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Mark your calendars for the 2012 AAN Workshop for Writers on November 15 - 17. Join us in Washington, D.C., for workshops, networking and a capital good time.

The annual gathering is an all-new beast this year. We're moving beyond the standard definitions of writing and reporting to expand with a new focus on the digital world as well as new partnerships offering participants even more opportunities to learn from the best.

Update: We've made some changes to the original program. See below for the latest as of 11/14/12.

Schedule

Thursday, Nov. 15
12:30 to 1:45 p.m.
Check-in at Hotel Helix

2 to 4 p.m.
Presentation by the Center for Responsive Politics
News and political reporters--or those who want to start making a shift into hard news reporting--will learn how dig for great data, how to do better investigations, and how to use it to tell better stories.
Presenters: Sarah Bryner, Lobbying Researcher, Bob Biersack, Senior Fellow, Russ Choma, Money-in-Politics Reporter and Evan Mackinder, Outreach Coordinator

4 to 5 p.m.
Writing Workshop
Of course you're already an amazing writer--after all, it's what you do for a living--but sharpening your skills is never a bad idea. Dust off a few old tricks from your writer's toolbox and maybe learn a few new ones in this session designed to refresh your writing.
Presenter: Michael Ollove, Senior Staff Writer/Stateline

5 to 6 p.m.
Wine Hour at Hotel Helix

6 to 7 p.m.
Happy Hour at Hotel Helix

Friday, Nov. 16
9 to 9:30 a.m.
Continental Breakfast and Welcome

9:30 to 10:30 a.m.
FOIA Like a Superstar with Sunshine in Government
Whether you're a FOIA veteran or have yet to file your first public records request, this workshop will walk you through the process, help you learn how to overcome hurdles and point you toward dozens of stories hiding in plain sight.
Presenter: Rick Blum, Director, Sunshine in Government Initiative

10:30 to 11:30 a.m.
Politics SuperPanel
What would a conference in the nation's capital be without a panel of political journalists? Lame, that's what. This ain't just another panel, it's a superpanel, which means some of the top political journalists from Washington, D.C., will talk story about what it's like to be in trenches of Washington newsrooms everyday. They'll also speak about covering the election and how you can localize the political stories coming down the pipe.
Panel: Louis Jacobson, PolitiFact and Tampa Bay Times, Michael Shaffer, The New Republic, Christina Bellantoni, PBS NewsHour

11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Grab'n'Go Lunch
Grab a light lunch at the Hotel Helix before the 20-minute walk to the Washington Newsroom of Medill School, Northwestern University.

1 to 4:30 p.m.
Friday afternoon's session will take place at the Washington Newsroom of Medill School, Northwestern University.

Arts and Culture Afternoon
AAN has partnered with the University of Southern California's arts journalism program to offer sessions on the National Endowment for the Arts. Learn about the endowment and how it is affected by politics. Additionally you'll learn how to get beyond the review in your own content and how to punch up your lackluster A&C stories with better sources within the arts and culture community.
Presenters: Alyce Myatt, Director of Media Arts, NEA, Patrice Walker Powell, Deputy Chairman for Programs and Partnerships, NEA, Chad Bauman, Associate Executive Director of Arena Stage, Irvin Petersen, Interim Music Director, Church of the Epiphany, Dan Devany, General Manager, WETA and Adam Clayton Powell III Senior Fellow, USC Center on Public Diplomacy

5 to 7 p.m.
Reception at The Passenger

Saturday, Nov. 17
Saturday's sessions will take place at the Washington Newsroom of Medill School, Northwestern University

9 to 10:15 a.m.
Video for Non-Video Journalists (supported by the Society for Professional Journalists): Anyone can record a video and post it to YouTube, but this session will show you how to be a video storyteller. Learn the three basic shots your stories need, the "rule of thirds" and what "looking space" means. We'll show you how to capture an effective story when you hit the record button whether you're a one-man band, or a journalist who needs to grab yet another element while on assignment.
Presenter: Victoria Lim, Multimedia Convergence Expert

10:15 to 11:15 a.m.
Legal Presentation
Where did you get that photo? How many seconds of a song can you use? Is it OK to embed video from just anywhere on the interwebs? And what exactly is the butt hurt report? This session will cover some basic legal info to keep you from unknowingly cribbing work that may get your boss sued.
Presenter: Kevin Goldberg, Fletcher, Heald & Hildreth

11:15 a.m. to 12:15 p.m.
Be Your Own Editor
Yeah, yeah, you work well under pressure, we got it. But your editor doesn't want draft work turned in on deadline. How can you polish and tighten your work before your editor gets out the red pen? This workshop will help you be your own editor--whether you simply want to turn in better work or whether you're a one-man band without an editor to do it for you.
Presenter: Pam Prah, Political Editor, Stateline.org/The Pew Center on the States

12:30 to 2 p.m.
Critiques Over Lunch
The always popular critique sessions will happen over lunch. Writers: bring a story that's recently been published (800-2000 words) and we'll workshop it with an editor and other writers.

2:15 to 3:15 p.m.
Beyond the Story: Packages and Editorial Innovation
This session will teach you to rethink story packaging not only in print but also online. From sidebars and infographics to slideshows and web headlines, learn how to concept presentation in print and online.
Presenter: Jody Brannon, Next America

3:15 to 4 p.m.
Making Your Social Media Work for You
Social media is your community's second screen experience. It's the chatter happening in the background of everything you write about. So how do you make it work for you? What's hidden in the digital conversation? The answer: unconventional story ideas and even more unconventional ways of interacting with your audience.
Panel: Josh Gross, Boise Weekly, Jennifer Nedeau, Bully Pulpit Interactive, others TBA

4 to 5 p.m.
Writing for a Diverse Audience
AAN has a Diversity Committee and your bosses attend sessions at AAN conventions on increasing diversity on staff as well as in editorial coverage. But this session is designed for you, the writers and reporters who are on the ground. How white are the stories you file each week? How can you help diversify your workplace and your paper's coverage? Panelists will talk about not only why it's important media pays attention to diversity but how to make it happen.
Panel: Brandon Benavides, NBC 4/WRC-TV, Joie Chen, Way Forward Media, Shani Hilton, NBCWashington.com

5 to 5:30 p.m.
30 in 30 Farewell
You want 'em: story ideas. This final session will offer your 30 story ideas in 30 minutes with some of our smart guests, plus we'll wrap up the weekend with one last cocktail.

Speakers

Christina Bellantoni joined the PBS NewsHour in January 2012. In her role as politics editor, she directs coverage of campaign, White House and congressional news and appears on the program for on-air analysis. Christina has spent over a decade covering national political and business news in Washington, D.C., and California. She served as associate politics editor at Roll Call for more than a year before joining the NewsHour. She has appeared regularly as a political analyst on national television programs such as "Hardball," "Countdown," "On the Record w/ Greta Van Susteren," "Reliable Sources," "TopLine," "The Rachel Maddow Show" and "The Daily Rundown." Prior to her time at Roll Call, Christina was a senior reporter-blogger at Talking Points Memo's Washington bureau covering the White House and national politics. Before joining TPM, Christina was a White House correspondent for The Washington Times, a post she took after covering the 2008 presidential campaign. She joined the Times in December 2003, covering state and congressional politics before moving to the national political beat for the 2008 election. Christina began her journalism career in 1998 covering business in her home state of California. She won two national journalism awards for Best Scoop in 2001 for her story in Silicon Valley Biz Ink that revealed the San Jose Sharks were up for sale. A graduate of University of California, Berkeley, Christina majored in mass communications. She led a study group for undergraduate students as an Institute of Politics Fellow at Harvard University's Kennedy School in fall 2011.

Brandon Benavides is a content producer at NBC 4/WRC-TV, the No. 1 station in Washington, D.C. The Emmy-Award-winning producer joined News4 in March 2010. He returned to the nation's capital where he completed his Master of Arts in Journalism and Public Affairs at American University. Brandon worked at KSTP-TV in Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minn., and KETK-TV in Tyler, Tex. He joined the National Assocation of Hispanic Journalists as a student member in 2004. He is the president of the NAHJ Washington, D.C. Chapter.

Rick Blum is director of the Sunshine in Government Initiative. He has spent a decade in Washington advocating for the public's right to know. Prior to joining the Sunshine in Government Initiative in April 2006, Rick served as founding director of OpenTheGovernment.org, a broad-based open government coalition. He also testified before Congress on EPA's science program, researched conflicts of interest on federal advisory committees, and pushed the federal government to strengthen public access to environmental information. Rick holds a Master's Degree from Indiana University, where his studies focused on democratization efforts in Russia, and a Bachelor's degree from the University of California, Berkeley.

Jody Brannon leads Next America, an integrated editorial initiative that explores demographic shifts impacting American democracy. A former newspaper and magazine writer and editor, she has worked exclusively in online news since 1995, for The Washington Post, USA TODAY and MSN. From 2008 through 2011, she directed News21.com, part of the Carnegie-Knight Initiative on the Future of Journalism Education that emphasized innovative forms of storytelling. She serves on the boards of J-Lab, as chair, and the Online News Association as treasurer and chair of the Education Committee. Brannon holds three journalism degrees (Seattle, American and Maryland); her 1999 dissertation, "Maximizing the Medium," examined online news operations at ABC, NPR and USA TODAY.

Joie Chen After a long career in front of the camera, Joie Chen's primary role today is to help her clients tell their own stories well. Joie leads Way Forward Media, which creates branded content for organizations and individuals. She's worked with a diverse group of clients including a clean energy foundation, the US Holocaust Memorial Museum and Joe Ricketts, founder of TD Ameritrade. She has also written for such publications as The Daily Beast on Asian American issues. Joie is a veteran television news journalist. She was a correspondent for CBS News in Washington, and prior to that a long-time anchor for CNN based in Atlanta. She has long been active in organizations that promote diversity in journalism, including J-Camp, a program for multicultural high school students. She currently represents the Asian American Journalists Association (AAJA) on the Accrediting Council for Education in Journalism and Mass Communications.

Russ Choma joined the Center for Responsive Politics in March 2012 as the money-in-politics reporter. His duties include reporting for OpenSecrets Blog and assisting with press inquiries. Russ has a background in investigative journalism, having worked as a reporter for the Investigative Reporting Workshop at American University, and he spent five years as a newspaper reporter in New Hampshire. He has a degree in political science from Muhlenberg College and a M.A. in journalism and public affairs from American University.

Kevin Goldberg is an attorney with Fletcher, Heald & Hildreth. His expertise is in First Amendment, Freedom of Information Act, and intellectual property issues, particularly copyright and trademark matters encountered by content creators and users. Kevin has a B.A. from James Madison University and a J.D. George Washington University.

Josh Gross is the new media czar at Boise Weekly, a job which involves wrangling multimedia reporting, managing social media accounts and coming up with your own job title. He enjoys basset hounds, ukuleles and drunkenly insisting that the robot apocalypse is bloody well nigh to any who will listen. Follow him online @TheJoshGross. In real life, please don't follow him.

Shani O. Hilton: Right now I am the morning editor for the NBC Washington website. Before that I was a staff writer at Washington City Paper. It was a wonderful job and I loved it. Before that I was an editor at Campus Progress. Before that I worked in various positions in the Princeton University Office of Communications, ranging from graphic design to news writing. Before that I was getting a journalism degree at Howard University. I’m originally from California, but D.C. suits me and my brindle greyhound, Scarlett O. Hilton, pretty well.

Louis Jacobson is a senior writer for PolitiFact and the Tampa Bay Times. He has served as deputy editor of Roll Call and as founding editor of its legislative wire service, CongressNow. Earlier, he spent more than a decade covering politics, policy and lobbying for National Journal magazine. Since 2002, he has handicapped political races, including state legislatures, governors, congressional seats, state attorneys general and the electoral college, currently for Governing. In 2004, Jacobson originated the "Out There" column on politics in the states, which ran in Roll Call and later in Stateline.org and which won five annual awards from Capitolbeat, the association of state capitol reporters and editors.

Victoria Lim Nicknamed the "Queen of Convergence," Victoria Lim became an award-winning multi-platform, multimedia reporter before anyone even knew what that was... or would become. Victoria's reports from Haiti earned an Emmy nomination during her time at Bright House Sports Network, a 24-hour regional sports cable channel serving central Florida. Prior to joining BHSN, Victoria served as the senior consumer investigative reporter for WFLA-TV, the Tampa Tribune and tbo.com, where she pioneered convergence journalism. Her reporting earned more than two dozen honors including an Emmy, an Associated Press Individual Achievement award and being named Florida "Journalist of the Year" by the Society of Professional Journalists. She's taught communications, news writing, and multimedia reporting at the University of Tampa, University of South Florida, and the highly regarded University of Missouri Journalism School. Her alma mater, Temple University, honored Victoria with induction into its journalism hall of fame, the Lew Klein Award.

Alyce Myatt serves at the director for media arts at the National Endowment for the Arts, where she is a leading voice for the media arts field, and as manager of NEA grantmaking in film, video, audio, web-based, and other electronic media. Most recently, Alyce served as executive director of Grantmakers in Film + Electronic Media (GFEM), an association of grantmakers committed to advancing the field of media arts and public interest media funding. She was responsible for providing the philanthropic community with activities, services, and publications to increase their knowledge and use of media in this rapidly changing field. She also served as a vice president of programming at the Public Broadcasting Service, and as a program officer for media arts grantmaking for the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. Alyce's earlier work includes both production and program development. She was the director of children's programming at Public Broadcasting Service, and an executive producer at Children's Television Workshop and Nickelodeon. Other production clients included the Smithsonian Institution, CBS/Fox Home Video, and ABC. Alyce has served on numerous boards and advisory groups, including the Center for Social Media at American University. She has a Bachelor of Science in Mass Communications from Emerson College in Boston, Massachusetts. She is currently pursuing an Executive Master of Arts from Indiana University-Purdue University, Indianapolis.

Jennifer Nedeau does digital strategy and media relations with a career that has spanned the industries of journalism, digital and issue advocacy in Washington, D.C. and New York. She currently serves as a director at Bully Pulpit Interactive. In this new role based in Washington, Jennifer will contribute to BPI's current clients and help create a new service area around the intersection of social media, content and marketing. Previously, Jennifer worked in New York where she helped to direct traditional, mobile and online PR strategy for Time, Fortune, Money, and CNNMoney. While at Time Inc., she worked closely with the editorial and business sides of each publication assisting with traditional communication efforts (TV, radio, print) as well as high level digital content strategy across social media platforms (Twitter, Foursquare, Facebook, Google+). During her tenure, she executed innovative programs such as TIME's partnership with foursquare during the political conventions in addition to helping with digital branding efforts, mobile product roll outs and site traffic analysis. Additionally, Jennifer worked on high profile events such as the Time 100, Fortune Brainstorm Tech & Green, Fortune's Most Powerful Women Summit, WHCD, SXSW, the 2012 political conventions and more. Prior to working for Time Inc., she ran her own consultancy and served as the director of digital strategy at Air America where she promoted 15 radio programs and six online news channels until the company filed for bankruptcy in January of 2010. She has also worked for New Media Strategies and America Abroad Media.

Michael Ollove is a senior writer on health policy for Stateline, a Washington-based news site run by the Pew Charitable Trusts. For most of his career he was an enterprise writer and then the enterprise/narrative editor at The Baltimore Sun. Supervising a team of reporters, he conceived, managed, and edited front page narrative and enterprise stories for all sections of the newsroom, of all lengths and durations. Among highlights were series on two homeless high school seniors trying to graduate, an inner city high school football team in the week leading up to its biggest game, and poverty and an ever-more ambitious and dangerous con woman, who nearly got away with the murders of two lovers. Other highlights were a story about a mad scientist who destroyed his career, reputation and family in pursuit of scientific invention and an investigation that showed how the Baltimore police's mishandling of DNA evidence enabled a serial killer to claim additional victims. Several stories won national journalism awards, including the National Headliners Award, the Mike Berger Award, the Excellence in Urban Journalism Award and awards given by the AP Sports Editors and Society of Professional Journalists. As a reporter, Ollove wrote about a vast array of subjects from forced sterilizations to criminal insanity, murder, love, ghosts and John Waters. He also served as book editor at The Sun. After leaving the paper in 2008, Ollove wrote scripts for a David Simon/Tom Fontana miniseries about the assassination of Abraham Lincoln and pursuit of John Wilkes Booth.

Pam Prah is a veteran Washington, D.C., reporter with more than 20 years reporting experience, including stints at Kiplinger, McGraw-Hill, Congressional Quarterly and The Bureau of National Affairs. She has covered legislative, regulatory and political developments affecting states, business, organized labor and education. Her reporting has been cited in The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal and C-SPAN and she has appeared on CNN and NPR. She has a master's degree in government from Johns Hopkins University and a journalism degree from Ohio University. She also is an adjunct journalism professor at American University.

Patrice Walker Powell is deputy chairman for programs and partnerships at the National Endowment for the Arts, where she has worked since 1991. She served as acting chairwoman of the federal arts agency in 2009.

Michael Schaffer: Editorial director at @tnr. Former editor of @wcp. Diaper changer of Eva, walker-to-school of Ellie. Native Washingtonian (TM).

Registration

AAN Member registration rates are $99 per person early rate and $124 per person regular rate. Nonmember registration rates are $199 per person early rate and $224 per person regular rate. Early rate applies through November 7. The registration fee includes morning coffee and a reception on Friday, and a working lunch on Saturday. Click here to register.

Hotel
Attendees will stay at Hotel Helix, which is centrally located in the Logan Circle neighborhood of downtown Washington, D.C. Hotel Helix is a short distance from the U Street Corridor, as well as the traditional sights of the nation's capital.

Hotel Helix
1430 Rhode Island Avenue N.W.
Washington, DC 20005

You may make your hotel reservations now. Guest room rates are $119 single or double, and include complimentary internet access and Kimpton's popular wine hour.

The deadline to make your hotel reservation at the AAN rate is Nov. 1. Don't delay!

Looking to share a room? Please send an e-mail to Rachael Daigle and we'll try to help.

Click here to make your hotel reservation.