(A) Pitch Slam 1: Developing Nature and "Outdoor" Stories

What happens after you pitch a story? How do you up the odds that your idea will be bought? Hear editors from some of the nation's top outdoor magazines as they respond to actual pitches, develop them into stories their magazine might run -- or explain why they don't work. Not only will you get a better idea of what happens in story meetings, you'll have a chance to hear the editors respond to your pitch! Come with an idea you're prepared to present in 60 seconds or less.

Sign up at the registration desk to make your pitch.

Moderator: Rebecca Skloot, ASJA, contributing editor, Popular Science, The New York Times Magazine, O -- the Oprah Magazine, Discover, New York

Hal Clifford, executive editor, Orion

Rene Ebersole, senior editor, Audubon

Michael Roberts, executive editor, Outside

(B) Winning Tactics: Difficult Editors and Challenging Assignments

Writers talk about horror stories. Come learn how to keep your assignment from turning into one! Experienced writers will tell how they negotiate with editors who want the complete history of film in 150 words, or mistake snarky remarks in the margins for thoughtful editing. (Therapy included at no extra charge.)

Moderator: Scott S. Smith, ASJA, writes for Continental, Investor's Business Daily, Superlawyers, California CEO, others. He is author of The Everything Guide to Public Speaking and The Soul of Your Pet: Evidence for the Survival of Animals After Death.

Sherry Suib Cohen, ASJA, has 21 published books; the last two were New York Times bestsellers. A former contributing editor at New Woman, McCall's, Lifetime, and Rosie, she also writes for Parade, Cosmopolitan, Reader's Digest, Seventeen, many more.

Lisa Collier Cool is a recent past president of ASJA. She writes for Reader's Digest, Good Housekeeping, Ladies' Home Journal, Woman's Day, many others. The author of How to Write Irresistible Query Letters, Lisa has won 18 journalism awards.

Todd Pitock, ASJA, is an award-winning writer whose byline has appeared in Forbes, Life, The Washington Post, Discover, CNN.com and numerous other publications, including some "good enough to provide copious experience to share on this panel."

(C) Lights! Camera! Prepping for Radio and TV Interviews

We all know we shouldn't "just wing it." Beyond that, exactly how do we prepare for an interview of any length? Count on our been-there, done-that experts to give you explicit, practical advice to put in to play tomorrow -- or whenever you get the next "can you be available Tuesday at 2:15?" phone call.

Moderator: John Rosengren, ASJA, has written for Men's Health, Sports Illustrated, Tennis, Self, others. His latest book, Hammerin' Hank, George Almighty and the Say Hey Kid: the Season that Change Baseball Forever, will be out this year.

Dennis Cass, author of Head Case: How I Almost Lost My Mind Trying to Understand My Brain. It will be out in paperback this spring.

Bill Diehl, chief entertainment correspondent and producer, ABC News Radio.

Maryn McKenna, ASJA, a former newspaper reporter, is currently working on Superbug, slated to be published in 2009. Her last book was Beating Back the Devil: On the Front Lines with the Disease Detectives of the Epidemic Intelligence Service.

Joyce Newman, media trainer and founder of The Newman Group, is one of the nation's best-known media counselors. Clients range from Pfizer to Pizza Hut, Citicorp to CARE, Harvard Medical School to Wonder Bra.

(D) Have Your Say — and Make It Pay: Writing Essays And Op-Eds

Need we say more? Come find out how these pros get paid for writing essays and op-eds straight from the heart.

Moderator: Kathy Sena, ASJA, has written essays and op-ed pieces for Newsweek, USA Today, the Los Angeles Times, Woman's Day, others.

Paula Derrow, articles director and editor of the "Self Expression" column for Self . She also teaches workshops on writing and essays for Mediabistro. Her first book, Behind the Bedroom Door, will be published by Bantam this year.

Marilyn Milloy, features editor, AARP The Magazine. She is a 25-year veteran journalist, having started her career as a reporter for The Miami Herald. She was then Atlanta bureau chief for Newsday before turning to magazines.

Catherine Orenstein writes on culture, mythology and power for The New York Times, The Washington Post, The San Francisco Examiner Sunday Magazine, and Ms Magazine, among others. She is a fellow of the Woodhull Institute for Ethical Leadership.

Mark Schone, news editor, Salon.com; former contributing writer at SPIN and winner of an Edgar Allan Poe Award for the true-crime book Son of a Grifter. His work has appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, Wired, Rolling Stone, others.

(E) First Pages: Attracting An Agent To Your Book

Find out what it takes to make an experienced agent eager to read your nonfiction book proposal from the very first page. Four skilled agents will share their frank reactions to your starter page and give suggestions about how to improve it. We'll read 10 to 12 first pages, submitted in advance. click here for details on submitting first pages.

Moderator: Aline Newman, ASJA, has had her byline in National Geographic: Kids, Boy's Life, Family Fun, Highlights for Children, Guideposts, others. She has written two books for children and is an adjunct professor at Jefferson Community College.

Laurie Abkemeier, literary agent in association with DeFiore and Company.

Byrd Leavell, Waxman Literary Agency.

Kirsten Manges, Kirsten Manges Literary Agency LLC.

Kenneth Wright, Senior Agent, Writers House

(F) Going Multi-Platform: Writing for the 21st Century

Video and audio and photos, oh my! Multimedia journalism has begun to transform our business. Come learn how four pros combine audio, video, photos and text to create effective multimedia stories.

Co-moderator: Jeanne Erdmann, ASJA, is a freelance medical science writer whose work has appeared in Health, ScienceNOW, and Wildlife Conservation.

Co-moderator: Dan Ferber, ASJA, writes about science, technology, health and the environment. His work has appeared in Reader's Digest, Popular Science, Audubon, Sierra and others. He is a contributing correspondent to Science.

Edward Baig is the technology columnist for USA Today.

Adam L. Penenberg, contributing writer for Fast Company, has written for The New York Times, Slate, Wired, and The Economist. Formerly with Forbes.com, he garnered national attention for unmasking serial fabricator Stephen Glass.

Matt Rivera, a chameleon of a content producer. Splitting his time between feature length documentaries, experimental internet shorts, reality television and music videos, Matt s main objective is to expand the boundaries of journalism. In 2004 he co-founded Moose Productions, a small video production company based in New York City, where he currently resides. He has grown the company into an open salon for training producers and generating new content.

Holly St. Lifer, ASJA, was a television producer and writer for many years before transitioning to print and new media five years ago. Her TV work has appeared on ESPN, WE: Women's Entertainment, MTV, VH1, Nickelodeon, Lifetime, HBO, E! and USA Networks. Now she writes for print and online publications including Ladies' Home Journal, Women's Health, Self, Shape, Fitness, Oxygen, More, Biography, Body & Soul, Lifetime Online and Connectforkids.org. Her podcast series, "The Intelligent Body" covers health and fitness issues and is available on iTunes. St. Lifer also teaches magazine writing at New York University.

(G) Successful (Money-Making!) Blogging

If you're thinking of creating a blog or looking to improve your current template, this is a must-attend session. Panelists will show how to achieve professional results when it comes to generating buzz, cultivating an audience, and writing the kind of content that gets you noticed by editors. Bonus: the latest tech details.

Moderator: T.C. Cameron, ASJA, blogs via TheWriteReferee.com. He has written for The Ann Arbor News, The Detroit News, The Lakeland Ledger, Great Lakes Golf Magazine, Referee Magazine, others. T.C. Cameron has recently authored his first title, Metro Detroit's High School Football Rivalries, offered by Arcadia Publishing. Cameron recalls the best games from prep football's golden age in the Motor City. Release due August, 2008. Cameron also blogs three times a week for The Oakland Press, which syndicates Cameron's TheWriteReferee to a 27-paper network of statewide dailies throughout Michigan.

Bruce E. Mowday, President of The Mowday Group, Inc., spent more than 20 years in journalism, winning a number of writing awards for investigative journalism, before founding his own company in 1997. Mowday's complete endeavors are found at Mowday.com. Bruce is a contributing editor for a business magazine and freelances stories for newspapers, historical organization newsletters and other publications. He has also hosted his own weekly radio show on two stations. Mowday is the author of eight published books, including The Selling of an Author, a marketing guide for authors.

Jerame Rief, owner of DataOne Solutions, Inc., a technology consulting firm specializing in building web-based solutions as they relate to the needs of writers, entrepreneurs and building business platforms.

Patrick Stiegman, is vice president and executive editor/producer for ESPN.com. Stiegman, who joined the award-winning site in April 2004, oversees ESPN.com's day-to-day public and premium sports content, including news, commentary, analysis, enterprise and community. His role includes collaborative strategic planning and content development across ESPN Digital Media. He has editorial oversight of the award-winning premium service, ESPN Insider, with additional strategic responsibilities for numerous business objectives. He was named vice president in November 2006 and added the title of executive producer in June 2007. Before joining ESPN, Stiegman spent five years as vice president/editor of Journal Interactive, the award-winning Internet division of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, where he was responsible for editorial, business and strategic development of Journal Communication's new media initiatives.

W. Terry Whalin, ASJA board member, writer and literary agent, is an active blogger who is always updating his expertise on retaining an audience. He is the author of numerous books.

Keynote speaker: Melissa Fay Greene, prize-winning Atlanta author whose latest book There is No Me Without You is a galvanizing account of one woman's attempt to save AIDS orphans in Ethiopia.

Founders' Recognition: Two of ASJA's founding members, Murray Teigh Bloom and Norman Lobsenz, will be honored in recognition of ASJA's 60th Anniversary.

(H) Pitch Slam 2: Women's Service Magazines

You've studied the magazine page by page, crafted what you think is an engaging, on-target query letter—and you get a "thanks, but no thanks" back. What happened? Find out by presenting your 60-second pitch, then listen to the way our experienced editors shape your idea for each magazine, or reveals where you went off track.

Sign up at the registration desk to make your pitch.

Moderator: Salley Shannon, ASJA vice president, has written for many national publications, including Woman's Day, Good Housekeeping, Reader's Digest, Parents, Saveur, others. In 2006 she won ASJA's Donald Robinson Award for Investigative Journalism.

Ellen Breslau, executive editor, Woman's Day is the former editor-in-chief of For Me. Before the launch of that magazine, she was senior features editor at Woman's Day and she also has been an editor at Design Times and Glamour.

Alison Brower, executive editor, Redbook, previously was deputy editor of Glamour and a senior editor at Cosmopolitan. She began her magazine career as a reporter for Adweek, Brandweek, and MediaWeek magazines.

Darcy Jacobs, articles editor, Family Circle; helped launch Lifetime and Weekend. She began her publishing career at Health as a copy assistant, followed by similar stints at Vogue, Glamour and Seventeen, where she became features and fiction editor.

(I) Full-Time Income, Part-Time Hours

On the theory that "success" is how each freelancer defines it, not all freelancers work a 40-hour week, nor do they want to! But plenty make exactly the income they expect. Learn how to maximize your income in less time with tips from the trenches.

Moderator: Gretchen Roberts, ASJA, writes stories and develops recipes for Better Homes & Gardens, Woman's Day, Real Simple, Health, Cooking Light, Wine Enthusiast, and others. She also writes a weekly blog at blog.smartsimplewoman.com.

Meagan Francis, ASJA, writes for American Baby, Natural Health, Yoga Journal, Parenting, and Fit Pregnancy; author of Table for Eight: Raising A Large Family in a Small-Family World and Everything Health Guide to Postpartum Care.

Mary Dixon Lebeau, ASJA, has appeared in Parents, Parenting, Family Circle, AARP, Lupus Now, others. She also works full time for the state of New Jersey's Department of Labor and Workforce Development and is raising five children.

Sharon Anne Waldrop, ASJA, is a homeschooling mother of four who lives on a horse farm in Crawford, Georgia. She writes for Good Housekeeping, Woman's Day, All You, Arthritis Today, and other national consumer magazines.

(J) Environmental Journalism: Writing Green

It isn't just a niche market anymore. Whether you're trying to do it full time or only pitch the occasional "green" story, there is money to be made in environmental journalism today as the range of publications that accept such stories grows. Come learn how to stay competitive.

Note: there will be a pitch slam open to the audience toward the end of the panel, as time permits. No sign-up necessary.

Moderator: Jodi Helmer, ASJA, regards "green" as a subspecialty. She has written for Women's Health, Woman's Day, Yoga Journal, Arthritis Today, USA Weekend, Modern Bride, Parents, Parenting, Fit Pregnancy, others.

Todd Dulaney is the regional editor of AAA Living, a 2.5 million circulation AAA club publication published by Greensboro, North Carolina-based Pace Communications. He publishes travel stories that highlight destinations and activities that promote healthy lifestyles, including outdoor recreation, dining at local restaurants that use local ingredients and patronizing green businesses.

Christian Millman, senior editor, features, Better Homes and Gardens

Jim Montavalli, editor, E/The Environmental Magazine

Trish Riley, ASJA board member and award-winning environmental journalist, has written for Natural Health, Natural Home, E/The Environmental Magazine, Hemispheres, and Audubon and wrote The Complete Idiot's Guide to Green Living.

(K) Investigative Journalism: Nuts and Bolts

Once you have the germ of a story, your next big hurdle may be finding a publication that can support investigative writing. Then, on to finding sources and delving deep. This panel will hit the highlights of investigative reporting.

Moderator: Barry Yeoman, ASJA, was listed in Columbia Journalism Review as one of nine investigative reporters who are "out of the spotlight but on the mark." His work has appeared in AARP: The Magazine; O, The Oprah Magazine; Discover; Mother Jones, others.

Jonathan Green, ASJA, was honored in 2006 for his investigation into dangerous conditions in African gold mines, "Hooked on the Gold Rush." His work has appeared in Men's Journal, Esquire, GQ, The Financial Times, Reader's Digest, others.

Adam L. Penenberg, contributing writer for Fast Company, has written for The New York Times, Slate, Wired, and The Economist. Formerly with Forbes.com, he garnered national attention for unmasking serial fabricator Stephen Glass.

Kai Wright explores the politics of sex, race, and health for publications from Mother Jones to Essence. The author of Drifting Toward Love: Black, Brown, Gay and Coming of Age on the Streets of New York, he writes about AIDS among African Americans.

(L) On the Road to Six Figures

Writing is rewarding, but writing and getting paid well is better yet. Let four veteran freelancers, each from a different writing genre, inspire you to follow their footsteps into the six-figure-income club. What are they doing that you aren't?

Moderator: Jackie Dishner, ASJA, writes business, lifestyle and travel features for various publications and is working on her first travel book for Countryman Press. She speaks regularly to women's groups about personal growth and empowerment.

Marian Calabro, ASJA, founder and president of CorporateHistory.net LLC; author of several award-winning corporate histories and nonfiction books. She has appeared on The History Channel and recently served on the USA Today Entrepreneurs Panel.

Camille Noe Pagán, formerly a health and psychology editor at Fitness and LifetimeTV.com, has been freelancing full-time for less than four years. Specializing in health, nutrition and psychology, she is a regular contributor to Glamour, Prevention, and Women's Health.

Todd Pitock, ASJA, is a contributing editor at ForbesLife and has written for Discover, Continental, Tikkun, National Geographic Traveler, The Washington Post and others, as well as online publications like Salon.com and CNN.com.

Steve Slaunwhite, ASJA, is a Canada-based author of several marketing books and guides, including The Everything Guide to Writing Copy. He is the publisher of CopywritersOnly.com.

(M) Medical Writing — Beyond the Magazines

You can make topics like skin cancer compelling. Now learn how to take that knowledge beyond the world of newsstand magazines to new markets where your talents are needed. Three experienced, well-compensated medical writers—none with a formal science background—will start you on your way.

Moderator/Panelist: Kevin Carter, covered music, sports, media and culture for the Philadelphia Inquirer, before declaring himself a medical writer. He hasn't lacked for work since.

Brian Bass started his successful freelance business in 1989. He has written scientific, educational and promotional materials about aspects of oncology, neurology, cardiology and other areas of medicine for print and electronic media.

Milly Dawson, ASJA, often writes about cancer and mental health for consumer publications, websites and professional readers, mostly doctors. She recently began using her public speaking skills in a new way: the writing of medical podcasts.