Well dear reader, some good news dropped this week… Registration for the 2022 LDSPMA conference is open! There’s a lot of good (as in good for the world and good for writers) going on at the conference. So, check it out and I’ll see you next post!
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| Dear Latter-day Saint Writers, Editors, Artists, Performers, Designers, Filmmakers, Marketers, Leaders, Songwriters, Students, and Others Interested in Publishing, Media, and the Arts, The best networking, learning, and professional-development opportunity for Latter-day Saints interested in publishing, media, and the arts is better than ever! The Eighth Annual Conference of Latter-day Saints in Publishing, Media, and the Arts (LDSPMA) will be held both in-person (from October 20–22 at the BYU Conference Center in Provo, Utah) and virtually (with live virtual sessions in September and October as well as two months of virtual availability of in-person and virtual session recordings). Our theme this year is “The Faith to Create.” And if you register by April 30, you can get an EarlyBird 40% discount, which is the best offer that will be available at any time. We are limited to 400 in-person registrations—which we expect to sell out—so we encourage you to register soon.Register HereNew This Year!We have added a Music and Visual Arts Track to the conference in conjunction with expanding our scope and recently renaming our association “Latter-day Saints in Publishing, Media, and the Arts.” The arts will be covered in our keynote sessions, in 8 breakout sessions, and in the LDSPMA awards. There will be 23 live virtual sessions broadcast via Zoom between September 6 and October 11 on Tuesday nights, Thursday nights, and Saturday mornings—and recordings of these sessions will be available to conference registrants until January 31, 2023. Recordings of the 4 in-person keynote sessions and the 42 in-person breakout sessions will also be available to conference registrants until January 31, 2023. A Praiseworthy Awards Gala will be held the evening of October 21 at the Provo Library Ballroom to honor Latter-day Saint creators. See below for details. We are offering a reduced-price virtual-only ticket for those who cannot come in-person. The virtual-only ticket will include live access to all 23 virtual sessions, livestreams of the 4 keynote addresses, and recordings of all 69 keynote and breakout sessions. Keynote Speakers  Jennifer A. NielsenNew York Times bestselling author of the Ascendance Series, the Mark of the Thief Trilogy, and many other historical fiction and young adult and children’s fantasy titles. Jennifer has won numerous writing awards, including the Sydney Taylor Book Award and multiple Whitney Awards. Mauli Junior BonnerPioneering and award-winning songwriter, vocal director for platinum-selling and Grammy-award-winning artists, and author with his wife Chantel of the children’s book A Child of God. Mauli recently wrote, directed, and produced the award-winning film His Name Is Green Flake, which follows the lives of free and enslaved Black pioneers in the early Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Jane Clayson JohnsonAward-winning broadcast journalist and anchorwoman—first at KSL-TV, then at ABC News in Los Angeles, and later at CBS News in New York City, where she co-hosted (with Bryant Gumbel) The Early Show. Jane’s first bestselling book was I Am a Mother, and her most recent bestseller is Silent Souls Weeping, which is a frank exploration of her devastating experience with depression. Gerald N. LundKnown especially for The Work and the Glory series and The Kingdom and the Crown series and among the most-read authors in Latter-day Saint literature—his books have sold over 3.5 million copies. Elder Lund served as a General Authority of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 2002 to 2008 in the Second Quorum of the Seventy.7 Tracks with 65 Breakout SessionsSpeakers also include over 80 other leaders in publishing, media, and the arts who will share best practices, life lessons, and industry knowledge in 65 breakout sessions. These sessions are organized into 7 tracks: Publishing TrackMedia TrackMusic and Visual Arts TrackFiction Writing TrackNonfiction Writing TrackEditing, Design, and Production TrackMarketing TrackEach track will have 6 in-person sessions on October 21 and 22 as well as 2 or more virtual sessions broadcast between September 5 and October 11. Recordings of all 65 of these sessions—as well as the 4 keynote sessions—will be available to conference registrants until January 31, 2023.See breakout sessions and speaker biosInteractive SessionsThese interactive ways to network, learn, and receive feedback are one of the most useful aspects of the conference:Fast Pitch: Pitch your book project to agents and publishing company representatives and receive immediate feedback. (Both in-person and virtual Fast Pitch appointments will be scheduled.) Online Presence Audit: Get a professional evaluation of where you land in a Google search and how to improve your visibility, message, and clarity. (Available in-person only.) Quick Critiques:Receive instant feedback on your manuscript from professional editors. (Both in-person and virtual appointments will be available.) Networking Groups: Meet other conference attendees in your niche, connect with industry leaders, and find collaborators and potential critique group partners. (Both in-person and virtual networking sessions will be held.) Mass Book and Media Signing: Meet many conference speakers as well as other authors and artists participating in the conference; view their books, audios, videos, and other works; purchase any you are interested in; and get them signed by the authors and artists. (Available in-person only.)      Thursday Deep-Dive Workshops on October 20The keynote sessions, breakout sessions, and interactive sessions are all included in regular conference registration. In addition, you can register separately for any of our 10 half-day, hands-on, action-learning workshops held on Thursday, October 20, led by top professionals as instructors. These deep-dive workshops will be available in-person only and will not be videorecorded, available virtually, or broadcast later. You can attend up to two workshops (one in the morning and one in the afternoon). Morning Workshops (8:30 am–12:30 pm)Fiction Writing. Taught by Cheri Pray Earl, BYU creative writing instructor and Honors Professor of the Year as well as author of adult and young adult novels. Developmental Editing for Fiction. Taught by BYU editing and publishing program professor and former LDSPMA president Suzy Bills. Building and Marketing a Music Business. Taught by Blomberg Music Productions founder Daniel Blomberg and music composer, marketer, and business coach Douglas Pew. Afternoon Workshops (1:00–5:00 pm) Historical Fiction: History or Fiction? Taught by award-winning authors and popular creative writing instructors Dean Hughes and Chris Crowe. Power Storytelling Techniques to Captivate Readers: The Hero’s Journey, Writing Juicy, and the Three-Act Play. Taught by New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestselling author Bridget Cook-Burch. Developmental Editing for Nonfiction. Taught by BYU editing and publishing program professor and former LDSPMA president Suzy Bills.The remaining 4 workshops will be announced soon.See Workshop DetailsPraiseworthy Awards GalaNew this year is the Praiseworthy Awards and Fundraising Gala on Friday evening, October 21, at the Provo Library Ballroom. This celebration will include: A catered dinner.Recognition of our five 2022 Lifetime Achievement Award recipients, with three of them sharing highlights from their journeys and careers.Announcement of the winners of Praiseworthy Awards—and bestowal of the awards to recipients—in over 20 different fiction, nonfiction, multimedia/audiovisual, and music categories.An engaging program with emcees, spotlights of winning works, and music.You can purchase a ticket to the Praiseworthy Awards Gala (with or without registering for the rest of the conference) on our registration page. Register by April 30 to Get the 40% EarlyBird DiscountThis 40% discount applies to both the main conference and the Thursday deep-dive workshops.Register NowWe hope that you will register for this unique conference. Please share this message with others who might be interested in attending. Steve Piersanti Annual Conference Director, LDSPMA P.S. Whether or not you’re able to attend this conference, we hope that you’ll join LDSPMA. Membership is free. Latter-day Saints in Publishing, Media, and the Arts (LDSPMA) is a nonprofit networking and career development organization. Started in 2015 and run almost entirely by volunteers, our mission is to empower Latter-day Saints to spread light and truth in publishing, media, and the arts. LDSPMA is not endorsed by nor affiliated with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. |
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