Phliadelphia Stories: Push to Publish Conference 2012/be there?

Last March I had the great fun of organizing Young Writers Take the Park with The Spiral Bookcase—an event that provided young area writers with the chance to be celebrated, to be heard, to be published, and to participate in a workshop that Elizabeth Mosier and I conducted.  These young writers also spent time talking with my writer friends A.S. King, April Lindner, and Susan Campbell Bartoletti (as well as Elizabeth, of course).  It was a great day made even greater by the presence of Christine Weiser, who stands, slim but steadfast, at the whirligig center of Philadelphia's writing world.  It was Christine who offered these young writers a chance to be published in her beautiful magazine, Philadelphia Stories, Jr.  It was Christine who produced this video of the day.

Among the many other things that Miss Christine does is produce the annual Push to Publish Conference, which is held at Rosemont College each fall.  One year I was honored by an invitation to serve as the keynote speaker (and accepted, of course).  This year—October 13, 9 AM to 5 PM—I'll be joining the YA panel.  Literally dozens of remarkable agents, editors, and writers will be offering advice and telling war stories, even looking over manuscripts, and I never hear anything but extremely good things from the many who attend this conference each year.  Who doesn't want a chance to meet with editors and agents?  Who isn't beguiled by my friends Kelly Simmons and Kathye Fetsko Petrie?  Who doesn't want to hear what the keynoter, Kevin McIlvoy, has to say?  Who isn't keen on collecting some shiny wisdom pearls from Gregory Frost, Lise Funderburg, Don Lafferty, Jon McGoran, Catherine Stine, Dennis Tafoya, and Nancy Viau?

I see your eyes lighting up.  I can feel you thinking.  I hope to see you there.