The SPJ Region 9 conference is right around the corner. And actually, hey, can I just be totally honest? This is the first time New Mexico has hosted the regional conference–and it’s going to be awesome.
The Rio Grande Chapter has scheduled social events, a silent auction, speakers like M.E. Sprengelmeyer and Doug Fine, and panels on everything from digital tools and open records to education and science reporting. (We’ll even have a physical therapist showing off stretches and explaining how to stay healthy when you’re trapped in front of a computer screen.)
Thanks to contributions from the Colorado and Utah chapters, as well as generous donations from a few New Mexico media outlets and Rio Grande Chapter board members, we’re able to offer affordable registration ($27.50 for SPJ members and students, $37.50 for non-members).
Space is limited, however, so don’t miss your chance to hang out with the best (and most fun) journalists in New Mexico, Colorado, Utah, and Wyoming. Register online at: http://www.eventbrite.com/event/5379165228?ref=ebtn#
We’ll have a final agenda up soon, but here’s a sneak peek:
Friday: The Santa Fe New Mexican
202 E. Marcy St.
3:30 to 4:30 p.m. Early bird session with Henry Lopez on digital tools for journalists.
Monroe Gallery of Photography
112 Don Gaspar Ave.
5 to 7 p.m. Opening Reception – Drop by to pick up your conference materials and network at which has photo exhibit from the Civil Rights Movement and the life of JFK.
6 p.m. Lecture by Richard Stolley, Life magazine photographers who covered the movement and the assassination of JFK. Stolley was the founding editor of People magazine who retired in Santa Fe as editorial director of Time, Inc.
After party 8-10 p.m.: The Palace 142 W Palace Ave
· $5 and $6 drink specials for SPJ conference attendees.
Saturday: The Santa Fe New Mexican, 202 E. Marcy St.
Morning sessions, 8:30 a.m.- noon:
· Keynote from M.E. Sprengelmeyer, owner of Guadalupe County Communicator and former correspondent with Rocky Mountain News
· Loner to Loser: How Framing Matters in Reporting Trauma, by Tammy Kaiser, director of lifelong learning at Congregation Albert in Albuquerque and a workplace-shooting survivor, who writes training curricula on cultural and religious diversity for the Department of Homeland Security.
· Stretching for stress relief and good body habits for journalists, with Gina Sandoval, physical therapist, Spine Solutions in Santa Fe
·Publishers and decision-makers discuss the business of journalism
· Public Information Stage with Gywneth Doland, New Mexico Foundation for Open Government, and Joel Campbell, past chairman of the SPJ national Freedom of Information Committee, who will engage audience to role play about tactics for getting the records you want without the hassle.
Lunch: Noon-1:30 p.m.
Afternoon sessions, 1:30 to 5pm:
· Modernizing Journalism Education, a panel with Christopher Braider, director of Journalism & Mass Communication at University of Colorado, Boulder; Glenda Balas, chair of the Communication and Journalism program at University of New Mexico, and Constantine Psarras, Chair of the Department of Communication at University of Utah
· Simplifying Science, a discussion with researchers from Los Alamos National Laboratory (microbiologist Harshini Mukundan and weather scientist Geoff Reeves) and journalists (John Fleck, Albuquerque Journal and independent Bryant Furlow)
· Keynote from Doug Fine, author of Too High to Fail and Farewell My Subaru and former foreign correspondent. He’ll also offer a training breakout program about the importance of on-the-ground reporting in places like Somalia and Mendocino and even in our backyards.
Extra Credit: 5-5:45 p.m.
· Making the most of Point-and-Shoot digital photos with Natalie Guillen, The Santa Fe New Mexican
Happy Hour Social Event: 6 to 8 p.m.: Vanessie
427 W. Water Street Cash bar with appetizers provided by Region 9