Moderator will be:

Rosemary Carstens, freelance writer, and marketing and design consultant.

She is the editor of the quarterly e-zine FEAST, about books, art, film, food, and travel, author of DREAMRIDER: Roadmap to an Adventurous Life (2003), and co-author of Sustaining Thought (forthcoming 2007). She has been published in regional and national magazines and is an avid adventure traveler. When not writing or hosting presentations and workshops, two of her favorite leisure activities are surfing the 'Net and riding crosscountry on her motorcycle, the Road Goddess.

Panelists will be:

Sibylle Hechtel, PhD, science writer and rock climber.

Sibylle Hechtel and Beverly Johnson did the first female-only ascent of Yosemite's El Capitan, a vertical to overhanging monolith that was at that time considered the world's most difficult rock climb. It took them seven days to complete the route and they hung on the side of an overhanging wall or sat on small ledges for six nights. Hechtel's notorious story about their climb, titled "Walls Without Balls," was published as "untitled" by the American Alpine Journal. It has since been reprinted in numerous anthologies, including Rock "N" Roses and Steve Roper's Ordeal by Piton: Writings from the Golden Age of Yosemite Climbing, an anthology of the best climbing writing about Yosemite from 1933 to 1974. In the award-winning documentary "Vertical Frontier," Tom Brokaw describes the controversy surrounding their climb, Hechtel's story, and the eventual publication of "Walls without Balls."

Donna Druchunas, freelance writer, and author of six knitting books.

Donna is an experienced writer and knitwear designer whose articles and designs have appeared in Family Circle Easy Knitting, Knitters, Piecework, Interweave Knits, Fibre Focus, and INKnitters magazines as well as pattern booklets for various yarn companies. For her recently released Arctic Lace, Donna had to travel to several remote Alaskan villages to interview native women in each about the adaptation of traditional designs to knitted lace creations. Writing a book about another culture without offending or misrepresenting it creates special challenges. Donna will discuss the women she met along the way, the connection she formed with them through their unique craft, and their ultimate pride in the success of her book.

Elizabeth Wrenn, freelance writer and author.

Elizabeth has been a freelance writer for nearly thirty years. She has also been a park ranger, outdoor education naturalist, public relations and media specialist, literacy tutor, and, when the occasion demanded, a roofer. She lives in Boulder, Colorado, with her husband, daughter, and dog. Her first novel, Around the Next Corner, debuted in 2006. It is a hilarious and poignant story about a mother of three who's suffering from a case of middle-aged invisibility and a soon-to-be-empty nest-and the dog who guides her out of the darkness. As research for it, Elizabeth Wrenn raised Lucca, now a working guide dog in Georgia. She will read excerpts from her book and discuss the challenges inherent in raising and loving dogs that will ultimately belong to someone else.

Evelyn Kaye, publisher, author, and teacher.

Evelyn Kaye, author of 20 books including the award-winning Amazing Traveler Isabella Bird, has had her articles published in numerous major magazines and newspapers. In 2004, with her usual enthusiasm and verve, Evelyn's love of language and travel led her to change careers and become a teacher of English as a second language. She now teaches adult immigrants how to speak, write, and read English, presently at Westminster Front Range Community College. In the summer of 2006, she traveled to China to teach English to Chinese elementary school teachers and found herself in some very challenging circumstances. Evelyn will discuss her adventures, the pleasures of embracing change, and will share excerpts from her online China journal.