See You at the Summit!

Readers of the Red Bull Rising blog and Facebook pages know that I occasionally prod people to consider mil-blogging as a craft. I also seek to prompt soldiers, veterans, and family members to record their military memories and thoughts. Each is motivated by a similar impulse: to remember and celebrate our citizen-soliders.

After all, to re-apply the words of Miami Herald columnist Leonard Pitts Jr.: "If we don't tell our stories, someone else will."

As previously mentioned on the Red Bull Rising blog, writers with interests toward publishing military-themed works of fiction, non-fiction, and poetry are invited to the inaugural "Sangria Summit: A Military Writers' Conference" Sept. 12-14, 2012, at the Marriott City Center, Denver, Colo.

But, wait, there's more!

Sherpa's going to be there! Sherpa thinks you should be there, too!

Sherpa is so excited, he's even talking about himself in third-person again! And put his exclamation-point selector switch on "burst"!!!

The event's slate of topics looks both chewy and challenging, as well as a lot of fun. I'm pleased to announce that I'll be taking an active part in some of those discussions, not as a presenter, but as a facilitator. Check out these panel topics:

• "The Battle to Get in Print"
• "Asymmetrical War: The World of E-Publishing"
• "Agents of Change"

My participation is being underwritten by Victor Ian LLC, a military media and gaming business. The business publishes Lanterloon, an eclectic lifestyle, technology, and military blog; and has a physical storefront called "Dragons and Dragoons" located in Colorado Springs, Colo.

Even in the age of the Interweb, nothing beats meeting up smiley face to smiley face. At lunches and dinners and times in-between, there will be plenty of time for networking and brainstorming. There are any number of old friends whom I've never met before, including PowerPoint Ranger creator and online iconoclast John Holmes. From our past online conversations, I get the feeling the ideas are going to fly like frag grenades. Send lawyers, guns, and money!

If only Doctrine Man!! weren't currently deployed downrange. We'd get him there, and his poker chips, too. Oh, the trouble we'd see!

If my luck holds out, I'll see more than a few mil-bloggers there. Mil-blogging isn't as sexy or prevalent as it once was, but there are plenty of successful authors out there who have proven the validity of turning blogs and wartime essays into books. Maybe the author of the next "Kaboom," "Greetings From Afghanistan," or "Afghan Journal" is in them thar hills?

Still not convinced? Here's a list of other reasons to attend the Sangria Summit.

Cost for the 2-day conference is $225. An early bird rate of $195 is available until Sept. 9. Registration includes all agenda material, special handouts, books, and lunches on Thurs., Sept. 13 and Fri., Sept. 14.

The Marriott City Center offers a group rate of $179 per night. According to event organizers, group-rate rooms are still available as of this week, but are going fast. Call the hotel toll-free at: 1-866-706-7707.

A Facebook page for the event can be found here.

See you at the Summit!