International Literacy Association 2015 Conference is less than two weeks away, and we are gearing up for a fresh conference with the brightest minds in the literacy field. This month’s #ILAchat on Twitter will focus on maximizing professional development opportunities at ILA 2015, including tips on how to pick and prioritize sessions.

A conference veteran, author and teacher Kate Messner will be on hand to share her best ideas on how to take advantage of the opportunities around every corner in St. Louis, MO.

The chat will focus on suggestions for first-time attendees, how to network with conference authors to your greatest benefit, and how to work the exhibit hall and tap the wealth of publishers’ booths.

Messner, National Board Certified teacher and award-winning children’s book author, is the author of more than 20 books, from stand-alone novels for kids to chapter book series to Lake Champlain historical novels to picture books. She has been both a featured author and speaker at past conferences.

Messner will also copresent a Teaching Edge session Saturday, July 18, with Ruth Culham and Lester Laminack. The session will focus on how to help students use both fiction and nonfiction texts as models for their own writing, encouraging students to “steal” from authors as a part of the writing process.

The ILA 2015 Conference will be held July 18–20 in St. Louis, MO, with more than 6,000 educators ready to transform their practice. Key topics affecting literacy featured at the conference include content literacy, children’s literature, classroom engagement, and professional development. In addition to conference favorites, including a revamped Teaching Edge series and the Putting Books to Work panels, more than 120 exhibitors will be on hand with new tools and technologies for all manners of literacy education.

Learn more about the conference programs at ilaconference.org. Register today for the ILA 2015 Conference to take advantage of special Early Bird pricing, now extended to July 7.

Join @ILAToday on July 9 at 8:00 p.m. ET. Make sure to hashtag #ILAchat to keep the conversation going!

Olivia Duke is a communications intern for the International Literacy Association.