Behold! Here’s the full program for the SFJ 2025 conference in Phoenix
The Society for Features Journalism’s comeback conference in November — our first official national conference since the pandemic — is going to be epic.
The focus will be on craft, camaraderie, education and inspiration with speakers like Pulitzer Prize winners Eli Saslow, Lane DeGregory, Mark Warren and many more. The conference theme — “Rewriting the Narrative” — will spotlight the enduring value of features storytelling and the human connection that’s at the heart of the work we do.
As evidence of just how timely and special this gathering will be, we are excited to share our full conference program here. Ever since we learned over the summer that this conference could become a reality, we’ve been working nonstop to plan inspiring and practical sessions that will help attendees level up their journalism game.
Huge thanks to Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication in downtown Phoenix for hosting SFJ 2025 from Nov. 6-8!
Here is our full SFJ conference program at a glance, followed by important logistical details for attendees:
THURSDAY, NOV. 6
5:30 to 7:30 p.m.
Welcome reception with hearty appetizers, wine, beer and non-alcoholic beverages. We’ll raise a glass to celebrate SFJ’s comeback conference at ASU and the induction of Lane DeGregory and Maria Carrillo into SFJ’s Hall of Fame!
FRIDAY, NOV. 7
8:30 to 9 a.m.
Breakfast, coffee and socializing
Eli Saslow (Photo by Joanna Ceciliani)
9 to 10 a.m.
FRIDAY MORNING KEYNOTE: “Covering a Divided Nation” with 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 his “America, Polarized” coverage in The New York Times. Eli will talk about the power of covering deeply divided communities with nuance and empathy, and the ways feature writers can empower themselves in the face of metrics and myriad outside pressures.
10 to 11 a.m.
“All Work and Some Glitz: Diving into Entertainment Journalism Truths.” In an era when everyone’s a critic and social media reigns supreme, the role of the entertainment journalist is more complex than ever. Veteran entertainment journalists Mesfin Fekadu, Jonathan Landrum Jr. and Malcolm Venable will share their experiences managing breaking news, securing exclusives and crafting engaging features. This panel will provide a deep dive into the strategies, ethics and challenges facing entertainment journalists today.
11:15 a.m. to 12:15 p.m.
“Good to Great Lightning Session”: Craft. Speakers will tackle these topics:
How to Interview for Detail, with author and journalism professor Mallary Tenore Tarpley.
How to Turn a Routine Assignment into a Compelling Narrative — Quickly, with Pulitzer Prize-winning Tampa Bay Times reporter and author Lane DeGregory.
How to Edit Like a Boss, Even If You Don’t Have One, with veteran editor and newsroom leader Maria Carrillo.
12:15 to 1:15 p.m.
Box lunches and socializing
1:15 to 2:15 p.m.
“If You Want to Push for Diverse Narratives, Here’s What to Know.” In this conversation with St. Louis Post-Dispatch lifestyle/culture columnist Aisha Sultan and music critic Jasmine Osby, we will learn how to advocate effectively for diverse narratives in local coverage, because the more we understand the people in our communities, the more connected we feel. Sultan and Osby will discuss how they examine their own perspectives, set aside time to build trust with communities without burning out, and manage institutional questions around impact by going beyond pageview metrics. The discussion will be moderated by SFJ board member Kathy Lu.
2:15 to 3 p.m.
“Good to Great Lightning Session”: Beat Coverage. Speakers will tackle these topics:
How to Use Features-Focused Sports Coverage to Hook All Kinds of Readers, with Jason Wolf, sports investigative reporter for The Arizona Republic / azcentral and a 2025 winner of SFJ’s Excellence-in-Features journalism awards.
How to Use the Food Beat to Cover Historically Marginalized Communities, with Reia Li, Arizona Life reporter for The Arizona Republic / azcentral and a 2025 winner of SFJ’s Excellence-in-Features journalism awards.
3:15 to 4 p.m.
“Good to Great Lightning Session”: Digital Best Practices and Audience Engagement. Speakers will tackle these topics:
How to Connect with Digital Readers in Meaningful Ways Without Relying Too Heavily on Social Media, with Stefanie Loh of The Seattle Times.
How to Spark Audience Engagement with Smart Use of Newsletters and Live Events, with Becky Bartkowski and Felicia Campbell of The Arizona Republic / azcentral.
4 to 5 p.m.
FRIDAY AFTERNOON KEYNOTE: “How to Find Ideas and Turn Them Into Compelling Stories: A Case Study,” with Lane DeGregory, Pulitzer-winning enterprise reporter at the Tampa Bay Times, and Mike Wilson, deputy editor of “The Great Read” feature at The New York Times. As the firehose of headlines feels increasingly heavy, how can feature writers and editors come up with narratives — both off current events and in the shadows of their communities? A reporter and editor who worked together for more than a decade share their process and passion for storytelling.
FRIDAY NIGHT
After the conclusion of day one of the conference, head over to an optional happy hour at a super-cool bar that is walking distance from our conference venue and the conference hotel … (details tk!). After the happy hour, meander around downtown Phoenix and explore the city’s First Friday Art Walk, which runs from 6 to 10 p.m.
SATURDAY, NOV. 8
8:30 to 9 a.m.
Breakfast, coffee and socializing
9 to 10 a.m.
SATURDAY MORNING KEYNOTE: “Not From Around Here: How to Avoid Self-Fulfilling Assumptions as an Outsider Seeking Meaning in a Local Tragedy.” Mark Warren won the 2025 Pulitzer Prize for Feature Writing for his Esquire story “A Death in Alabama” about a Baptist pastor and mayor who died by suicide. He will discuss his process with journalist, author and teacher Kim Cross, who wrote a brilliant annotation of his story for Nieman Storyboard.
10 to 10:45 a.m.
“The Power of AI: 9 Ideas You Can Take Home and Try,” presented by Arizona State University’s Knight Center for the Future of News. This session will be led by Djordje Padejski, an AI expert who serves as associate director at Stanford University’s John S. Knight Journalism Fellowships and teaches journalism classes at Stanford and ASU’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication. Padejski will show concrete ways journalists are using AI to support and enhance storytelling, audience engagement and workflow.
11 a.m. to noon
Julia Wallace
AI Brainstorming Breakout Sessions. Now it’s your turn! Conference attendees will break into small teams to brainstorm AI-powered ideas that could solve specific needs in features journalism. Then the larger group will reassemble to share their ideas, and the best ideas will be singled out by a panel of experts, including Julia Wallace, the launch director for ASU’s Knight Center for the Future of News and a veteran news industry executive. One of those ideas will be assigned to an ASU Cronkite School intern, who will prototype or pilot it into reality. That’s right: A paid intern from ASU could be assigned to work remotely for your newsroom or news organization for the spring semester in 2026!
Noon to 12:30 p.m.
Heartfelt gratitudes and goodbyes.
SATURDAY AFTERNOON: So many field trip options! They include:
The USA TODAY Wine & Food Experience festival in north Phoenix from 1 to 4 p.m. (This magically timed event is about a 25-minute Uber ride from our conference venue.)
The Arizona Fall Fest, which runs until 4 p.m. at Margaret T. Hance Park, a 15-minute walk from our conference venue.
See many more ideas and suggestions in this fun travel post written by former SFJ president Ann Maloney!
KEY LOGISTICAL DETAILS:
To not miss anything on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, including plenty of food, beverages and time to socialize with good people, register here at the full conference rate of $225.
To attend a single day of the conference, use these links: Friday only for $125 or Saturday only for $50.
Conference registration will remain open through Oct. 25.
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. (The $189 room rate is available to SFJ members from Nov. 3 to 11. To extend that rate beyond the two conference nights of Nov. 6 and 7, contact Hyatt Place executive meeting manager Kelly Durrett by email at Kelly.Durrett@hpphx.com or by phone at 602-601-4554.)
We can’t wait to see you in Phoenix!
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.
