The SFJ conference is back! Join us in Phoenix in November
Downtown Phoenix at sunset
Great news, everybody!
The Society for Features Journalism is gearing up to host an extra-special, extra-exciting SFJ conference from Nov. 6-8, 2025 at Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication in downtown Phoenix.
This will be SFJ’s first official national conference since the pandemic, and we would love to see you there!
This year’s conference theme, “Rewriting the Narrative,” underscores the enduring value of features storytelling and the human connection that’s at the heart of the work we do.
Get ready to be inspired by the likes of:
New York Times reporter Eli Saslow, winner of two Pulitzer Prizes as well as the 2025 Scripps Howard Award for Excellence in Narrative Human-Interest Storytelling, honoring Ernie Pyle for “America, Polarized.”
Pulitzer Prize-winning writer, author and amazing teacher Lane DeGregory of the Tampa Bay Times;
Mark Warren, winner of the 2025 Pulitzer Prize for Feature Writing for his Esquire story “A Death in Alabama,” who will be interviewed about his story and his reporting and writing processes by Kim Cross of Harvard’s Nieman Storyboard;
Mike Wilson, deputy editor of The Great Read feature at The New York Times;
Some of the best entertainment, food and sports feature writers in the country.
Conference sessions will focus on craft and on current realities affecting the journalism industry, such as artificial intelligence and other existential quandaries that did not exist when we last gathered in Detroit in 2019. Our goal is to inspire and give you ideas and strategies to use in your work.
On the AI front, get ready for a session that will showcase real-world applications of AI that are enhancing storytelling, audience engagement and workflow in newsrooms around the country. Attendees will have the chance to brainstorm a practical AI-powered idea that solves a specific need in features journalism.
SFJ is doing everything in its power to keep conference costs as low as possible. Here’s how to register:
The early bird conference admission fee will be $175 until Sept. 1. Regular conference admission will be $225 from Sept. 1 to Oct. 25. You can use this link to lock in your registration today.
We’ve reserved a block of hotel rooms a short walk away from ASU’s Cronkite School at the Hyatt Place Phoenix/Downtown for $189 a night. Use this link to access the SFJ rate at Hyatt Place.
Your conference registration will include a welcome reception with food and drinks from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 6, a full day of training sessions with breakfast, lunch and snacks from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 7, and a half day of training sessions with breakfast and snacks from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 8.
We are so excited to see you in person at a time when we need to amplify each other’s light more than ever. Please join us in Phoenix for this gathering of master storytellers, celebrity wranglers and AI experts who can help you level up your journalism game!
Laura T. Coffey is president of the Society for Features Journalism and a longtime editor and feature writer. She’s also the author of the bestselling nonfiction book “My Old Dog: Rescued Pets with Remarkable Second Acts.” Connect with Laura here.