Marlene Cook
As a 35-year member of IWPA and NFPW I have attended 30 conferences all across the United States. And as long as I can travel, walk, see and maneuver without being a burden on my fellow conference goers, I will continue to attend the much anticipated yearly event.

I have never been disappointed. The conferences provide education, information, friendships, fun, touristy attractions that could never be experienced by the “normal” traveler and for me a reunion. The pre- and post-tours offer exclusive behind the scenes inspections from local manufacturers or growers, to national shrines and meeting local folks, to dignitaries. The leaders of the tours really know how to show off each state’s assets.

The conference itself is jam-packed with workshops, seminars, speakers, great food and camaraderie tempered with serious overtones and lots of high jinks.

This year in Idaho Falls was no exception. My cheeks ached from the laughter, my head was pounding from all the information I crammed into it, my eyes were strained from the beauty of it all and from snapping some 300 photographs, and my feet ached from dancing and hiking.

Once you’ve attended an NFPW conference, you won’t want to miss any of those that follow. Plan to join us in San Antonio next year and see what I'm talking about. That way you can contribute your ideas and assistance when we host the conference in 2010, our 125th anniversary

Marlene Cook and Cecilia Green were among the 60 on the post-tour to Yellowstone Park and the Grand Tetons.

Francine Freidman
It was my first NFPW conference and I was a bit jet-lagged, as I had just returned from Greece on September 10. But my daughter, Laura, had convinced me to catch my breath, turn around, get on another plane two days later, and go to the conference, albeit a little late. She was particularly excited that my first book, MatchDotBomb, was receiving first place in the non-fiction book/autobiography category. To Laura, the award was just a notch below the Pulitzer! To me, the trip was wonderful on many levels. Laura attended as my guest, and we both met amazing people from all over the country who are top-notch writers in their field. The camaraderie and welcoming spirit was everywhere. And when the conference ended, Laura and I put a few hundred miles on our rental car, touring a beautiful part of the country that neither of us had ever seen before. All in all, it was quite a memorable trip.

Cecilia Green
For me, once again, the 2008 NFPW conference exceeded expectations in all areas: stimulating speakers, great camaraderie with old and new friends, wonderful meals and entertainment, and lastly stunning scenery on the post tour to Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Park.

If heaven could be on earth, it would look like this view from the float trip on the Snake River. Look familiar? Ansel Adams took his famous black and white photos of the Tetons from a vantage point on the hill right behind us.

Suzanne Hanney
I ran into former CNN correspondent Ann McDermott, one of the keynote speakers, at the front desk of the convention hotel and thanked her for her speech. She reiterated how she had watched TV news the night before she started her first broadcasting job. Feeling unprepared, she had literally

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