Festivities begin when the town crier accompanied by Scottish bagpipe musicians announces the President's Luncheon. Expect to be mesmerized by a sampling of the finest lightning and feature photography known to man. David O. Stilling, the lightning stalker, began his journey into the world of arts through his poetry.

Seeking a medium on which to etch his poetry, he focused his lens on nature. In 1976, he captured on film his first streak of lightning. It was one of those happy accidents, comparable to Ben Franklin playing with lightning and keys on kite strings. This first encounter is only one of his amazing stories.

Following the luncheon, Dr. Fran Carter, NLAPW Past-National President & Dr. John Carter present Reflections on Rosie the Riveter.

During the art dinner, Cozy Baker will present "Kaleidoscopes: Art and Heart." Cozy is known as the mother of the kaleidoscope renaissance. Baker has written most of the books published on the topic of kaleidoscopes and is known and respected by every kaleidoscope artist in the country. Her latest book is titled Kaleidoscope Artistry. She says, "There is a spiritual, almost sacred connection when looking into a kaleidoscope. It is like a message of hope as you see each new image formed from the pieces that break apart from what came before. It is almost like divine order." Cozy was featured in the Arts & Antiques magazine and Niche Magazine had her on their 2001 list of "20 That Have Made a Difference" in the crafts field.

Following the Art Banquet lecture and dinner, the 44th Biennial Art Exhibition opens and awards will be presented.

Throughout history, many composers were inspired by art to create music. To encourage young composers, the NLAPW held a national contest. During the music luncheon, winners who competed to write piano solos based on paintings interpretation perform.

Sponsored by the Fort Lauderdale Branch (Florida), another contest called for a piano solo to be composed based on any one of three different paintings. First and second placings will be awarded with a trophy and cash prize going to the winner in each category.

During the letters dinner, attendees are entertained by the anecdotes of Carol Buckland, the senior editorial producer for CNN's Emmy-winning Larry King Live. During her career, Buckland has interviewed an impressive range of guests who are merely names-in-headlines to most of us. There have been political dignitaries, controversial social reformers, talented performing artists, Hollywood's favorite pop stars, and more, such as the late Julia Child, Mikhail Baryshnikov, Mario Cuomo, Jimmy Carter, Danielle Steele, Tom Clancy, Ben Affleck, Victoria "Posh Spice" Beckham, Kid Rock, and Dr. Jack Kevorkian. Prior to joining CNN, Carol was a reporter for what was then The McNeil/Lehrer Report on PBS. Her beats included the media, education, labor. and agriculture. From reporter to producer, hear stories of the inside track.

During the Memorial Breakfast, Chaplain Christina Laurie will identify departed members as she honors them by lighting candles to symbolize their contribution to the League.

Following the memorial service, conference attendees are invited to the The Foundry Gallery located at 1314 18th Street NW, for a reception and exhibit of Sculpture by NLAPW Connecticut Pioneer Branch Member Catherine Bohrman, www.CatherineBohrman.com. Three rooms of the gallery will exhibit Bohrman's bronze and stone sculptures and some of her plaster models.

To close the 2008 Biennial Convention, Lillian Kiernan Brown, speaker for the installation banquet, recaps her forty-year journalist career. Brown's career began with the Armed Forces newspaper and Radio AFRTS. Since then, she has been a feature correspondent and regular columnist and has been published in Cats Magazine. Her play"The Case of the Cooperative Corpse," was performed in Little Theater from Morocco to Florida. Her "Always On" attitude and love of theater earned her the Best Actress Award in 1996 for her portrayal of Flo in the "New Girl" at the Real McCoy Playhouse. Partnering with her daughter, screenwriter Katherine Fries, her book "Banned in Boston: Memoirs of a Stripper," has been written into a screenplay and the documentary film took 3rd place in Best in Category at the Springfield Film Festival and was the featured film presentation at the Gem City Film Festival in January 2008. A member of the NLAPW, co-founder and past- president of the Ocala Branch, and member of the St. Johns River Branch, Lillian was honored as Florida State Pen Woman of the Year 1999-2000.

Prior to installing the League's 2008-10 officers, President Elaine Waidelich will share her perspective of ongoing activities challenging the incoming officers to carry forward the League's Motto of "One for All and All for one!" which, according to Elaine, ensures the League will continue to "Come up with Roses."

All areas (art, music, and letters) are recognized through the recognition of awards presented to Convention contest winners. The winner of the letters category workshop contest will present her workshop.

Panel discussions include "Money for Nothing ~ the Grant is Free." Funding options will be explored - panelists TBA.

"Methods of Capturing Women's Lives in Stories and Media" panelist Joni B. Cole is the creator of the acclaimed "This Day" book series, including This Day in the Life: Diaries from Women across America and the newly released Water Cooler Diaries: Women across America Share Their Day at Work. Each book invited hundreds of women from all walks of life to chronicle the joys, triumphs, frustrations, and hilarities that happen throughout a single day.

Other panelists are Mary Louise Cox who has been am NLAPW letters member in the Connecticut Pioneer Branch since 1988. She is an adult educator, cable TV producer, and poet. Her publications include three poetry collections with Lou Hicks, an artist, Images of a Voice, Songs of Ordinary Time, and Shards. Mary Louise has designed and developed various programs for institutions.

Polly Hunter Memhard joined the Connecticut Pioneer Branch of the NLAPW in 1982 as a letters member. She is currently Branch president and has served on the board in many capacities including president for three different terms. She is co-author with her mother of The Rest of My Life which is about her mother's upbeat experiences in a nursing home. Her friendship with Mary Louise Cox flourished in the 1990s as they interviewed numerous women who were married twenty-five years or more, transcribed and edited the stories, held workshops to create masks, then met with groups of women to share the stories.

Another panel will be "Mentoring Within and Without, Strategies for Professional and Personal Growth" - panelists TBA.

Workshops include Laura E. Jordan, a Washington, D.C.-based attorney, who will present "Legal Issues for Artists: How To Protect Yourself and Your Work." Although the joy of creating artistic works is a reward unto itself, many artists would like to combine their artistic expression with adequate compensation for their effort, or to avoid having others misappropriate the artist's efforts for others' profit. However, protecting one's work, from an artistic and a business perspective, is often a critical missing piece for artists. This workshop will focus on how to avoid the legal pitfalls facing artists as they seek to protect themselves and their work. The session is equally valuable for Arts, Letters, or Music members, including those whose work is primarily in digital or electronic format. Topics to be covered include work for hire, copyrights, contracts, corporate formation, and liability. Time will be allotted within the session for question s and answers. Join Laura as she helps you recognize how to protect your work. For details of Jordan's activities, see www.JordansLaw.com.

"The Van Gogh Conspiracy" will be presented by Sandra Hudson, immediate past-president for the Iowa State Association. If you like mysteries, this program is for you. Vincent van Gogh sold only one painting during his lifetime, and yet, within a decade of his death, he was perhaps the most acclaimed artist of his generation. How could that happen? Sandra offers a conspiracy theory. Her research reveals many commonly held beliefs about Vincent's life are false, or at best half-truths. This workshop guarantees that you will come away with a new perspective.

Judy Bingman will present a photography workshop, "How to Use Your Digital Camera." Louise Canepa and Marge Wheeler, international music composers, will present "Music Composition."

Carol Greene, a singing ventriloquiet, has performed ventriloquism for a wide variety of venues. As a skilled workshop presenter and ventriloquist coach, she has instructed thousands of adults and children in ventriloquism techniques. Madame Ekisha LaPhonia will accompany her.

Tours to the NLAPW Headquarters located at 1300 NW 17th St. will be available from noon to 4 p.m. on both Saturday and Sunday.