I hope that you’ve all enjoyed our look back on the national Laura Ingalls Wilder conference 2012. The entire Laura Ingalls Wilder Legacy and Research Association Board is very proud that we’ve been able to put on two consecutive national Laura conferences. Although there have been other Laura conferences over the years, the one at Herbert Hoover Presidential Library in West Branch, Iowa, the one at Concordia in Minnesota, and the New Perspectives Conference in De Smet, but this is the first time there has been a regularly scheduled conference on Laura and we hope that it will encourage more focus and scholarship on Laura, her books, and her life. We’re looking forward to making July 2015 a three-peat.

A small group of people, some of the same ones, others have left or come, have worked on creating a regular conference focused on Laura since the Hoover conference in the mid-1990s. I think it’s safe to say we’re now a success, but like any first steps we’re bound to have made some mistakes along the way and we’re going to be counting on all of you who want to see this conference go on to contribute your time, efforts, and talents towards that goal.

It’s not too early to be thinking of 2015. Is there a subject you want to research or one you know about you want to present on? Is there something you want to make to be a vendor or to donate to the silent auction? (I’ve already found a donation I’m going to be bringing.) Is there a deal you’re going to have to start negotiating so you can get time to come? Have you found the perfect Laura t-shirt to wear yet? July 2015 seems a long way off, but it will seem like it was just a blip when we look back. So start thinking about the next conference now.

Thank you for coming along with me this week and I hope you enjoyed my video diary and make sure you checked out all the related links to extras.

Sarah S. Uthoff blogs at TrundleBed Tales; look for her on Twitter and YouTube and Blog Talk Radio
Laura Ingalls Wilder Legacy and Research Association, Vice-President and Membership Chair