Children's Writers Conference set for Oct. 13-14 The 27th annual Writers Conference in Children's Literature will be held Friday and Saturday, Oct. 13-14, at the Memorial Union. The opening session is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Friday with a keynote address from author Jim Solheim and a presentation by local author Faythe Thureen. Solheim, the author of poems, stories, and books for children, including "It’s Disgusting-and We Ate It!," will give a talk on finding the extraordinary in everyday writing. Thureen will lead a multimedia presentation with music and dance set to her book "Troll Meets Trickster on the Dakota Prairie." Saturday’s sessions will begin at 8:30 a.m. at the Memorial Union. Alexandra Penfold, editor from Simon & Schuster in New York, will present the session “From Query Letter to Finished Book: How to Make Your Work Stand Out Before and After Publication.” Elaine Marie Alphin, award-winning author of more than 20 books, will speak about writing mysteries for young readers and then will lead participants in an interactive hands-on workshop, “Worse for Your Characters Means Better for Your Plot.” The Writers Conference in Children’s Literature 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 Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) and the Department of English. Local sponsors include UND, Barnes & Noble Bookstore at UND, and the Alumni Foundation. Those interested in attending can visit http://www.und.edu/dept/english/ChildrensLit06.html for more information and a registration form, or contact Jean Patrick, SCBWI regional advisor for the Dakotas, at jean@jeanpatrick.com.