With just about two months until Write to Publish (W2P), we’re excited to see everything is coming together! We are pleased to announce our panelists and their corresponding areas of expertise. Below is half of our programming and scheduled participants.

Our “Legal Issues in Publishing” panel will be filled by the following individuals:

• Peter Vaughan Shaver – a Portland-based arts and entertainment attorney at his firm, Sound Advice, LLC.
• Dane E. Johnson – a Portland-based lawyer whose firm, Inspiration Spaceship, concentrates on protecting and supporting creative endeavors.
• Anna Noak – the editorial director at IT Revolution and a graduate of PSU’s book publishing program.
• Amanda Gomm – the co-owner of Digital Bindery and the instructor for Ebook Production at PSU.
• Betsy Amster – the president of Betsy Amster Literary Enterprises, a literary agency in Portland and Los Angeles.

The “State of Diversity in Publishing” panel has the following participants:

• Jey Tehya – a native Oregonian, member of the Cherokee Nation, and author of the forthcoming novel The Wrong Kind of Indian.
• Brian Parker – a graphic designer, illustrator, and author of the forthcoming fantasy novel The Wonderous Science.
• S. Renee Mitchell – a speaker, author, and artist who seeks to empower her community through writing, art, and action.
• David F. Walker – a writer, filmmaker, and educator whose expertise of African American culture has been featured in the Los Angeles Times, New York Daily News, and BBC.
• Cathy Camper – a writer, artist, and librarian in Portland with a forthcoming picture book titled Ten Ways to Hear Snow.

The “Building an Online Presence” workshop will be led by Kent Lewis, the president and founder of Anvil Media, Inc., which is an integrated marketing consultancy that provides measurable marketing to help clients move their businesses forward.

Our “Crafting a Query Letter” workshop will be led by Joe Biel of Microcosm Publishing. Joe is a self-made publisher and filmmaker, as well as an author whose work can be found here. Joe’s participation and success in the publishing community make him an excellent resource on starting the publishing process.

We are so excited for everything we have in store. Stay tuned for the second half of our panelists and workshop leaders!