Announcing Keynote Speakers for 2010 VLA Annual Conference

Portsmouth conference to feature Scott Nelson and Wanda Urbanska.

The Virginia Library Association’s (VLA) 2010 Annual Conference will present a celebrated lineup of keynote speakers in support of the theme, “Libraries, Keeping Vision and Focus in Challenging Times.” The conference will be held October 21-22, at the Renaissance Portsmouth Hotel. 

Opening Keynote Session, 10:00-11:30am, October 21, 2010 – Scott Nelson, award-winning author and Legum Professor of History at the College of William & Mary

Scott Nelson’s acclaimed book, “Steel Drivin’ Man: John Henry, the Untold Story of an American Legend,” won three prestigious awards, including the highly coveted Merle Curti award from the Organization of American Historians. Other titles penned by Prof. Nelson are: A People at War (with Carol Sheriff), Iron Confederacies, and Ain’t Nothing but a Man(with Marc Aronson).

Closing Keynote Session, 9:00-10:30am, October 22, 2010 – Wanda Urbanska, host/producer of the PBS syndicatedSimple Living with Wanda Urbanska

“The de facto Martha Stewart of the voluntary simplicity movement” as described in O, The Oprah Magazine,Wanda Urbanska is an inspiring advocate for environmentally responsible, cost-effective, and sustainable lifestyles. In addition to her work on the television series, Simple Living with Wanda Urbanska, she is also the author or co-author of seven books, including the recently-published anthology “Less is More: Embracing Simplicity for a Healthy Planet, A Caring Economy and Lasting Happiness,” plus “Simple Living,” “Moving to a Small Town” and “Nothing’s Too Small to make a Difference.”