WASHINGTON — The National Lesbian & Gay Journalists Association (NLGJA) will offer a full lineup at its National Convention and 10th LGBT Media Summit August 21 to 24 in Chicago. For the 22nd year, NLGJA is bringing together journalists, news executives and communications professionals to build skills, network and engage in a lively discussion of fair and accurate news coverage of LGBT issues.
The assembly will begin with the LGBT Media Summit and three boot camps, followed by two full days with more than 30 workshops addressing the needs of journalists and the communication industry.
Headliners at this year’s convention include NBA Brooklyn Nets center Jason Collins, sharing his experiences in dealing with the news media after coming out. Notable speakers include Chris Gajilan, National Emmy Award-winning “Oprah” producer, and Melissa Bell, co-founder of Vox Media. Craig Dellimore, WBBM Newsradio’s political editor will lead a discussion on Chicago politics and election news implications for a live airing of the station’s “At Issue” program.
“We believe this year’s convention is going to be one of the best ever,” said Jen Christensen, NLGJA president and a CNN producer. “Chicago is a perfect location for staging the event given how central it is to issues driving the news both literally and figuratively. In addition, we are excited about innovative new programming we are introducing.”
New to the convention this year are special training boot camps, open to the public:
“The Write Stuff: How to Write a Book Proposal that Sells Without Selling Out,” “Digging Deeper with Digital Media” and “The Business of Me: Innovative Ways to Build Your Personal Brand or Business.”
The convention will also feature StoryCorps, collecting the various stories of NLGJA’s members and the organization’s impact for possible inclusion in a StoryCorps OutLoud segment.
To learn more, register for the NLGJA National Convention and LGBT Media Summit and to stay updated, please visit: www.nlgja.org.
