Last September, the Editorial Freelancers Association celebrated 55 years of editorial excellence with our first-ever virtual conference. We’re back for 2026 – this time on a state-of-the-art virtual conference platform optimized for a seamless experience navigating sessions and networking with other freelancers.
This year’s theme, “Better Together: Building Sustainable Freelance Careers Through Strong Community,” homes in on our commitment to helping you grow in your expertise and identify and take advantage of new opportunities in your business. The conference will be preceded by a day of virtual meet-ups and networking sessions designed to support freelancers at all stages of their careers.
Programming tracks will include:
Building Sustainable Freelance
Careers Through
Strong Community
CHAPTER / AFFINITY GROUP FAIR
FIND YOUR PEOPLE
TO WIN PRIZES
26-06-2026 12:05 pm
John Warner
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26-06-2026 06:15 pm
Laura K. Wise
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John Warner is the author of More Than Words: How to Think About Writing in the Age of AI and Why They Can’t Write: Killing the Five-Paragraph Essay and Other Necessities, among others.
Thanks to a long career as a writer, editor, and writing teacher, Warner knows writing and sees the existence of generative AI applications like ChatGPT not as a threat, but as an opportunity to break students out of the slumber of “schooling” and instead empower them to develop enduring writing “practices.” His perspective and expertise were forged through over 20 years of experience teaching writing at the University of Illinois, Virginia Tech, Clemson, and the College of Charleston.
A native of Chicago, Warner lives with his veterinarian wife Kathy in the Charleston, SC area.
Laura K. Wise is a storyteller—working as a publicist, strategist, brand architect, and executive thought partner for clients who demand excellence and results.
A Dallas native with a global perspective shaped by years living and working across continents and coasts, Laura brings 15 years of strategic communications expertise to every engagement. She's worked independently, in boutique agencies, and within Fortune 500 environments, giving her a rare fluency in how stories need to shift depending on scale, stakeholder, and strategy. From coast to coast, she's supported Fortune 100 leaders, nonprofits, foundations, independent thought leaders and brands whose work is reshaping our world.
A proud member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated, Laura also sits on the board of the Freelancers Union, the nation's largest organization representing nearly 60 million independent workers.
Beyond communications, Laura is passionate about art, culture, and wellness. She currently serves as co-chair of the Dallas Museum of Art Junior Associates and also teaches cycling and Pilates classes at PureNRG Cycle.
