The process of going from “idea” to “published” is both fairly straightforward—proposal, agent, contract, book—and always shifting. In this discussion we’ll look at how food book publishing works in 2019: the industry, the market, and what makes a proposal (and writer) appealing to agents and editors.

In light of recent articles about the dearth of POC voices in food criticism and the need to diversify food media, what are POC food professionals responsibilities in analyzing, discussing, and transmitting cultures not their own? How can we be objective food writers without falling into the same traps as our White counterparts of appropriating and exoticizing culinary cultures that aren’t “our own”? By virtue of our writing, we are considered experts—what kind of implications does this have when we are considered experts on other POC cuisines?

Where does food end and activism begin? How do food and organizing intersect, if at all? Is there a place for activist food writing, and what does it look like? In this panel, we’ll be looking at the ways food brings people together for political purposes, as well as the limits of food as a political tool.

Chances are that something specific drew you to writing about food in the first place. Maybe it was history or politics, a fascination with wine, or a love of being in the kitchen. Focusing on a specialty can be both personally fulfilling and a boon to your career. In this panel, we’ll talk about how to figure out and market your niche, and when to stray from it.

Food media companies are on shaky ground. Layoffs and closures are common and many of the ones left don’t pay a living wage to writers. But this means there is space to create new DIY food media—not funded by big corporations.

We want to see more thoroughly researched stories and fewer trend- and publicity-driven pieces. Three journalists and an academic will discuss how to find the food stories not being told, then pitch and report them.

Writing is about connections. Three food writers and one photographer will discuss how to seek out the people whose work you admire, both to build a network to further your career and—perhaps most important—for support and mentorship.

Unless you have a (scarce) staff job, food writing is freelance work. This panel will discuss the ins and outs of working for yourself: pitching, negotiating, rates, writing for exposure, non-editorial work, how to pay your bills—and if it’s even possible—while writing about food.