Thursday, April 14 Free Sessions
(No additional registration fee)

For those members who want to experience the power of a small group of ASJA members in a face-to-face, brainstorming session, reserve your spot in one of these before-the-conference Thursday afternoon sessions. There are only 15 reservations available for each session and you will be an important part of the content; so be prepared with questions and ideas. Thursday sessions will take place on April 14. You must be registered for Members Day on Friday to attend. Since space is limited, to sign up or for more information, please contact the session moderator.

1) From Writer to Speaker: Turning Your Words into Engaging Presentations
     Imperial
SOLD OUT

Would you like to learn the inside scoop on what it takes to become a sought-after speaker who gets PAID? Then you’ll want to attend this roundtable discussion led by ASJA member Leslie Levine. Leslie will show you what it takes to boost your speaking career and develop your platform. Learn how to 1) overcome "presentation jitters," 2) get comfortable promoting yourself as a speaker, and 3) develop speaking programs that align with your writing career. ASJA member and experienced speaker Victoria Moran will offer her top three tips for creating a successful speaking career. Space is limited so register early.

2) Maintaining Integrity: Strategies in an Age of Political and Corporate Influence
     Lyceum

Today’s news is all too often journalism with an agenda. How can independent journalists best navigate the sea of controversy and self-censoring editors? Kristina Borjesson, author/editor of Into the Buzzsaw, Leading Journalists Expose the Myth of a Free Press will meet with ASJA members concerned about truth in media to discuss these important issues. Moderator: ASJA member Trish Riley.

For information or to sign up, e-mail Trish Riley, trish@trishriley.com.

3) Media-Ready
     Booth
SOLD OUT

This mini-seminar, will be taught by Emmy Award-Winning media training company, Biomentary's (Biomentary.com), Melissa Helen, Managing Director. The 90-minute session will include everything from a critique of a video interview to duo practice sessions -- with Melissa's individual critique. Bring a copy of your book(s) to the session. Session leader: ASJA member Sandy Lamb.

Friday, April 15 Members Day (ASJA members only)
(Register at http://www.asja.org/members/wc/2005/2005mreg.php)

All day
(Unless otherwise indicated, all panels and activities take place on the Conference Level.)

• Personal Pitch sessions in Lyceum, Imperial, & Booth rooms
• Barnes & Noble Book Fair in Broadway room
• LexisNexis AlaCarte Center open all day in Belasco-Broadhurst room. Visit the LexisNexis AlaCarte Tech Center in the Belasco-Broadhurst room and try out the new LexisNexis AlaCarte search engine, check your e-mail, and surf the Internet.

1) From Magazines to Books: Making the Big Leap
     Carnegie Hall/Alvin

Panelists include Judi Culbertson, author of a series of five "Permanent" travel books (Permanent Parisians, Permanent New Yorkers) that began as newspaper travel features; Katherine Eban, author of Dangerous Doses, a forthcoming book about counterfeit pharmaceuticals; Jennifer Gonnerman, Village Voice staff writer and author of National Book Award finalist Life on the Outside: The Prison Odyssey of Elaine Bartlett; Anna Ghosh, literary agent with the Scovil Chichak Galen Agency which handled several books that began as articles, including The Devil and Sonny Liston by Nick Tosches. Moderated by Jack El-Hai, author of the newly released The Lobotomist: A Maverick Medical Genius and His Tragic Quest to Rid the World of Mental Illness.

2) The Care and Feeding of Editors
     Uris/Julliard

A session about negotiating better contracts, better assignments, better sources from PR people. Panelists include A.J. Jacobs, editor-at-large at Esquire and the author of The Know-It-All: One Man's Humble Quest to Become the Smartest Person in the World; Ann Monroe, ASJA member, contributor for publications ranging from Mother Jones to Bloomberg Personal Finance to Newsweek Japan; Sue Russell, ASJA, a true crime writer, former magazine editor and writer, and author of three books. Moderated by Erik Sherman, ASJA Contracts Committee chair.

3) Writing the Historical Book
     Carnegie Hall/Alvin

Sam Freedman, author of Who She Was, a memoir about his mother's life, and ASJA’s Nancy Rubin Stuart, award-winning biographer and author of The Reluctant Spiritualist: The Life of Maggie Fox, talk about how to research books reaching back into the past. Moderated by Jim Morrison, contributor to Smithsonian, The New York Times, National Wildlife, Reader's Digest, Wall Street Journal.

Manhattan Ballroom on the lobby level.

4) Getting Down the Bones
     Uris/Julliard

Have you ever read a great piece of narrative nonfiction and thought, how can I write like that? This craft session will take literary journalism down to its bare bones and show you how, using creative techniques writers can weave through their work to add dimension and texture and bring it to life.

Panelists are Samuel Freedman, professor at Columbia University's Graduate School of Journalism and former New York Times reporter, whose credits include the memoir Who She Was: My Search for My Mother's Life, as well as Salon, Rolling Stone and New York magazine; Dan Barry, the "About New York" columnist for the New York Times, as well as Pulitzer Prize and George Polk Award winner, and author of the best-selling memoir, Pull Me Up. Moderator: ASJA member Sarah Francis.

Networking rooms will be available for members to schmooze with others working in similar areas:

• General interest, science and environmental magazines like Smithsonian, National Wildlife, Popular Science, Scientific American and others to schmooze. Plymouth
• Parenting and women's magazines and markets to schmooze. Music Box
• Corporate and PR work. Morosco

The state and future of ASJA. Carnegie Hall-Alvin

Manhattan Ballroom on the lobby level