Writers' Institute, food writers and children's allergy books

I just had to post a quick note today to share some of my experiences this past weekend at the Wisconsin Writers' Institute.  It was a three day conference with numerous panels each day that dealt with various aspects of writing.  I'm talking fiction, non-fiction, finding an agent, getting published, self-publishing, finding inspiration, etc.  Most relevant to those of you stopping in here is the fact that a couple of these panels were run by food writers.  You might find their food books and websites of use, so I'm passing them on here in case you're interested. 

Also, I met a woman who has written a couple of children's books on having friends with allergies.  Those of you who have kids might find this helpful - it's about bugs who have to face food challenges on a daily basis and how they manage them.  I think it's a fantastic way to raise awareness.  When I was a kid, other kids who had allergies got picked on all the time for being "dorky" or "weird" or "picky" or "wussy" (my own allergies had yet to manifest so I couldn't relate either).  So I think it's great to help kids understand what their allergic friends (and they themselves) have to face with food allergies.  The book is called The BugaBees - friends with food allergies and can be found by clicking on the title. 

And here's my shout out to the people who shared their knowledge and inspired me to develop my own writing abilities.

Wisconsin's own  Jeannette Hurt gave a talk about breaking in to the world of food writing.  She is the author of several food books including The Complete Idiot's Guide to Wine and Food Pairings and The Cheese of Wisconsin.  You can find her site here.  And let's just say that if you are in to cheese, this is your girl!

Another panel that had more to do with social networking, and this was run by another of Wisconsin's own, Kimberly Aimee.  Kimberly blogs about food, and is currently writing a cookbook with the chef of Lombardino's and the Tipsy Cow in Madison.  To check out what she has to say about food, check out Learn to Cook Badger Girl

So there you have it!  Now I'm off to take action on that inspiration before it fizzles and end up spending all day scrolling the internet for recipe ideas.... ;p