By Andrea Dorn and Lynn Thompson
Join the Cat Writers’ Association’s 2024 Virtual Conference on October 18 and 19, as we celebrate 30 years of providing educational opportunities for written, visual, and audio forms of communication. Once again, we have a diverse panel of speakers and several surprises for our attendees. And, if you are unable to attend on those dates, the replays of all sessions will be available to registrants for 30 days after the conference!
CWA co-founder Amy Shojai is our keynote speaker and will be giving a talk entitled, “Back to the Future…The Next 9 Lives.” Could there be a more purr-fect speaker for our 30th anniversary conference?
Visit with our sponsors in the virtual exhibit hall and mingle with other attendees in the virtual lounges. We’re also working on having editors and agents available to meet with attendees.
Pearls are the traditional 30th wedding anniversary gift, and you can expect many “purrls” of valuable information during this conference. Get energized. Enhance your professional skills. Learn about new developments in feline care, behavior, and rescue. We’re also putting together a “purrl hunt” in which you’ll find pearls to qualify for door prize drawings.
Conference Speakers
The State of Freelancing and Publishing in Today’s World – Panel Discussion
As the industry changes due to technology, mergers, staff cutbacks, budget cuts, and societal changes, we must adapt with it to remain relevant. When markets shrink, learn how to remain open-minded to new opportunities in areas that didn’t exist before. People still need information about their cats. So, how do we deliver it today? How do we best position ourselves and our work to remain in demand? Where are the markets of today?
This panel discussion includes three award-winning CWA members: journalist Jen Reeder, author Amy Shojai, and publicist Mary Tan toJen has written over 1,000 articles for multiple major national publications and websites. Amy is a certified animal behavior consultant who co-founded the CWA and is the award-winning author of 35+ pet-centric books and thousands of articles. Mary is the chief storyteller for the boutique strategic communications agency Whisker Media, a freelance writer for several publications, and the CWA’s PR agent of record.
Diversity in Animal Welfare – James Evans
Tune into this workshop to look at how animal welfare is changing with increasing diversity, and what role we as communicators can play in supporting and facilitating this evolution.
James Evans, founder of Companions and Animals for Reform and Equity (C.A.R.E.) is a multi-award-winning creative strategist and leader with over 25 years of experience in developing relationships between organizations and their constituents, James has worked with brands such as the Humane Society of the United States, Timberland, Disney, The Mills Corporation, the NAACP, the Kennedy Krieger Institute, CVS Caremark’s Project Health, and many more.
Cliffhangers: Keep the Pages Turning! – Kris Bock
In Kris’s workshop, you’ll learn how to identify the best cliffhanger moments and pump up the drama with pacing and paragraphing, or how to end on a quieter moment while still moving the story forward with a sense of worry or anticipation.
Kris Bock is an author of sweet romance, humorous mystery series, and romantic comedy novels (and CWA member) Kris is the author of the Furrever Friends Sweet Romance book series centered around a cat café, as well as two other book series and one other she co-authored.
How to Create a Literary Legacy for You and Your Cat – Vic DiGenti
Whether through a cat memoir or a more traditional biography, whether writing about a rescue, a feral, a library cat, or your own four-legged companion, Vic’s workshop will help you turn your feline love story into a marketable book. Vic DiGenti, award-winning author and former CWA member, will speak about “How to Create a Literary Legacy for You and Your Cat.” The author of eleven biographies and family histories for clients, Vic authored the award-winning Windrusher trilogy of fantasy books with a feline protagonist, plus the Quint Mitchell Mystery series under his pen name, Parker Francis.
My Process for Creating Cats – Beverly Garland
For the artists among us, Beverly Garland, CWA member and graphic artist who’s a past President’s Award winner, will speak about her process for creating cats. Beverly has a successful YouTube channel on which she features delightful videos showing how she creates portraits of her clients’ cats while telling that cat’s story. Find out how she does it by attending her workshop: she’ll share not only how she creates the portraits, but also how she puts together the videos themselves. She’ll even share her time-management secrets for working a full-time office job and keeping up with her portrait queue, all while living without many of the modern conveniences we all love.
The 3 Things You Need to Succeed on Substack – Sarah Fay
Sarah Fay, Substack columnist and award-winning, bestselling author, will speak about “The 3 Things You Need to Succeed on Substack.” A Substack Growth Strategist and the founder and director of Substack Writers at Work, she helps people produce their best work, build a loyal audience, and earn the income they deserve, all via Substack. In her workshop, she’ll show you the keys to getting subscribers, building a loyal readership, earning an income, and producing your best work.
Self-Publishing – Allison Stegeland
Allison Stegeland will speak about “Self-Publishing.” Her workshop will provide an overview of Print-on-Demand (POD) book distribution, what to consider when setting up your title, tips on setting up retailer-friendly terms, and metadata aspects to keep in mind. While some information she will share is specific to Ingram Spark, some will be applicable to other publishing platforms.
With previous experience at Penguin Random House and Simon & Schuster, Allison now works with Ingram Spark, helping their customers’ titles reach their full global sales potential through IngramSpark and Lightning Source.
Lost Cats: How Cat Writers Can Help – Kim Freeman
Kim Freeman, Lost Cat Finder, the Pet Detective for Cats, will be giving a talk entitled, “Lost Cats: How Cat Writers Can Help.” Her workshop will talk about cutting through the noise to get to the science-backed psychology of finding lost kitties and the online Lost Cat Kit owners can use to improve chances of their lost cat being found.
With a dozen years under her belt as a professional finder of lost cats, Kim has solved cases in 48 states and 23 countries.
The Science of Feline Play – Beth Adelman
Beth Adelman, MS, will speak about “The Science of Feline Play.” In her workshop, you’ll learn about the neuroscience and the social and behavioral objectives underpinning feline play, leading to an understanding of how cats’ play simulates hunting.
A cat behavior consultant, Beth was a founding member of the Cat Division of the International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants (IAABC) and is on the Advocacy Committee of the Pet Professional Guild.
Everything There is to Know about Catios – Alan Breslauer
Alan Breslauer, also known as “Catio Guy,” will speak about “Everything There is to Know About Catios.” His workshop will teach us about the benefits, materials, choices, best practices and tips, design elements, safety, and resources when designing and building your own catio.
After establishing Custom Catios in 2017, Alan and his team have crafted over 400 tailored cat enclosures and has even been featured on Jackson Galaxy’s show on Animal Planet and in videos by Kitten Lady Hannah Shaw.
Feline Colors and Patterns: Demystifying the World’s Most Colorful Mammal – Teresa Keiger
Teresa Keiger, a CWA member and CFA Allbreed judge, as well as a graphic designer and editor for the Cat Fanciers’ Association (CFA) who has also worked with National Geographic, will talk entitlred, “Feline Colors and Patterns: Demystifying the World’s Most Colorful Mammal.” Do you have an orange tabby or a red mackerel tabby? What’s the proper name for a cat with a solid, all-gray coat? Why are cats colored the way they are? These and many more questions will be answered in this informative overview of feline coat colors and patterns. You’ll think twice before using the wrong terminology or characteristics for a cat in your work again!
What’s Up With My Cat’s Fishy Breath? – Nick Lee
Nick Lee, the Business Development Manager at Aimé Kitchen (a CWA Panther (Silver) sponsor), will speak about feline dental health in “What’s Up With My Cat’s Fishy Breath?” What health problems can bad breath indicate in your cat? How is breath related to gut health? Using examples from his company’s latest research, you’ll find out why it’s important to tackle your cat’s oral health, and some ways they’ve discovered to keep kitty’s breath smelling sweet and fresh.
Nick has worked for several pet food and health brands in both supply chain and product development. Now he works with the industry’s leading animal nutritionists and health scientists to develop next-gen functional products for both pets and livestock.
An Overview of How I Communicate With Animals – Pam Walker
Pam Walker, animal communicator, will give “An Overview of How I Communicate With Animals.” In her workshop, she will discuss how she learned to use her ability to communicate with animals and apply her gifts of clairsentience, mediumship, empathy, and healing, as well as helping with behavioral issues and dealing with saying goodbye to a beloved pet and working through the healing process.
A Minister with the Church of Wisdom, Pam has a doctorate in Metaphysics and Holistic Healing and another in Ro-Hun Therapies – a Transpersonal Psychology. She’s also a certified Medium, Intuitive, Medical Intuitive, Clinical and Transpersonal Hypnotherapist, Reiki Master/Teacher, Holistic Healer, and Life Coach.
We have been hard at work this year to deliver relevant and timely content for you. Register today so you don’t miss out on our slate of experts!
About the Authors
Andrea Dorn
Andrea Dorn is an award-winning writer and photographer published in
magazines such as Cat Talk, Cats, Cat Fancy, Cat Fanciers Almanac, All
Creatures, Just Labs, Our Iowa, Iowa Gardener and Lyrical Iowa, as
well as several newspapers and newsletters. She is the vice president
of the Cat Writers’ Association and the 2024 Conference chair. A
retired veterinary technician, she is now working on her debut cat
memoir. She currently lives with one controlling red mactabby and his
still feral mother. Find her at https://andreadorn.substack.com/
Lynn Thompson
President of the Cat Writers’ Association since 2023, Lynn is the author of The Feline CEO: How Following a Cat’s Lead Can Make You a Better Business Leader. She operated an online store from 2010-2019 to supply cats and their people. Her business book is based on what she has learned about cat behavior coupled with her own leadership experience in the corporate world and through service on many nonprofit boards. Lynn speaks about leadership based on the principles in her book, and also speaks to writers’ groups.
As president of Thompson Writing & Editing, Lynn has worked with authors on books through ghostwriting, editing, and author marketing coaching. A longtime member of the JAX Chamber and the ShankMinds mastermind group, Lynn has cut back her volunteer work, but remains a Life Member of the University of Florida Alumni Association. In 2023, she released Volume 1 of a series of books called An Author’s Guide to Literary Genres, covering the Juvenile Nonfiction genres. In November 2019, she released a second edition of her first print book, An Author’s Guide to Online Marketing. For complete information, visit her website, thompsonwriting.com.
There are so many exciting presenters this year and all of them relevant to those of us active in the print and online world. Cat colours, catios and cat breath show how attentive the CWA is to those of us in the cat world, and makes us smile too!
I admit I am excited to see Beverley Garland presenting again, I loved drawing along with her class last year.
Should be a great conference. I’m glad you’ll be there, even if it is at a different time.
This is going to be a great conference and what a milestone at 30 years!
What an amazing lineup!! Huge props to Andrea and Lynn for putting together such a stellar group of speakers to help celebrate our 30 year anniversary!
Purrs from Deb Barnes
Thanks Deb, we tried.
Looking forward to it!
Not too much longer! And so much to do!