race and ethnicity. She writes frequently about the Civil Rights Movement and has been published in The Washington Post, USA Today, The Daily Beast and Time.com. _____________________________________________________________________________________________

Megy Karydes

Megy Karydes is a Chicago-based writer whose byline has appeared in Rodale's Organic Life, USA Today, The Atlantic’s CityLab, National Geographic’s The Plate, Politico.com, Fortune.com, Forbes.com, Chicago Tribune and other outlets. She regularly writes about health, entrepreneurship, marketing, food, travel, and sustainability. @megy

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Caitlin Kelly

Caitlin Kelly is a National Magazine Award-winning freelance writer and winner of five journalism fellowships.

A former journalism professor at New York University and Concordia University, her work has appeared in The New York Times, Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, Town & Country, and Glamour. @caitlinkellynyc _____________________________________________________________________________________________

Dan Kennedy

Dan Kennedy is a journalism professor at Northeastern University and a nationally known media commentator.

He is on WGBH-TV’s “Beat the Press” and writes for WGBHNews.org and the Nieman Journalism Lab. His new book is The Return of the Moguls: How Jeff Bezos and John Henry Are Remaking Newspapers for the Twenty-First Century. @DanKennedy_nu

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Eugenia Kim

Eugenia Kim’s debut novel, The Calligrapher’s Daughter, won the Borders Original Voices Award, was shortlisted for the Dayton Literary Peace Prize, and was a Washington Post Best Historical Novel and Critic’s Pick. Her second novel, The Kinship of Secrets, is forthcoming from Houghton Mifflin Harcourt in fall 2018. @Eugenia_Kim

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speaker bios Andrea King Collier

Andrea King Collier is a multimedia journalist, author and writing coach. Her work appears in the Atlantic, O the Oprah Magazine, NBCBLK, Salon and others. She is the author of Still With Me ... A Daughter's Journey of Love and Loss and The Black Woman’s Guide to Black Men’s Health. @andreacollier _____________________________________________________________________________________________

Janine Latus

Janine Latus is the author of If I Am Missing or Dead, a New York Times bestselling memoir that tells the story of two sisters who date angry and controlling men. One breaks free and thrives, the other is murdered by her live-in boyfriend.

Janine is the sister who survived, and she wrote her book to shine a light on the many facets of relationship abuse. @JanineAuthor _____________________________________________________________________________________________

Linsey Knerl

Linsey Knerl is a Nebraska native with 10 years of experience as a full-time freelance blogger, author, and public speaker. Her experience managing online communities for brands has given her a unique perspective on social media and has allowed her to create digital content for startups across the United States. @LKnerl

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Mary-Kate Mackey

Mary-Kate Mackey is the author of Write Better Right Now: The Reluctant Writer’s Guide to Confident Communication and Self-assured Style. She honed her signature teaching tools during her 14 years at the University of Oregon’s Journalism School. She has conducted her popular writing workshops at conferences around the United States. @MaryKateMackey _____________________________________________________________________________________________

Christine Koubek

Christine Koubek is an award-winning writer, and writing coach. Her travel stories and essays have appeared in The Washington Post, Poets & Writers, Coastal Living, and Washingtonian, among others. She also writes Bethesda and Arlington magazines’ “Get Away’ column and contributes to TripAdvisor’s “CruiseCritic” and FamilyVacationCritic.com. @CKstories

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Amy Kraft

Amy Kraft is senior editor of Everyday Health, a digital health publication with 18 million monthly visitors and 2 million social media followers. She covers gastrointestinal disorders and heart health. Kraft worked at CBSNews.com, where her stories ranked as the site's most popular posts. @akraft22 sports, travel, and urbanism.

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Carolyn Malcoun

Carolyn Malcoun, senior food editor at EatingWell magazine, splits her time between cooking, writing and editing content. Malcoun’s writing appears in SevenFifty Daily, Cooking Light, Women's Health, Fitness, DRAFT Magazine and Vegetarian Times. She has a journalism degree from University of Wisconsin-Madison and graduated froom the New England Culinary Institute. @cmalcoun

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Doreen McGettigan

As the president of Intrepid Marketing, Inc., Doreen McGettigan coaches on all things writing, publishing and marketing. She has written for numerous Philadelphia newspapers and magazines and is a best-selling author, sought-after ghostwriter and award-winning blogger. @doreenb8

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Albert LaFarge

Albert LaFarge, PhD, is the founder of The Albert LaFarge Literary Agency, which focuses deeply informed, accessible nonfiction — biography, history, memoir, essays and reportage in the areas of art and design, business, music, science, sports, travel, and urbanism.

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Laura Laing

Laura Laing is the author of three books and long-form narrative pieces that highlight the trans community, teenagers with HIV/AIDS, and the oldest gay bar in Baltimore. Her recent essays have appeared in The Rumpus Full Grown People, Creative Non-Fiction, and Consequence. She is working on a memoir about love and mathematics. @llaingwriter

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ASJA CONFERENCE 2018

Kimberley Moran

Kimberley Moran is a senior digital editor for WeAreTeachers and School Leaders Now. She’s also a literacy expert with extensive training and experience in education. She is the author of Hacking Parenthood. @kimberleygmoran

2018 A S J A

Jenn Morson

Jenn Morson is a writer/journalist and ASJA member from Washington, D.C., whose work has appeared in The Washington Post, Reader's Digest, SELF Magazine, Racked.com, WhattoExpect.com, and more. Her areas of expertise include health, pregnancy, parenting, adoption, fashion, pop culture, and personal essay. @jennmorson

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Dana Newman

Dana Newman is a Los Angeles-based independent literary agent (Dana Newman Literary Agency LLC) who represents authors of practical and narrative non-fiction and a select number of literary and upmarket fiction.

She’s also a transactional and intellectual property attorney with Raines Feldman LLP, focusing on publishing law, contracts, copyrights, trademarks, and licensing. @DanaNewman

W R I T E R S

C O N F E R E N C E

Christine Parizo

Christine Parizo, freelance B2B technology content marketing writer and journalist, focuses on manufacturing technology and business. She specializes in case studies, white papers, and feature articles and excels at content marketing because she knows what buyers look for and how to write content that speaks directly to them. @cparizo

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Lisa Rabasca Roepe

Lisa Rabasca Roepe is a full-time freelance writer and Forbes contributor who writes about women in the workplace, technology and beer and spirits. Her work has appeared in Fast Company, Ozy, Good, The Atlantic’s CityLab, Quartz, Eater, Men’s Journal, The Costco Connection and Sage Publications. She is an ASJA member. @lisarab

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Dorri Olds

Dorri Olds is an award-winning freelance writer whose work appears in top outlets including The New York Times, Marie Claire, Woman's Day and eight book anthologies.

She's a whiz at social media with expertise in branding, SEO, and content marketing and teaches writers timesaving tips and tricks to build their brands. @DorriOlds

Jeannie Ralston

Jeannie Ralston is the editor of NextTribe.com, an online magazine for smart, engaged women over 45. Ralston’s work appears in National Geographic, The New York Times, Conde Nast Traveler and others. She was a contributing editor for Allure, Ladies Home Journal and Parenting. Her memoir, The Unlikely Lavender Queen, focuses on her years growing lavender.

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Rae Padilla Francoeur

Rae Padilla Francoeur, author of the erotic literary memoir Free Fall, publishes articles, essays, short stories, and twice-monthly book reviews for GateHouse Media that run in newspapers nationally. Former creative director at the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem, she founded New Arts Collaborative, an arts/nonprofit marketing and publicity business. @RaeAF

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Blaine L. Pardoe

Blaine L. Pardoe is an award-winning New York Times Bestselling author of true crime, military history, and science fiction books. A graduate of Central Michigan University, he has been a featured speaker at the National Archives, the U.S. Naval Academy, and has appeared on numerous TV and radio programs discussing his work. @bpardoe870

Cari Romm

Cari Romm is an editor at New York magazine’s “The Cut,” where she handles sex and relationship coverage and edits health features for the site’s Science of Us section.

Previously, she was a digital editor for health and science at The Atlantic and has written for Smithsonian and The Village Voice. @cariromm _____________________________________________________________________________________________

Rita Rosenkranz

Rita Rosenkranz is a well-established agent who began her career as an editor. She represents adult non-fiction on a variety of topics, working with major publishing houses as well as regional niche publishers. Rita is a member of the Association of Authors’ Representatives (AAR), The Authors Guild, and Women’s Media Group.

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speaker bios Lisa Rowan

Lisa Rowan is a senior writer and on-air analyst at The Penny Hoarder, where she covers retail and consumer affairs topics. She also co-hosts “Pop Fashion,’ a weekly podcast at the intersection of fashion, culture, and business. Her work has appeared in Racked, Cleaver Magazine, The Washington Post, and more. @Lisatella

Mary Shannon Little

Mary Shannon Little is a former federal prosecutor turned private investigator. She is working on her memoir and has published in Visible Ink, an anthology published by Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, and op-eds in The Washington Post, Huffington Post, and Wired.com. @realmarylittle

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Pat Ryan

Pat Ryan’s writing on movies, music and literature has appeared in The New York Times, where she was an editor in the culture department. Her book, Marilyn & the New York Itch, won second place in the 2017 Del Sol Press Prize for First Novel.

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Miral Sattar

Miral Sattar is founder and CEO of Biblio Crunch and Learn Self Publishing Fast, a marketplace that matches authors with professionals for books and apps. In media for 11 years, Sattar launched digital initiatives at Time (iPad and mobile site, apps, video and podcast channel, blogs, SEO). Her writing appears in Time, CNN and NY Daily News. @miralsattar

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Candy Schulman

Candy Schulman is an award-winning writer whose essays have appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, Salon, Glamour, Parents, among others. She has received notable honors in Best American Essays. She is a creative writing professor at The New School in Greenwich Village and a private writing coach. @candyschulman

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Lesley Jane Seymour

Lesley Jane Seymour is a media entrepreneur and founder of CoveyClub, a new club for life-long learners that launched in February 2018. Seymour was editorin-chief of More, Marie Claire, Redbook, and YM. She is the author of two books: On the Edge, 100 Years of Vogue and I Wish My Parents Understood. @lesleyjseymour

Shannon Shelton Miller

Shannon Shelton Miller balances a full-time role as associate director of news and internal communications at the University of Dayton with a part-time freelance career and a 24/7 job raising two active little boys. She has been published in The New York Times, The Washington Post, ESPN.com, Marie Claire, Redbook, Cosmopolitan and Huffington Post. @ShannonSMWrites _____________________________________________________________________________________________

Ellen Sheng

Ellen Sheng is a writer and editor focused on business, finance and US-Asia investment. She was previously a staff reporter at Dow Jones/The Wall Street Journal in New York and Hong Kong. @ellensheng

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Molly Simms

Molly Simms is senior editor at O, the Oprah magazine, and has had stints at Entertainment Weekly, BUST Magazine, and Kirkus Reviews. She lives in Brooklyn and once cried with joy while interviewing Paul Reubens.

Yes, she has met Oprah. @themollysimms _____________________________________________________________________________________________

Jen Simon

Jen Simon writes about addiction, depression, and parenting for The Washington Post, Yahoo, Cosmopolitan, and Slate. Although she specializes in heavy topics, she’s a funny lady — her tweets and memes have been featured repeatedly in “funniest of” round-ups for The Today Show, Huffington Post, Babble, and more. @nosleepinbklyn

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Sree Sreenivasan

Sree Sreenivasan is a leading social and digital media consultant who works with nonprofits, startups, and companies around the world. He’s served as chief digital officer of New York City, Metropolitan Museum of Art, and Columbia University. He's been named one of the 35 most influential people in social media. @sree

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ASJA CONFERENCE 2018

2018 A S J A

Court Stroud

Court Stroud is a writer and a longtime media executive who has worked for Univision, Telemundo, CBS, and digital startups, including the leading content marketing software and services company, Skyword. He is founder and managing partner of the Cledor Group, a consulting practice specializing in entertainment, media, and content marketing. @CourtStroudNYC

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Hilary Sutton

Hilary Sutton is a Washington, D.C.,-based consultant, coach, writer, and speaker. She is the author of three courses and two ebooks, including More in Less: 21 Productivity Hacks for Creatives, Blogging: Grow Your Business with Content, Going Freelance, and Get Your Dream Off the Ground. @hilarysutton _____________________________________________________________________________________________

W R I T E R S

C O N F E R E N C E

Sharon Van Epps

Sharon Van Epps is a Seattle-based freelancer who writes about parenting, adoption, family, food, travel, and youth sports. Her work has appeared online at Redbook, Good Housekeeping, Brain, Child, ESPNW, The Kitchn, The Washington Post, The New York Times and more. She is on twitter @sharonvanepps

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Beth Vesel

Beth Vesel founded The Beth Vesel Literary Agency in 2003. She is known for her work with academics, psychiatrists, psychologists and other professionals in helping them transition to authors of landmark books. Her areas of specialty include narrative nonfiction, literary fiction, cultural criticism, psychology, psychiatry, science, health and memoir. ____________________________________________________________________________________________

Lauren Taylor Shute

Lauren Taylor Shute is the founder of Lauren Taylor Shute Editorial, a full-service editorial firm based in New York City that works with writers to perfect their manuscripts and find representation or publication. She has been featured in Forbes, Fast Company, and Glamour magazine. @LTSEditorial

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Marilyn W. Thompson

Marilyn W. Thompson is deputy national enterprise and Sunday editor at The Washington Post. At the Post, she has been assistant managing editor for investigations, national editor and metro projects editor. She’s worked on projects for Los Angeles Times, The New York Times and Kaiser Health News.

She is the author or co-author of four non-fiction books.

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Debra Wallace

Debra Wallace has more than 30 years of experience as an award-winning journalist, author, online content provider, and public speaker. Debra has published more than 5,000 articles in major magazines and newspapers in the U.S., Canada and 35 countries. Her work was prominently featured in Family Circle, Fitness, Good Housekeeping and more. _____________________________________________________________________________________________

Jan Yager

Jan Yager, PhD, is the director of foreign rights for Hannacroix Creek Books, Inc. Over the years, for her own books as well as for clients, Jan has sold foreign rights in 32 languages. For her book, When Friendship Hurts, Jan sold 33 foreign rights and translations in 31 languages. @drjanyager

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Milt Toby

ASJA Vice President Milt Toby is an attorney and awardwinning author who writes about thoroughbred racing.

His books include Dancer’s Image and Noor. He parlayed a long-form article that won an ASJA award in 2017 into a contract for his current book project, Taking Shergar: Thoroughbred Racing’s Most Famous Cold Case. @milttoby

Lina Zeldovich

Lina Zeldovich, editor of sustainability and the environment at JSTOR Daily, has edited science features at Nautilus Magazine, won awards, and covered a variety of highly-unusual topics. She has written for Smithsonian, Newsweek and Popular Mechanics, and seeks stories on sustainable technologies and scientific breakthroughs for environment, health, and life. @LinaZeldovich

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THank you

R U O TO

CONFERENCE SPONSORS & EXHIBITORS

Dream of Travel Writing 38

ASJA CONFERENCE 2018

A SPECIAL THANK YOU TO

VOLUNTEERS

Mary-Kate Mackey marykatemackey.com

ASJA would like to thank all of its volunteers this year. Without a considerable volunteer force, the organization would be unable to deliver the excellent programming that has been developed during the last three years.

Write to Sell Your Book DIANE O'CONNELL

Editorial Director

A special thank you goes out this spring to Dorri Olds, Carolyn Crist and Nancy Dunham for their work with ASJA's New York conference.

These three very capable women are also joined by dozens of other excellent volunteers, many of whom who are moderating and speaking on panels throughout the conference. Your deep knowledge base and your passion for sharing information is what makes this event superior to others being offered to freelance writers.

It's a special year with ASJA's 70th Anniversary underway and we also have much gratitude for Brooke Stoddard, Neil O'Hara, Estelle Erasmus and Sandra Gurvis who are leading the charge on ASJA fundraising for the Charitable Trust's Educational Foundation.

Beyond these volunteers who are working tirelessly in support of the organization this spring, there are many others. To ASJA's board members and to all other volunteers who have contributed valuable time and energy within the last year, please know that you are very much appreciated.

Conference Photography

S H E R R Y B E C K PA P R O C K I ASJA PRESIDENT

GERALD LACAY /Natural Expressions NY

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W WW. A S J A . OR G

ASJA

MISSION

AND

A D M I N I S T R AT I O N

Founded in 1948, the American Society of Journalists and Authors is the nation’s professional association of independent and entrepreneurial nonfiction writers. ASJA is a primary voice in representing freelancers’ interests, serving as spokesperson for their right to control and profit from the uses of their work in online media and elsewhere. ASJA and the ASJA Charitable Trust bring leadership in establishing professional and ethical standards, as well as in recognizing and encouraging the pursuit of excellence in nonfiction writing. Since 2010, the ASJA Educational Foundation has been offering programming that covers all aspects of professional independent writing for both established and aspiring writers.

ASJA headquarters is in New York City.

Board of Directors PRESIDENT Sherry Beck Paprocki VICE PRESIDENT Milt Toby TREASURER Howard Baldwin SECRETARY Jennifer Goforth Gregory IMMEDIATE PAST PRESIDENT Randy Dotinga PAST PRESIDENT Minda Zetlin

At-Large Members TERMS ENDING 2018: Jennifer L.W. Fink, Beverly Gray, Nancy Kriplen TERMS ENDING 2019: Patchen Barss, Wendy Helfenbaum, Emily Paulsen TERMS ENDING 2020: Jennie Helderman, Lottie Joiner, Laura Laing

ASJA Staff

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Holly Koenig GENERAL MANAGER Gemma Rainer STAFF ASSOCIATES James Brannigan, James Cafiero MEETING PLANNER Patrick Dougherty CONTROLLER Maame Nantwi ASJA MAGAZINE (print and digital) AND CONFERENCE PROGRAM DESIGN Ullman Design

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