What's New at Conference

Authors, Performers Enlivened Literacy Liftoff '98 Literacy Liftoff '98, the national conference of Literacy Volunteers of America, Inc., held on October 21 to 24 in Houston, Texas, included several unique events in addition to the Keynote Address by President and Mrs. George Bush. Attendance at the conference was over 850. A "Literature for Literacy Breakfast," at which several authors spoke, was followed by a book-signing. Diana Concannon, author of Helen's Passage, the story of Helen of Troy, hosted the event. She has been working with LVA staff to establish the "LVA Authors Guild," which was formally announced at the conference. A portion of the proceeds from her book are earmarked for LVA. In addition to Concannon, speakers included: * Joan Lowery Nixon - author of over 100 books and a national past president of Mystery Writers of America, she launched a project known as the Thumb Print Mysteries, a series for adults developing their reading skills * Wally Amos - LVA National Spokesperson and author of many inspirational books such as Watermelon Magic and The Power in You. * Tom Harken - Texas restaurateur and member of the LVA National Advisory Board, he is the author of the soon- to-be-published book The Millionaire's Secret, which tells the story of how he learned to read as an adult. As a grand finale to Literacy Liftoff '98, a blend of music and memories was presented at the closing brunch on October 24. Andy Hartman, Executive Director of the National Institute for Literacy; Archie Willard of Voice of Adult Learners United for Education (VALUE); LVA adult learner Donna Klaffke and LVA President Marsha L. Tait each spoke briefly about their conference experiences, interspersed with the music and comedy of Isaac and Joseph, a talented musical team. Conference partners were the National Institute for Literacy and the National Alliance of Urban Literacy Coalitions, in cooperation with the Houston READ Commission. For more information on Literacy Liftoff '98, click here.