Open Breakout Sessions:
This year we are having a series of mini-breakout sessions for our attendees, as an ice-breaker & for special interests. We have 15 breakout sessions that will be going on from 9-10 AM on Saturday morning September 27. Many of these sessions will require participants to pre-register as space will be limited. We will be posting about these in upcoming posts. Today I want to share the 3 sessions that are open to anyone to attend without requiring pre-registration.
Blog to Book: Meet an Editor and Learn About Publishing, from Concept to Completion:
For many bloggers who have spent months or years creating recipes, writing about food and restricted diets, learning food photography, and promoting their work, a book is the natural next step. Whether you choose to self publish or work with a publishing house, you want your book to be the best it can be—and I’d love to help. I’m an Associate Editor at The Experiment, an independent publishing company with a strong track record publishing health- and food-focused books (including Colette Martin’s Learning to Bake Allergen-Free and forthcoming The Allergy-Free Pantry). There, I work with authors (many of whom are also bloggers) during all stages of the editorial process, from brainstorming a concept to developing a table of contents to fine-tuning sentences and checking facts to “packaging” the book with the perfect title and cover. Depending on what questions the group has, I would be happy to provide general editorial advice, discuss the publishing process and expand upon the relative merits of independent or “Big Six” publishers versus self-publishing.
Breakout Session Leader: Molly Cavanaugh is Associate Editor at The Experiment (Twitter @experimentbooks), an independent nonfiction publishing company in New York City, where she edits a variety of special diet books, including Colette Martin’s Learning to Bake Allergen-Free and forthcoming The Allergy-Free Pantry, Kelli and Peter Bronskis’ gluten-free cookbooks, and books on the low-FODMAP diet written by leading experts Sue Shepherd and Peter Gibson. Molly herself has celiac disease—diagnosed in 2013, after she saw her own symptoms described in the books she worked on—and blogs about it at Based on a Sprue Story (Twitter @spruestory). She grew up in Massachusetts, attended college in Chicago, and now happily cooks and eats gluten-free in Manhattan.
Evidence-Based Blogging:
Like a good pair of jeans, reliable online information about health can be hard to find. With information and misinformation about food allergies abounding online, how can readers know what’s fact and what’s fiction? Before you hit the “publish” button on your next post, join our conversation about how to ensure that your blog is providing recommendations and facts supported by scientific research and health data. FARE staff members Veronica LaFemina and Anna Luke, along with Food Allergy Sleuth blogger Jessica Martin and Asthma Allergies Children Co-Author, Henry Ehrlich, will give you advice on how to identify reliable research you can use to make your blog a reputable source for your readers.
Breakout Session Leaders:
Henry Ehrlich
Henry Ehrlich is co-author of Asthma Allergies Children: a parent’s guide with Dr. Lawrence Chairamonte and Dr. Paul Ehrlich, board-certified pediatric allergists, and editor of AsthmaAllergiesChildren.
Jessica Martin, PhD
Jessica Martin earned a Ph.D. in neuroscience from Oregon Health and Science University in 2011. She is currently a faculty member in biology at Portland Community College, where she enjoys teaching undergraduate students enrolled in general biology, cell biology, and anatomy & physiology. True to her passion for teaching, Jessica also educates on the science behind food allergies on her blog, the Food Allergy Sleuth. She takes pride in breaking down complex scientific findings to make them understandable for all whose lives are affected by allergies. Outside of her blog, Jessica’s writing has appeared at Asthma Allergies Children and Slate. Jessica is also involved with the Oregon Food Allergy Network, supporting advocacy efforts to adopt statewide policies for food allergies in schools. Jessica is the mother of two young boys, one of whom has multiple life-threatening food allergies.
Anna Luke
Anna Luke is the manager of online community at Food Allergy Research & Education (FARE), where she runs the organization’s blog and social media platforms, contributes to the development of new programs and website content, issues allergy alerts and ingredient notices, and manages FARE’s Food Allergy Awareness Week initiatives. Anna came to FARE from an education reform nonprofit so she could work on an issue close to her heart: helping families and individuals living with life-threatening food allergies, just like her mother and sister. On the personal side, Anna was diagnosed with celiac disease in 2007 and blogs about all things gluten free in her blog, Gluten Free? Gimme Three! She also is a contributing blogger for The DC Ladies, focusing on gluten free restaurants and news for women in the DC metro area. You can find Anna on Twitter and Facebook and get connected with FARE on Facebook, Twitter,
Veronica LaFemina
Veronica LaFemina is the vice president of communications at Food Allergy Research & Education (FARE), where she leads the organization’s efforts to increase awareness of food allergy as a serious and growing public health issue. For the past decade, she has directed national strategic communications initiatives designed to garner attention for important health issues, including food allergy, HIV/AIDS, mental health, and the health of veterans and their caregivers. Veronica launched her first health-related blog in 2005 and has been passionate about making health research and information easier to understand, access and share by leveraging social media and other online platforms ever since. Having grown up in a food allergy family, she is also committed to helping all those who are managing the disease have the information and resources they need to stay safe and live well with food allergies. You can find Veronica on Twitterand get connected with FARE on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and the FARE website and blog.
Thinking Outside the Blog:
You’ve developed your platform, found your voice, and honed your writing skills. What’s next? Join a lively discussion about ways to reposition your ideas, voice and material and GET PAID, too. We’ll talk about pitching a story and about approaching the right outlets for your work. Beth Hillson is food editor at Gluten Free & More (formerly Living Without magazine) and a freelance writer who has been pitching her ideas to the media (and getting published) for several decades. A professional journalist who just lately started blogging, she’ll share her advice and help you sort through a wide range of food and food allergy topics and media outlets where your talents can shine.
Breakout Session Leader: Beth Hillson is a food writer, author and blogger. She is the food editor for Gluten Free & More and writes and lectures frequently on the gluten-free diet and lifestyle as well as other special diet needs. Beth was diagnosed with celiac disease in 1976 and attended culinary school where she learned to adapt classic recipes to fit her own diet. In 1993 she founded one of the first gluten-free food companies, Gluten-Free Pantry. She is the author of Gluten-Free Makeovers (Da Capo, 2011) and a newly-released gluten-free lifestyle book, Living Well Gluten-Free. Her work has appeared in many publications including the Huffington Post, Gothamist, GoDairyFree.com, The Daily Meal, Yoga International, Yankee Magazine, FamilyFun, and Connecticut Magazine, Houston Chronicle, Hartford Courant. Her regular blogs about the gluten-free diet, lifestyle and recipes appear on Glutino.com and on her own blog www.glutenfreemakeovers.com . You can follow Beth on Facebook and Twitter.