By Kristen Reber
Our 2018 conference, “Let Your Voices Be Heard,” was held on November 2 and 3 at the BYU Conference Center in Provo, Utah. The Spirit was strong as we listened to knowledgeable speakers share both spiritual and practical lessons related to publishing and media.
We kicked off the conference with a guest interview with David Archuleta, the platinum-selling singer-songwriter, actor, and author. Asked about how he remained vibrant, relevant, strong, and true to himself in his career, he described his journey of navigating today’s crass and media-crazed world as a young Latter-day Saint pop sensation. He also talked about the choices he’s made to uphold his values and how those choices have influenced his success and character. He made it clear that he doesn’t regret his decisions to stay true to himself and to God. This uplifting and inspiring interview was the perfect start for our conference!
The conversation with David Archuleta was followed by two hours of breakout sessions, offered in five tracks: publishing; media and broadcasting; marketing; editing, design, and production; and fiction and nonfiction writing.
When the time came for the networking lunch, the enthusiasm in the air was palpable: attendees were ready to get to know each other and learn from one another in a casual environment. They were also eager for the buffet-style lunch (complete with vegan and gluten-free options). Afterward, conference participants attended three more breakout sessions, focused on a wide array of topics in the five publishing and media tracks.
In addition to the five tracks, some of the breakout sessions also included interactive classes:
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- Fast Pitch (a speed dating opportunity for aspiring authors to pitch book projects to publishing companies)
- Book Spotlight (an opportunity for participants to share and promote their work)
- Open Table Groups(an opportunity for participants to share and get feedback on their poetry, stories, and other writings)
- Networking Groups (an opportunity to meet other conference attendees and get immediate help with publishing challenges)
- Demopalooza (an opportunity to share video, audio, and multimedia creations)
We received great feedback on what people enjoyed about the interactive sessions, as well as how to improve them for next year’s conference. We’re excited to implement the suggestions!
We ended the first day of the conference with an awards ceremony honoring our Lifetime Achievement Award winners:
- Sheri Dew (Publishing and Media)
- Don Norton (Editing and Design)
- John L. Sorenson (Writing)
Don Norton and John L. Sorenson gave endearing acceptance speeches. Unfortunately, Sheri Dew could not attend because of family obligations.
You can learn more about our winners by visiting our Lifetime Achievement Award Winners page.
During the ceremony, we also announced the Praiseworthy Award winners:
Text
Short Form
Winners: Alan B. Sanderson
Honorable Mention: Mark J. Sanderson and Ivan Sanderson
Long Form
Winners: Dave Crenshaw, Valerie Brewster Caldwell, and Sue Malikowski
Honorable Mention: Laurisa White Reyes
Multimedia
Winner: Mormon Insights
Honorable Mention: Marriott Student Review
Audio/Video
Winners: Blair Hodges and Stephen Taysom
Honorable Mention: Janet Perry
You can learn more about our winners by visiting our Praiseworthy Awards Winners page.
After the awards ceremony, about 80 conference attendees took advantage of the opportunity to attend a tour of the BYU Broadcasting Building. Everyone enjoyed the fun tour given by the BYU Broadcasting staff, followed by the informative and entertaining presentation that managing director Michael A. Dunn gave in studio C.
Saturday morning, conference attendees entered the auditorium excited for what the day had in store for them. In a keynote address, Virginia H. Pearce spoke about the beauty of words and why everyone should write—especially those who don’t intend to make a career out of it! For many of our conference attendees, Pearce’s address was the most inspirational message of the conference, providing the ideal start to another great day of classes and networking.
Following the opening address, conference participants enjoyed three hours of breakout sessions.
After a buffet lunch, the conference ended with a keynote address by Orson Scott Card, who shared lessons he’s learned from his 40-year journey as a writer. He emphasized that members of the Church don’t need to write about gospel topics in order to produce praiseworthy works or to weave gospel principles in their publications. Many participants were encouraged by Card’s address and felt new confidence to pursue their writing aspirations.
We thank all the speakers for their preparation and insightful messages. We’re also grateful for everyone else who contributed to making the conference a fabulous experience for attendees, as attested in the following feedback:
“I loved the conference. So happy that there is a movement in the LDS community to form relationships and support each other.”
“The real value to me of the LDSPMA conference is to make friendships that develop over time and become sources of networking and bouncing around ideas, either at the conference or via email throughout the year. So, coming each year makes it better for me than if I only came once or occasionally.”
“Thanks for a great, helpful, and inspiring conference! It’s great time to be in Latter-day Saint publishing.”
“Loved it! So happy with what I learned.”
“This was phenomenal! I liked how some of the sessions that covered similar topics were offered at different hours so I could get to more that I liked.”
“This conference and your extra efforts, improvements, the high quality of the invited presenters was excellent! Almost every part I participated in was BEYOND my expectations!!”
“Thanks for making this happen. So nice to meet people here, learn a lot, and be able to better support each other. Well done!”
“Thank you for creating an amazing experience!”
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