UND Children's Writer Conference to be held Oct. 3-4 Writers, illustrators, teachers and children’s book enthusiasts are invited to attend the 29th annual Writers Conference in Children’s Literature to be held at the University of North Dakota Oct. 3-4. The opening session begins at 6:30 p.m. Friday at the Memorial Union. Andrea Weiss, editorial director at Evan-Moor Educational Publishers, will speak about writing for the educational market. Saturday’s session begins at 8 a.m. at the Memorial Union with Sarah Shumway from Dutton Children’s Books, presenting “What a Lovely Piece of Writing - But Will It Sell?” Will Weaver, author of several successful novels for young adults, including his Billy Baggs series, will speak about “Where the Rubber Hits the Page: Stock Cars and Reluctant Readers.” Weis will lead a writing workshop on “Who’s Telling the Story? Knowing the Difference Between Author and Narrator.” Additional presentations by regional authors, educators and librarians are also scheduled. The Writers Conference in Children's Literature, held annually at UND, was founded in 1980 by Emily Rhoads Johnson, who brought to North Dakota the gift of a passion for children's literature. Her goal in starting the conference was to encourage aspiring writers to publish excellent, creative stories for children of all ages. The conference regularly attracts participants from all over North Dakota, South Dakota and Minnesota, as well as Wisconsin, Iowa, Nebraska and Manitoba. Throughout the years, distinguished authors, illustrators, educators and agents have visited the UND campus to share their stories, critique manuscripts and share the latest trends and markets in the field of children's literature with area writers. The conference is presented by the UND Department of English and the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI). Local sponsors include UND Barnes & Noble Bookstore, the UND Alumni Foundation, The Greater Convention and Visitors Bureau, and the Red River Valley Writing Project. Those interested in attending can visit HYPERLINK "http://www.english.und.edu/ChildrensLit/ChildrensLit08.html" http://www.english.und.edu/ChildrensLit/ChildrensLit08.html for more information and registration forms.