I Turned the ASJA Virtual Conference Into a Writing Retreat with Friends - Here's How You Can Too

In the years ASJA has a virtual conference, did you realize you can attend live and with friends?

I first did this back in 2023, when fellow writer and former ASJA member Kris Bordessa asked if I was signed up for the ASJA conference, which was virtual that year. We both live in Hawai’i, about 45 minutes from each other on Hawai‘i Island. When I said yes, she invited herself to my house for the duration of the conference, and we made an occasion of it.

ASJA’s annual conference will be virtual again this year, April 20-22, followed by Client Connections 2026, April 23-24. Get more information and register here.

If you’ve already signed up or are thinking about it, here’s how I turned the experience into an educational yet fun writers’ retreat with a friend – and how you can, too.

Making Plans Ahead of Time

Back in 2023, Kris and I planned out our conference days in advance, including deciding who would provide which meals. We signed up for the sessions we were interested in. I prepared the guest room.

Unbeknownst to each other, we both brought conference swag. I got us both orange-polka-dotted conference mugs, which I picked up at Target. Every time I use mine, I think about Kris and the fun time we had.

Kris brought things she’d gathered elsewhere: pens and scratch pads of paper. Little plastic pouches of nuts, and individually wrapped chocolate-covered macadamia nuts. A couple of stickers. She even had lanyards for us, like the kind you get at an in-person conference, which made me laugh. They said “Blue Zones Project” – because Kris is a master re-user and recycler – and showed our names, email addresses, and hometowns.

Attending the ASJA Virtual Annual Conference Together

When it came to attending the conference, some sessions we watched together in my living room, alongside my two conference cats. When we’d signed up for different sessions, we decamped to different rooms. After the sessions, we discussed what we’d heard and learned.

We ate great meals that we mostly prepared ahead of time because we were trying to replicate the conference experience, where no one has to spend time cooking. Note: If you do this, invite someone like Kris Bordessa to be one of your participants because of her food prowess. I also created an ASJA mocktail for us.

We enjoyed each other’s company and laughed a lot. We even dragged ourselves out of bed at 5 a.m. Hawai‘i time (due to the time difference) to listen to the keynote speakers, which, to be honest, I might not have managed if I’d been on my own. That was part of what made the whole thing so worthwhile – it’s much easier to put aside everyday work and fully devote yourself to a conference when you’re doing it alongside someone else.

What to Know about the 2026 ASJA Virtual Annual Conference

The 2026 ASJA conference is open to both ASJA members and nonmembers, and scholarships are available. It includes keynote speakers, dozens of sessions on journalism, nonfiction books, and content writing, and formal and informal networking. You can find information about rates, Client Connections 2026, and other details and sign up here.

While Kris is not attending this year, I’ll be there with the three other writers who are in my small mastermind group. We are spread across the U.S. and Canada, though, so we’re going to attend online together in a different way.

We’ll pull up the sessions that we all plan to attend on our respective computers and also use our phones or tablets to keep a private Zoom room open for the mastermind group. That way, we’ll be able to talk, nudge each other, and share our thoughts in real time. At the end of each day and when the conference is over, we’ll meet online to discuss our experiences.

Hopefully this encourages you to invite a writer friend over to attend the ASJA conference in-person at your home. Or maybe you’ll lean into the virtuality of it all by adding a second layer of technology. If you do, please post about it in the ASJA Facebook group, so we can hear how it goes!

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Leslie Lang is a freelance B2B content writer and strategist of 25-plus years who specializes in writing about tech, health care, and travel for agencies and brands. Her work can be seen at www.leslielang.com. She’s been known to send Hawai‘i treats to writers who refer her to especially good jobs.