Questions?  Contact Dawn Vivenzio in Member Services at (626) 376-9754.

Learn the latest in branding and creating a niche market for your stories at Lisa Alpine’s workshop, “Travel Writing Mapping: Out the Journey to Your Dream Profession“

Held at The Writing Salon in San Francisco
Saturday May 15 — 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
$110.
For more info, contact Lisa at lisaalpine@sbcglobal.net

Instructors Helen Free and Kathryn Abajian have twenty years experience helping writers craft personal perspective in literary nonfiction writing.

Italy, in Other Words Writing Workshops — inspiring settings, great food and good company
Visit their website for complete information:
www.ItalyinOtherWords.com

National Geographic Traveler is offering a photography seminar called “The Versatile Travel Photographer” with Ralph Lee Hopkins and Bob Krist in San Francisco on Feb. 28.  Here’s the info:

“Great travel photography requires a command of many types of photography – from close-up portraits and loose candids, to off-the-hip street photography at festivals and celebrations – from architecture and cityscapes, to landscapes and nature. Becoming versatile requires that you become like a one-man band, utilizing what technology has to offer while developing an eye for composition and a feel for being in the right place at the right time.

“Join National Geographic Traveler photographers Ralph Lee Hopkins and Bob Krist as they share their secrets and insights into how to make travel photos that convey a powerful sense of place and capture rare moments. Learn simple tricks for using flash to expand when, where, and how you shoot, as well as collecting audio so you can produce multi-media slide shows of your work.

“Get real-world advice to help make the most of your travels. Using a slide show/lecture format Ralph and Bob will show you how to add depth and ‘local color’ to your images to make your travel photography zing!

“This one-day seminar is intended for amateur to advanced photographers looking to take their travel photography to the next level.”

Sun., Feb. 28
9 a.m. – 4 p.m.

San Francisco Art Institute
800 Chestnut St
San Francisco, CA 94133

$195
info@ngtravelerseminars.com
(505) 983-1400

Barbara Kingsolver will keynote the Fifth Annual San Miguel International Writers’ Conference, February 19 – 23, in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico.

Attendees can choose from 30 mini-workshops and attend 8-hour intensive classes in fiction, memoir, poetry, playwright, blogging, or travel writing, all with world-class instructors and included in the conference package price. Over the five days, there will be eight keynote addresses and interactive panels presented by well-known writers and respected industry insiders.

Since many attendees will be first-timers in San Miguel, planned excursions will introduce them to the insiders’ San Miguel: organic gardens, art galleries, private art collections, private homes, historic tours, and special shopping.

“Stop the Madness: Mistakes That Would Make Your English Teacher Cringe!”
American Society of Association Executives (ASAE)
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
1-2 p.m. (Eastern Time so 10-11 a.m. Pacific Time)
Discussion Facilitators are Al Rickard, CAE, President, Association Vision and Jill Cornish, publisher of Association Trends

Are you frustrated by bad grammar, misspellings, and misused words? Do you see them in print far too often? This webinar will highlight many of the most common mistakes, show some examples, and offer advice and resources to help you avoid such mistakes in your own organization. Join us and bring a few of your own favorite examples to share!

* Please note: Participants will need to call into this number using a conference call number that will be sent out in the confirmation e-mail. The web-ex features will be offered through Adobe Connect (details also included in the confirmation).

Travel Classics International 2010
at Fairmont Le Chateau Frontenac
in Quebec City, Quebec
June 24-27, 2010

Registration is open.

Editor Preview:

Ken Beaulieu, Editor-in-Chief
Continental

Keith Bellows, Editor-in-Chief
National Geographic Traveler

Jennifer Murphy, Travel Editor
Food & Wine

Terry Noland, Deputy Editor
Men’s Journal

Mark Orwoll, International Editor
Travel + Leisure

Barbara Peck, Editor-in-Chief
Endless Vacation

Eddy Patricelli, Editor-in-Chief
Islands

Elaine Srnka, Editor-in-Chief
Virtuoso

Maria Streshinsky, Deputy Managing Editor
The Atlantic

Bruce Wallin, Editorial Director
Robb Report

Registration for qualified writers is open.

There are two fees: a conference fee and a hotel fee. The early-bird conference fee (Dec. 1 – Feb. 1) will be $625, increasing to $725 after Feb. 1, when most of the 12-16 editors will be announced. A $325 deposit (fully refundable up until Feb. 1) will be required at the time of registration. Accommodations at Le Chateau Frontenac are $135 per night. All meals (breakfast, lunch and dinner) are included in the conference and hotel fees.

There’s no better way to stay in the loop of major magazine markets as you enhance your career with great writing assignments. Travel Classics is unlike any other conference on Earth.

Conference and accommodations fees include:

* Presentations and workshops with 16 top editors

* No more than 40 writers

* One-on-one consultations with guest editors

* 3 nights accommodations at Le Chateau Frontenac

* Meals for all three days

* Customized pre- and post-conference tour itineraries

Fairmont Le Chateau Frontenac

Standing high on a bluff overlooking the mighty St. Lawrence River, Fairmont Le Château Frontenac is not merely a hotel located in the heart of Old Québec — it is the heart of it. At Fairmont Le Château Frontenac, guests are guaranteed a memorable and inspiring stay in one of the most beautiful cities in the world with easy walking access to all of the wonderful sites and experiences that Old Québec has to offer

Offering newly renovated luxurious guestrooms, exquisite dining experiences through renowned Chef Jean Soulard and a distinctive European charm, this stately luxury hotel stands above historic Old Québec, designated a United Nations World Heritage Site.

Awards include: AAA Four Diamond Award, 2009 Travel + Leisure 500 Best hotels in the world, 2008 Condé Nast Traveler’s Gold List, and 2008 Condé Nast Traveler’s Top Ski Resorts and Hotels List.

Here’s the pitch:

“Energize your career with an intensive three-day weekend of workshops and small group sessions on the business of travel journalism, from developing online markets and building your brand to negotiating contracts and producing content. To be held January 15-17, 2010, in Orlando, Florida, the 15th annual SATW Institute for Travel Writing & Photography offers one-on-one interaction with an award-winning faculty with a background in a multitude of disciplines, including travel editors, stock photographers, guidebook authors, broadcasters, and freelance writers.”

Aaron Gell, Editor in Chief, Hemispheres

Sarah Kantrowitz, Associate Editor, Travel + Leisure

Keith Bellows, Editor-in-Chief, National Geographic Traveler

Jennifer Murphy, Travel Editor, Food & Wine Magazine

Jeff Ficker, Managing Editor, Ritz-Carlton and Arrive

Bruce Wallin, Editorial Director, CurtCo Robb Media

Hunki Yun, Editor, LINKS

Valerie Rains, Features Editor, Budget Travel

Barry Golson, Editor in Chief, ForbesTraveler.com

Don Nichols, Editor in Chief, Private Clubs

Janet Lee, Deputy Editor Fitness & Travel, Shape

Robert Stieve, Editor, Arizona Highways.

This year’s Travel Classics West will be October 15-18 at the Fairmont Scottsdale in Scottsdale, Arizona. Proof of the pudding of annual writers conferences is whether attendees return year after year, which they have for more than a decade at Travel Classics. In fact, the director limits returnees to about 40% for each conference, now, in order to open the opportunity to a new batch of writers each year.

Conference and accommodations fees include:

* Presentations and workshops with top magazine editors

* One-on-one private consultations with editors

* 3 nights accommodations at the Fairmont Scottsdale

* Meals for all three days

* Customized, complimentary pre- and post-conference tours in Arizona