"The Field of Dreams" is a wonderful movie. There is a really important message in this virtual fantasy that speaks to our work in education and creativity.

A Midwestern farmer believed that he could build a baseball diamond and stadium in his cornfield which would bring the players and then the crowds. According to the story, the great historical baseball figures came out of his cornfield to play on his field.

Then in the final moments, the crowds came replacing the people who were skeptical and unbelieving.

If we add program, workshops, classes and activities, the people will come.

This has been proven true across the history of conferences, schools, colleges and conventions. This is true in regards to the East Texas Christian Writers Conference. As we have added new workshops, new speakers, new experiences, the crowds have come.

We started with about 49 participants in June of 2002, growing in more recent times to over 190 participants.

We are working on adding new writers to our conference leadership, new experiences to enrich and enhance writing for our participants.

This year we will have several prominent editors and acquisitions personnel from major publishing houses and presses—Denny Boultinghouse (Howard Publishing), Miriam and Bradford Hees (Blooming Tree Press), Marv Knox (The Baptist Standard), DD Turner (Marshall News Messenger), Pete Litterski (Longview News-Journal), and Jim Stafford (The Upper Room).

There are literary agents coming to work with writers.

Prominent agents will be Michael Farris and Terry Burns. In addition to these special leaders, there will be other literary and writing specialists coming to work with writers—Patricia Saunders, Lenora Worth, Donn Taylor, Austin B. Tucker, Donna Walker-Nixon, Bill Keith, Jim Pence, Robert and Mary Darden, Faye Field, Don Barton, Charlotte Hansen, Andrea and Gary Chevalier.

These conference leaders will present a variety of workshops on writing—some for beginning writers, some for intermediate writers and some for advanced writers. We will have special conferences on e-publishing, novels, journaling, publishing, self-publishing, freelancing, romance novels, comedies, music and lyrics, drama, newspaper, textbooks, and biography.

One of the newest workshops and presentations will be sponsored by Logos Bible Software, Inc., and will be about their digitizing biblical texts, books and other resources for Christians. J. B. Hixson from Houston will be presenting this special workshop.

There will be writing resources and software available for purchase through the conference bookstore sponsored by Barron's Bookstore in Longview and Logos Bible Software.

As we think about building and growing, we need to realize the importance of using what we currently have to the maximum.

We are doing that as we utilize our present buildings and resources at ETBU.

We are going to shortly have a wonderful University Center that will accommodate several hundred for meetings and workshops like the Christian Writers Conference.

This is in reality "The Field of Dreams" for the Christian Writers Conference.

We are building the workshops and experiences and now the people are coming.

We will continue to grow in head count and in experiences. If we provide the opportunity in workshops and programs, the participants and writers will come.

They will take advantage of the reasonable fees, becoming our partners in expanding and growing a strong and more comprehensive experience for writers.

We want to invite you to become part of "The Field of Dreams" as we build, expand and grow the Christian Writers Conference.

Share with us what you would like to see happen through this special initiative.

Do you have classes, workshops, programs you would like to see developed? What do you need? What do you want?

Express your ideas in words. Call us, write us, come to see us. Communicate your ideas in real and substantial ways. Join us June 6 and 7, 2008, for the conference—bring someone with you. We invite you to become part of our "Field of Dreams" for writers.

If you are interested in the conference contact me and let me know. You can share what you think with me at drjerryhopkins@yahoo.com or jhopkins@etbu.edu. You may also reach me at 903-923-2087 or by "snail" mail at Dr. Jerry Hopkins, East Texas Baptist University, 1209 North Grove Street, Marshall, TX 75670.