Be sure to read Cynthia’s Communique, a blog about communicating in today’s world, by NFPW president Cynthia Price of Virginia. Then join the discussion…
Union League Club of Chicago
Rate: $156 (includes taxes)
Reservations: 1-800-443-0578
Reservation deadline July 21
A block of rooms in the Union League Club of Chicago, located in the historic Loop, is now available for Aug. 22-28, although the special conference rates will apply if you need to extend your stay before or after these dates.
Illinois Woman’s Press Association is thrilled to host the NFPW Conference in 2010, the 125th Anniversary of its founding at the historic Union League Club of Chicago in the Loop at 65 W. Jackson in the heart of the financial district. And if you plan to come in early for pre-tours throughout Chicago on Aug. 23-25 and/or the downstate Rt. 66 post tour Aug 29-31, it's not too early to start your travel plans for a truly memorable experience.
Time to make your travel plans
Registration fee
The full registration fee for Aug. 26-28 is $350 if paid by the July 21 early bird deadline. After July 21, the full registration fee will be $400.
Non-member early bird registration fee is $450, and $500 after July 21.
The Chicago Architectural Foundation is offering a free Architecture River cruise ($35 value) to the first 40 who register for the full conference and a deeply discounted price of $22 for all others up to 120 for the Wednesday, August 25 noon cruise.
How to get to Chicago
Flying into O’Hare or Midway or taking Amtrak are all good options. It is easy and economical to take the “el” train from these airports to exits close to the ULCC, but taxis and airport shuttles are also plentiful.
Amtrak arrives at Union Station about eight blocks from the ULCC for those who want to walk, or it’s a $5-6 taxi ride. Driving to and in Chicago is challenging, not only because it is a city of 3 million, but also due to heavy road construction leading into and on some main streets this summer.
Although the July 1 deadline for tour registration is past, spaces still remain on all pre- and post-tours. Registration for all tours will be left open until full. Watch this space for updates.
Monday, Aug. 23: Taste of the Neighborhood Tour #1: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Begin with a tour of Wrigley Field, home of the Chicago Cubs, then on to three multi-ethnic neighborhoods: Uptown, Andersonville, and Lincoln Square where unique shopping experiences abound. Enjoy two restaurant stops for Mexican and Vietnamese tastings. Cost $85.
Tuesday, Aug. 24: Taste of the Neighborhood #2: 10:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
Enjoy Greektown food, then visit Jane Addam’s Hull House. Shop in Chinatown before a snack in Little Italy and the world famous National Museum of Mexican Art in Pilsen. Cost $65.
Wednesday, Aug. 25: Custom Trolley Tour
9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Experience a custom trolley tour of “Obamaland” with lunch at one of President Obama’s favorite restaurants. Stop by the Chicago Cultural Center for a look at its stunning stained-glass domes and sparkling mosaics. Stroll through Millennium Park, and a take a behind-the-scenes tour of the Art Institute of Chicago. End your day shopping on Michigan Avenue and State Street or head back to the Union League Club. Cost $75.
Please note that times and stops are subject to last minute changes.
We’re also offering optional low-cost (most less than $25) or free late afternoon / evening activities Monday-Wednesday and on Thursday morning, depending on interest:
Walking tour of beginning of Rt. 66 in the Loop.
Willis Tower Skydeck tour
Architectural River Cruise
White Sox vs. Baltimore Night Game: Go as a group the Chicago way -- on the el -- to U.S. Cellular Field for a 7:10 p.m. game.
Theater date: either Billy Elliott or Shrek the Musical
Guided tour of the famous art collection at the Union League Club
Single Activities
Some activities offered in the pre-tours can be purchased separately. Please check the pre-tours registration form for activities and cost. No transportation is provided for these activities if purchased on this basis.
Leaving the Union League Club at 8 a.m. Sunday, August 29
Returning to the Union League Club at 6 p.m., Tuesday, August 31
An all inclusive trip providing three meals a day plus snacks, hotels, admissions, transportation and a professional guide. The total cost is $340 per person for doubles, $390 for single room. Traveling down Rt. 66 is the second most popular attraction in Illinois. Hosts Marlene Cook and Cindy Cruz will take you to nearly a dozen small towns where time stands still, with the southernmost point being Springfield. Get your outfit ready for the Sock Hop and Costume Contest.
If your affiliate would like to show the video and/or PowerPoint presented at the 2009 Texas conference, contact Cecilia Green at cecgreen1@comcast.net.
Don’t forget, the registration for tours remains open until all tours are filled.
Opening Reception at Maxims sponsored by Chicago Tourism and Illinois Woman’s Press Association, Thursday, August 26
Come celebrate IWPA’s 125th Anniversary at this elegant venue.
“Innovation, Reinvention” Educational Sessions
Check out the highlights of our conference:
Friday Breakfast
Get the behind the scenes story of the reinvention of a 163-year old newspaper from the three women who led it Learn of innovations on multiple platforms and in various niches through the lens of three sibling projects : the Chicago Tribune with Managing Editor Jane Hirt; RedEye, a daily newspaper for young urban commuters with Associate Managing Editor Tran Ha; and ChicagoNow a network of more than 300 local blogs with Editorial Director Tracy Schmidt.
Friday Lunch
Prepared to be entertained by Victoria Lautman, the most distinguished voice in Chicago’s world of the arts. Having just stepped away from “Writers on the Record,” the monthly author interview series she founded, produced and hosted on 987WFMT public radio, she is a real example of a career in transition. She will tell of her unplanned-for entry into journalism from the world of art history, and how each step of the “journey” lacked any actual education in the field of journalism. She promises to “ sling dirt and gossip” about individuals she has interviewed over the years.
Saturday Breakfast
Hear the latest developments in the trial of ousted Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich in the continuing coverage by Elizabeth Brackett, public TV’s “Chicago Tonight” segment host and author of Pay to Play. How Rod Blagojevich Turned Political Corruption into a National Sideshow.
Saturday Youth Luncheon
Be inspired by high school award winners at the Saturday luncheon and those involved in the Stevenson High School newspaper censorship case. Anne Halston, opinion page editor of the Daily Herald, tells of her paper’s coverage and editorial on a recent Illinois high school newspaper censorship issue.
Workshops
Choose from among 18 break-out sessions on how to reinvent your career, writing, social media and PR/marketing. See the Conference Agenda (.doc, pdf) for a list of sessions and speakers.
Banquets
Cheer on the nominee from your affiliate at the Friday night Communicator of Achievement dinner, preceded by the reception with entertainment by the Chicago Hakka Chorus.
Congratulate the winners at the Communications Award Banquet Saturday night in the elegant Crystal Ballroom, preceded by a reception and a live auction for the Education Fund.
The Union League Club of Chicago was recently named the top private club in the nation, and offers the impeccable service and security of a private club with all the conveniences of a modern luxury hotel.
Visit www.ulcc.org for a description of the club and the Queen, King and Double Queen rooms in our block. The rate is $130, plus a 20 percent surcharge for a total rate of $156, an extraordinary rate for comparable hotels in the height of Chicago's summer tourist season. Because double rooms are limited, please reserve these only if you know you will have a roommate.
Our location will put you right where the action is so that you can take advantage of impromptu outings with other attendees within walking distance.
It’s easy to get there with two major airports: Midway and O’Hare. Besides shuttles and taxis, the CTA rapid transit system has stops near the ULCC , and Amtrak arrives at Union Station, just four blocks away.
Be sure to call early for reservations: 1-800-443-0578
Deadline July 21
Watch for Details!
A group of participants at the 2009 conference in Idaho Falls gathers during a break for a photo to commemorate their fabulous experience in the West.
Check out these videos from the 2009 conference:
2009-2011 Officers Installed
2009-11 President Cynthia Price (VA) delivers her inauguration address
2009-11 officers introduced
Cynthia Price (VA), NFPW President introduces the NFPW Board, Committee Directors and President’s Advisory Committee for 2009 – 2011. First Vice President: Lori Potter (NE); Second Vice President: Teri Ehresman (ID);
Treasurer: Val Ensalaco (IL); Secretary: Carol Clark (NM); Immediate Past President: Marsha Shuler (LA); Archivist: Janice Denham (MO), COA Director: Pat Ryder (PA); Contest Director: Cheryl Kohout (AZ); Assistant Contest Director: Gwen Woolf (VA); At –Large Contest Director: Cathy Petrini (DC & VA); Director of Fun: Jill Miller (KS); FAN Director: Marsha Shuler (LA); Finance Committee Director: Donna Penticuff (IN); NFPW Education Fund High School Communications Contest Co-Directors: Denise Pinkney (ND); Karen Stensrud (ND); Historian: Barbara Micek (NE); Membership Director: Marianne Wolf-Astrauskas (IL); Parliamentarian: Ann Lockhart (CO); Protocol Director: Pam Stallsmith (VA); Agenda: Linda Koehler (PA) Content; Public Relations/Web Director: Marsha Hoffman (IA); Social Media Director: Laura Hermann (DC); Student Membership Co-Directors: Kathy Cordova and Clara Cordova; President’s Advisory Council: Meg Hunt (SC); Illinois Conference 2010: Cecilia Green and Suzanne Hanney; NE/IA Conference 2011: Stephanie Geery-Zink and Marsha Hoffman. Those serving but not pictured are: Marilyn Saltzman (CO), Marva Gay (TX), Teresa Ford (CO), Linda Koehler (PA), Laura Hermann (DC) and Stephanie Geery-Zink.
2009 COA Winners Named
Heloise 2009 COA Heloise accepts NFPW's highest award as Communicator of Achievement for 2009 during the conference. Heloise communicates through her syndicated columns, magazines, radio, television, books, on the lecture circuit and in her charitable work. She is a long-time member of NFPW. Eva Marie Pearson, Director of the COA Award Committee, and Marsha Shuler, NFPW President, present the award to Heloise.
Verna Gates COA runner-up Verna Gates, freeelance journalist from Alabama, is honored during the 2009 NFPW Communicator of Achievement Awards Ceremony at the San Antonio, Texas, conference. Eva Marie Pearson, Director of the COA Award Committee, and Marsha Shuler, NFPW President, present the award.
NFPW Memorial Service
NFPW historian Barbara Micek introduces the annual 2009 NFPW memorial service at the conference.
The NFPW Memorial Service at the 2009 conference honored the following: Alaska, Ingeborg Wilson; Arizona, Kerri Smith and Gladys Heilman Wright; Southern California, Elsie Mae Brewer; Indiana, Emma "Jane" Ford; Kansas, LuVerne M. Paine; Michigan, Arlys M. Derrick; Missouri, Mary Kimbrough; New Mexico, Cary Hurz and Fayne Lutz; Ohio, Tressie Sarah McIntosh; Oregon, Jacqueline Bedford Brown; Texas, Margaret Corrine Graham, Martha Swaine Reed, Dr. E. Truman Wester; Wisconsin, James Alderson Sr.
Martha S. Reed, who died in late 2008, was president of NFPW from 1979 to 1981. Marj Carpenter, president of NFPW from 1991-1993, pays tribute to her during the 2009 conference.
Living It Up in San Antonio
NFPW conference-goers get in the swing of things at the reception prior to the Friday evening banquet.
High School Students Honored
Jonathan Safron was one of three national winners in NFPW's High School Communications Contest who traveled to San Antonio, Texas, to receive their awards during the conference. Jonathan is pictured here receiving his first place award in the opinion category for his piece, "Out of life's deep end." A graduate of Adlai E. Stevenson High School in Lincolnshire, Ill., he is now a freshman at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn.
Also joining us in San Antonio were Alejandra Oliva (A&M Consolidated High School, College Station, Texas), who received honorable mention in the opinion category, and Kelsey O'Briant (Jersey Village High School, Houston, Texas), who received honorable mention in the double-truck layout category.
Resolution Closes Conference
Ann Lockhart presented the NFPW resolution to conclude the 2009 conference in September in San Antonio, TX.
Marsha Shuler Remembers...
Marsha Shuler speaks out: Part I
Marsha Shuler speaks out: Part II
Shield Law Discussed
NFPW Immediate Past President Marsha Shuler, left, and First Amendment Counsel Tonda Rush discuss the Shield Law.
Check out the 2009 conference in San Antonio, Texas
By Donna Hunt
Texas Press Women
If you read your March NFPW e-Letter and marked your calendar for Sept.10-12 as we asked you to do, you’ve made a good start toward getting ready to attend the National Conference in San Antonio, Texas.
Members will go on a “Roundup on the River” - the famous San Antonio River Walk - and although we’re not going to be in the high rent district, the El Tropicano Riverwalk Hotel is nearby with a water taxi service available. Actually, a balcony just over the lobby is directly over the river.
Angela Smith and Bonnie Arnold, co-directors of the conference, are busy lining up fantastic speakers and workshops. Such outstanding speakers as Manny Mendoza and Mark Birnbaum, who have traveled the world filming their award-winning documentary about the falling fortunes of print journalism, have agreed to speak.
For a change of pace, Texas Monthly columnist and author Sarah Bird will give her humorous take on the writing life. For just a hint of what to expect from Sarah, her thesis was a photojournalism project on the vanishing world of old lady beauty shops.
Editors from the San Antonio Express News, Austin American-Statesman and Fort Worth Star Telegram are slated for a panel discussion on the future of the daily newspaper. Speaking at the student awards luncheon will be 14-year-old Sophie Eve D-Arcy, cofounder of Kids Speaking Up, a nonpartisan group dedicated to combating ignorance and apathy in young people.
Workshops are being prepared in four tracks, journalism, PR/Advertising, freelance/fiction/
nonfiction, and technology/person skills. Outstanding speakers are coming to enlighten us in those areas. Representatives from Dell, Apple and Radio Shack will be showing off the latest in technology for personal and professional use. Much more and many more speakers are in the works. You won’t want to miss any of it.
If all of that isn’t enough to seal the deal for you to come to San Antonio, a pre-conference one-day tour is planned of all the places that put San Antonio right up at the top of the list of places you must visit in the United States. Then let’s not forget the post-conference three day tour hailed as a “Hill Country Adventure.” We’ll travel to the state capital in Austin for a day filled with history and fun before we move on to historic Fredericksburg. We’ll visit a wildflower seed farm, one of Texas’s top wineries, a presidential library and home, the Texas state museum and the state Capitol as well as lots of other fun places that you’ll find no place but Texas.
Texas members are looking forward to hosting this conference and are pulling out all the stops to make this “Roundup on the River, Growing with the Flow” an event that you will never forget.
Manny Mendoza and Mark Birnbaum will present Stop the Presses: The American Newspaper in Peril, their award-winning documentary film about the falling fortunes of print journalism. They traveled the country interviewing writers and editors, journalism professors, media critics and readers and non-readers to look at how we got here and what’s at stake in the woes of daily newspapers.
Texas Monthly columnist and author Sarah Bird will give her humorous take on the writing life. Here’s a short bio in her own words: I grew up in a Catholic Air Force family of eight. Went to five different schools in fifth grade. Spent my happiest years in mostly Mexican-American Catholic schools. Lived with my family and on my own in Japan, Okinawa, France, Spain, the Yucatan Peninsula, and most of the western states, though I've lived the longest in Texas (number one in prison population!) and love New Mexico the most. Degree in anthropology from the University of New Mexico. Journalism fellowship at the University of Texas. My thesis was a photojournalism project on the vanishing world of old lady beauty shops.
Editors from the San Antonio Express News, Austin American-Statesman and Fort Worth Star Telegram are slated for a panel discussion on the future of the daily newspaper.
Scheduled to speak at the scholarship luncheon is 14-year-old Sophie Eve D-Arcy, co-founder of Kids Speaking UP,a nonpartisan group dedicated to combating ignorance and apathy in young people. The group was founded in 2004 by Sophie and her sister Isabelle (ages 10 and 12 at the time). They publish an annual magazine and write a weekly op-ed column for a Santa Barbara online newsletter.
Workshops will be offered in three tracks: journalism/writing (including freelance/fiction/ nonfiction), PR/Advertising and technology/personal skills. Among the many workshop speakers are award-winning author Jodie Thomas, former UPI reporter/war correspondent Joe Galloway, true crime writer Suzy Spencer, and literary agent Jim Hornfisher. Also, Millie Brown, CEO of Brown Publishing Group; Larry Brill, former news anchor and president of Brill Commununications, Alan Govenar, Executive Director, Documentary Arts and Monica Maeckle, VP, New Media and Businesswire.
Representatives from Dell, Apple and Radio Shack will also be showing off the latest in technology for personal and professional use.
Registration deadline for tours extended to August 1.
NFPW members who want to really get the flavor of Texas up close and personal will be in for treats when they sign up for the pre-conference one-day tour of San Antonio and three day post-conference tour of the Texas Hill Country.
Registration and checks can be mailed to Kathie Magers, 1508 Riverside Drive, West Tawakoni, TX 75474. To pay by credit card, mail or fax completed registration form to NFPW Headquarters, 703-237-9808 (fax), P.O. Box 5556, Arlington, VA 22205.
Pre-conference tour
A Sept. 9 tour of the city will take members to all the beautiful and historic points of interest including the Mission San Jose, San Fernando Cathedral, the Alamo, Mexican Market and Institute of Texas Cultures. They will see San Antonio from the sky at the Tower of the Americas and have dinner on the famous Riverwalk.
Read more about the tour (.doc, pdf) then send in your registration form (.doc, pdf) by July 13. First come, first served.
Post-conference tour
A three-day Hill Country Adventure will follow the conference, beginning on Sunday and ending on Tuesday afternoon. On Sunday morning we will head for the state capitol in Austin to visit the Lady Bird Johnson Research Center, drive down Congress Avenue to the LBJ Presidential Library, then head to the Bob Bullock Texas State Historical Museum. Lodging will be near Sixth Street, the “in” place for entertainment in Austin.
On Monday we’ll head to Johnson City and the birthplace of President Lyndon B. Johnson, then on to his ranch where we will go into the office of the Texas White House. Fredericksburg will be our destination for the day where members can shop and tour the remains of the town’s Old World Heritage. A stop at Becker Winery will sweeten the tour before going to the Wildseed Farm, largest of its kind in America. Dinner Monday in Fredericksburg will be followed by a visit to the Silver Saloon to enjoy live “Blues” music.
Wednesday after breakfast and time for shopping in the quaint shops of Fredericksburg we’ll head to Luckenbach made famous by the Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson song, “Luckenbach, Texas,” then head back to San Antonio in time for members to catch their flights home after an experience they won’t soon forget.
Read more about the tour then send in your registration form (.doc, pdf) by August 1. First come, first served.
Registration and checks can be mailed to Kathie Magers, 1508 Riverside Drive, West Tawakoni, TX 75474. To pay by credit card, mail or fax completed registration form to NFPW Headquarters, 703-237-9808 (fax), P.O. Box 5556, Arlington, VA 22205.
NFPW is providing space for authors to proudly show and sell their books at this year’s conference.
All authors may participate, but special consideration will be given to the conference speakers, workshop leaders and NFPW members.
Authors will be in charge of their own transactions and are asked to pay $15 each to help defray the cost of the space setup. Payment by cash or credit card will be accepted at the book sale, but reservations must be made by August 31. Please reply to Kay Casey, ckaycasey@att.net, or phone 903-465-8567 to reserve your space at the book sales/signing event.
The sales and signing will be offered from 2 until 5 p.m. Friday, Sept. 11, in the Habana Room, El Tropicano Hotel, 110 Lexington Avenue, San Antonio, TX 78205.
Enjoy Greektown food, then visit Jane Addam’s Hull House. Shop in Chinatown before a snack in Little Italy and the world famous National Museum of Mexican Art in Pilsen. Cost $65.
Experience a custom trolley tour of “Obamaland” with lunch at one of President Obama’s favorite restaurants. Stop by the Chicago Cultural Center for a look at its stunning stained-glass domes and sparkling mosaics. Stroll through Millennium Park, and a take a behind-the-scenes tour of the Art Institute of Chicago. End your day shopping on Michigan Avenue and State Street or head back to the Union League Club. Cost $75.
Leaving the Union League Club at 8 a.m. Sunday, August 29
Friday Breakfast
Prepared to be entertained by Victoria Lautman, the most distinguished voice in Chicago’s world of the arts. Having just stepped away from “Writers on the Record,” the monthly author interview series she founded, produced and hosted on 987WFMT public radio, she is a real example of a career in transition. She will tell of her unplanned-for entry into journalism from the world of art history, and how each step of the “journey” lacked any actual education in the field of journalism. She promises to “ sling dirt and gossip” about individuals she has interviewed over the years.
Hear the latest developments in the trial of ousted Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich in the continuing coverage by Elizabeth Brackett, public TV’s “Chicago Tonight” segment host and author of Pay to Play. How Rod Blagojevich Turned Political Corruption into a National Sideshow.
The Union League Club of Chicago was recently named the top private club in the nation, and offers the impeccable service and security of a private club with all the conveniences of a modern luxury hotel. 
