See Jane Write believes you, your life and your blog should be fabulous. And so we present to you our first mini-conference -- The Bloganista Mini-Con, a partial day conference for fashion, fitness, and lifestyle bloggers. But don't worry if you're not a style blogger; this conference has something for everyone. Not only will our speakers and panelists discuss style tips and best blogging practices, but they'll also cover ways to use your blog to land freelance writing gigs, speaking engagements and other opportunities.
The mini-conference will be held 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Saturday, July 19 at the Homewood Public Library, 1721 Oxmoor Road. You can find a complete conference schedule and order tickets at thebloganistaconference.eventbrite.com.
Now get to know our speakers and panelists.
Alexis E. Barton is a style blogger and digital influencer whose commentary and fashion advice appears weekly on the popular blog SameChicDifferentDay.com, which she launched in September 2011. Her personal style tips have been featured in The Birmingham News, Skirt.com, Life and Style PR and on WBHJ 95.7 JAMZ. Alexis has appeared on ABC 33/30's Talk of Alabama and on CBS 42's Wake Up Alabama. She has worked with the Council of Fashion Designers of America, H&M, Girls Inc., Macy's, Belk, and a number of other non-profits, businesses and brands to help make the world a more stylish place. Alexis has been named a 2013 Role Model by the Girls Scouts of North-Central Alabama and this year was named a Birmingham Trailblazer by The Birmingham Times.
Heather Brown is the lifestyle blogger and social media and blogging consultant behind MyLifeWellLoved.com. She is a Birmingham native, has been married for 5 years and has been blogging for 4 years. She would love for you to connect with her on Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter or Instagram @MyLifeWellLoved.
Erica Bunker is from Hoover,
Alabama and is the creator and editor of Erica B's - DIY Style, a popular
sartorial sewing and fashion blog that can be found at ericabunker.com. Erica
is a wife, mother of three, grandmother of one and a soon-to-be empty nester.
She is also a self-taught seamstress whose personal mantra and way of life is:
"Why buy it, when you can make it!"
Megan LaRussa Chenoweth is the fashion stylist, image consultant and personal shopper behind Southern Femme, which is both a blog and a style consulting service. A Birmingham native, Megan moved to New York City to work for a famed trend forecaster and pursue a Master's degree from Parsons School of Design. But the South wooed her back with its slower pace and picturesque landscape. Megan created Southern Femme because of her desire to educate her favorite women in the world, Southern ladies, on both high fashion and their everyday wardrobe. Megan has styled and produced fashion shoots for several magazines including Birmingham magazine, Alabama magazine, and Seventeen.
Vanessa Culpepper of the blog BuddingFashionista.com is ready to step out in style no matter the time of day or occasion. As a producer of a morning news program, she doesn't let her overnight shift keep her from putting a stylish spin on work-appropriate looks. She carries the same attitude toward her weekend wardrobe when she is off the clock and running around with two kids in tow! Vanessa does all this while stretching her budget to the max! She doesn't claim to be the hottest fashionista around...she is just budding.
Dr. Bertha Hidalgo is a PhD-level genetic epidemiologist
with a true calling and passion for fashion. She began blogging in August of 2013 and has grown her brand
to include daily “outfit of the day (#ootd) posts on Instagram. She is a
mother of two boys, a wife, and loves attempting to find balance between
family, work, and life as a fashion blogger. Her blog is an extension of her day-to-day life, featuring
posts on ways to dress fashionably on a budget; ideas for office-appropriate
outfits; and how to score deals on designer duds. She firmly believes that it should be socially acceptable
for a woman to be both intelligent and fashionable, and that those two
qualities should not be mutually exclusive. She strives to show the world that a woman can indeed be
both, one outfit at a time, on ChicInAcademia.com.
Williesha Morris has been
hustling gigs of the freelance variety since she graduated from the University
of South Carolina with a journalism degree in 2001. Since 2012 she has been
pursuing the dual title of administrative consultant/virtual assistant and
writer. Having this title allows her to never get bored, along with helping
small business owners and entrepreneurs get more done and show freelancers how
to truly live a “free” freelance life. You can find her on Twitter -
@willieshamorris. She created her blog MyFreelanceLife.com in 2013 and also
blogs at nerdythirtysomething.wordpress.com.
Tanya Sylvan of the blog All In Stride is a Jersey girl living in
Birmingham who loves to run far and eat lots. Her real life and blog life
collided recently when a long-time blog reader offered her a job doing
marketing and public relations for an outdoor publications company. Now she can
say that she really does eat, sleep, and breathe all things
outdoors! You can find her blogging about running, recipes, and random life
events at tanyasylvan.com.
Carla Jean Whitley is a writer, editor and teacher based in Birmingham, Alabama, where she is managing editor of Birmingham magazine. Her first book, Muscle Shoals Sound Studio, is set for publication by The History Press on July 22. Carla Jean founded the music blog Birmingham Box Set, and has also written for BookPage, Paste, The Birmingham News, Sky and a variety of other magazines and newspapers. Carla Jean volunteers with literacy organizations and teaches journalism at the University of Alabama and Samford University. Her favorite yoga pose is bakasana and her favorite cats are orange. Connect with her at carlajeanwhitley.com.
