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When we began planning in October 2006 for Roundup 2007, we started with a list of tracks we felt should be covered, including history, poetry, writing for children, getting published, technology, and script writing.

History, the theme of our conference, was a given—as was poetry, so we could continue with our tradition of the Friday evening Poetry Fest with its banquet, speaker, and awards ceremony.

Beth Moore recommended speaker Will Bagley to cover the history track (she enjoyed his support while she was working on her book, Bones In the Well). And Claudia Keelan from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas will be our poetry speaker.

Writing for children reflected my own bias. When I met Candace Fleming in Nashville last November, I knew we should bring her back to Utah.

We debated whether or not to include a self-publishing speaker. Some committee members felt this had been addressed in past workshops. But because Mark Coleman from UPS Copy Center has helped so many local authors get their work published, I wanted to include his presentation.

Finally, because Dave Wolverton now lives in St. George and because so many people have expressed interest in screen writing, we asked him to talk about how to move from book to script.

Carolyn Campbell was tireless in helping us find keynote speakers. We have Hyrum Smith on Saturday afternoon and Orson Scott Card on Saturday evening.

We also have some bonus presenters.

Lenore Madden of Snow Canyon High School will talk about scene markers. Barbara Porter from the adjunct at UNLV will share some thoughts about getting into the Christian market. She has been published in Guideposts and was recommended to us by a former student.

Two editors have agreed to join us: Katy Daley from Putnam and Elizabeth Carpentiere from Cobblestone Publications (Faces). You can sign up for a 15-minute one-on-one with either of these women.

And we have special bonus activities. For those who come early, we’re planning a trip to the Dinosaur Museum. On Saturday morning, early birds can drive to Snow Canyon State Park and participate in using a Global Positioning System activity (material for future stories, anyone?).

We especially look forward to the energy and creativity of all the LUW members who will come and share their enthusiasm for writing.

Our list of guest speakers, presenters and guests include:

Orson Scott Card is the author of the novels Ender's Game, Ender's Shadow, and Speaker for the Dead, which are widely read by adults and younger readers, and are increasingly used in schools.

Besides these and other science fiction novels, Card writes contemporary fantasy (Magic Street, Enchantment, Lost Boys), biblical novels (Stone Tables, Rachel and Leah), the American frontier fantasy series The Tales of Alvin Maker (beginning with Seventh Son), poetry (An Open Book), and many plays and scripts.

Card was born in Washington and grew up in California, Arizona, and Utah. He served a mission for the LDS Church in Brazil in the early 1970s. Besides his writing, he teaches occasional classes and workshops and directs plays. He recently began a longterm position as a professor of writing and literature at Southern Virginia University.

Card currently lives in Greensboro, North Carolina, with his wife, Kristine Allen Card, and their youngest child, Zina Margaret.

Claudia Keelan from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, will be the speaker Friday evening at the Poetry Awards Banquet. Check Claudia's books out -- her poetry books are available through www.alicejamesbooks.org.

Hyrum Smith Vice Chairman of the Board of Franklin-Covey, has been motivating individuals to gain better control of their personal and professional lives through values-based time and life management since he helped create the company in 1984. Hyrum is the author of What Matters Most®, The 10 Natural Laws of Successful Time and Life Management, The Modern Gladiator, Where Eagles Rest, and Advanced Day Planner User's Guide, and is co-author of Excellence Through Time Management.

Will Bagley is a Utah Historian and author of the widely acclaimed Blood of the Prophets: Brigham Young and the Massacre at Mountain Meadows. He has written or edited more than a dozen books, including Frontiersman: Abner Blackburn's Narrative, Scoundrel's Tale: The Samuel Brannan Papers, and Pioneer Camp of the Saints. A Utah native, Bagley is a man of many talents. Bagley has worked as a country musician, carpenter, and public speaker, and is recognized as an award-winning writer, editor, and publisher. His column, "History Matters," appeared every Sunday from July 2000 to July 2004 in the Salt Lake Tribune. He has served as a consultant for the National Geographic Magazine, the National Park Service, and several documentary films, and won the Mormon History Association's "Best Article of the Year" award in 1997 and a Western Writers of America Spur award for Blood of the Prophets. Today, he works in Salt Lake City as a full-time writer and historian, with projects including Mormon-Indian relations and the Oregon California Trail.

Dave Wolverton (aka "Farland") began writing during college and entered short stories into various contests. His career began in 1987 when he won the top award in the L. Ron Hubbard "Writers of the Future" contest. Dave since became a judge for the L. Ron Hubbard "Writers of the Future" contest and has been doing it since 1991. In addition he did edit the annual anthology before passing on the role to Algis Budrys. Other awards he has been nominated for include the Nebula Award in the Best Novellette category for his short story After a Lean Winter. He has also been nominated for a Hugo Award. In the summer of 1998 Dave Wolverton broke the world record for the most book signings in one sitting, which he achieved with A Very Strange Trip. Dave is President of Story Island, and the Company is currently (2004) in pre-production for Runelords, the Movie. Check out his website at http://www.runelords.com/. Under his Pseudonym David Farland, he writes fantasy, leaving his real name for his science fiction novels.

Candace Fleming is another presenter. you can visit her website at www.candacefleming.com to see what she has to offer. Also, check out your library to see if her latest book, Our Eleanor: A Scrapbook Look at Eleanor Roosevelt's Remarkable Life, is available. I loved Fleming's book, Boxes for Katje based on a true story that involved Fleming's mother sending care packages to families in Holland following World War II.

Katie Day, associate editor, graduated from Columbia University in 2003 with a degree in English Literature. She has been working for the Berkley Publishing Group ever since. Katie acquires fiction and nonfiction-on the fiction side, primarily mysteries and thrillers, and on the latter, general nonfiction in a wide range of genres including: true crime, memoir, health and medical, self-help, pop-culture, business and finance, and religion and spirituality. She also develops original concepts for book projects and works with writers-for-hire. Originally from Northern Virginia, she now lives in Manhattan.

Other presenters and guests include Lenore Madden who will present "Scene Markers in Fiction," Elizabeth Carpentiere, the editor of Faces Magazine, and Barbara Porter, an author from Las Vegas who has published at Guidelines. We'll update this page as more information becomes available.